Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-07-21
Cutting Hay Early.

| IT. OVuIteNant Virtues 70 the country Gen
tleman Of the hay crop and securing it early
The hay crop is the most important of all
the crops raised in our New England states
where Indictment winters necessitate the
housing Of cattle. According to the censu,
OF 1870, there was raised in the six New
England states, 1896, $50 tons, and 10 the
four Middle states, 9,026, ,2S9 tons. In the
Que state Of New York, where the hay pro.
duction was 1914, ,205 tons, that Of tho &C.
reals was but 70,3l7 ,063 bushels, or 500, :
$50 tons. If we lump the cereals at 81 so a
bushel, very large estimate, we can call
their value at $40 900 900, while the hav
crop at SIS, is over SS4,000,000
In New England the discrepancy is still
more, the hay crop being 3,936,56O tons,
while the cereals calculated on the same
basis as in the case of New York, come TO
but Ala, 800 tons or at the above coniect.
urallY large valuation, we have the values
for hay $50, 9,04S,00 and for cereals $780,
1000.
Hence we see the Importance the discus.
sion OF the. hay crop must periodically have,
as we near the harvest time. A saving of
dollar on the ton, or the loss of the dollar,
amounts, in tho aggregate, to a vast sum.
live were directly taxed to this amount, in
addition to our taxes, we should esteem it a
heavy burden, yet in reality We are more
heavily taxed each year through our own
Ignorance and mismanagement, and are
slow to reckon the loss. Hence it is often
Of service to deal in aggregates, and call
attention to facts so massed as to present to
the imagination definite idea Of what is
happening, and to what extent knowledge
may benefit our practice.
The early cutting of hay has boen very
extensively discussed, and it seems to be
universally conceded to contain more nutri.
ment in the same bulk than when over.ripe.
OF one thing we may rest assured--that for
milch cows, a larger proportion of early cut
hay is digestible than Of the over.ripe. We
may also speak OF the advantages derived
from nay cured properly over that which is
otherwise.
According to the tables of Wolf, red clo-
yer hay in full blossom contains 1874 per
cent Of albuminoids, and when ripe but 9.4
per cent. Here is loss OF four per cent or
so pounds in the ton.
We know not what is the difference be.
tween the albuminoid percentage Of early
cut and ripe hay, but must conclude that it
is large. For illustration, however, If it be
remembered that cur figures are for illustra-
tion only, we may assume all our hay crop
to be clover (although far from being the
csse), then the difference between cutting
early aud late in New England alone, in
feeding value alone, may bo estimated at
100000 tons In other words, late
crop of clover of 1896, 900 tons if cut carly,
would be equal in value to about 100000
tons for the purpose Of the farm.
These figures, be it again mentioned, are
not exact except as illustrations but for
this purpose even, they are not more start
ling than the opinion offered by Prof Ar
mold, gentleman given to careful invostiga-
tion, and who always speaks with authority.
l present the following, clipped from news
paper, whose name l have lost
"Dried grass is considered by such good
authority as Prof. Arnold, as worth, pound
for pound, as much as corn meal. At pres.
ent prices Of meal, S26 per ton, dried grass
would be worth s26 per ton; while after
grass he's blossomed, and is made into what
is called hay, it is not actually worth half
that price to feed out. What makes dried
grass so much more valuable than hay, is
that it is all digcstiblc, while dried hay is
only partially SO. This shows the import
ance Of cutting grass early, before it heads
out. Less in bulk aud weight will be OBJ
tanned, but its actual value will be greater,
and the land will not be exhausted nearly SO
much, and on rich land second aud even a
third crop will be realized.
Glover or herd-grass, on rich ground,
might be cut three times, cutting each time
just before the heads appeared. There is no
question but that a ton of grass can be
raised cheaper than a ton Of corn-yes,
cheaper than half ton OF corn. Cut your
grass early this year"
Is not this article suggestive enough to
induce farmers to try the experiment of early
cutting2 Of one thing am confident in
this connection, and that is, that the weather
is more apt to be favorable for hay-making
in the early part of July than the latter.
There seems to be less danger from showers
in the first half Of July than later while as
for storms, have myself timed my hay.har.
vest by the weather bureau reports, with
advantage.