Haymaking. 



3 



whereby the hay is battered into the ground and the grass 

 begins to shoot up through it again. In such a case 

 the chance should be taken of a gleam of sunshine 

 to turn it up to keep it in evidence lest it rot. In Scot- 

 land it would at least turn yellow underneath if not 

 moved. In ordinary, moderately fine weather, how- 

 ever, the most desirable course is to leave it alone after 

 cutting until it is partly dried and " made " on the top of 

 the swathe, then rake it together into windrows and cock 

 it up, when it is safe from either sun or rain. If there is much 

 green and damp stuff in the swathes when raked up, then the 

 windrows can be left for an hour or two before cocking up ; 

 but otherwise in the southern half of England this is 

 all that is needed, and the writer has made thousands of tons 

 of hay in this way. The method adopted in Scotland is 

 necessarily different and will be touched upon later. 



In connection with this point it should be noted that hay 

 lying in the swathe, as deposited by the mowing machine, is 

 in such a position that it shoots the water off without getting 

 very wet. The natural glaze on the stems assists this 

 process, and thus a shower of rain or a wet day or two 

 does little harm. On the other hand, when the hay is turned 

 the stems are broken, thus letting the sap out and the wet in, 

 while the clover leaves get badly knocked off, and there is a 

 waste of labour in addition. Where there is a very heavy 

 crop — say over two tons per acre — it may be necessary some- 

 times to teaze the stuff out, but usually this necessity does not 

 arise. The writer has a tedder which is brought out to the field 

 at the beginning of the season in case it may be wanted, but 

 last year it was never used, and not one acre of the whole 

 crop was turned at all. The keynote of haymaking is cock- 

 ing or " quiling." If there is continuous fine weather this 

 may not be necessary where the carrying can keep pace with 

 the cutting, but if the hay is likely to have to lie some time 

 then it should be cocked to keep its colour and prevent it 

 from becoming sunburnt. On the other hand, in broken 

 weather if the stuff can be got to the half-dried stage, let it 

 be put into cocks, and it is then safe from further wasting. 

 Rain only wets the outside straws, while an occasional spell 



