THE farmer’s manual. 48 
free from dew, let those lie untouched until noon, un- 
less showers, or a storm become threatening ; in this 
case, break off your mowers, and get your clover from 
the swath into small cocks. Let the cocks be made 
with the fork, with only once or twice rolling; but 
if the weather continues fair, let your mowers keep 
on and your hay- makers follow with their forks, and 
put all the swaths into small cocks. The next 
day, let these cocks stand, and go on cutting as be- 
fore; proceed thus until you have secured your clo- 
ver.. In two, three, or four days, as the weather may 
be, the clover first cut will be fit to cart, if the wea- 
ther proves fair, if not, the rains will never penetrate 
farther than the winds and sun will dry ; the clover 
will be injured only upon the surface. Should a long, 
cloudy, or moist turn of weather succeed, you may 
give your clover air, by taking off the top of each 
cock and placing it for the bottom, and thus with 
your fork change the order of your cocks by bring- 
ing the bottoms to the top; this mode will cause your 
cocks to shed rain better than the common mode of 
turning them over at once with the fork. When you 
find your clover sufficiently cured for housing, take 
the first good hay-day, turn over your cocks in the 
morning when the dew is off, and as soon as the 
moisture is dried from the bottoms, clear your field 
as fast as possible ; thus you will secure all the valu- 
able parts of your clover: viz. the heads and leaves, 
in full blossom, and as perfect a green as when 
growing; and your horses will hold their flesh and 
do more service on this clover, without grain, than 
on clover cured in the common method, with the usual 
quantity of grain, and you will readily experience the 
saving in expense, which, although of importance, 
will be found to be of minor consideration in this 
mode of husbandry*. 
♦ If you sow your clover thin, with only 2 or 3 quarts of seed to 
the acre, (as is the practice of some,) it will be of an inferior quali- 
ty ; the stalk will grow large and rank, and require more attention 
5 
