1903 
483 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
CUTTING HUY FROM THE FIELD. 
As we like to feed cut hay to our cattle In Winter we 
thought that If the hay could be cut as it is being 
mowed from the field it would save one handling. As 
we had never tried this method, nor know of anyone 
else who has, we wondered whether or not you had 
ever heard of such a thing being tried, and if so, with 
what success? c. b. 
Middletown, Del. 
There is no question that hay may he cut imme¬ 
diately from the field, and would save, provided it 
was not packed in the mow. We have not had any 
experience along this line. One particular objection 
to us would be the delay by cutting in getting our hay 
in the barn. When sufiiciently cured we would be 
seriously interested in getting it under cover at the 
earliest possible time. d. c. lewis. 
New Jersey. 
We have never had any experience in cutting hay 
as it is brought from the field and storing it in this 
condition. I should be rather afraid to recommend 
this practice, unless the hay was exceedingly dry, as 
I should fear that it would mold. This is based rather 
upon our experience with cornstalks, which will keep 
perfectly in stalks, but if cut fine will almost invari¬ 
ably heat and mold. If the cut hay is packed very 
tight there will be less danger than if allowed to lie-in 
loose. This will be difficult to accomplish. 
New Jersey Exp. Sta. [Prof.] e. b. voorhees. 
I have had no experience in cutting hay into the 
mow. I can see no reason why it cannot be done if 
one feels warranted in making the outlay. I did make 
some quite careful experiments with cut hay as com¬ 
pared to uncut, equal weight, with the fiow of milk 
in favor of the uncut. The difference, however, was 
in favor of the cut feed, the variation be¬ 
ing due to some cause not easily traceable. 
The labor involved in cutting is consider¬ 
able, and we certainly cannot increase di¬ 
gestibility nor palatability, because ani¬ 
mals do not relish cut hay more than Un¬ 
cut. In fact, I have tried cows with a 
choice of fresh hay from the mow and cut 
hay of several days’ standing, and they 
will take the uncut quickly. Of course if 
cut directly into the mow it would not 
probably lose the aroma. I should expect 
it would need to be drier, or rather to be 
cocked and sweated out, and then perhaps 
exnosed to the air before blowing in. It 
might be pertinent to say that experi¬ 
ments with ruminants do not show ad¬ 
vantage in cutting forage and mixing with 
grain, on account of the very large ab¬ 
dominal storage or mixing stomach. 
Slaughter tests at varying periods after 
feeding gave evidence of almost imme¬ 
diate mixing. With the horse and his 
small stomach the problem is much 
changed. Every careful feeder so far as 
I know prefers cut hay and grain mixed. It is very 
doubtful, however, whether one can afford to go to 
the extra expense. Extra labor should always be com¬ 
puted in everything we do. ii. e. cook. 
I never tried this method, and never heard of any¬ 
one who did. There is no reason why the plan should 
not succeed, as the more compact hay is in the mow 
the better it keeps. It should be in the same condi¬ 
tion as if drawn to be stored in the usual manner. I 
should try one mow or a part of a mow the first year 
before adopting generally. c. L. peck. 
Pennsylvania. 
I believe if it is properly cured (perhaps somewhat 
drier than if placed in the mow whole) it would keep 
just as well cut up fine as if left whole. If the in¬ 
quirer after he has his mow filled with this cut hay, 
would cover it with oat straw or some other litter, to 
catch the sweat, I think it w'ould come out all right. 
I have known cases, and have done it myself, where 
a barrel was placed in the center of the mow, or if the 
mow is a large one, two barrels. As fast as the mow 
was filled the barrels were pulled up. This makes a 
chimney draft right up through the mow and carries 
off ail the sweat. As for myself, I should not be 
afraid to try it, only that I should use extra care in 
having my hay in good condition when cutting tor 
the mow. o. w. higoins. 
New York. 
