Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1851-07-09
From the Albany Cultivatol
Cutting and Curing Hay.

CuttlnS ana curing Hay.
EDS. CULrIvAroR- take it for grant
ed, that one of the principal objects
of your journal is to benefit the farm
err. Through this medium they can
exchange views on the various sub
.jccts connected with their own imme-
date interests, and can avail them
selves of the improvements, expert
ments, and success of others, in the
diversified operations of the farm. -
Theorists may and often have, sug-
gested many valuable hints and i'm
provements, but practical knowledge
is the current coin, and is an indis-
pensable requisite in the successful
management Of the farm.
Experimental and systematic de-
tail on any one branch of farm man
agement, may benefit many, by ena-
bling them to appropriate the expe-
rience of others, and turn it to their
own account; and while | would urge
upon others the utility of giving their
various systems of management,
feel willing, in my own humble way,
to contribute my mite to the general
fund. In the following remarks,
propose to make few suggestions in
regard to cutting and putting up hay
lcut and put up about one hundred
tons of hay annually. The first poin,
here, and in every Observation-Disclosures
where laborers are scarce, is to pro-
cure good selection of hands, and
notwithstanding this point is fully at
tanned, yet from the commencement
to the close, much, very much, de-
ponds OH the employer himself for
success. 1.-The is kind, courteous, SYM
pathetic and happy himself, making
all about him to feel contented and
at home, thus inducing general in
terest in his efforts, he will go on well;
but if he fails in these matters, small
as they may appear, he had better "a
bandon his business at once.
The haying season is a severe tax
on the physical powers of the laborer.
The employer should be careful not
to place any obstacles in the way. A
good and willing horse should never
feel the lash; many a good team has
been ruined by bad driving. If there
be suiliciency Of hands to carry on
the business, three or four should be
put to the scythe. If they are honest
men, they will make a fair days
work, whether they are paid by the
day or acre; that is, if fifty cents be
a fair price for moving one acre, and
seventy five cents be the price of
days labor, an honest man will feel
himself bound to NOW one and half
acres. 1t will, however, generally be
found better for both parties to have
the grass cut by the acre. Moving
by the day, especially when the wealth
er is very warm, the scythes are apt
to become SO dull, that many "a poor
fellow has been nearly exhausted by
his incessant whetting; but when
moving by the acre, the scythe almost
invariably retains sharper edge, and
he who swings it shows no more SYM
pathy or pity for the falling grass, or
the grassaoppers perched upon it, than
an energetic farmer, with xre77y
weapon. would 60 in the midst of a
patch Of Canada thistlcs.
My clover is carefully scattered
Immediately after the scythe, and
when sufficiently wilted is put up into
neat cocks, and permitted to stand
one, two, or three days, according to
the weather. Previous to storing, it
is opened to the sun short time and
then finally disposed of. consider
clover hay cured in the cock, worth
almost double that cured in the sun.
My timothy hay is cured in the sun,
and is never cooked up unless it is
not sufficiently dry, and rain is APP
preaching. The principal part of my
hay is fed to sheep in the meadows
during winter. Where barns are not
erected for the reception of the hay,
it Is thrown up into stacks or.ricks, in
the meadow. 1t is the business of
one man to manage the horse-rake;
another follows with a fork, common
cling at the end of the windrow, and
rolls the hay before him as far as he
can conveniently do SO. He then
advances the windrow, and when far
enough to equal his first deposit, he
faces about and rolls before him to
the former deposit; he then places the
fork under the hay, and the last roll
is tapped on top. j In this motion a
slight pressure is given to the hay
with the hands and breast. 1t is true