The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1876-09-14
FIR the farmer.
CURING HAY.

In no single thing in ordinary work among
farmers is there more diversity of practice than
in the mode of curing hay for fodder one ilan
will run his mower every morning, "hen .po
weather promises fair leave the gress unt'i 'no
next day, OF when it is nearly dry, ana tnen iaAe
and draw in. Another mows in the afternoon,
and in the morning. as soon as the aem I ~,
starts the tedder. IL be has one, ann 'us"a , ~
this means gets his hay ready 10 Iake anu n% -,
by afternoon of the same day. some e,eI, ~
the same day il is cut, if the morning Is not, so
that the grass begins to dry as soon as cut. 10
all such the tedder is an Invaluable assistance.
But more than one half the farmers IN the united
States own too small farms to permit them 10 De
at the expense of buying tedder, however muen
1t NAV be desired. The expense of mower Is
as much as can be afforded, and the drying of the
hay must be left to the sun and wind
There is one way by which the hay can be
cured well and safely, and which can be practie-
ed by every farmer, however few his acres 1t
has been given several times, but its repetition
will not be amiss just at the commencement OF
the having season at the North, where the bulk
of the hay crop is secured. The danger from in
jury by dew is only less in proportion TO that by
rain, and instead of moving in the afternoon re-
CARELESS of the weather, it il better to NOW only
in the morning after the dew is on, or so late IN
the afternoon that the grass can be IN no danger
of whiting before the dew is oh IN the morning.
Many years of careful experiment have conVlnc-
housed in the best condition by following the
practice of moving only in the forenoon, when
the day is fair so that the grass will get thor
oughly wilted before the middle OF the afternoon
Usually, If the mower is not started until the
dew is off, the grass is ready to begin raking d.
rectly after dinner. The weather, to small farm
ers must be taken into account, as he cannot al
ford to have any considerable portion of his hay
damaged by exposure, when half dried, to dew
or rain 1t is safe therefore, to NOW only in prom
Using weather.
Hsy, TO be cured well, must be cured in the
shade. This is generally conceded by farmers,
but seldom is the practice based on this theory
1t is impraeticable to cure much of it, as has been
suggested, on poles in the barns or sheds The
continuous exposure of the hay to the sun con-
sequent on the use of the tedder, is the chief OBJ
lection to that labor-saving instrument. The
only feasible way left, therefore, is to cure the
hay in the cock, where but small portion, COM
parativey, is exposed to sun-burning or washing
by rain or dew. If hay is cooked up when warin,
without any outside dampDess TO prevent, it will
dry-or rather eure-almOst as rapidly IN the
cock as if left to the chances of the weather, and
in the meantime it is nearly safe from Injury
from dews or rain-entiTely so, If hay caps are
used 1t is difficult to define the exact time at
which hay should be raked and cooked after it
it is wilted, but the period is soon asccrtained by
trial and experience; and there is more danger
of waiting too long, than there is of raking too
soon.
In three or t0ur hours aIter moving, Nanu IN
less time than that towards the last of the sea-
SOM the hay should be raked, and while still
wet from the effects of the sunshine, should be
cooked in rather small punches. Although the
grass appears little more than wilted, it readily
dries out in good weather, usually being ready
for the wagon the second day thereafter. There
being no dew when the cooking is done, the hay
can be drawn directly from the cock. Although
it may seem rather damp when hauled, the
pitching over it receives in hauling obvates all
necessity of any opening or shaking out of the
cocks previous to hauling. This renders the
farmer independent of the wind, no hay being
wasted by being blown abOut while hauling. In
case heavy rain occurs, it sometimes happens
that the immediate portion of the hay in the
cocks that is next to the ground becomes damp.
In such cases the cocks should be turned bottom
side up, long enough before hauling, to permit
the outside water to dry out. The cocks should
not be shaken apart only inverted.
By following the course here so hastily pointed
out two men and a team, in an average season,
will get in more hay in better order and at less
risk, than in any other method we have ever
tried. The work is all done in good weather,
land hay can he cured in Other,) there is less
risk from injury by rains-nOne at all from dews;
the hay is always in shape, when cured, to be
handled and hauled in the quickest possible
time it is cured in the shade, and the rapidity
with which it can be hauled more than cOmpen-
safes for the time spent in cooking; it gives the
farmer time to milk his COWS, and do the neces-
sary daily "chores," without being compelled to
wait and do them by lamp light. when he should
be resting; and he can do his haying with less
hired help, which is an item of interest in the
department. as well as in the summing
up of the cash profit and loss of the years bust
ness.-RHrdl Nesu Yorker.