HAYMAKING. 9 



depleted the soil of much of its humus and rendered it heavy, lifeless, 

 and difficult to work. Applications of barnyard manure and the 

 growing of leguminous crops bring the soil back to its proper texture 

 and fertility, and since dairying and live-stock production have be- 

 come such important industries in the valley much of the land is 

 being rapidly restored to its former productiveness. 



Western Washington is largely covered with a dense growth of 

 evergreen timber and underbrush. The prairie land is limited and 

 much of it is gravelly and of little agricultural value. Most of the 

 agricultural land was formerly timbered, and it has shown itself 

 eminently adapted to the production of forage crops and various 

 kinds of fruit. Clover has been one of the leading crops for years, 

 and little of the land has been subjected to the exclusive production 

 of cereal crops. As might be expected, therefore, most of the farm 

 land of western Washington is still in a very productive condition. 



HAYMAKING. 



To make hay of prime quality west of the Cascade Mountains is 

 often a difficult matter. Most of the hay crops, if allowed to mature 

 naturally, are ready to cut during the month of June, while the late 

 spring rains are usually not over until the 1st of July. Thus, hay- 

 making would naturally occur at a time when good weather can not 

 always be relied upon. Even when the weathei* is fair the nights 

 are cool and dews are frequent and heavy. This difficulty is often 

 partially overcome by pasturing the meadows in the spring until 

 about the 1st of May to retard the development of the crop, so that 

 haymaking will occur after the late spring rains are over. 



CONDITIONS GOVERNING STAGE AT AVHICH HAY SHOULD BE CUT. 



There are several factors to be considered in determining the proper 

 stage at which a crop should be cut for hay. Chemists tell us that 

 hay made from young growing plants is more digestible and contains 

 more protein per pound than hay made from more mature plants. 

 If hay is cut early the percentage of protein is greater ; if cut later, 

 the percentage of protein is less, but the yield of dry matter in pounds 

 is materially increased. As an illustration of this, see the table giv- 

 ing the amount of dry matter in corn at different stages of develop- 

 ment, page 29. The protein content of hay made from the true 

 grasses, such as timothy or orchard grass, is always low, and the gain 

 in protein per pound from cutting such hay early is always more 

 than counterbalanced by the loss in dry matter. On the other hand, 

 hay made from some of the leguminous plants is said to be too rich 

 for certain classes of animals. Men who have had considerable 

 experience in feeding vetch and alfalfa hay generally agree in saying 

 31697— No, 94—06 2 



