The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1819-10-11


From, Gse Committee Of Publications % la Rg-
ricuitu' al Society Of Name.
No H.
(BY MEMBER OF TIE zocIErY.)
IOfthe modes Of HOyaakng used an Great
BritRn.
The British farmers in general make their hay
well, in defiance Of their rain, dew, fog, clouds,
and comparatively feeble sun; that il seems i'm :
portant that should become acquainted with
some of their methods, which are different in
sinereht places.
Near London and IN some parts of the adjoining
counties, their practice appears TO be follows.
Having smooth soil, they NOW close the
burthen of the grass being greatest at bottom.
This proceeding also enc ourages new shoots in
the grass little being expected from, blades
which are wounded and perhaps soar.
By means Of on good shaking, they 50 mix the
parts OF their hay, that the animals feed upon i
if they eat any must eat the whole and to pre-
pare it for being mixed they separate thick en-
tangled Jumps by the hand.
They avoid excess Of sunshine, % destroy
ing both the color and fragrance Of their hay,
rapidly diminishing its weight, and contributing
with moisture) to render it brittle and dusty.
For like reasons they avoid an excess Of drying
winds. e-tt
The finest green hay is made ia dry season,
with little sun.
Near London where their hay is thought to be
most perfect, five haymaksEs Gncluding women
and boys) attend one mower; who usually mows
from one and half, to one and three quarters of
an acre, and in some rare instances Up to two
acres, daily.-But when the weather is hot,
windy or very dry, if they would prevent waste
and injury more haymaker. are employed at a
time, on a given piece Of land than when the
weather is cool and Cloudy. W.T.
The follow ing is the process near London, as
applied to single parcel of grass, supposed t. be
cut before nine an The morning for whatever is
cut later, remains as the :cythe LEFT it, till the
day following. FirsE day. The whole is thor
oughly shaken once, and spread; afterwards it is
turned once, or oftener; after dinner it is raked
into small rows called aoan-rows and in the after
noon it is put into little cocks called grasscocks.
Second day, The grass-cocks spread, (each
over space Of Is or l8 feet in diameter } they
are turned before noon !; then put into winrows,
large again as the first and lastly, formed in
to bastard cocks Tor cocks Of middlins size)
Third d0. The bastard cocks are spread
little and if dry, are carried off the field to be
-stacked-or else, are made into large cocks, and
carried off before dinner, on the next (Which is
the FOURTH day.-Seyeral parcels ofgTass being
commonly On hand at time. n different states
Of preparation it is to be observed. that what
ever was last cut is to receive the first attention
IN the morning ", .y
1t is rule, that no more hay is to be spread,
than the makers can manage according to the
above example. :& IS
When the weather becomes unfavorable, the
grass may be left just it fell from the scythe,
during or 5 days, if necessary though if the
lower side inclines to bee oma yellow, it isto be
turned with the tooth-end Of the rake. Tive
days lit is said will 50 advance it, even in this
form, that fine weather and little spreading
will prepare it for being put together and carried
in few hours I; but as the parts cannot thus be
duly separated and mtermixed, this method j.
not to be adopted, but through necessity.
[. When dampness of the stack is feared a peck
Of salt is to be strewed over each load, as it is
stacked. Dark brosen hay is said to be diuretic
and weakening to the animals fed upon it,
I! Though hay will sell, when its color IS OF q
lightish brown /; yet if green color be desired,
the bastard cocks after they have been spread,
should be put into large cocks, to sweat little
and be opened next morning, to disspate their
dampness, and prevent their heating IN the stack.
The hard, benty hay Of poor soil may be pat
together very early to promote its perspiration
and thus to give flavor for the of horses and
store-cattle: though the same treatment wculd
produce heat in juicy heritage. ,;-5s FIN
Mr.. Arthur Young furnishes NC with the follow
ing general information respecting the hay-mak-
ing ofhimself and some ether Suffolk farmers.
The course for single parcel ofgrass i this
First day. All the grass cut previous 10 noon, u
shaken out, after having lain spread during thTse
hours; il is then winrowed and Afterwards put
into grass-cooks. Second day 1t broken into
COWS Cor beds) on more limited surface ground
'-after two or three hours, it's w -rowed and
by the evening, il is made into cocks Of two or
three hundred weight each. Ihird day. Each
cock is broken into a long bed it is thrown in
to rows between noon and one o'clock aud a.
bout three four, it's put into cocks Of four or
five hundred weight each.-Thus it remains till
the cocks of the whole field are ready for carting
when each cock Is opened in the morning fits
being carted, TO receive the cir /; the delay be-
ing designedto prevent broken work and gently
TO sw eattbs hay.
To form his winrows into grass-cocks, MIR.
Young employs very stout common hay-rake,
whose teeth are strengthened, by having their
points fixed into woodeni bow (the ends OF
the bow resting on the ends Of the cross piece
Win-row. are supposed to be parallel through
field. When single each hay maker forms one
to himself; the rows being or feet apart,
When double, two hay-makers are concerned, Il
each drawing hay towards the row of the other
and the rows being now Of double size, the
space left between them is double, Tor or q
feet THE knowledge of these facts is funds-
mental in English hay-making; particularly for
the purpose Of having the grass cocks sufficiently
suaR .~