The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-06-22
EARLY CUT HAY.
From the Western Farme

A Central New York correspondent of
the Utica Herald, gives the following on
q subject which annually exc1tes attention
and discussion:
eve have from boyhood up, advocated
the early cutting Of grass. We were leo
to this by what we saw done, and helped
to do on the old homestead. We made
it business, yearly, to cut the swamp
grasses first, and cut them quite early.
This to secure them from lodging, and to
prevent them from getting hard when
mature. In doing this we learned anoth-
er fact-we found that the hay was SO
much better that for this reason, more
than any other, we cut not only the
swamp grasses early but the others also
as soon after as could be done.
What grass we removed from the sWales,
we used to always, after it was well wilt
ed, put on the rails in the barn and sheds,
thus storing away many TONS Here it
went slightly through the sweating oper-
alton, distributing through the building
fine aroma.
This was the greenest and best hay to
feed we knew of in those days, though
made up principally Of red top with some
coarser grasses and little timothy. We
kept this first cutting for spring feeding.
The grains and hay of the NOW and sheds
were put upon it; but when these were
removed (threshing was then done dur
ing the winter by horses,) the green layer
showed itself at once and let its fragrance
out at once. This hay was fed to the few
COWS that were kept and that had just
come in milk, and the increase of milk,
and the abundance of milk, which were
obtained on feeding this hay were almost
miraculous. The butter was of yellow
cast and partook of the fragrance of the
hay.
But the hay had been originally in
tended for " blowing hay" as we called
It. We used it to do our spring work
with and with decided advantage. Ever
since, for more than thirty years, we ad
vocated the early cutting of hay. The
old homestead has continued it up to this
day. There you can see the clovers
with their red blossoms, fed. They are
red still-not pale or brown-and the
stock is as green as in summer with al
it's leaves intact and full sometimes the
weather interfering, this is less the case
the clover is we'll cured and more mature
Now this clover fed in it's prime, makes
butter as in summer; the animal feels g
asummer influence you can see it in the
look, bright-eyed, with sweet breath, and
the skin mobile, the bowels and whole
animal to correspond. The dropping
are those of summer.
But cut you clover two weeks later and
all this is changed. You must have some
thing else to aid the animal, some grair
or roots or both; roots in case of mature
hay (even if called good should be dis
pensed with; they impart the summer
condition; and the farmer is inexcusablt
if he does not reutralize the effect of win
ter when it can as we'll be done as not
Depend upon it, there is nothing like
early cut, we'll cured clover hay, to carry
stock, of all kinds, through the winter
We have an instance in the case of Johr
Smith, of Minden, one of our very bes
farmers, who told me the other day hi
had Wintered his sheep on clover hay
alone; mot handful Of anything else
and they are as fat as pigs"