The Republican journal., 1881-06-16
EXCLUSION OF AIR,
the more perfect is the preservation.

EXCLUSION OF AIR.
the more perfect is the preservation.
This is Just as true in saving hay as in
saving fruit, meats. and vegetables. The
practice Of keeping barn doors and win
dows open during and after haying is of
very questionable policy. Take perfectly
green grass and seal it up in an ir-tight
vessel and it Will come out the most per
feet hay known, if no moisture is upon it
when SO treated. have seen the hay
cart follow the rake, and this in turn fol
low the mower at 4 convenient distance,
in the middle of a bright day, in Mary
land, the hay, or rather grass, put in
stack and barn within
AN Hot Rs TINE FROM CUTTING.
This am told is a very common prac-
tice there. Ii it was not successful pre-
sumo it would be abandoned. | would
not convey the impression that it will be
best for lis to follow this fully, but think
it would be we'll for us to experiment
somewhat upon small quantities of hay,
and thus deduct correct conclusions that
may be applied to large quantities safely.
5. l.. GOodale, Secretary Of Maine Board
of Agriculture, says on this point
''We all know that there is a method
of curing hay which latterly has come into
use among some farmers of this State,
which has excited considerable interest
and not a little controversy. We heard
something about it at our session in Far
mington last winter The grass is
CUT As SOON As THE DEW Is FAIRLY
OFF.
and after drying what it will during a few
hours, is put into the barn in the after
noon of the same day. When a NOW is
full they cover it with foot in depth of
straw; and it is claimed that hav thus
treated is equal in flavor and in nourish-
ing power to any hay whatever. Other
good farmers and equally trustworthy
men, tell us that they have tried this same
method and that the hay was spoiled;
thatlt was dead loss, or fit only for ma
nure.
In my feeble attempts to reconcile the
conflicting testimony, and to sitt truth
from error | have got as fer as this that
the probabilities are that the grass which
is successfully cured 10y this method is
never cut when it contains the largest
amount OF nutrtlve constituents: in fact,
When questioned as to the stage of ma
turlty in which it is cut, the answer usu-
ally is,
IN THE SECOND BLOSSOM
and when that is you know as well as |.
1t is probably after portion of the sugar.
gum, starch, etc, have been converted
into wood fibre, and at the same time
good deal of moisture contained in the
grass during its early bloom has exhaled
from it. In this condition, or rather,
dried little beyond this point it goes to
the barn, and if it came out as it went in,
L cannot understand how it could be
truthfully said to possess SO good flavor
and to be so nutritious as is asserted. But
if it is true about the heat to which that
late cut hay is subjected in the mow-and
that heat is represented as being very con-
siderable and continued for a good while
i say, if that
HEAT SLOWLY COOKS II,
If it reconverts woody fibre into gum,
sugar, starch and albumen, or if it causes
chemical changes in its constitution equiv
alent to such arecOnversion, then we may
readily believe that this method has some
times been attended with success, and we
may understand somewhat of the condi-
tlons upon which that success depended.
We can also see that, in all probability,
those whose hay was spoiled by the same
method, cut their grass when it contained
an amount OF sugar, albumen, gum, &c,
which needed only preservation, and could
not safely be subjected to so great heat,
and especially if accompanied with SO
much moisture rs grass contains at that
stage, or diminished by only few hours
OF drying exposure"
Open barns by admitting air induce
TOO RAPID SWEATING
and fermentation, and when fogs or rains
prevail, damp air is admitted, which sat
urates the edges, and upon warm days
steams the whole mass, iniuring the
quality of the hay greatly. Very often
we find hay that was "dry as a bone"
when housed, coming out musty and NOW
burnt. If not this, often dusty and un-
wholesome. Very seldom this happens
in tight barns, where the mows are not
much depressed below the surface. Many
mows are partly under ground, cellar like
places Such are not fit for storing hay.
l believe hay can be kept best above
ground.
AS curing hay is process that should
partly be accomplished in the barn, stor-
ing will properly claim share of at
tention; and in addition to what has
already been mentioned, would give my
views in regard to
STORING ON SCAFFOLDS OVER STOCK,
and over barn cellars containing manure
and hogs, often Perhaps l can hit the
idea in few words Suppose we take our