Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1909-1915, 1910-08-05
RIGHT TIME TO CUT GLOVER
German Experimental Discovers Much
Of bigestlble Matter Of Hay Can
Be Dissolved Out Of Water

German Experimental Discovers Much
OF Digestible Matter Of Hay Can
Be Dissolved Out Of Water.
by J. H. SHEPHERD. Dean and Pro-
lessor OF Agriculture. Agricultural
College, North Dakota-)
Experiment stations have taken
great deal of interest in this question
Of hay making and have brought out a
good many facts which help to sub
stantiate the belief and experience of
practical hay makers and feeders In
their views and practises. They find
that the time to cut clover to get the
greatest amount Of digestible feeding
material is at the full blossom stage.
Farmers have known for years, prob
ably centuries, that clover hay is in
Iured very badly by rains or even
BY heavy dews. A German expert
menter has found that from one-fourth
to two-1fths Of the entire digestible
matter Of clover hay can be dissolved
out by cold water. This fact, to-
gether with that Of the greatly less
ened relish for it on the part Of live
stock, explains very we'll why the
clover hay should be protected against
rain and exposure to heavy dew when
It 1s In the swath and practically dry
There is disposition on the part of
western farmers to do things whole
sale as a matter Of economy. Labor
ls high In this part of the United
States and hay and other roughage is
very cheap. believe that we are over
Impressed, however, with the high
price of labor and the cheapness of
roughage. and that 1t will pay us bet
ter to take more time and store away
q more palatable lot of hay with a
higher proportion of digestible mat.
| ter.
People who make high grade clover
hay follow three different practises.
One Is to cut the hay in the morn.
Ing after the dew is off the grass, ted
It several times during the day, load
It on wagons and haul 1t to the barns
or sheds before night This plan
gives excellent hay generally, but re.
quires considerable amount of extra
work. Occasionally the weather is I'm.
favorable during the day, and the plan
does not work out; that is, the hay is
not dry enough to stack when night
comes, and at times the value of 1t is
greatly reduced by rain falling upon it.
The second plan is to cut the hay
late In the afternoon, so that it will
not be cured enough for the dew to
cause 1t any harm. It will be At to
store or stack in the NOW or stack in
the last half of the afternoon of the
second day with very much less ted
ding than is the case with hay which
Is to be moved the day it Is cut.
The third plan is to rake the hay
and cook 1t after it has a little more
than Wilted. The cocks are made
small and the hay is allowed to cure
and 30 through the sweat IN the
aeld. Those who make hay In this
way commonly provide themselves
with shock covers. or caps. as they are
called, to prevent loss when rain
comes UNEXPECTEDLY.
When clover hay is allowed to go
completely dry before it is raken into
the winrow. a large portion of leaves
and finer stems are broken off, which
lodge in the stubble and are lost This
leaves the woody, course fiber as the
part Of the hay which is saved and
makes the product very much infe-
rtor in every way to hay which has
retained the clover leaves and the
lighter steps. Those parts of the
clover plant are almost wholly diges.
tible. and are very greatly relished by
live stock Of all sorts, and in conse-
duence should be retained In the hay,
whenever it is practicable to do so.
The dairy farmer who realizes that
his COW must be catered to with ra.
ton that suits her and one which will
induce her to eat large quantity of
feed, will find that he can afford
to spend little more time in hay ma.
king than is done when the stacker
and sweep rakes are used as a means
of loading the hay from the swath &c
the stack. The hay stacker and cap
rake are quicker and cheaper ways OF
putting up hay, but we will do we'll
to determine where the loss of va.ue
In the hay becomes greater than the
saving in the expense of putting up
the the crop. This Is a matter, l be-
lieve, that must be decided largely on
the individual farm, as what will pay
one farmer may prove losing plan
to another. Giving more thought to
the matter Of hay making now when
clover and alfalfa are to be handled. it