Middletown transcript., 1897-07-03
MIDDLETowN. DEL, JULY 8, 1897
OF Interest
to Farmers
CUTTING HAY FOR HOME USE.

In hay making, two points are to be
considered. First, how to get the
largest weight of such hay as is most in
demand in the market and will bring
| the highest price, and second, how to
get the largest amount of digestible
stock food to the acre. The first is
from the standpoint of the. hay
seller. The other from that of the hay
feeder.
Fortunately for the farmer, the hay
buying public has not yet SCOT onto"
the fact that for all animals for all pur-
poses, for driving horse even, there
is no hay quite equal to early cut, well
cured clover, SO the market calls for
timothy hay and such will sell for sew
eral dollars per ton more than any
other, and it must be made from grass
fully grown and ripened to point just
short of the shattering of the seed.
There is a prejudice In the market
against hay that is too green ill color,
and although hay cut early and of a
deep green color is far better to feed, it
will not bring as much as that which
is lighter in color, in fact, almost
white providing this color comes from
fuller maturity and not from bleaching
by the weather.
While no other of the true grasses
has nearly so high feeding value as
the northern bluegrass, "Poa COM
pressa," and nothing increases the
feeding value of timothy hay more
than mixture of this grass, such a
mixture Injuries its market value in
proportion to the quantity of bluegrass
contained. So then for market. clean
timothy is wanted, and it should be
cut just before its seeds will shell and
at this stage can be cut in the morning
of good hay day, and drawn and
housed in afternoon, especially if it be
gone over with tedder soon after din
ner.
But as to the best time TO cut the
various kinds of grasses, best methods
Of curing, handling and s oring to get
best results in feeding farm stock. We
do not care for bulk but for amount of
digestible food. A we'll established
fact in vegetable growth is, that DUR
ing the early season much of the
growth of hay plants is at the expense
of nutriment stored up the pre- vious
season, and that up to a certain point
of maturity the plant is largely fiber
and water, and that beyond this time
the plant is taking in carbon from the
air and uniting that with the water
and forming the carbohydrates, first
sugar, theD starch aud lastly fiber; that
the further this change goes the woody
fibre increases and the digestible mat
ter decreases.
A rapid change also takes place in
the constituents of grasses in the cur
ing or drying process. While the green
grass may contain much sugar, when
the same bas been cured but little can
be found. it having passed on Othe
starch form largely. and doubtless more
or less has gone on into the woody
state. These facts true, grasses of all
kinds should be cut when they have
the greatest quantity of sugar and
starch per acre, as these are both al
most completely digestible. II allowed
to go beyond this the hay may increase
much in weight and still lose much of
lis digesiibIe value.
With all the grasses, clover included,
this point will be found ,sL at the per-
iod of full bloom. k;iug mtny have a
notion that the pollen on the grasses
makes the hay dusty, bat If that be the
only dust on the hay, no animal will
ever be injured by It's use. There is
one objection to this early cutting of
grass for hay-it is much more work
to cure it, but The far greater value
will more than compeusate for the ex
ira labor.
have tried almost every way Of hay
making but. all things considered, i
prefer to do most Of the curing in cock.
like to start the mower about four
O'Clock in the afternoon and keep it
running until 10 O'Clock the next day,
except for couple of hours in the
eaily morning. Ii the grass is heavy,
it shonll be shaken out with tedder
before moon AID by 'tiirre in the after
noon it will be ready 10 rake and 60
into cocks.
Few mel klpw just h1S to maks a
good hay cock. Almost anyone can
make bunch. but II takes an artist 10
pat up hsy c OK 50 it v ill shed rain
/ aud not be blown over by every little
breeze. Ii should be small on the
ground, rather tall and SO built up that
| the outside cuat sh llshed rain like the
tha;ch on stack. This is easily done
by one Who kLows how, but difficult
10 describe 50 that q novice can make
one iist right. Hay put into cocks ar
set being fully NiIsed will, in good
MeasLsr. sweat and cure out, ready TO
go into the barn. in two OF five
days, according to the weather.