I had never thought of the plan of drawing and 
running new hay through a cutter. A little reflection, 
however, I think will discourage such a practice. No 
matter how dry hay is when mowed away, it will heat 
more or less; cut hay will pack much closer than un-. 
cut, and at some period of this sweating process 1 
would greatly fear spontaneous combustion. I lost a 
$4,000 barn in September, 1900, from this cause, I feel 
CbDSdeDt; two or three loads of clover were cured, but; 
i Blljiht shower it and caused combustion- 
Although there might be some labor saved to cut as 
drawn yet there is an old and true maxim: “Make hay 
while the sun shines.” This means to rush the work 
when the hay is right, and the weather favorable, 
and I imagine the extra time necessary to cut would 
be of itself a formidable objection to the plan pro¬ 
posed. I would, however, be glad to hear of some ex¬ 
periments along this line. j. l. Henderson. 
Pennsylvania. 
I think the plan would be practicable. I would 
have the hay a little drier, however, than for mowing 
in the usual way. One advantage would be in the 
economy of space. I think if your reader would use 
silage for his mixed feed and feed his hay at noon, he 
would be better pleased. It is my intention to do 
something of this kind with straw this season. It is 
my practice to thrash my wheat at harvest, and I 
have only been able to house about half of the straw, 
and as this is a very necessary article for bedding 
with a large dairy herd, it is important that it be 
taken care of. I have decided to set the cutter at the 
end of the straw carrier and cut and blow the straw 
in the mow. I think I can put twice the amount in a 
given space and have the straw in a better condition 
for bedding and the manure in finer condition to ap¬ 
ply to the soil, and save hauling an Indifferent article 
from rick along in February or March. 
Maryland. J. s. wiiiteford. 
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION. 
The R. N.-Y. seems to think, page 424, that an agri¬ 
cultural education is better than a classical educa¬ 
tion for the farmer. That will shock the classical 
fellows, of course, but we don’t care for that; you 
didn’t shock ’em hard enough. Now I think it is 
easily demonstrable that an agricultural education is 
better than a classical education for anybody! Can’t 
a man sharpen his wits just as well on the live sciences 
as on the dead languages? Is It not equally as strength¬ 
ening to a man, educationally, to know what happens 
to-day in his own cornfield as to know what happened 
2,000 years ago on the field of Marathon? Why can 
a man learn more from something that has been 
dead and buried for thousands of years, and has lost 
Its form and substance, Its environment and its mean¬ 
ing, than from some practical fact of his present daily 
experience? Which will help a man most to cultivate 
his moral courage—to reflect on the beautiful Ideals 
of the Spartans, or to get up at four o’clock to do the 
milking? 
The classical education is fundamentally wrong In 
theory and, considering the marvelous “pull” it has, 
a comparative failure in its results. I know dozens 
of doctors, lawyers and preachers who are graduates 
of agricultural colleges, and they can beat the classi¬ 
cal men at their own games. I have had considerable 
opportunities to watch classical and agricultural men 
working side by side. At certain times I have had 
men of both trainings together in my class rooms; 
and in all cases the men who have got their educa¬ 
tion by the agricultural method are Immeasurably bet¬ 
ter, in point of mental training, than the classical 
chaps. Don’t ever apologize to anybody for the agri¬ 
cultural education. It is not perfect. It will be great¬ 
ly improved. But even now, in its present crude state, 
it is away ahead of the thousand-year-old classical 
education. _ f. a. watjgh. 
EVERGRE7EN BLACKBERRY AT HOME.—On the 
Puyallup Valley, between Tacoma and Seattle, they are 
clearing from $300 to $500 per acre on the Evergreen 
blackberry which is just as good, no better, than a Ben 
Davis, but like "old Ben,” it carries well to the Eaat, 
where they- get nothing better, and it carries the good 
dollars back to the thrifty farmers of Puyallup. Twenty- 
'.five feet is a corpniOP every-diiy Qt ylne. 
y^&slilngion. ' ' yf, n, A. 
DITCHING BY MACHINERY. 
How It Is Done In New Jersey. 
On page 419 we gave a picture of the True ditcher—de¬ 
signed for work in soft soil free from stones. Of course 
such a machine would not work in ordinary soil where 
hidden bowlders abound. Another machine, known as the 
Buckeye, is said to do good work. This works on the 
principle of scoops on the outer rim of a large wheel, 
which cuts out the soil somewhat as a chain bucket 
pump lifts water from a well. We give this account 
here as it is generally thought that ditching cannot be 
done by machinery: 
We cut a ditch with this ditcher 12 inches wide and 
have no trouble to lay the tile in ditch. We have used 
it in all kinds of ground, from hardpan and gravel to 
road work that was composed of anything they could 
find to fill in holes with. In regard to the ditcher 
smashing itself on stones we have had no serious 
damage done in that respect. If we strike a big stone 
wider than the ditch the machine will stop and we 
would have to take the stone out. The only damage 
it would do would be to break a bolt or two that holds 
the knives; this could he repaired in a few minutes. 
