Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-06-20
The Time for Raging.

SuOSInS grass duu Clover except the
hand-scy the it was exceedingly difficult
to secure very large crops of either of
them at exactly the proper time. 1t
was necessary to commence having
early and to continue it late in the sea.
son. Some Of the grass and clover was
cut before it was sufficiently mature to
make the most or the best hay, while
some was left till long after the period
when it should have been harvested. 1t
was the practice to commence having
at the close of the period for cultivating
corn and potatoes, and to continue cut
ting until the entire crop was secured.
Ordinarily the timothy and clover were
cut first, while the harvesting of the
wild grasses that grew on meadows was
delayed till quite late in the season.
With the introduction of labor-saving
implements, such as the mower, tedder
horse-rake, hay loader and stacker, it
has become comparatively easy to secure
even large hay crop at the proper
time. Unfortunately too little atten-
ton has been given to the matter of de-
termining what the proper time is to
cut the various kinds of grass and clover
to make hay. Farmers who make a
business of supplying the market with
hay ma urally desire to secure the lar
gest amount possible, and to secure it
in the easiest manner. They find that
they can secure the greatest weight by
allowing timothy, which is the fashion
able grass for horse-feeding, to tecome
quite ripe. The leaves do not drop off
at maturity, as is the case with some
kinds of grasses, the stalks increase in
size and weight, and a large quantity
of seed natures. This mature grass
cures more readily than that which is
cut when it is in full bloom. 1t loses
less weight in drying. The weather is
generally more favorable for curing late
in the season.
When hay is to be used for feeding
animals on the farm something besides
quantity or weight is to be taken into
consideration. The IL innate object OF
the hay is to produce flesh and fat. The
grass and clover should be cut not
with reference to the greatest weight of
hay, but the greatest weight of hesh.
Ii hay is not digested in the stomach of
the animals that eat it, nothing is pro-
duced but manure. Observations show
that a large part of the hay made from
mature grass and clover is wasted. 1t
is rejected by the amin Is to which it is
fed, or it passes through the stomach
without being digested. AS rule, the
younger the animal the greater is the
amount wasted. They can not digest
hard and tough hay as well as older
animals can. Work horses and oxen,
of which there arc few in the country at
present, do better on hay made from
mature grass and clover than colts.
young cattle, and mich cows do.
During the past few years the producers
of beef and mutton have turned of
their animals at much younger age
than was the practice in former times.
This of itself furnishes an argument in
favor of early-cut hay. Observations
made in the summer show that young
animals refuse to eat the mature stalks
of clover, timothy, and red top. OBJ
servations made in the winter show
that they decline to eat them when
converted into hay if they can obtain
other kinds of food. The general con-
clusion to be drawn from these obser-
seryation is that grass and clover in
tended for young stock should be cut
sometime before the seed natures and
the stalks become hard. If cut ut that
time the hay will be tender and nutri-
tious. At the. period of blossom ne
most forage plants contain the max
imum amount of foliage which is OF
the greatest value for food next to the
flowers themselves. Cut when most OF
the blossoms are at their full size
clover affords hay that Is relished by all
kinds of stock.
By cutting grass and clover quite ear
ly much of the danger of lodging is
prevented. 1t is easier to cut and cure
four acres of grass or clover that stand
upright than one that is d red. The
hay made of lodged grass and clover is
generally of very poor quality. Con-
act with the ground has caused some
of the foliage and blossoms to become
musty, and in some cases to be covered
with dirt The roots of the plants are
likely to be in ured by having the stalks
that spring from them lodge. Grass
and clover grown on rich land are quite
certain to lodge if their cutting is neg
lected till the seeds mature. By cut
ting them early, two crops may be har-
vested from the same ground. The sec
ond crop viii often be as large as the
first. and Will be of special value to
young animals. For forming a good.
compact sod, frequent cuttings are
very beneficial. This is seen in the
treatment of the lawns. The oftener
they are cut. the better is the sod pro-
duced. If it is intended to convert a
meadow into q pasture it is advisable to
NOW it frequently with view of max
ing firm sod. When it is expected to
harvest a crop Of clover seed the first
cutting should be done early in the sea-
son. When all grass and clover were
necessarily cut with the hand-scythe
two mowings of the same field involved
much labor. Now that the work OF |
spreading and raking as well as now
ing is done by the aid of machinery the |
amount of manual labor Is greatly TO |
duced- Chicago Ttme&