The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-07-23
HAY AND FODDER.
Some Serious Problems for Stockmea to
Consider.

Some Serious Problems for Stockmea to
Consider.
A problem for the stoek-grower to
consider, and one which is ever varying
in practice from the various contingent
c;eS of weather. cost of labor. applica-
ton of machinery. and facilities for
storage, as among the more important
considerations, may be stated to be the
curing of hay and fodder. The most
important, however, is the quality of
the product when cured. An acre of
grass carefully cured represents value
equal to an acre of corn or other feed
ing grain, the fertility of the soil bearing
alike in each case. In just proportion
as the curing is excellent or indifferent
will the value of the product be esti-
mated, until as we arrive at weather.
beaten hay the value will be only that
of straw. When fully bleached by sun
and water the product is not only worth
less, but absolutely deleterious to health.
With fairly good shelter cattle fed on
hay containing all the juices of the grass
in dried state will come through the
winter strong and healthy. With in
differently cured hay, even with the
best of shelter, the stock will be ema-
ciated to the last degree. even if they
do not die outright. If it could be care
fully estimated. the cattle that die after
being turned to grass, or which carry
| their old coats and emaciation well on
to midsummer, through want of recu-
perative power arising solely from
winter starvation, through bad hay,
would give figures truly astounding.
They may be Appropriated, however,
/ to a sufficient degree to illustrate the
subject to the most ordinary mind.
Taking ordinary well-cured meadow
hay at 100 and select-cured hay. of the
latter fifty-eight pounds will feed as far
as 100 pounds of the former, while of
wheat-straw it will require 426 pounds
/ to furnish the same nutriment, all these
| having been considered as being cured
without rain on them. Hay bleache ed to
/ the whiteneSs of straw contains no more
nutriment than the straw itself, since it
is only the soluble portions that are of
value, and these have been nearly car
/
going into the grain anu n the hay be-
ing washed away. Animals require to
be fully fed with well-cured hav to in
| sure holding their own, hence if filled
with illv-cured hay or straw they have
| received less than One-quarter of the
desired nourishment Thus since it is
well known that hay easily loses one
! half its normal value by Indifferent cur
| ing, it is not difficult to estimate the alb
solute loss per acre, neither is it difficult
| to see that very considerable outlay
may be incurred with profit to secure
| hay in its full integrity. Extreme nicely
in curing will, as to profit, of course de-
pend somewhat on the price of hay in
the market. Nevertheless profit is never
made in feeding bad hay to stock, and
for this reason inferior hay should never
be put in the stack with good hay,
Fortunately for the West the season
of harvesting and having is generally a
dry one, and hence with the exercise of
| Judgment and the application of i'm
proved machinery the crop is, as a rule,
gotten in in good condition, and the
various acts of moving, curing and
storing may 90 on simultaneously. In
no case, however has it been found
economical to cut hay when either wet
with dew or rain. unless soon after
stirred with the tedder. The reason is.
living flat on the ground it holds the
surface moisture for long time, and
the sap does not begin to dry out until
all the surface moisture is evaporated.
But when hay is stirred with the tedder,
operating as fast as two machines can
NOW, then the moving may be carried
forward from morning to night.
The proper time to cut all forage is
when the plants are in full blossom, or
rather Immediately after they have
passed out of bloom, for at this time the
leaves and stalks contain their maximum
of nutriment But when a large hay
crop must be taken care of all can not
be taken care OF at the best stage of
growth. Hence the owner must so time
the curing aS TO take the best possible
| advantage of the circumstances by be-
ginning little before the best season
and ending about the time the seed is
half formed. Here. again. the advan-
tage of a variety of grasses will be
shown, ALWAYS being careful that one
meadow contains only plants that ripen
nearly together. Orchard grass and red
clover ripen nearly together. If timo
thy and red clover (the favorite West
ern miXture) is used, the crop should be
cut when the timothy is in full bloom,
then the clover will be found somewhat
past its best prime.
The value of knowing the theoretical
81 & = =
of any one of these is known in a To-
calty. the relative time of any other
may be found by the proper calculation.
Thus, orchard grass ripens twenty-five
days later than blue grass, and about
thirty-six days earlier than that of
timothy. Hence species that ripen more
than two weeks apart should never be
Gown together for hay.
The feeding value of clover compared
to that of average medium hay is as IS
to l00-that is. it is Twenty-Five per cent.
better. As generally cured it is far
below in feeding value. The leaves are
the essential part, and these are largely
lost in curing. To prevent this it
should be put up in high. narrow cocks
when wilted. allowed to sweat until the
next dav. then opened. and hauled into
tight mass, with the addition of
peck of salt to the ton if still somewhat
green. In curing hay the greener in
color and dryer in texture the better.
If somewhat green. not from water or
dow but from imperfectly dried sap. hay
will keep better in deep. close NOW.
where the pressure is heavy. than in the
stack. The reason is that the air is
more perfectly excluded. Air and