Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1877-08-18
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
Tight Harms for Itnv.

Inc Bencrnl oplnlOn among mrmer
;, probably IL, that barns with air.space
between the boarding are better adapted
to cure and preserve hay than barns will
. very tight boarding and tight bottom
But this opinion is founded upon the
supposed fact that free access of dir will
assist in carrying off surplus moisture
: and prevent heating and fermentation,
which supposed fact Ii not a fact at all
when applied to body of uncured hay,
When this uncured grass is spread in
thin layers on the field and exposed to
the air, the moisture is carried off so
rapidly MS not to permit any heating or
fermentation. but when placed IN thick
body in a NOW the heat, with access of
mir. causes rapid fermentation. The oxy-
gen of the air feeds the fermentation and
thus becomes the active cause of its de-
struction. This principle is familiar to
the good housewife who preserves her
fruit in an air-tight jar. We tried an
experiment some years ago, which mp
piled this principle to keeping green
clover. We took large lnseed oil cask,
unheaded at one end, filed 1t with green
clover just in blossom, containing all its
sap, crammed it solid, replaced the head,
drove the hoops, and then stopped all
air spaces with whitehead end paint.
On opening, ten months after, the clio.
yer blossoms were found almost as bright
as when put in.
Only few months ago the Elmira
Farmers Club mentioned, as warning
to one who asked advice about putting
uncured hay in barns, that member Of
the club had lost his barn by fire caused
by filling cask with green clover, ram
med in, and covering the top with two
or three inches Of earth. This mishap
was caused by not sufficiently excluding
the air. 1t did not invalidate the prin-
ciple that green grass may be kept in air.
tight receptacles, OILY that it could not
be preserved with access to air. Almost
every farmer has observed that grass
needs more curing to put in stack than
in barn, showing that just in proportion
as the air is excluded may the hay be
put in uncured The tighter, then, the
barns are made, the greener may the
grass be put in NOW. 1t is of great SER
vice to exclude the air from tho sides and
bottom of NOV, even with access of air
at the top. Then the heating and fer
mentation take place slowly, turning the
moisture into very thin, gassy vapor,
that escapes at the top or passes off. If
hay, or the fodder to be kept, is packed
very solid, it affords less access to air
and thus heats less rapidly and may es-
cape injury, when if loose it would be
destroyed by destructive fermentation.
I do not advise anybody to put uncured
grass into the barn, but there is no doubt
that hay is greatly injured by too much {
drying, as general rule. 1t should be !
cured only so much as is necessary to t
secure it's preservation. All drying in '
,reases the woody fiber. 1t will be seen t
hat the best means of keeping slightly t
cured hay is to have very tight barns.- (
Country Gentleman. S
White specks in Butter. v
Caroline, Suffolk county, N. Y, asks i
lie cause of hard white specks in butter, e
md how to avoid them. t.
Reply.-There are several causes for s
his defect. 1t always occurs with the il
milk of some cows, and in this case CAN il
lot be avoided. In other cases it is a
aused by an acid condition of the milk II
is then remedied by putting pinch ri
+ soda in each pan of milk as it is set
way. Sometimes it is caused by the
lilk standing too long and the cream be-
1g too sour, when particles of curd be- L
ONE mixed with the butter in churning. i
The proper course to pursue is to find W
ut which of these causes is acting, and t6
pply the obvious remedy. W