1907. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
427 
HAY MAKING IN WET WEATHER 
Points Necessary for Success. 
This is one of the most difficult harvest problems 
that the farmer has to deal with. Success only comes 
to those who are diligent, and have good judgment. 
Some farmers always fail, others fail sometimes, while 
still others seldom—if ever—entirely fail. The short 
time that Timothy and clover hay-making remains with 
us each season, hardly allows for any one to become 
an expert Two seasons are seldom alike, which may 
make it necessary to work by different systems and 
plans each season. When the weather is wet, it should 
be the farmer’s plan to take advantage of every breeze 
and sunshine, to help him out. He should have plenty 
of help at nis command. He should have the best out¬ 
fit in the way of tools and implements that his circum¬ 
stances will allow. I have never thought that hay caps 
were of any value in the long run, but have found 
two large wagon covers a very profitable investment 
When a rick is to be built, if the farmer 
has these covers, he need not wait till 
the weather promises him time to finish, 
but can do what he can when the hay is 
in order; cover up when it rains and wait 
for another chance to put more on the 
rick and finish it. Loads can often be put 
on wagons and covered, and be saved 
from soaking. A tedder is a wonderful 
help at times when very wet. One year 
I cut a field of clover, and got it in the 
barn in good shape when it rained every 
night. I would cut down some each day, 
shake the rain off next day with the ted¬ 
der, and when dry put in the barn. With¬ 
out the use of the tedder, and with the 
same force to handle the hay, much of it 
would have been lost. One thing, the 
hay maker must remember, and that is, 
if any hay is stacked or mowed away 
with rain on it, it will come out moldy. 
In rainy weather some of the hay most 
always gets quite ripe before cutting. 
When this happens it can often be taken 
from the swath to the stack, or barn 
with but little more labor than to cock 
it up, when, if put in the cock, it might 
get caught in a rain that would spoil it. 
I once worked about two weeks putting 
up 65 tons of Timothy—fifty tons went 
from the swath to the rick; I would cut 
down when the weather would allow with 
a six-foot mower, then when the sun 
came out the next day, or later, turn it 
and rake to the rick; then if stopped by 
night or rain, cover the rick and wait 
for another chance between showers. 
This Lay sold at the ruling price the next 
Winter and Spring. Had it all been 
cocked up, the expense would have been 
very much increased, and some of it lost. 
When the farmer has an abundance of 
mow room and the weather is against 
sun and air curing, a few loads can be put 
in the mow quite green. Let it lie 24 to 
48 hours, then stir it about once or twice, 
as its condition may require, and then 
tramp it in place solid. Some farmers 
will complain at this extra expense in 
handling, but it does not cost much, and 
means the difference between poor and 
good hay. Where hay is put in the cock 
it should be carefully and well done; 
then it will turn rain so much better. 
When put up right and it stands a few 
hours it takes a very hard rain to wet it 
badly. It is the custom with most farmers 
when a rain approaches to rush the hay into the cock. 
In most cases it is better to let it lie in the swath, 
especially if it is clover. If the weather is too wet for 
a week to cure clover, it can be saved by lying in the 
swath much better than in the cock. I have raked 
clover out of the swath that had lain a week, and young 
clover had begun to grow up through it, and had good 
hay with better color than would have been possible 
had it been cocked. One trouble with many men is 
that wet weather causes work to pile up and the hay 
does not get attention just when it should on account 
of other work that the farmer thinks he must do. 
I he making of Timothy hay, and securing a market¬ 
able quality, is a comparatively easy matter as com¬ 
pared with clover. The farmer who succeeds with the 
latter does not spend much time worrying about his 
1 imothy harvest, for he knows that unless it rains 
about all the time he will be able to save it. If hay 
is to be ricked in the field, and can be got in shape in 
the swath to be put in, the farmer should have the 
tools to enable him to do it in the shortest possible 
time, and never put it in the cock. A 20-foot two-horse 
sweep rake and a derrick are wonderful time and labor 
savers, and are comparatively inexpensive considering 
the saving they bring to the farmer. In these times of 
scarce and expensive labor it is difficult to have help 
for a part of the day when the weather favors; the 
men do not like to lose the rest of the day. One way 
that helps out is to give the men other work in the 
fields, cleaning weeds out and thinning corn, or if the 
hay in the mow needs stirring, do that when the weath¬ 
er does not permit outdoor work. No set plan can be 
laid down to bring success at this work. It requires 
good judgment, the outgrowth of experience, to make 
a man successful in getting his hay well saved in wet 
weather. The skill and- judgment of some farmers fail 
them in this as many other things, john m. jamison. 
Ross Co., Ohio. 
INOCULA TION FOR ALFALFA . 
Paid in Indiana; Hogs. 
