The  RURAL.  NE^V -  YORKER 
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INDICATIONS  arc  that  Federal  hay  inspection 
and  the  use  of  the  United  States  grades  soon 
will  be  an  accomplished  fact  in  Central  New  York. 
One  of  the  men  who  began  work  when  the  Federal 
inspection  service  was  inaugurated,  on  January  1 
ot  this  year.-  is  stationed  at  Auburn.  Other  in¬ 
spectors  are  stationed  in  New  York  City,  Boston, 
Philadelphia.  Washington  and  Richmond.  These 
are  some  of  the  principal  markets  for  hay  from 
Central  New  York. 
In  March  of  this  year  the  department  held  a 
school  for  hay  inspectors  at  Auburn. 
Fifteen  men.  including  representatives 
of  Syracuse  University  and  the  Exten¬ 
sion  Service  of  Cornell  University,  took 
the  training.  Eight  or  10  of  these  men 
will  be  appointed  as  Federal  hay  in¬ 
spectors.  and  stationed  at  the  principal 
shipping  points  in  Central  New  York. 
Their  services  will  be  available  to  pro¬ 
ducers.  dealers  and  other  persons  in¬ 
terested  in  hay  who  may  desire  them. 
With  this  service  available  the  pro- 
•ducer  of  high-grade  hay  should  re¬ 
ceive  a  premium  for  his  product.  Ship- 
piers  will  be  able  to  market  the  crop 
intelligently  and  avoid  many  disputes 
about  grades  such  as  they  have  had  in 
the  past.  The  service  thus  begun  prob¬ 
ably  will  soon  spread  to  other  hay- 
producing  sections  of  New  York  as  well 
as  other  States. 
The  inspectors  appointed  by  the  de¬ 
partment  are  men  experienced  in 
handling  and  grading  hay.  Before  be¬ 
ing  permitted  to  issue  Federal  certifi¬ 
cates  they  are  required  to  take  several 
weeks’  training  in  the  use  of  the  United 
States  grades.  These  include  at  the 
present  time  only  grades  for  Timothy,  clover  and 
mixed  grasses  and  their  mixtures.  When  grading 
hay  of  these  kinds  Federal  inspectors  are  required 
to  use  United  States  grades,  but  they  may  also  issue 
Federal  certificates  for  other  kinds  of  hay.  In  such 
cases  either  the  hay  will  be  described  accurately  or 
the  inspector  may  use  any  other  grades  with  which 
h^  is  familiar  and  which  he  can  interpret. 
The  United  States  grades  are  believed  to  be  a 
decided  improvement  over  any  former  grades.  In 
the  past  grades  have  been  made  by  trade  organiza¬ 
tions  without  any  research  to  determine  whether 
they  were  correct  or  not.  A  committee  would  de¬ 
cide  the  kind  of  hay  which  should  be  included  in  a 
certain  grade.  Then  they  would  esti¬ 
mate  the  amount  of  each  grading  fac¬ 
tor  that  should  be  permitted  in  that 
grade.  No  analyses  of  the  hay  were 
ever  made  to  determine  whether  these 
estimates  were  correct.  Inspectors  had 
little  opportunity  for  group  training  or 
exchange  of  ideas.  As  a  result  opinions 
about  what  should  be  accepted  under 
a  certain  grade  differed  greatly  in 
different  localities. 
The  United  States  grades  are  the  re¬ 
sult  of  several  years  of  research  and 
the  examination  and  analysis  of  hun¬ 
dreds  of  bales  and  field  samples  at  the 
department’s  Hay  Standardization 
Laboratory.  The  numerical  grade  is 
based  entirely  on  the  *olor  of  the  hay. 
expressed  in  terms  of  the  percentage 
of  brown  leaf  surface,  brown  or 
bleached  heads  and  bleached  and  off- 
colored  stems.  The  class  to  which  the 
hay  belongs  depends  entirely  upon  the 
mixture;  that  is,  the  percentage  pres¬ 
ent  of  Timothy,  clover  and  mixed 
grasses.  Foreign  material,  including 
weeds,  stubble,  chaff  and  similar  matter  of  little 
feeding  value,  is  considered  separately.  It  does  not 
affect  the  class  or  grade,  except  that  25  per  cent  or 
more  places  the  hay  in  sample  grade.  When  five 
per  cent  or  more  is  present  the  inspector  states  the 
amount  on  his  certificate  in  the  manner  prescribed 
in  the  grades. 
