The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-08-11
Saving the Hay Crop.

s Saving the Hay Crop.
 The crop of grasses expected for hay has made wonderful improvement and the crop throughout the country Is gem orally good. while in some Of the states the crop was never better Nor is the improved condition confined alone to the grasses, for other hay crops are also fine. Such crops as sorghums, miilets, and stock peas all give promise of good yields of as fine quality as one could wish.
 The hay harvest Is now on and nice work it Is to cure and put up hay in fine condition and so as to have 1t retain it's nutriment and bright color. But in this as In all other farm operations the work has been simplifed and rendered far less laborious by the use of improved machinery made for the handling of the crop. Yet while We have so many labor saving tools for handling the crop still It takes experience to tell when to cut and how to best manage for saving crops which may vary very much in character.
 I am sure that many farmers allow their hay to become over ripe before har- vesting. This may result from several causes, overwork, scarcity of or inability to secure help when needed. l have mo- ticed in the last few days many acres of fine hay, especially fine timothy fields which have been allowed to stand until the hay is almost worthless. This crop, like that of German millet should never be allowed to stand until the seed are ripe, but both should be cut just after the bloom begins to fall or about the time the seed begins to shape. Many of the fields of which I speak have been left so long, that now in handling the seed all fall out and are clear loss.
 Then there is another very important matter in hay making, which is that hay should not be exposed too long to the hot sun. It does not take near the amount of hot sun to cure hay that we were brought up to believe was neces- sary. However, the old saying, Make hay while the sun shines" still holds good, for we need clear, bright weather for saving hay. Hay should be cut after the dew is off in the morning and put up In the evening before the dew falls. and if the hay does not become cured enough the first day 1t Is cut it chould be opened out, stunned and aired the second day, opening or spreading after the dew is dry and putting up again before the evening dew begins to fall.
 While up through the upper Arkansas valley I had many chances to see the effects of too much sun on the hay for many fields of fine alfalfa were cut and
 
 hay was all bleached out, made light and the quality greatly reduced. This clover in this section is all grown under irri- gation which renders 1t all the more tender and unfit to be left exposed to the hot sun and winds, but should be put up right after the moving machine.
 Many fields the rake follows right after the mower and the hay is hardly wilted before 1t is raked up. But the air here is dryer and there is far less likelihood for rain so that the hay may be put up sooner or with less sun than would be required in the southern states. Both clover and peavine hay are more diff cult to save in. the southern states and one has to watch the weather and get this class of hay up in good condition or it will easily spoil. In the west the sor- ghum and kafhr corn are both cut with self binders, bound into sheaves and shocked like wheat or oats.
 This has proved a very safe and satis- factory method for when treated this way the hay Is always bright and nice. This plan should and no doubt would work all right for the southern states for the harvesting of this crop should be done in August and September. as then we are likely to have dry weather so