HUSBANDRY. 
that is most likely to generate too great a 
degree of heat; of course grass from such 
land should have move time allowed in mak- 
ing it into hay. In moderately hot seasons 
the proper point of drying may be easily 
judged of; but when they are very hot and 
scorching it is easy to be mistaken; as in such 
weather the grass becomes crisp, rustles, and 
handles like hay, before the moisture or sap 
is sufficiently dissipated for it to be in a state 
lit to be laid up in large stacks. If that, 
however, be done when it is thus insuffi- 
ciently made, it mostly heats too much, be- 
coming mow-burnt in some cases. 
The art of hay-making much depends in 
the due observance of the following rules, as 
nearly as circumstances will admit. 
In the lirst day’s process all the grass 
mown before nine o.clock in the morning 
must be tedded or spread out, great care 
being taken to shake it so as to leave it free 
from lumps, and to strew it evenly over the 
whole surface of the ground. It is soon after- 
wards turned, with an equal degree of care 
and attention ; and if the number of hands be 
sufficient, they turn the whole again, or at 
least as much of it as they can before one 
o’clock. It is then raked into what are term- 
ed single windrows, or so as that each person 
may form a row at about three feet distance ; 
and’ the last operation of the day is to put it 
up into grass cocks. The business ot the 
succeeding day commences with the process 
of tedding all the grass that was mown the lirst 
day after nine o’clock, and all that was mown 
t!ie seeond day before the same hour. The 
grass-cocks are then well shaken out into se- 
parate plats of five or six yards in breadth. 
The plats are next turned, and after that, the 
grass that was tedded in the lirst part of the 
morning once or twice, in the same manner 
as described in the first day. This business 
should all be performed before one o’clock, 
that the whole may lie to dry while the 
people are at dinner. After this the first 
thing is to rake the plats into double wind- 
rows, which is done by every two persons 
raking the hay in opposite directions or to- 
wards each other, forming a row between 
them of double the size of the single wind- 
rows, each being about six or eight feet dis- 
tant from the other. They afterwards rake 
the grass tedded thus into single windrows ; 
then put the double windrows into bastard 
cocks; and conclude by putting the single 
windrows into grass-cocks. The labour of 
the third day is begun by first tedding and 
spreading out the grass mown and not spread 
the preceding day, as well as that mown in 
the early part of the day, and then the grass- 
cocks are thrown out into plats as before, and 
the bastard cocks into plats of less extent. 
These narrow plats, though last spread out, 
are first turned, then those which were in 
grass-cocks; and lastly the grass is turned 
once or twice before one o’clock. When 
the weather has been sunny and fine, the hay 
which was last night in bastard cocks will this 
afternoon be in a proper stale to be carried, 
as in fine seasons it may mostly be performed 
on the third day ; but when the weather has 
been cool and cloudy, no part of it probably 
will be fit to carry. In that case, the first busi- 
ness after dinner is to rake that which was in 
grass-cocks last night into double windrows ; 
then the grass which was this morning spread 
from the swaths into single windrows. After 
this the hay which was last night in bastard 
cocks is made up into full sized cocks, and 
care taken to rake the hay up clean, and also 
to put the rakings upon the top of each cock. 
And lastly, the double windrows are put up 
into bastard cocks and the single ones into 
grass-cocks, as in the preceding days. On 
the fourth day the great cocks just described 
are mostly carried before dinner. The other 
operations are similar to those of the former 
days, and proceed in the same order, conti- 
nuing them daily until the whole is finished. 
During the whole course of hay-making 
the grass should, as much as possible, be 
protected both in the day and night against 
rain and dew, by cocking. 
The preserving hay of a proper green co- 
lour is a circumstance of some importance. 
In order to effect it, the bastard cocks, previous 
to their being carried, should be put up in 
the heat of the day, and remain in that con- 
dition till the following morning, when they 
must be turned and opened so as to dispel any 
damp that might induce it to heat in the 
stack, and in that way spoil the colour. The 
acquisition of a lightish brown colour in the 
stack is not found injurious to hay, but where 
it becomes of a dark brown from too much 
heat, it is said to weaken and relax horses 
that are fed upon it by its. powerful diuretic 
quality. It is of course of inferior value for 
that purpose, but not* he worse for fattening 
cattle with. 
For the purpose of facilitating tne business 
of getting the hay together in bad showery 
seasons, hay-sweeps have been constructed. 
