Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-07-25

A correspondent Of the Western Rural
communicates to that paper his experience in
reference to lining hay for the purpose OF
absorbing moisture, and preventing the hay
from becoming musty. He says: s. My hay
was rather moist when L put 1t in the NOW.
salted it, as l always do, and lined it with
-slackea lime, putting on two or three
quarts 10 the ton, at intervals, as when salt
ing hay" The hay, when fed out in winter,
be states, had no must about it, and was, in
quality, equal to any that had been put up.
The kind was, IN part, d mixture of timothy
and red-top, and one lot was made up OF tim-
othy and clover.
We have had no experience in lining ha y
for the purpose above indicated, and therefore
cannot say that any bad result would flow
irom feeding nay 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 it In
preventing must, &c. As 10 sailing hay in
the NOW, We have become well satisfied from
repeated trials, that It Is q very bad practice.
Sailed hay Injuries the stock by compelling
the animal, at times, to take more salt IN the
system than is needed, thereby deranging the
health, and sometimes producing serious
losses. We have seen cows fed on hay sailed
in the NOW and. apparently OF good quality,
which produced very bad results, running
tatlDg an entire abandonment of its use. A
very small quantity of salt of lime used
occasionally on hay might not produce any
injurious effect on stock but the trouble Is ,
when the practice becomes established, it il
apt to DO used frequently, and IN such quanti-
ties as TO prove Injurious. To make good
hay, proper attention as to cutting and dry
ing must De observed, and the application of
no substance in the NOW can be used Is a
substitute tor certain operations in the field.
A good hay tender In tn, meadow Is the best
means of getting I'd of moisture, and in pro-
vldIng against musty hay. II
Recommendations for curing hay in the
NOV by the use of salt, lime, ect., are O! very
doubtful consistency, and tor tue most part
do more hurt than good, Since many persons
will store their hay IL half-cured condition,
deg bending on the salt or lime, to do what
can only properly be done by we'll directed
labor IN the field. The making of good hay
Is an art very imperfectly practlced, IS the
condition of stock In spring often bears Wit
LESS. There are many old farmers who Sc
10 have very poor notions in reference to cut
ting, curing and storing hay In order to Sc
cure IL III the best manner, and SO that 1t viii
contain the most nutrinent. Immense sums
are annually lost to the country by Careless
ness and inattennon IN properly securing the
hay crop. a good deal Of hay stored, Is lit
tie better than straw, and not from any fault
of weather, but becaus. Improperly cured or
left standing un I'll the stems had become too
far changed into woody fibre. There are
seasons and times when it is very difficult to
cure grass properly, but even In bad weather
the malicious management of the spreader
and naycap is to DO preferred to curing in the
NOW with salt. Aud it is question whether
lime might not also prove injurious to stock
when used in sufficient quantities TO be ser
vIceable curing hay in the NOW. If any of
our readers have had an experience in the
way suggested, we should be glad to hear
from them on the subject. Utica Herald.