The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-07-01
AGRICULTURAL.
securing tLe May Crop.

The hay crop will be early this year. To
walt Tor the usual tine, therefore, is to be-
gin 10 be too late. | believe there is now but
little dispute about the superiority of hay
cut early, wsen yet green and tender, with
all Its nutriment available, which is not the
case when nature and juices are locked up
IN the hard, indigestible fibre. Such hay,
and especially when cut quite young, making
1t In effect aftermath. affords the best of all
single or general feeds; this for milk, both
quality and quantity, and for the growth of
young stocks of all kinds, being their natural
food, only deprived of its water, which the
nuldS OF the mouth and stomach will sup
ply. And there is no feed that is so healthy
as this for all kinds of stock. The tender
grass, well cured and fed freely to mich
cows late in the fall and early winter, contin-
ues the effect of summer upon the animals
and their product The butter will be yell
low and well favored; the flow of milk will
be abundant in comparison with what it
usually is; there will be the sweet breath
and other evidences of summer about the
cows-all of which has been over and over
again tested, and is the practice OF many
among.our most advanced dairymen.
To have our hay in this condition requires
several things, namely to cut early, to cut
twice, and, using all the appliances, to in
clude the hay crop, which for wonder our
oaiA aiOA VI ILLS cCCllOu udN6 81 lOuS 1T
lected. The tedder also is not sufficiently
priced. 1t loosens up the hay, and by repeat
ing Keeps it much in the shade the hay
shading itself-so that by frequent stirring
with the tedder no part of which is long ex-
posed to the sun, which, with its full force
upon the green mass, hurts it considerably
The tedder prevents this to a large extent.
what might have perhaps been better said
in the start, the hay harvest should be begun
when the grass is fit to cut irrespective of the
weather. Those who have practised this
speak highly of it. The reason is that at the
season OF making hay the weather is uncer-
tain. A shower, when it comes, comes sud-
denly, and as suddenly is over. Long rains
are the exceptions to the rule; and for these
the hay cap is provided, making you feel
secure under the adverse circumstances,
while others without this protection are in
trouble.
II rain follows Immediately after cutting,
no harm results, as the water cannot be alb.
sorbed by the grass which already has its fill
of the juices. In this condition it may lie
for days on the spread and be safe Had it
been dried or partly dried, the case would
have been entirely different. With fair
weather and the tedder, few hours will dry
OF the outside water, and relieve the hay of
much OF its inside moisture, so that the
Juices are concentrated and may thus with
Ine hay De put lnlO COCK. This is best done
soon after the middle of the day when the
mass is hot, the heat expelling the moisture,
and the hay curing more effectually in lis
own shades. Hay raked somewhat late in
the afternoon is sure to imbibe moisture from
the dew, which begins to fall early, though
insensibly, and has been one of the lurking
mischiefs to hay. Instead of gathering the
hay, then, the mower should be busy. Cut
any time from middle afternoon till dark.
The cut grass being green the dew will not
hurt it, and if a fair day follows will sood
be taken up by the sun, the tedder set TO
work, and by three Or four O'Clock be in cock.
A few days will cure it fit for the barn.
Where the hay is thin and there is no clover,
with good drying weather it may be taken in
the same day without first going into the
cock. have known the whole hay crop to
60 in this way in drought. Clover requires
putting up and curing in the field; this on
account of its coarseness.-F. G, in Utica
HerQld.}