286 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Ocr., 1897. 
become mouldy. This is due to the different form of fermentation which is 
set up, that which is produced by outward moisture being more suitable for 
fungus growth. It might be thought that moisture in one form would have the 
same effect as that in another, but it has not. Wet hay is wet from free water, 
while, in outwardly dry and nearly made hay, the water exists as water in com- 
bination, which is given off slowly, inducing the development of ethereal odours. 
In the case of wet hay there is a large development of the fermentation, causing 
the formation of acetic acid. Most of those who have made hay for a number 
of years have learned to distinguish between a natural heat and a water heat, 
because the former is sweet and the latter sour. It should not be forgotten 
that a water heat is often caused by the presence of small locks of hay which 
have not been shaken out properly; and when it is further remembered that 
the taint from a small piece of mould spreads and contaminates a large portion 
of a stack, thereby lowering the quality and feeding value, as well as the sale 
of the stack, it shows how necessary it is to do the work thoroughly. 