At present I have about 15 acres of Alfalfa, all of it 
seeded the fust'time, part inoculated when seeded. I 
have used soil from an old Alfalfa field, and that where 
Sweet clover grows along the roadside, as it does 
everywhere in this locality when permitted, and I have 
thought I obtained the best results from the use of 
Sweet clover soil. I have seen Sweet clover five or six 
feet in height growing along the road on the hardest 
kind of subsoil, two or three feet below the surface 
soil. I believe the bacteria on such Sweet clover to 
be more vigorous as a nitrogen gatherer than that ob¬ 
tained from Alfalfa, as it is usually grown. The proper 
time to apply the soil to the intended Alfalfa field is 
after the ground is plowed and leveled, before the 
seed is sown. I understand a bright sunshine will kill 
the bacteria. It should be sown on a cloudy day and 
immediately cultivated in the ground. I have always 
sown the soil broadcast by hand, using a pail to carry 
dirt in. If I had to purchase the soil would think 
100 pounds might do; use more if it can be readily 
obtained. If taken from an Alfalfa field would want 
to know that the bacteria were well developed. The 
bacteria will not be present to any extent in Alfalfa 
that is manured heavily enough to supply the nitrogen 
requirement:; of the plant. In one field of Alfalfa that 
I dffl flpt inoculate, I inoculated a strip about two rods 
wide in the middle of the field, to find out the benefits 
of inoculation. 1 his narrow strip has been a great 
contrast to the adjoining ground, and I am convinced 
that the yield was twice as great of a better grade of 
hay than that which was not inoculated. There was 
a perfect stand on that inoculated. It was inoculated 
with Sweet clover soil. The field has been sown three 
years, and last year the yield was four tons per acre, 
and I believe if it had all been inoculated when seeded 
it would have been at least six tons. There was not 
quite the difference this last year between that which 
was inoculated and that which was not, which proves 
it will inoculate itself in time. I have a 96-acre farm 
70 acres under plow, and sell on an average 150 hogs 
per year, besides lots of other stuff. I will tell you 
how I handle the hogs and Alfalfa. B. f. 
Fremont, Ind. 
Inoculation and Lime Paid. 
In compliance with request for notes on Alfalfa cul¬ 
ture, on page 192, I will say that 1 have 
had a little experience in growing this 
plant, and give facts below. In Summer 
of 1905 I conducted an experiment under 
the direction of the station at Geneva. I 
had the ground, one acre, thoroughly pre¬ 
pared (which is very important), and 
they furnished me 150 pounds soil which 
I sowed broadcast and dragged in, the 
latter part of May. I also sowed with 
the half bushel Alfalfa seed one bushel 
oats (which was a mistake). On the 
upper side I left a little strip on which I 
did not sow soil. The Alfalfa came up 
well on both strips, but after the first 
cutting the Alfalfa on the uninoculated 
strip was not to be seen, while the other 
has done well considering the mistakes I 
made. It grew three crops last Summer. 
I bought the seed from a reliable seed 
house in this county, and they claimed 
the seed had been inoculated, but it did 
not grow except where I used the soil. 
On a little corner I used 100 pounds 
Dime, and there my Alfalfa was immense; 
I could not obtain more lime or should 
have sown it on the whole piece. Last 
Spring, after first cutting. I sowed 600 
pounds lime on piece, but do not think 
that is as good as to put it on and drag 
it in. I intend to try another piece this 
year, but shall sow the Alfalfa clear in¬ 
stead of with a nurse crop. 
Smyrna, N. Y. e. p. t. 
Clear Results from Inoculation 
With Soil. 
In answer to a question regarding the 
inoculation of an Alfalfa seeding with 
soil from an old field, I will tell you the 
results of a trial as I observed them. 
Jonathan Wyckoff had tried twice to get 
a seeding of Alfalfa. The stand which he 
obtained seemed good until in August 
after sowing. Then the growth stopped, 
and the plants died; evidently from lack 
of nourishment. In May, 1904, Mr. 
Wyckoff came to my home and got some 
soil from one of our Alfalfa fields. I 
cannot tell the weight of the soil which 
he took, but he filled three common phos¬ 
phate sacks, which held probably a little 
over one hundred pounds each. This 
soil he sowed broadcast by hand after 
plowing, but before fitting. Fie covered 
about three acres with that amount of 
The north end of this field was by far the most 
fertile, and thinking that he would use the soil on 
the poorer part of the field, he left off sowing some 
yards from the north end. The seeding was done with 
oats. In the latter part of April, 1905, I visited the 
field, and the result was astonishing, for I had had very 
little faith in the inoculation idea. The plants where 
Mr. Wyckoff had sowed the soil were fully 50 per cent, 
taller, with more stalks per root, and better color than 
where the field was not inoculated. The line between 
the inoculated and uninoculated land was sharply 
drawn; where in sowing he had walked out farther 
than usual, the semi-circle made by the sweep of his 
hand, in throwing the dirt, could be plainly seen from 
some distance. I dug some of the plants and examined 
some of the roots. Those from the uninoculated sec¬ 
tion of the field were weak, had practically no nodules 
and were scantily furnished with fibrous roots. Those 
from the inoculated portion were strong, fibrous and 
literally covered with the nodules, which contained the 
nitrogen-gathering bacteria. Last season (1906), Mr. 
Wyckoff cut three excellent crops of Alfalfa on this 
field. Before inoculating he had been unable to obtain 
any stand. boss c. worker, 
Onondaga Co., N. Y, 
i 
WHEN MAN DOES TFIE WORK. Fig. 200. 
AS OUR GRANDFATHERS DID IT. Fig. 201. 
soil. 