A contrivance of the first sort has been in- 
vented, and described in vol. xiv. of the 
Transactions of the Society lor the Encou- 
ragement of Arts, Manufactures, &c. It is 
so constructed as to be drawn by four horses 
in pairs, but smaller ones might be made to 
be drawn by two, and is managed by two 
boys, one of whom drives each pair ol horses, 
being mounted. on oije of them. Where the 
ground is level, little more will be necessary 
in order to assist the machine, than merely to 
break and turn up the rows of hay in different 
places. In catching or showery weather, such 
a machine maybe particularly useful, in gett- 
ing a field of hay, nearly dry, into large 
heaps in different parts of the field, whence it 
may be made into large cocks of half a ton 
or more each, with the utmost facility. 
Stacking and thatching hay. r l lie form of 
the hay stack is not a matter of much conse- 
quence, the long square, or oblong shapes 
are the most safe and convenient, especially 
when not too broad, as they admit the air 
the most fully. But the circular form for farm 
use, where straw is scarce, may be the most 
advantageous in the economy of straw in 
thatching. 
The size of the staddle or stack bottom 
should be proportioned to the quantity of 
hay, but it is better not to have the stacks 
too large; 24 feet by 14 or 15 is for most oc- 
casions a good size. 
The business of stacking hay is best per- 
formed, if possible, while there is a full sun, as 
by such means it is much improved. It is ne- 
cessirv to have a person that understands the 
art of setting up stacks, and a sufficient num- 
ber of helpers to assist in spreading the hay and 
treading it well down. In building, the middle 
of the stack should always be well kept up, 
something higher than the sides. In this dis- 
trict, where work of this sort is well executed ; 
at leisure times, during the whole period the 
943 
stack is building, the men are employed in 
pulling the sides and ends into proper form. 
After the work of stacking has been com- 
pleted, and the slack is pulled and topped 
up, it is left till it has sweated, and is per- 
fectly settled, which is mostly the case in a 
week or ten days: the roof should. then be 
well covered by a good coat of thatch. r I he 
roof should be dry when the thatch is put on, 
to prevent the hay from becoming mouldy. 
It is of great consequence that this sort of 
work be well performed. 
It is a point not perfectly decided among 
agricultors, whether hay keeps better in stacks 
in the open air or in barns for the purpose. It 
is the opinion of most fanners that the first 
mode has the advantage in so far as respects- 
the quality of the hay. 
After-grass. Where after-grass is fed off 
by stock, there is much difference of opinion 
in regard to the most proper periods of turn- 
ing in the animals. Some have contended 
that it is the best practice to let them into 
the field before the young grass has attained 
any very great head; while others maintain 
the opposite doctrine, and think it the best 
method to allow the grass to get up to a full 
bite' before the stock is turned upon the land.. 
Both endeavour to support their opinions by 
experience. But as they cannot be both of 
them true, it is probable that the extremes- 
of each are to be avoided; and that, as in 
many other matters, the truth may lie in the 
middle. This is indeed equally supported 
by fact and the observation of the most in- 
telligent managers ; as when the cattle are 
turned in too early there.isnota sufficient 
bite to keep up the condition -of the animals-; 
while in the contrary extreme, the stock so 
soon fill themselves, that much of it is trod- 
den down and wasted afterwards in their 
roaming about the fields to pick the sweetest 
morsels. 
Where much stock is turned upon after 
grass in a full state of growth, there- cannot 
be any doubt but that much loss must, as has. 
been just observed, be sustained by the 
treading down and rendering the grass unfit 
for being eaten off. It is therefore perhaps 
only by beginning the pasturage of after- 
grass when in the middle state of growth that- 
it can be consumed to the best advantage, 
and without loss in either of the ways that 
have been just noticed. 
In the stocking of after-grass, some atten- 
tion is necessary not to have too great a 
number of animals on a given proportion of 
land. One cow to the acre on well-grown 
after-grass is an ample stock. Good grass- 
land may, however, admit something more. 
Management of pasture lands. Having 
explained the different methods of manage- 
ment that seem necessary to the cultivation 
of those sorts of grass lands that are chiefly 
applied to the purpose of producing hay, we 
shall now describe the inodes of practice 
which appear requisite in such as are almost' 
wholly appropriated to the support and fat- 
tening of live stock. 
The grounds that are the most perfectly 
adapted to this use are, all those which have 
a considerable depth of good mould, and at 
the same time that they afford a good her- 
bage, are so dry in their nature as to admit the 
animals to feed upon them at almost all sea- 
sons without injury by poaching. Coarse 
rushy lands may, however, in many cases be 
converted into good pastures, by proper at- 
