The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1888-06-30

AlONQA kk4ys
Probably the safest time for begin
ming 10 cut clover for hay is when tho
first blossoms begin TO turn brown. rs
at this time most Of the field will be IN
bloom. Many recommend waiting
until about one-thlrd OF the blossoms
have begun to turn. and II good wealth
err could DO insured that would proba-
bly be the most profitable stage. but as
this class OF fodder requires much
more curing than herdsgrass and red
top. II the field is large and the wealth
err ..catchlng" when the cutting Is de-
ferred until one-third of the heads are
brown, 1t Is liable to become SO ripe
before all can be secured rs to contain
so large a proportion of indigestibie
woody fibre as to greatly lessen It's
feeding value. although greater bulk
will be obtained.
A good supply OF hay caps Is indis-
pensablc TO every owner OF hay farm.
and these should be In readiness be-
fore beginning to cut the grass. Where
the growth of clover Is SO rank as TO
average from one and one-half to three
tons OF cured hay TO the acre 1t Will DO
best not to start the mower or scythe
in the morning until the dow Is of tho
grass, and care should be used to cut
down no more at any one time than
can be got up and hauled to good adj
vantage. II laid In swaths with
scythcs II should be spread at once
aud directly after dinner should be
turned. II cut with machine tho
tcddcr should be put at work upon Il
after il has lain two or three hours. and
continued until 1t is raked and put In
small cocks averaging not more than
forty or fifty pounds each.
This should be done while the grass
is hot. with tho sun shining brightly.
and tho caps all be put on before the
dew begins TO fall. IL the following
day Is fair the caps should DO removed
in the morning. and directly after dim
ncr II should be cooked over. taking
small forkfuls SO as TO expose 1t to the
4 air and tho hrst forkful from the top
of each cock should be inverted so as
10 place tho dryest lock next tho
ground. Put the caps on AZ night be-
fore tho dew begins to fall. and re-
move them early in the morning when
the weather is fair. Continue in this
way until cured. which will take from
three to four days Of fine weather.
Haul to the barn in the middle of a hot
sunny day.
1t Is an excellent plan to have n
quantity of straw or old hay on head
scaffold. and after placing a layer OF
new hay two or three feet In depth
over the NOW throw over thin layer
OF dry fodder from the scaffold. SO as
TO absorb the moisture and prevent
heating in the NOW. Clover cured In
this manner will retain most of Its
leaves and make excellent fodder for
all kinds OF stock. Should rain
storm come up before the clover is suf-
ficiently cured two Of the small cocks
can be placed together all over the
field. thus reducing tho number OF hay
caps one-han. and also reducing the
surface Of hay exposed to tho
weather around the bottom of the
punches.
Great care should be used to havo
the hay perfectly free from dew or rain
when put into the NOW. as single
load of wet hay thrown into bay
may cause great injury by heating to
several tons Of that which Is we'll cured
and put In later. 1t requires good
judgment, aided with considerable
practice, to know just when hay Is
suitable to put into the barn, for II
dried too much in tho hot sun II loses
some OF its nutritious qualities. -
Practical Fumer.