The  color  or  numerical  grade  has  been  found  to 
bear  a  direct  relation  to  the  time  of  cutting,  if  the 
hay  has  been  harvested  and  cured  under  favorable 
conditions.  Timothy  that  has  been  cut  in  full  bloom 
bloom  and  the  time  when  half  the  seed  is  in  the 
dough  it  usually  will  be  No.  2.  From  that  time  until 
two-thirds  of  the  seed  are  mature  it  should  be  No.  3. 
After  that  only  No.  4  can  be  expected.  Feeding 
values  of  Timothy  have  been  found  to  correlate  very 
closely  with  the  grade  and  time  of  cutting.  This 
means  that  producers  who  have  learned  how  to  make 
their  hay  properly  can  determine  readily  when  to  cut 
it  to  obtain  the  highest  grades  on  the  market  or  secure 
high  feeding  value  in  that  used  at  home.  k.  n.  seeds. 
R.  N.-Y. — In  the  picture  accompanying  this  article 
Class  in  Hay  Grading,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture 
Auburn,  A.  Y.  Fig.  259 
we  notice  one  of  the  students  industriously  smoking 
a  pipe.  What  is  that  pipe  doing  at  a  hay-grading 
school?  One  of  the  first  principles  of  hay  handlers 
is  to  keep  fire  away  from  the  hay.  We  do  not  see 
how  a  lighted  pipe  or  cigar  has  any  place  within 
two  rods  of  a  bale  of  hay ! 
that  recommendations  have  been  made  against  the 
painting  of  wounds  with  the  tars  and  paints  usually 
employed,  on  the  ground  that  the  wounds  heal  over 
more  slowly  when  so  treated.  Whether  the  oppor¬ 
tunity  for  infection  of  an  untreated  wound  offsets 
the  rapidity  of  healing  lias  always  been  a  bone  of 
contention,  though  the  adoption  of  a  middle  course, 
namely,  the  painting  of  the  center  of  the  wound 
and  leaving  the  edges  untouched,  would  have  set¬ 
tled  the  embarrassment  long  ago.  However,  the 
arrival  of  the  new  material  promises  to  dispel 
a  large  share  of  the  difficulties. 
In  the  first  place,  the  waterglass 
is  very  soluble,  and  therefore  easily 
combines  with  the  sap  of  the  tree 
and  penetrates  into  the  wood  of  the 
cut  surface.  Then,  upon  exposure  to 
the  air,  it  hardens,  forming  a  pro¬ 
tection  against  fungi  almost  parallel  to 
the  sealing  of  a  bottle.  In  fact,  the 
waterglass  seems  to  change  to  silica, 
the  principal  material  in  quartz  rock 
and  glass,  so  that  the  wound  is  covered 
with  a  hard,  glassy  substance.  The 
appearance  of  the  wound,  however,  is 
not  unlike  an  untreated  wound,  ex¬ 
cepting  that  it  is  said  to  be  unusually 
dry.  This  is  because  the  sealing  of  the 
wound  prevents  the  exudation  of  sap 
from  the  cut  surface.  If  the  material 
is  applied  when  the  sap  is  flowing 
freely  it  may  be  necessary  to  make  a 
second  application,  especially  if  the 
solution  is  too  dilute. 
Although  waterglass  has  a  slight 
fungicidal  value,  it  is  not  to  be  classed 
as  an  antiseptic.  The  studies  at  Ohio 
are  now  centered  upon  the  development 
of  an  antiseptic  material  which  may 
be  incorporated  with  the  waterglass.  xr.  n.  t. 
