June 11, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
495 
THE HAY HARVEST. 
At last our doubts about the hay crop are ended, the 
timely change from cold dry weather to warm nights, bright 
hot days alternating with dull wet ones, when the heavy 
showers set every crop growing with such vigour and rapidity 
that a wonderful change was wrought in a fortnight; and 
now we are able to say that before Midsummer-day the hay 
harvest will be in full swing once more, and we wish our 
readers fine sunny weather for the work, and an ample store 
of good hay, which they will have with fair weather for the 
harvest, for the crop of Clover and Grass is excellent upon 
all well-managed land, proving once more the truth of the 
axiom, “ Good farming is profitable farming.” 
Success or failure in haymaking depends very much, but 
not altogether, upon the weather; watchfulness, promptitude, 
and energy also tell. Let us take especial care to be ready 
for the work : mowing machines, and all other implements, 
as horse rakes, tedding machines—or, as they are called in 
the eastern counties, hay-shakers—have been closely ex¬ 
amined, put into thorough repair, and for the mowing 
machine duplicates are provided of the parts most liable to 
breakage, such as knives, driving-rods, and guards of ex¬ 
posed parts of the machinery. We prefer flat files for sharp¬ 
ening the knives, and have procured a supply, with which a 
man will be constantly employed while the mowing is being 
done. Very sharp knives are an imperative necessity for 
good work to be done by the machine, and a close watch 
must be kept upon it in order that the knives may be changed 
often enough. If the knives are at all blunt a rib of uncut 
grass is left along every swathe and much good fodder 
wasted, for cattle will not eat it, fresh tender growth being 
so abundant after the hay is cleared off the pasture. When 
we first saw such bad work being done by a mower and asked 
the reason of it we could not obtain a satisfactory answer; 
the general opinion was that the machine was at fault, but 
why or how it was so had not been ascertained. A little 
attention soon showed us the cause, and a man was at once 
told off to each machine for knife-sharpening and to fasten 
any loosened rivets. When mowing is done by machines all 
possible provision must be made against accidents, and when 
they occur the necessary means from quick and efficient 
repairs must be at hand, or invaluable time will be lost and 
the haymaking come to a standstill. It is because experience 
has repeatedly shown us this that we are so particular in 
doing all we can to guard against and yet prepare for them. 
Upon one farm the surface is so hilly in some parts that 
scythes have to be used, upon another they are required in a 
park among timber, and the men that use them are subse¬ 
quently turned to account upon the ricks and for loading the 
hay. On other farms the surface is level and the boundaries 
well defined, so that no scythes are required. These matters 
are mentioned to show that no general rules can be laid 
down for the work, but each farm must be managed accord¬ 
ing to its particular requirements. Small hand rakes have 
been looked over and the faulty ones repaired, new ones being 
procured when necessary; pitchforks of wrought iron have 
been put into working order—we much prefer the improved 
cast-iron forks, which are light strong tools, very durable and 
not liable to get out of order. There is a stout rick cloth, 
with poles, ropes, blocks, and pulleys at each farm, and we 
regard them as indispensable. 
Upon some farms which we have recently taken in hand 
we found several very small ricks of old hay, so made because 
there was no rick-cloth provided for rick-building, and the 
small ricks have been covered with a waggon tarpaulin and 
corn racks if it rained during the haying. We need hardly 
say that we found the hay to be decidedly of inferior quality, 
some of it, made during the fine weather of last summer, 
being positively musty. This is an instance of false economy 
or carelessness to which we would draw attention. A full- 
sized rick-cloth is an indispensable aid to good haymaking. 
Without it rain may be kept out of the rick, but when a tar¬ 
paulin is thrown upon the rick the vapour is kept in and ex¬ 
cessive fermentation is the result, more hay often being spoilt 
than would purchase several rick-cloths. It is only those 
favoured individuals having hay-barns that can dispense with 
a rick-cloth. We may add that due attention must be given 
to the condition of ropes, pulleys, poles, and ladders. Let it 
not be thought that such precaution is unnecessary. We 
have more than once seen life and limbs in jeopardy from the 
use of unsound tackle, and workmen are very careless about 
such matters, frequently running much risk which it is in 
their power to avoid. 
