The Van Buren press., 1897-08-28
FARMER AEDPLANTER.
SAVING FORAGE CROPS.
An Important Matter to be Considered by
the Stock Raiser.

An Important Matter to be Considered by
! the Stock Raiser.
For curing sorghum in the safest
manner, we recommend the following
items to the attention of your readers:
We should attempt to cut the sorghum
crop only when assured of some three
days of clear weather to follow the
cutting. With less drying out time on
sorghum in the swath, we can expect
but little success. To cure a two-ton
cutting in middle. northern, or eastern
Texas, cut the first day, rake into light
windrows the third day, with rake pile
into heaps on the fourth day, and open
up heaps and haul ON the sixth day
from cutting. Should rain or damp
weather occur, the time must be ex-
tended. Ifrain threatens while the hay
is in piles damage may be entirely pre-
vented by shaping up the hay into cocks
with fork. This can be done with but
little labor, and though such handling
adds to the cost. this amount is smaller
by far than the loss of hay or damage
to quality if exposed to rain. Open up
| the cocks after second day and allow
the sweat to dry out for two to six
hours and the hay is then thoroughly
cured and ready to be hauled. 1t will
not tend to heat again in stack because
the moisture has been driven from the
thick parts of stalk and the entire mass
has been rendered sterile to the fer
ment germs that first caused the heat.
Should the yield of hay be less than
two tons per acre at cutting, corre
spending shorter time will be neees-
sary to cure. A heavy rain can not
penetrate a properly formed cock of
half-cured sorghum. 1t is economical
that each of these cocks should be as
large as may be convenient Should
high wind be feared, strings or wire
with small weights attached may be
used to prevent hay from blowing.
In many cases it is not necessary to
use the fork in forming the piles in
which the sorghum is allowed to heat.
This work can be effectively done with
the horse hay rake, and the desired
heating process will follow without
damage, should the weather remain
clear. In many parts OF the west
sorghum hay is not allowed to cure in
piles, but it simply sun dries where it
falls, and is raked and handled within
few hours. This system results in
burning out the sorghum exposed to
the direct action of the sun, and i'm
pairs its value and digestibility. The
great while required in drying out ex-
poses the cut crop to changes in weather
that often results disastrously.
STACKING.
Much of the sorghum grown in the
semi-arid portions of the state and fur
ther west is planted in drills and eul-
tiyated for protection against drought.
Under such conditions, one of the best
and cheapest methods used in saving
this crop is to employ the corn and
cane harvesting machines. However,
we have found that slide with slant
ing knives attached arranged to elst
two rows at one trip is an excellent and
cheap machine. The cut sorghum will
usually cure out quickly, even when
stacked compactly. In some cases the
crop is stacked by placing the butts ON
the ground and ranging the bundles
| against fence or pole. A possible OBJ
| lection to this form of stacking may be
| found In the tendency to dry out too
! much if allowed to stand for a long
| while. If this method be attempted in
the eastern portion of the state or near
the gulf coast, it is likely to result in
fermented or brown hay that is soft
and partly decomposed and slightly
nodded in places In stacking large
| quantities of hay, we prefer to use the
| continuous stack, or rick" since the
| hay will hold its form better in this
shape than in the round stack. The
most careful workman in the field is
needed to properly lay hay in stack
The center must be uniformly kept
higher than the edges and the paclling g
should be even or the stack will topple
after standing few weeks If sor-
| ghum be used no cover is needed to top
out the stack and protect the forage
against one seasons rain, but if the
stack consists of such open hays as al
falfa or pea vines, tarpaulin can be
economically used to protect hay from
weather 1t is fact generally noted
| that comparatively but little of the hay
produced in the south is put under o
roof covering during the season. This
can be attributed to the conspicuous
absence of large barns upon the aver
| age southern farm.
| Unless care be used in locating the
stack, or rick, the cost of hauling and
handling the cured hay will prove ex-
cessive and destroy profit. Select a
| place for stacking as near the meadow
as may be convenient for feeding or
baling. In hauling to stack use either
the Low down" wagon or "go devil'
rake. In either case a stacking ma
chine will be needed upon the large
hay farm. If the ''low down" wagon
be used, an automatic loading machine
will be required. With this to put the
hay on the wagon and a stacking-forlx
to unload, hay can be handled with
comfort to the laoorer and with much
economy to the grower.
Should we wish to load our wagon
| from the windrow, we must employ
some of the automatic hay-loaders that
are now SO successfully used. Where
the loader is in use it is impracticable
to cock the hay. 1t must work upon
the swath or upon the windrow. 1t
will work upon the swath satisfactorily
only when the hay is thick aud long.
The loader saves so much hard fork
work, we can afford to dispense with
curing in the cock and allow the heavy
sorghum to dry out completely in the
swath or windrow. Lighter hay, such
as Bermuda, prairie and Colorado