White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1861-07-25
for tbe farmer.
Hay Making.

Hay Making.
To make good hay is quite as much an art
a. to make good butter. It is not too much to
say. that two thirds of the hay which is sent TO
market either in bales or in wagons, is|
not of the first quality. As, however, the diff.
ference between first and second class hay is
not generally understood by the consumer, the
price varies but little between the one and the
other. Yet it cannot be doubted, that one ton
of hay properly harvested and properly cured
contains an amount of nutriment equal to a ton
and half of hay cut at the wrong season. or
subjected to deterioration by improper manage
ment We will take that favorite hay, "Tim-
othy," as an illustration, and We beg leave to
say that our remarks upon Timothy will apply
to all other grasses. Timothy, when brought
TO market, frequently varies from light straw
color to dark fawn. In this condition, it is
evident that portion of its nutritious qualities
have been lost. The proper time for cutting
hay, as repeated experiments have proved, is
at that period when the sugar and soluble matter
contained in the stem and blade has reached the
stage when by the next process, 1t would be
converted into fibre. Now the period when the
saccharine juices are most abundant, sis when
thegrasss is in full bloom, and be fore the seed is
formed. If cut at that time, the whole of the
nutritive properties of the grass will be retain
ed; if left until later, two results will ensus-
the maturing of the seed will materially ex-
haust the land upon which it is grown, whilst
the nutriment furnished by the seed will not
compensate for the loss of nutriment in the
stem and blade. In point of an agreeable pro-
duct, also, there is a manifest diference-the
greatest Weight of grass and the largest amount
of nutriment being furnished BY the plant when
in flower. That we are not exaggerating the
importance of due regard being paid to cut
ting hay at the proper season will be readily
understood when we state that the best author
lies agree in this-"that plants of nearly all
sorts if cut when in full vigor-which is at
their Aowering-and afterwards carefully dried,
without any waste of their nutritive juices, con-
tain nearly double the quantity Of nutritive
matter which they do when allowed to attain
their full growth and make some progress to-
wards decay"
This fact being established, the next points
requiring explanation are, what constitutes the
philosophy of hay making, and what pro-
cess is most in conformity with it. First, then,
as to the philosophy of hay making. 1t is thus
explained:
Experiments show that out of the various
constituents of which grass is composed, the
mucilage, starch, gluten, and sugar, which
are soluble matter, are alone retained in
the body of an animal for the purpose of life,
that bitter extractive and saline matters being
considered as assisting or modifying the func-
tions Of digestion-rather than being truly nu.
tritive parts of the compound-and being void
ed with the woody fibre. The woody fibre on.
ly serves to give bulk to the food, and therefore
distension which when moderately filed, brings
those muscles into active exercise which tend
30 much to promote healthy digestion, by keep
ing the food in constant notion"
"The principal object, then, which is to be
aimed at in hay making is to retain the soluble
portion Of the grass in perfect integrity"
How is that to be accomplished We give
the naodus operandi as briefly as is consistent
with clearness of statement.
The mowers should be good workmen; the
scythes of good quality and kept perfectly sharp.
The grass should be cut evenly and as near to
the ground as possible-an inch saved below is
equivalent to two inches above-and, moreover
this close cutting facilitates the growth of the
after math. As soon as the dew is off, the grass
in swath should be shaken up and loosened to
let the air penetrate through tiff heavy, it
should be spread around to some distance. As
soon as the sun acquires power, the swath should
be again shaken up and turned over, the object
being to prevent its becoming bleached by the
heat of the sun, by retaining its color even
when dry enough to rake up into winnows, and
thence into cocks-the proper color of well
cured hay being light tea green. This pro-
cess should be followed up day after day, until
the whole crop has been cut and secured. Each
day. however, the hay thrown into cock the
day proceeding, should, if the weather contin-
ues fine, be thrown open and lightly spread to
hasten the drying, and towards evening may be
put into cocks again until it is hauled to the
stack or barn, where it is to be permanently &C.
cured. The earlier this is done after the moist
ure has been evaporated the better the hay will
be, and the more certain it is to retain its fine
light green color. The following points are es-
eential:
The newly cut hay must be preserved from
the damaging effect of dew and rain.
If rain falls upon grass newly cut, the swaths
should not be disturbed until fair weather sets
in.
Never NEEDLE with hay either in swath or in
cock, during moist cloudy weather. or when a
storm is impending.
When sunshine reappears, shake out the hay
to dry as quickly as possible, and as soon as it
is dry, throw it into winnows or cocks. Shake
them out for an hour or two the next morning,
and then haul all that is cured to the place where
it is to be stacked or deposited.
Profit of Sheep.
Paoli Lathrop, ESQ.,, of South Hadlcy, Mass,
stated at recent Agricultural discussion, as re-
ported in the Boston Cultivator, that without |
regard to any profit from the wool, pound of
mutton could be made cheaper than pound of
beef, adding that ain fatting sheep, one great