Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1897-08-11
Curing Hay for Home Use.

New York. 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 di-
gestible 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 'sgot onto"
the fact that for Nil animals for oil 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 aud ripened to "a pointjust
short of the shattering of the seed.
There is q prejudice in the market
against hay that is too green in color,
aud although hay cut early and Of q
deep green color IS fnr better to feed,
it will not bring rs much rs that which
is lighter in color, in fact, almostwhite,
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 rs
the northern bluegrass, "Poa COM,
presaa,' and nothing increases the
feeding value of timothy hay more than
mixture of this grass, such q mix
ture injuries its market value in pro-
portion 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 morn
ing of a good hay day, aud drawn and
housed in afternoon, especially if itbe
gone over with tedder soon after
dinner.
But rs to the best time to cut
the various kinds of grasses, best
methods of curing, handling and stor-
ing to get best results in feeding farm
stock. We do not ca-e for bulk but
for amount of digestihle food. A we'll
established fact in vegetable growth is,
that during the ea"ly season much Of
the growth of hay plants is at the ex-
pense Of nutriment stored mp the pre-
vions season, and that mp to certain
point of maturity the plant is largely
fiber and water, and that beyond this
lime the plant is taking in carbon from
the mir and uniting that with the water
and forming the carbohy'lrates-frst
sugar, then starch mud lastly fiber;
that The furthe" this change goes the
woody fiber increases and the digesti-
bic matter 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 has been cured but little can
found, it having passed on to the starch
form largely, and doubtless more or
less has gone on into the woody state,
These facts true, grasses of MI kinds
should be out when they have the great
est quantityof sugar aud starchlpet
acre, as these are both almost COM
pletely digestible. If allowed to go
beyond this the hay may increase much
il weight aud still lose much of its di-
gestible value.
With all the grasses, clover included,
this point will be found just at the
period of full bloom. know many
have notion that the pollen on the
grasses makes the hay dusty, but if
that be the only .st on the hay, no
animal will ever be injured by its use.
There is one objection to this early
cutting of grass for haS-it is much
more work to cure 1t, but the far
greater value will more than compen=
safe for the extra labor.
I have tried almost every way of hay
making but, all things considered, I
prefer to do most of the curing in cock,
I 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
early morning. # the grass is heavy,
it should be shaken out with tedder
before noon and by three in the after
noon 1t will be ready to rake and go
into cocks.
Few men know just how to make a
good hay cock. Almost anyone can
make bunch, but it takes an artist
to pitt up d hay cock so it will shed
rain and not be blown over by every
little breeze: 1t should be small on
the ground, rather tall and so built up
that the outside coat shall shed rain
like the thatch on stack. This is
easily done by one who knows how,
but difficult to describe so that anovice
can make onei just right. Hay put into
cocks after being fully wilted will, in
good weather, sweat and cure ont,
ready to go into the barn, in two to
five days, according to the weather.
When cured enough on bright
morning after dew is off, the cocks
should be deftly opened into just good
sized forkfuls, and in IN hour md q
half or two hours it is ready to draw
and put into barns. Of course where
one has not storage under cover he will
be compelled to stack the hay, but I
believe this is wasteful practice md
that even with the best system of stack
ing, enough will be wasted in few
years to pay for building in which to
store it. The old notion was, that the
barn for storing hay should be onen
anu that the doors should all be lett
open to mir the hay, but now people
haze learned that the tighter the barn
and the closer it is kept shut, the
greener the hay can be stored with
safety and the better it will keep. In
buying lot Of clover hay in England
to feed q flock of sheep which was to
bring over, while on ship I was struck
by its dark color but delicious fra
GRANGE and the fact that the sheep ate
avery norton ayen tn tho ooorsn eto1l,