VETCH HAY. 19 



should be ready about June 15. When cut in the early spring for 

 soiling a second crop may be cut or pastured, or the land may be 

 plowed and planted to some other crop. 



THE HAY CROP. 



Since fall-sown vetch matures for hay in June and rains are not 

 infrequent at this season of the year it is quite a common practice 

 to pasture it in the early spring — March and April — to keep the 

 growth from becoming so heavy that it will fall before it is cut and 

 to retard its development so that haymaking will occur after the 

 rains are over. If the crop is heavy and falls during bad weather 

 it is best to make ensilage of it immediately. 



When the seeds are just appearing in the first pods is usually con- 

 sidered the best time to cut vetch for hay. Some cut it earlier than 

 this, while others allow the first seeds to become pretty well matured. 

 If the crop is not too heavy it may be handled in the ordinary way, 

 but it should be put into cocks before the leaves are dry enough to 

 be broken off during the handling. When very heavy it falls more 

 or less, and usually in some prevailing direction. When in this 

 fallen condition the rear of the sickle bar of the mower is usually 

 raised and the guards tilted down. Sometimes a man follows the 

 mower with a strong pitchfork and when the vetch clogs he sticks 

 the tines of the fork into the ground just behind the sickle bar and 

 pulls the vetch loose. 



Others cut vetch in but one direction, the opposite way from that 

 in which it is leaning, driving the mower back idle each trip. Men 

 with forks throw each swath out as it is cut, so that the mower can 

 get through without the vetch clogging on the sickle bar. Another 

 way is to cut a swath and with forks roll it on the uncut vetch; cut 

 another swath and roll the two cut swaths on the uncut vetch: cut 

 again and roll out the three cut swaths. This process forms wind- 

 rows of three swaths each. (See fig. 1.) 



With the vetch fallen in one prevailing direction, others cut one 

 way only, driving the mower in such manner that the fallen vetch 

 will point forward and away from the direction driven at an angle 

 of about 4:5°. A little experience will enable one to determine the 

 proper angle. When the cutting of a swath is finished the sickle 

 bar is raised and the mower thrown out of gear and driven back on 

 the swath just cut to mash it down and make a path for the shoe of 

 the sickle bar with the wheel of the mower. With the rear of the 

 sickle bar raised, the guards tilted down, the vetch lying in the 

 direction indicated, and the last cut swath lapping up on the uncut 

 vetch and mashed down by driving the empty mower back over it, 

 the inner wheel of the mower, as the next swath is beinff cut, runs 



