The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-08-24
Agricultural Department
CONDUCTED BY FULTON s. WHITE.

1 lowed to become too ripe before cutting | they shed of too much of their blades and the stalks become hard and woody. The best time for saving hay in this sec ton generally is from the last week in July on through August, as the weather is more likely to be settled at this time and longer period of dry weather can be more relied upon at this season than earlier in the season; so that it is well to have the hay crops come In for harvest at this season.
 Pea Vine Hay.
 There is always more or less complaint about pea-vine hay being very difficult to cure. If the crop Is cut at the right time, there should be but little trouble | in getting the hay cured. The peas or vines are ready to cut when the lower | leaves begin to turn yellow the pods well filled, the seed passing out of the dough state, or just beginning to harden and when the pods begin to turn yellow. If cut before this time, the crop is not as well matured as it should be, and if cut later, the vines are apt to shed many of their leaves in curing and handling and thus a good portion of valuable feed is lost There are so many sections where clover can not be grown for hay, and where peas a success, that farmers are turning their attention to peas | hay crop, and the hay when properly managed makes fine feed. especially for | sheep and cattle. Both beef and milch cows should be we'll fed and will thrive well on this hay I visited a farm in | Georgia, where the practice was to SOW peas at time so that crab grass would come up and grow with the peas and be ready to be cut with the peas. This makes the very best of hay, and the !, mules and work horses were all in the | best of condition from being fed nearly | entirely on this combination of hay. The | saving of hay in order to have it bright | and nice free from mildew and dust, Is | a nice job and one that really takes more thought than hard labor Many | crops of fine hay loS> their value by being stunned too much, all the nutri- ment being burned out by exposure to | the hot sun after being cut Then. 1t | often happens that the hay gets too much dew or rain. Now, when the weather is hot and dry. as Is now the | case. the hay enould be cut in the morning as soon as dry from dew and i left few hours to wilt. when 1t should | be raked up into open wind-rows and there allowed to cure. One or two days | in the wind row will be sufficient to cure the hay so that it may be shocked up in small shocks. Let these small shocks stand for two more days, when they may be doubled up. putting two or | three shocks in one, as the conditions may require. Where the hay has been well shocked in this way 1t may stand l for some time before being stacked, but unless the work was very pressing, I | would advise the stacking be done early as the conditions the hay will permit Some farmers may be prepared 1 with oarns and sheds for storing away | their hay crops and this Is preferable to stacks, as there is practically no waste when hay is so stored away in good wa | ter-proof sheds or barns. Now, it Is | bar ardi fo lau rule for saving hay that will hold good | for all conditions, for the farmer will have to depend largely on both the con- ditions of the weather and the crop, and, also, will have to be governed large l ly by what help he can command at hay ing time But everything should be got ten in full readiness before the having l commences, so that when the work in | once commenced it may be rushed through to completion. Then the work of making hay be greatly reduced by the use of our late improved having implements. The moving machine is one of the greatest labor saving machines ever made. Every neighborhood should have some good man fully supplied with at least a good moving machine and | hay rake, who would do the cutting of the crops of hay for all his neighbors.
 Right to the Point.
 I have been surprised to see so many farmers who make a practice of culti- yating stumps for years. There certain | ly is no pay in this practice of allowing | stumps and stones to remain in the fields year after year and blow over and | around them. These stumps and stones | take up lots of room, are always in the way of using improved implements, are 1 unsightly, and nuisance generally. Now this long dry spell of weather has | so dried out many of these stumps so that if a little time was spent now in setting them on fire they would burn right out. This is work that should be attended to right away.
 Until our farmers are able 10 tile-drain their lands. dtches will have to be used now Is good time ti dig out such ditches as the work can be done now so much | easier and cheaper than when the earth Is soaked full of water. Past expert | ence with wet weather will show or | guide one as to where the ditches are needed. There will be plenty of rain and surplus water to carry off just as we have had 1t in the past, and so now Is | the time to prepare for this.
 Wells.
 We hear much complaint about wells getting low this dry summer. This is | the time when all wells on the farm should be cleaned out and where the | water is low the wells may be sunk l deeper, and so deep as to secure an am | pie supply of good water. Where wells are lowered now until good water is found In sufficient quantity, such wells 1 can always hereafter be depended upon | for furnishing water withoAt any fear | of their going dry. These and many other matters on the farm need attention, and | no better time than now during this dry l weather could be found for looking after