The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1886-07-15
THE HAY.
Mistake Frequently Committed b
Otherwise Careful Farmers.

A Mistake frequently Committed by
Otherwise Careful Farmers.
Not only is the hay better. when
housed or stacked as soon as possible
after cutting a. it will keep, but the risk
of getting the crop damaged by rains is
avoided. The views of farmers have
changed very materially in later years
in regard to the amount of drying nee.
essAry to insure the keeping of hay.
Experience has shown that much less
drying is necessary than was formerly
supposed to be required, especially if
the hay is put in a tight barn. II it
sweats and heats some that need not
cause alarm, for to a limited extent, this
is no harm.
Of course the principle object in dry
ing the hay is to get rid of the water
which, if retained undiminished, would
cause fermentation under the influence
of the air and the germs of ferment
floating in it; the secondary object is to
lessen the weight and thus lessen cost OF
handling. But the more of the watery
part of the grass we can retain b more
the hay will be like grass; and in getting
rid of the water we can not help losing
much of the delicate volatile scents and
1avors which it is desirable to retain.
How quickly after grass is cut and it be-
gins to wilt is the air all about filled
with the escaping perfume of new
mown hay; and so long as the drying
process goes on SO long will this per-
fume be given put Any method of
preserving grass, SLIDING or otherwise,
which will retain all OF ingredients in
the most perfect and natural manner
will give the best food.
Among the best farmers the practice
now is to get the hay into the NOW or
stack the day it is cut if possible. In
good hay weather this can be lone with
the right management. The mower is
started in the morning at least as SOC
as the dew is off, and run until eleven
or twelve o'clock. If the hay is green
and heavy it will be necessary to turn
or stir the hay with forks or a tedder,
otherwise it will take too long to DIR Y
and the top will sbe dried to death be-
fore the underside of the swarth is hardly
wilted. Start the rake by two p. M,
and a sufficient force of teams to haul it
all in before the dew falls.
The old farmers saying, 81 would
rather have a pound of juice in my hay
than an ounce of water" is worth re-
membering, and if it looks likely to rain
before the hay is thought to be suffi-
entity dry, start the teams to work.
Less damage will result by beginning
too Don than by having the partly
dried hay get drenched with rain. If
the hay is somewhat green and heavy
the closer it is packed in the NOW the
better. It should be spread evenly and
tramped as much as possible to get and
keep the air out.
A practice that has been tried with
good success is to mix the green hay
with some old hay or straw, putting
first a layer of the straw, then n Of
hay, then another of straw, and so on
till the now is full or the stack COM
plete. The straw not only absorbs the
moisture from the hay and thus aids in
preserving it, but it is itself improved
by this ASSERTION of the odors of the
fresh hay so that stock will eat the straw
up clean, when before they would
hardly touch it. Here is another proof
| that valuable matter is given off from
hay by exposure.
The addition of salt to hay az it is
being put up is thought by many to aid
in keeping it. 1t is doubtful if any
amount less than what would injure the
stock does any good as a preservative.
But a few quarts to the ton will improve
the taste of the hay for the stock.-Col-
mans Rural World.