822 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 
This rick of silage and charred hay would have 
burned had we helped it by opening it and admitting 
air at the right time. By leaving it alone it died 
from smothering; there was not oxygen enough in 
the mass to make it burn. There are, however, a 
good many instances of spontaneous combustion oc- 
curring in alfalfa ricks and mows in Kansas where 
the very rank growths are often put up without sufft 
cient drying. It is notable that in many instances 
recorded the fire breaks out after the farmer be- 
comes alarmed at the hotness of his mow or stack 
and goes to open it out, when it gets air, takes fire 
and burns. It is doubtful if there would often occur 
a case of spontaneous combustion if the barn was 
fairly tight and no air was let in by braces or beams 
running into the mow. The best thing usually 
when one fears spontaneous combustion in mow or 
stack is to watch it and carefully avoid opening it 
or doing anything to let the air into the mass. 
I once put green oat hay into the mow, a great 
many tons of it, and spontaneous combustion set in 
in this mow, and steam filled the lower story for 
days. We kept adding hay above and thought little 
of it. The mass cooled down, but when the hay was 
taken out there were tons of charred hay that could 
not be handled with the fork. It seems that had we 
dug into the mass we would have lost the barn. 
| There is practically no danger of spontaneous 
' combustion unless the hay is put in much too green 
and moist. 
