HINTS ON HAYMAKING 135 



importance occurs in the field. In the rick, however, very- 

 considerable chemical changes take place, such as the creation 

 of sugar by the action of heat on the starch contained in the 

 grass. The difference between good and bad hay nearly as 

 often results from too little or too great heat being evolved in 

 the stack, as from faults in the process before stacking. Over- 

 heating, even when it does not go so far as to blacken and char 

 the hay, produces so much acetic acid as to make the fodder 

 sour and unpalatable. Dr. Thompson showed that 387^ 

 pounds of grass are required to make 100 pounds of hay. The 

 loss is chiefly water, but not entirely so. This is demonstrated 

 by the fact that an animal which thrives on 100 pounds of 

 grass will not do nearly so well on 25 pounds of hay sup- 

 plemented with 75 pounds of water. The loss of nutritious 

 ingredients is of course attributable to the process of fermenta- 

 tion carried on in the stack. The sugar has been largely 

 converted into alcohol and carbonic acid, by which a certain 

 amount of waste has occurred. 



However closely a field may be raked after the hay cart, 

 a quantity of loose hay will remain scattered about, and 

 it will be well worth while to turn in cattle to pick this up, 

 and also to browse on the patches round the headlands and 

 ditches which have escaped the mowing machine. Much 

 waste is incurred by carelessness in this matter, and if the grass 

 by the hedges and ditches is not eaten down while green, it 

 will be unsightly all the summer. Immediately the cattle 

 have consumed the fodder they must be driven out of the 

 field, to give the aftermath time to make a fair start. 



The making of aftermath hay is not by any means general, 

 and is always precarious. Autumnal dews and shortening 

 days, combined with the succulent nature of the herbage, are 

 all against it. But as many of the late-growing grasses, of 

 which the herbage principally consists, are specially nutritious, 

 there is a prevalent opinion that the lattermath is of higher 

 quality than the first cut. 



