Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-07-19
Lining and Sailing Hay,

A correspondent of the Western Rural
communicates to that paper his experience
i'll reference to lining hay for the purpose
of absorbing moisture, and preventing the
hay from becoming musty. He says : 'My
hay was rather moist when put it in the
NOW. ! salted itas always do, and lined
it with air-slacked lime, putting on two or
three quarts to the ton, at intervals ,as when
sailing hay" The hay, when fed out in
winter, he states, had no must about it, and
was, in quality, equal to any that had been
put up. The kind was, in part mixture
of timothy and red-top and one lot was made
up of timothy and clover.
We have had no experience in lining hay
for the purpose above indicated, and, there
fore, cannot say that any bad result would
flow from feeding hay treated in this way
but we should not care to use any great
quantity Of such kind of hay for stock even
though the lime had all the virtues claimed
for preventing must, &c. AS to sailing hay
in the NOV, we have become well satisfied,
for repeated trials, that it is a very bad
practice Sailed hay Injuries stock by com
pelling the animal, at times, to take more
salt in the system than is needed, thereby
deranging the health, and sometimes pro-
ducing serious losses. We have seen cows
fed on hay salted in the NOW, and appar
emily of good quality, which produced very
bad results, running the stock down thin
and poor, and necessitating an entire aban
donment of its use. 4 very small quantity
of salt or of lime used occasionally on hay
might not produce any injurious effect or
stock but the trouble is, when the prac.
tice becomes established, it is apt to be
used frequently, and in such quantities as
to prove injurious To make good hav
proper attention as to cutting and drying
must he observed, and the application o.
10 substance in the NOW can be used as a
substitute for certain operations in the field
\ good hay tcdder in the meadow is the best
means of getting rid of moisture, and in pro
viding against musty hay.
Recommendations for curing hay in the
NOW by the use of SALT lime, etc, are o
very doubtful consistency, and for the most
part do more hurt than good, since many
persons will store their hay in a half-cured
condition, depending on the salt or lime, tc
do what can only properly be done by well
directed labor III the field The making Of
good hay is an art very imperfectly prac
ticed, as the condition of stock in spring of
ten bears witness. There are MANY old far
mers who seem to have very poor notions
IN reference to cutting, curing and storing
haydn order to to secure it in the best man
ner and SO that it will contain the most nu
triment Immense sums are annually los
to the country by carelessness and inatten
tion in properly securing the hay crop. !
good deal Of hay stored,is little better thai
straw, and not from any fault of weather
but because improperly or left standing un
til the stems had become too far changed
into woody fiber There are seasons anC
times when it is very difficult to cure grass
properly, but even in bad weather the iu
dicious management Of the spreader anC
haycap ia ~ be preferred to curing in tn,
NOV with salt Aud il IL a question wheth