The ditcher will work on rough ground all right, the 
only difference there would be is that it would make 
more work for the man who was operating it to keep 
it on the grade. We have been ditching on our farm 
by hand for the last 12 years and made such slow 
progress that we were nearly discouraged of ever get¬ 
ting it done. Now, since we have the ditcher, we find 
ditching like play, and can put in ditches so fast we 
had no trouble to drain the farm. We have the farm 
in apple trees 36 feet apart, and lay a drain every 
other row. We put in 15,000 feet of tile with four 
men and one team and two tons of soft coal in 15 
days complete. The ditches were 4^^ feet 
deep on the lower end and two feet at the 
upper end. The ditcher did not work 
steadily as we stopped many times to get 
tile in and fill in ditches. 
We have bought the farm of 108 acres 
adjoining ours that is swimming with 
water. We would not have this farm if 
we did not have the ditcher to drain it 
with. This farm is like many others here 
that the farmers call drained; many think 
if they have 1,000 tile on their farm that 
it is well drained. The worst ditching we 
have had yet was near Princeton for the 
Rocky Mill Stone Construction Co., on 
the State stone roads. Most of the ditch¬ 
ing was through hard gravel with large 
stones in it and hard red shale, and some 
parts of the road had been filled in with 
large stones from four inches to 24 
inches thick. These had been dumped 
in old mud holes, I suppose, and these 
conditions added with a hard dry-pack¬ 
ed road made it about as bad as could 
be found. The only thing that we have 
trouble with in the digging line is stones that 
are wider than the ditch, or stones that the knives 
cannot get a hold on, such as a big stone that just 
sticks out a little on the side or in the bottom of 
ditch. These stones we have to stop for and knock 
to one side or take out with a bar. b. h. reeu) & bro. 
Mercer Co., N. J. 
MnRKET NOTES FROM CONNECTICUT. 
Hartford Is fortunate In being the center of towns hav¬ 
ing land well suited for growing vegetables and fruit, 
appreciation of which Is shown by the liberal quantities 
used. For such things as cannot be supplied In the vicin¬ 
ity and such things as can be more cheaply bought, the 
New York and Boston markets are drawn upon. A first- 
class cold storage plant Is a great accommodation to our 
dealers. There Is no regular market place. The farm¬ 
ers and market gardeners sell their produce to the gro¬ 
cers. marketmen and peddlers. A few deal directly with 
the consumer, the only regulation attempted by the city 
being to require the annual sealing of all weights and 
measures. One of the evidences of a change which is 
taking place in our country towns is the number of Jews 
who are small farmers, and come to Hartford to sell 
their goods. They deal with their own people and bring 
in besides vegetables unsalted butter and other (to us) 
peculiar things, also live poultry and eggs. Milkmen 
are required to take out a license every year. Many of 
our farmers have their principle income from milk, 
and It appears to be a profitable business. Winter price 
to consumers is seven cents, Summer six cents. The 
method of handling the milk supply of the city is soon 
to be greatly changed If the plans of the Hartford Dairy 
Company are carried out. This is a company organized 
by influential Hartford people to deal in dairy products 
on an extensive scale. Their large and elaborate plant 
is well along towards completion. They have made con¬ 
tracts with many of the milkmen. The most Important 
crop of Hartford County Is, of course, tobacco. Much i»ore 
will be grown under cloth than last year. It seems cer¬ 
tain that the experimental stage has been passed, and 
that a new and much more profitable branch of an old 
industry is assured. On the whole, although plenty of 
drawbacks are not lacking, agrlcyjf.ijrs,] prospects seem 
to be bright In Harttpr?] As Ct 7^! 
WORKING STRAWBERRIEvS WITH A DISK HARROW. Fig. 179. 