Harvest carts, with ladders'projecting over the back and 
front, are much used in some counties ; but we regard them 
as decidedly objectionable, it being no easy matter either to 
load or unload them, shaken as the men must be by the 
movements of a horse teased by flies. Two waggons are 
indispensable to the quick and efficient carting of hay, the 
four wheels forming a sufficiently firm support for the work, 
and it must not be forgotten that it is clearly in his own 
interest that a farmer provides really useful implements. 
Haymaking is a critical undertaking beset with much 
anxiety and some degree of uncertainty ; well is it, therefore, 
to take proportionate pains to ensure success so far as may 
be. Of the actual work itself we purpose treating in another 
paper, our object here being solely to call attention to those 
preliminary matters which we have found by long experience 
to require attention beforehand. To put off mowing when 
the grass is ready because our arrangements are immature 
is certainly bad practice, much to be deplored, risking, as it 
does, the quality of the hay in so many ways. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Never have we seen the young Mangold crop more promising in 
appearance than it is this year. Much of it, however, is getting over¬ 
grown by weeds, and the hoeing is being done as fast as possible. Growth 
of corn, roots, and weeds is so free just now that we have much difficulty 
in keeping abreast of the work. Hoeing in Peas, Beans, and Wheat is 
now over. Some late Barley and Oats is still very foul, but a week of fine 
weather will help us to bring up arrears. The horse hoe has been put 
between the Potatoes, hand-hoeing followed to clean out weeds in the 
rows before the earthing is done. Swede-sowing is now being done, and 
white Turnips will follow. We have sown our last crop of Tares, and 
hope to get in the white Mustard before the haying begins, but showery 
weather renders the clearing of fallows a difficult and tedious matter. The 
crop of Trifolium incarnatum is exceedingly good. We are using it for 
horses now, and intend mowing a considerable breadth for hay ; winter 
Tares will follow this crop nicely, and they are an excellent crop. Carrots, 
too, look well, and will soon be ready for thinning. The month, on the 
whole, is a very busy one, so many crops requiring attention together. 
Farm horses, when they leave work, are turned out upon Trefoil, 
Clover, or grass ; they are led to the stables in the evening, and have 
Trifolium there with a little corn if they are working hard. Carting of 
manure from the yards is being done as fast as possible, or rather aB often 
as horses can be spared for such work. The cOwyards will be cleared first, 
and if we cannot manage to clear other yards before the haying the 
manure will be thrown up into heaps to prevent loss of nutriment. The 
sheep have been washed, and shearing is now being done. As soon after¬ 
wards as possible we like to dip all the sheep in Cooper’s preparation, as 
we find it an excellent preventive of fly-sticking. Care is taken to wait 
till any wounds inflicted with the shears are healed. A supply of Cuff’s 
ointment is now given to each shepherd in readiness for attacks of fly, 
from which the flock can never be said to be quite safe. As the lambs are 
weaned old ewes will be drafted out of the flock and brought into con¬ 
dition for sale as early as possible. We have a fine batch of ewe hoggets 
to enter the flock this season, which will enable us to withdraw many 
inferior sheep. South Down and Leicester hoggets are in excellent con¬ 
dition now, and we have flocks of both these excellent breeds. The 
Leicesters are, however, somewhat troublesome, for many of them are 
“jumpers,” and we have as yet not been able to provide the special 
hurdles which we intend having for them. 
BATH AND WEST OF ENGLAND SOCIETY AND 
SOUTHERN COUNTIES ASSOCIATION. 
The Brighton meeting of this old-established Society commenced on 
Monday, June 8th, which considerably surpasses any of its predecessors in the 
