1852 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
171 
it be not properly cured, the hay will be worth less, in 
proportion to this imperfection. Two tons of hay shall 
be taken from the same field, the one cured properly, the 
other carelessly—and the one shall be worth twenty dol¬ 
lars, while the other will be dear at any price, except for 
mere straw. Let us descend to particulars, for the sub¬ 
ject is sufficiently important to authorise it. Nearly the 
whole nutritious properties of the hay are in a fluid, or 
semi-fluid state, highly susceptible of fermentation; and 
if fermentation takes place, they will be immediately 
dissipated in vapor. The object to be attained is to cure 
the hay, by evaporating the water only, of these juices, 
leaving the saccharine and other principles in a solid state 
in the body of the grass. But if the juices of the grass be 
allowed to ferment, then all these principles are rapidly 
changed, and pass off with the water in vapor. The 
usual method of curing hay, especially in the middle 
states, permits the green cut hay to lay in masses till it 
gets more or less heated, especially the under portion of 
it. This heat is produced by fermentation. We usually 
see the hay in the swath, till the next day, and then it is 
merely turned over, and even that very carefully. The 
underside will then be found to be very warm. Now, all 
this is wrong. The hay should be shaken up lightly, and 
loosely, so that none of it will lay in compact masses, and 
that the air may pass freely through it. It should be 
gathered into winrows as late as possible in the evening, 
and these should be well opened and turned, and loosen¬ 
ed, early in the morning, so as to avoid spontaneous fer¬ 
mentation. If the weather be fair, the hay cut yester¬ 
day will be fit for cocking this afternoon, but it is not 
ready for housing or stacking. A great error is often 
committed in cocking hay, in allowing it to remain in 
these small stacks too long. When cocked, the hay is 
merely wilted, not cured, and if allowed to remain in 
cocks, will ferment there. They should be opened and 
spread about, and re-cocked several times before being 
permanently stacked or housed. Shaking hay about has 
a great effect in curing it, much more than is generally 
supposed. It exposes it to fresh air, which carries off 
the water, and the oftener it is shaken up, the sooner and 
better it will be cured. Many object to shaking up the 
hay while the dew is on it in the morning. This is an 
error. A good shaking at that time, will effectually dry 
it. 
Many an old farmer will undoubtedly laugh at my sim¬ 
plicity, in thinking it necessary to give such plain, com¬ 
mon-place notions, publicity. But if they will take a 
look at the hay that is daily brought to all our markets 
for sale, they will find abundant excuse for me. Nine- 
tenths of the hay thus exposed for sale, is a mere mass 
of dry straw; much of it made so by curing, and the rest 
by unseasonable cutting. Hay, in a perfect state, should 
be of a bright greenish color, and as odoriferous as green 
tea; but the mass of that brought to our markets, is of 
such a dull straw color, that it requires some close in¬ 
spection to ascertain whether it be hay or mere chess 
straw, and you may run your nose into the middle of a 
load of it, (if it be long enough!) without detecting any 
odor at all—unless it be a musty one. 
I must give the New-York farmers the credit of pro¬ 
ducing the best hay we have seen in our city markets. I 
have frequently used that sent by them to the Baltimore 
market, pressed in bales, and found it to be worth, intrin¬ 
sically, twenty-five to thirty per cent more than that usu¬ 
ally brought here from the surrounding country. And 
the reason of this difference in quality evidently grew out 
of the more perfect manner of curing, and attention to 
the time of cutting. There are many individual excep¬ 
tions here. There is as good hay made here, as there is 
in the north, and as good farmers, and as scientific far¬ 
mers too, but they are exceptions to the rule, not the 
rule itself. My object, of course, is to do my part to 
make all our farmers what the exceptions are admitted to 
be. G. B. S. 
Premiums for Reapers and Hay Presses. 
The following resolutions were adopted at a recent 
meeting of the Maryland State Agricultural Society , 
and are worthy the attention of patentees of Reaping Ma¬ 
chines, and Ha) r and Tobacco Presses. The competition 
for the premiums, is open to the whole country, and a 
jury of twelve persons has been appointed to award the 
prizes, after a careful and thorough trial of the machines. 
Col. J. C. Walsh, of Harford, called the attention of 
the society to the importance of a change in the present 
mode of awarding premiums for certain objects which he 
specified, and to correct which, he offered the following 
preamble and resolutions: 
Whereas, It being a matter of considerable importance 
to the agricultural community of our state, that all farm¬ 
ing implements, especially those involving a considerable 
expense in their purchase, and which, if properly con¬ 
structed, would be profitably and extexsively used, should 
be properly tested, and their merits and demerits made 
known by a fair and impartial examination and trial, it is 
therefore 
Resolved, That a committee of twelve members be ap¬ 
pointed by the chair, whose duty it shall be, at some con¬ 
venient period during the ensuing harvest, to examine any 
reaping or mowing machines that may be presented to 
their notice, and to report to this society, at its annual 
meeting in October, an opinion of their respective merits, 
based upon their actual performance in the field. It shall 
be the duty of said committee to give notice in the public 
prints, of the time and place selected for the trial. It is 
further resolved, that to the exhibitor of the machine 
possessing the most valuable properties, as decided by the 
committee, a premium of $100 shall be awarded by the 
society. 
Resolved, That a committee of twelve members be ap¬ 
pointed by the chair, who shall, at as early a day asprac- 
ticable, invite the proprietors of the several hay or straw 
presses now in use, or any others which may be exhibit¬ 
ed, to an actual test of their qualities in presence of said 
committee; and to the exhibitor of the press decided by 
it as most deserving, a premium of $50 dollars shall be 
awarded by the society. 
Col. Bowie then moved that a premium of $50 be of¬ 
fered for the best tobacco press, and that a committee of 
twelve be likewise appointed to make a practical test of 
the capacity of the machines which may be offered to their 
inspection, at such time ds the committee may select— 
which motion was adopted. 
Economy of Farm-power. —B. P. Johnson, in his 
letters from England, in speaking of the skilful farm ar¬ 
rangements of J. J. Mechi, the celebrated English agri¬ 
culturist, says that by means of an engine of six-horse 
power, he drives a pair of mill stones for grinding feed, 
threshes and dresses grain, pumps water, cuts chaff, turns 
the grind-stone, raises the sacks of grain, and the waste 
rteam cooks the food for cattle and swine—the work 
being all performed in a first rate manner. 