Hay  School, 
Waterglass  for  Pruning  Wounds 
’ATERGLASS  has  been  used  successfully  in 
Ohio  since  the  Spring  of  1919  for  the  pro¬ 
tection  of  pruning  wounds,  and  it  is  now  being 
recommended  b.v  the  Ohio  Experiment  Station  for 
that  purpose.  Waterglass,  or  sodium  silicate,  the 
w 
or  before  should 
grade  No. 
1.  If  cut  between  full 
An  Egg  Float  on  the  Road  in  California.  Fig  260 
material  so  commonly  used  for  preserving  eggs,  is 
a  sirupy  liquid  at  ordinary  temperatures,  though  it 
becomes  thick  in  cold  weather.  Consequently  it  is 
best  to  dilute  the  commercial  waterglass  when  it  is 
being  used  in  cold  weather  by  adding  one  part  of 
water  to  three  of  waterglass.  Just  as  good  results 
have  been  observed  from  the  use  of  the  diluted 
solution  as  from  the  undiluted.  By  means  of  a 
paint  brush  it  is  easily  applied,  and  is  said  to  be 
entirely  harmless  to  the  tree. 
It  is  not  as  common  a  practice  to  paint  wounds  as 
’it  should  be.  This  may  be  due  partly  to  the  fact 
A  “Mulch”  of  Stones 
A  maintains  that  stones  placed  around  the  trunk  of 
a  tree  will  keep  the  moisture  longer  in  the  ground 
(stones  as  big  as  one’s  fist  or  head).  B  says  that  the 
same  ground  prepared  with  a  dust  mulch  will  preserve 
the  moisture  in  the  ground  longer.  Who  is  right,  and 
why?  e.  H. 
New  York. 
WE  have  examined  the  soil  under  a  big  stone 
wall,  and  also  the  soil  in  a  well-cultivated 
field  alongside.  In  every  case  the  soil  beneath  the 
wall  Was  cooler  and  moister.  We  have  piled  stones 
around  trees,  put  brush,  weeds  or  hay  there,  and 
also  put  thick  paper  kept  in  place  by 
stones  or  dirt.  In  all  such  cases,  where 
the  piles  around  the  trees  were  heavy, 
the  soil  beneath  them  contained  more 
moisture  than  the  cultivated  ground. 
Of  course  a  few  stones  put  around  the 
tree  would  not  help  much,  but  a  thick 
pile  will,  without  any  question,  hold 
the  moisture.  The  “dust  mulch,”  or 
well-stirred  soil,  will  answer  well  while 
it  is  open  and  loose.  After  a  time,  un¬ 
less  it  is  kept  well  stoned  up,  this  “dust 
mulch”  will  become  about  as  well 
packed  as  the  soil  beneath  it,  and  then 
there  is  little  to  prevent  the  rise  of 
water  to  the  surface,  where  it  is  evap¬ 
orated.  While  the  “mulch”  of  stones, 
manure,  sawdust  or  weeds  and  hay 
will  prevent  the  escape  of  moisture,  it 
has  disadvantages,  too.  Vermin  and 
insects  will  nest  under  the  mulch,  and 
often  do  great  damage  to  the  trees. 
Any  form  of  mulch  that  will  burn  is  a 
danger  in  a  dry  time.  Should  fire  start 
in  the  orchard  these  piles  of  material 
close  to  the  tree  will  give  a  fierce  heat 
and  do  great  damage. 
Value  of  Potatoes 
WHEN  potatoes  were  first  planted  in  Burgund; 
their  use  was  condemned  by  law.  They  wer 
grown  in  shallow  hills,  so  that  the  exposed  tube 
turned  green.  This  was  supposed  to  be  poisonous 
A  law  of  habit  and  taste  will  now  rule  potatoes  on 
of  many  city  families  unless  we  show  their  grea 
value  as  food.  It  seems  ridiculous  that  people  d< 
not  know  the  value  of  potatoes— yet  it  is  quite  true 
