Charlotte home and Democrat., 1882-06-30
Making Hay.

An Ohio correspondent of the Country
| Gentleman furnishes the following In
formation in regard to the time and man.
ner of making hay: I will give you the
experience of an old and successful farmer,
| who has kept steers every winter for 80
wears. He said to me: 81 can put as
many pounds of flesh on certain number
of steers in winter, in warm barn, with
the early-cut hay from ten-acre lot, as
those same steers would have put on had
they run in the lot and eaten the grass as
it grew" Now, brother farmers, do not
pass these by as big stories They are
the truth, the whole truth, and nothing
bat the truth. We speak that we do
know. Whatever else you may do, make
up your minds to cut part OF your hay,
At least, early this year, and cure it nicely;
watch the relish with which your horses
and cattle will eat it next winter and the
effect it will have on them, and you will
never go back to the old way any more
than you would exchange your moving
machine for a scylhe, or the self binder
| for the cradle.
| Our practice has been to cut twice
one about the middle OF June, and again
about the last of JIly-aud then feed off
the third crop or plow for wheat. This
| year we intend to NOW three times, and
not have any stock on the meadows. A
iair crop would be about two and one
half, one and one-half, and three-quarter
tons for the three cuttings. Considera.
bly, more than two and one-half tons has
been raised in this vicinity, for a first
crop, but the quality of the hay ID not as
good. When a crop will make two and
une-half tons per acre, il the weather is
good, cut it, and let the rest of the
strength go into the next crop.
l NOW after o'clock in the afternoon,
when the weather promises to be fair for
some days, and rake the next day between
2 and 5; the following day about 10
o'clock, turn over the winnows, and after
dinner cock up. II the weather is bright
and warm all the time, it goes in the next
day without opening the cocks. l keep
plenty of help at work in the potato field
about the time of baying, and at the least
sign of rain we rake and cock up, in
which case it may be necessary to open
the cocks more or less before drawing In.
But, unless rain does threaten, we never
cock up merely wilted grass or clover.
The great point in haying is to have the
nerve to cut largely just at the beginning
of fair weather.
How many times I have known farm
ers, after three or four days, to say !:
well guess we are going to have some
good weather, and will cut some hay !!
And they cut it to get wet, just when
they should have been drawing their hay
into the barn. They had not learned in
time of peace to prepare for war; AT
the beginning of fair weather it is usually
cool, and grass cut after o'clock will not
cure enough to be injured by the dew
that night, and the next night, being left
in large winnows, the injury ia very
slight. | used to turn by hand heavy
crop OF grass when it was cut with side
cut machine had to do it in order to
make good hay; but for three years past
have used the Eureka mower, and have
not turned one forkful. The longer | use
it the better | like it. 1t is mere play for
a team to cut six acres between o'clock
and 6, and the grass is left in such shape
as to cure quickly aud make choice hay
al about half the expense that We used to
be- a.. ought, perhaps, to say i'll this
connection that the Eureka has had one
defect, which made it do rather poor work
in Hungarian grass, but understand that
the detect has been remedied in the new
machines.
Inquiry is often made in the Country
Gentleman about hay caps. They are
nice things, and sometimes will save their
cost in single storm. But the farmer
should be good weather prophet, and il
he is he will very rarely need to use them
We have lot Of them, but do not re-
member that we have used one in three
years. Ii you wish to use them, put the
hay up in cocks of 200 to 800 pounds
each, and make caps about six teet square
OF heavy cheeting. Fasten string with
a loop in it to each corner of the cap
Use pins made of strips of shingles about
one and half inches wide, with notch
, in the thick end aud the other enc
sharpened. Pin the caps down tight, and
, they will protect the hay through a storm
that will blow down rail fences. A mar
will sleep better with his clover hay GOV
cred, unless perchance (as happened to I
friend of mine) some stranger wakes hin
up to tell him there are lot of white
cows in his meadow"