National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1866-07-13
FARM. GARDEN 4 KITCHEN.

communicates to that paper his eX-
perience in reference to lining hay
for the purpose of absorbing moist
ure, and preventing the hay from
becoming musty. He says:
My hay was rather moist wheu | ,
put it in the NOW. | sailed it, as |
always do, and lined it with air
| Stacked lime, putting on twoOr three
quarts to ton. at intervals, as when
sailing hay. The hay when fed out
! in winter, had no must about it, and
was, in quality, equal to any that
had been put up. The kind was, in
part, a mixture of timothy and red
top, and one lot was made up of tim
othy and clover.
Commenting upon this the Utica
He, aid says:
We have had no experience in
lining hay for the puoposc above
indicated, and, therefore, cannot say |
that any bad result would flow from |
feeding hay treated III this way;
but we should not care to use any |.
great quantity of such kind of hay
for stock, even though lime had all |
the virtues claimed for it in prevent |
ing must, etc. AS to sailing hay in
the NOV, we have become well sat
isfied, from repeated trials, that it is
a very bad practice. Sailed hay i'll
jures stock, by compelling the ami
NAL, at times, to take more salt in the
system than is needed, thereby de
ranging the health, and sometimes
producing serious losses. We have
seen COWS fed on hay sailed in the
NOV, and apparently of good quail
!, ity, which produced very bad results,
running the stock down thin and
; poor and necessitating an entire
abandonment of its use. A very
small quantity of salt or of lime
used occasionally on hay might not
produce any injurious effect on stock;
! but the trouble is, when the practice
+ becomes established, it is apt to be
used frequently, and in such quaint
ties as to prove injurious. To make
good hay proper attention as to cut
ting and drying must be observed,
and the application of no substance
, in the NOV can be used as Il Substi-
. tutc for certain operations in the
, field. A good hay tcdder in the mead
= ow is the best meanSof getting rid of
moisture, and Of providing against
;, mlSty hay.
Recommendation for curing hay
:, in the NOV, by the use of salt, lime,
- etc, ARE of very doubtful consistency,
and for the most part do more hurt
than good, since many persons will
c store their hay in a halfcured con
" dition, depending upon the salt or
|, lime, to do what can only properly
) be done by well directed labor in the
field. The making of good hay is an
& art very impertectly practiced, as
e the condition of stock in the spring
l. often bears witness. There are many
old farmers who seem to have very
is poor notions in reference to cutting,
it curing and storing hay, i'll order to
II secure it i'll the best manner, and so
lc that it will contain the most nutri-
mcnt. Immense sums are annually
, lost in the country by carelcssncSs
= and inattcntion i'll properly securing
!, the hay crop. \ good deal of hay
- stored, is little better than straw.
~ and not from any fault of weather,
but because improperly cured or left
~ standing until the stems had become
=, too far changed into woody fiber
=. There are seasons and times when
!, it is very difficult tocure grass prop
|" erly, but even in bad weather, the
judiciOuS management of the spread.
ne er and hay cap is to be preferred to
It curing in the NOW with salt. And
ne it is question whether lime might
nj not also prove injurious to stock
or when used in sufficient quantities t,
be serviccablc in curing hay in the
NOW. If any of our readers have
IL had any experience i'll the way sug
III gcsted, we should be glad to hcal
from them on the subject.
'' CLOVER IIAY.-M. II. Elwat. o
~, Stratlord, writes to the Mirror an,
- Farmer the following suggestions
concerning the value and cultiva
ii. ton of clover:
IN, Our hay crop is one Of the mos
nd important raised by the farmer
tic Anything pertaining to its produc
ton is important. Taking every
thing into consideration, | thinl
l,u clover is more valuable than an,
IL" other kind. 1t not only produces
superior forage, provided it is cut IA
nv the right stage of its growth, an,
4 rightly cured, but serves to cnricl
rS the soil both by the decay of it
No., roots and the superior manure it al
~ fords. The analysis of clover wi
m show that it possesses nearly 81
,In those ingredients the soil require
Il, for successful cultivation. On
'ch great obstacle to its production
nm its uncertain growth. We usual
tn. SOW our clover seed in the sprin
,;n with wheat or oats. Where whca
nf can be grown, clover is pretty sur,
tbn But with oats it is materially Iii
md icrcnt. On many farms in this v
to entity, and in fact nearly the who
,tc valley of the Connecticut, clover
to sown in the spring with oats ut I'll
rate of about ten pounds to I'll
acre, and it frequently fails. VIII;
me is the remedy! One of the caus,
inc OF its failure il, we SOW too man