The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1853-09-13

| RANDOM THOUGHTS ABOUT HAYING.-N
stated in our last that grass should be cit
when lii blossom, as the greatest quantity. of
the matters necessary for the nutriment of cat.
tie was then most generally throughout the
plant.
By cutting 1t this time, The changes which
would have taken place in successive stages of
its growth arrested, and these matters are pre-.
J served.
In order, however to preserve them in the
best manner, the grass should be dried, or in
other words, the cut grass should be exposed
to heat sufficiently long to expel the water
from it and leave the other substances.
Hence it will appear evident to every one
that it should not be exposed TO any moisture,
such as dews or rains Moisture will dissolve
portions ofthe sugar, gum or mucilage, which.
is contained in the plant, aud nothing will
be left behind IN the hay but vegetable fibre.
1t would probably be better fgrass could LIE
dried under cover, but us this is out of the
question, the greatest case should be taken to
keep of dews or rains after it begins to dry.
Hence the hay.caps, which are nothing but
pieces of cotton sheeliDg placed upon the bay
cocks, answer an admirable purpose in case Of
storms coming on before the hay is sufficient
Iy dry to put into the barn. Some have thought
that if after the grass has been partially dried,
il it be cooked up and these caps put, on they
might be suffered to st;nd, and the hay be
made in this way. Coarse grasses, like coarse
clover, for instance, may be cured in this way;
Ju, when the grass is fine sudi disposed to lay
! compact, there @ill BE- danger Of its heating
and ternenting more or less, and thus be niu
red. In the ordinary way no better method
can be adopted than the old rule, Snake hay
while the sun shines" clear air and bright
sun will dry-it very fast, especially if it be
stirred up often SO as to expose all parts to the
influence Of these agents. -.
Some farmers are disposed to hurry their
hay into the barla soon us it will any way do,
aud if it appears to be little green, to sprin-
kle salt over it as they pack it away. The salt
;tbsorbs the surplus moi>tur and becomes dis:
solved, and thus prevents any fermentation. -
Others prefer to give their grass Ill ultra dry
ing before they pack taway.
The late Joseph r. Abbot informed US that
he used to dry his hay ut least day longer than
most peope before he put it iuto the barn, and
that as a consequence he never had any dusty
or smoky hay. How this may be done we do
not know. The proper way is to dry it just so
long as it will require to be dried in order to
expel the water to such point as to prevent
any fermentation when stuwed away in the
NOW. When This is done, and there has been
no exposure to moisture, the hry will be Of
good color, elastic and nutrlive. Such Lay is
worth much more than that cut late, after The
sugar gum &C., has become changed, and the
ripening seed has absorbed from the stalk mo t
Of it in order to supply it with the materials
necessary to constitute mature seed. Slch
hay, if judiciousy fed out to cattle and other
stock, will make them gain nearly a, fast as
they will at grass. We dc. not pay attention
enough to these facts. We are apt to consd
er almost any'dried grass as good hay; aud
without paying any further attention to it, think
we do our duty to our cattle if We tie them fast
by the head, and throw over to them about
such a quantity las near as we can guess of
dried grass, ;hH or MISS
Now, in nothing that we feed out to cattle
is there so wide difference as in hay, and it is
a solemn duty for every farmer, in the first
pace, to- cultivate those grasses which shall
contain the greatest quantity of nutritive mat.
ter; in the next place to cut and cure and house
It III such II manner as to preserve these ingre-
dents in the best possible manner, and then
to feed it ont So as to supply the cattle with
enough and have none wasted -.Haine Farmer
Is.