Litchfield enquirer., 1833-08-01
CLOVER HAY.

spreading the Swatbs Iair Us0SS HouSn be on a small scale, of the method of cur- ing this. grass altogether in swath and cock. We will briefly state our process, and then the reasons, which we think, nay, which ve kso,o, entilIe it to preference over the old method.
 The mowers commence cutting, if con- vehient, when the dew is of the grass, in the morning, of fair day, and may contin- ue till sundown. At g or 3 F. M. one or fhore laborers proceed to cock the grass from the swath. For this purpose three swaths arc assigned for a row ofgrass cocks. The grass is collected with the forks, and placed on dry ground. in as small d com pass as convenient at the base, say two or three feet in diameter, and to the height of four or five feet terminating in cone or point Ia good weather all that is cut be- fore 12. or 2 o'clock, is fit to put into grass cocks the same day. That which is cut la- ter in the day may lie in the swath till 12 or the next day, when it may also be cock ed. Tho grass may stand in these cocks till the third day, when, if the weather is fair, the cocks may be opened at 9 or 10, and, when necessary, the hay turned over about mid-day, and at 3 or 4, thrown into piles for the cart. The hay is then made l; and there is scarcely leaf or blossom was- ted. ~ @
 The advantages over the old method are,
 l. Tho labor of spreading from tho swath, is saved.
 ?. The use of the hand rake may be dispensed with, if the horse rake is used, to glean the field when the hay is taken of the forks sufficing to collect it tolerably clean in the cooking process.
 g.. It is not liable to be seriously iniu- red by rains, for these cocks if rightly con- srructcd (not rolling,) will sustain rain of several days, that is, they have done this repeatedly, without material injury from heating or becoming wet. And # fthe grass is in swath, it is too green to sustain dam- age. Though in the latter case it is our practice, when wet in the swath, to shake and spread the grass, to free it from the wa ter, and to put it in grass cocks as soon as it will do.
 4. The hay made in this way may be.al- most invariably housed in good condition 1; and if rains intervene after the grass is cut, its quality is infinitely superior to what it would be under the old process of curing. The rationale is simply this; to convert grass into hay, it is only necessary to get rid of the surplus moisture, which can on- ly be effected by evaporation. Exposed to a ferrid snn the leaves and blossoms of clover dry and crumble to powder ere the stem is sufficiently cured hence. to pre- serve the first, which are the finer parts of the hay, all the parts must dry alike. This is effected in the cock 1; where an eQuali- zation of moisture takes place. as in pile of we,ted paper for the printing press, and where evaporation progresses. The exte- rior of the stem and the leaves, are partial ly dried in the swath and what is called sweating, is merely the passage of the ex. cess of moisture in the equilibrium to the surface. When this has taken place, evap- oration is greatly facilitated on exposure to the sun and winds. Too long an exposure when the cocks are opened, should be guar ded against. The drying process is con- tinued after the hay is gathered for the cart. and until it is deposited in the barn.
 As Messrs. Webster and Ewiag were vending their way to Circleville, when about seven miles from the town, their pas sage was interrupted by tree, which had recently fallen across the road, and which an honest yeonian was leisurely cutting out. They surveyed the premises, to see how the difficulty might be overcome. Our knight of the axe, not knowing either of the distinguished Senators, congratulated h'm- self or the timely arrival of two such hale and able bodied men to his assistance; and very frankly advised them, as tho best means of escaping the difficulty, to get down from their carriage, and aid him in the re- moyal of the obstructioU. Pleased with the republicaR plaiDness of the suggestion, and fl inding the mans strength inadequate to the task in hand, they followed his advice. Mr. Ewing first took tho axe. and yielded it with the effect he does his arguments in the Senate and at the Bar. He was reliev- ed by MT. Webster, who was less familiar with ehopping logs from the road, than with removing the Instructions of chop-logic from the wheels of government. His ef- forts were so labored and intellectual as to attract the notice of the woods-man, who declared to him, " you arc not doing your best now, sir 1! you must De playing the pos sam 1! You don't bend your back enough, sir.n The tree cut of. and ihe way clear- ed. our travellers resumed their journey and left the countryman blessing his stars that tbev had been directed that way (which was oF the main road.) at that propitions hour.-Ohio paper.