Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-08-10
RIGHT TIME TO CUT CLOVER
German Experimental Discovers MuoF,
Of DigestIble Matter Of Hay Can
Be Dissolved Out Of Water.

tBy 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 {
good many facts which help to sub
| stantiate the belief and experience o
practical hay makers and feeders il
! their views and practises. They fine
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
jured very badly by rains or even
by heavy dews. A German expert
menter has found that from one-fourth
to two-fifths 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
enee 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
1t is 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
Is 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
a 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 of the grass, ted
1t several times during the day, load
1t on wagons and haul it 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 it 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 fit 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
ling 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 it after 1t has q little more
han wilted. The cocks are made
small and the hay Is allowed to cure
and 60 through the sweat in the
held. Those who make hay in this
way commonly provide themselves
With shock covers, or caps. as they are
Jailed, to prevent loss when rain
comes Unexpectedly.
When clover hay Is allowed to 60
dry before 1t is raken into:
he winrow, large portion of leaves
md finer stems are broken of, which
odge in the stubble and are lost. This
caves the woody, course fiber as the
part of the hay which is saved and
makes the product very much infe-
'ior in every way to hay which has
retained the clover leaves and the
:ghter steps. Those parts Of the
clover plant are almost wholly diges-
ibIe, and are very greatly relished by \
i've stock of all sorts, and in conse
luence should be retained in the hay,
whenever it is practicable to do so. q
The dairy farmer Sho realizes that
lis COW must be catered to with "a
ion that suits her and one which will
induce her to eat large Quantity Of
ICED, will find that he can afford
% spend little more time in hay ma
King than Is done when the stacker
md sweep rakes are used as a means
If loading the hay from the swath to
he stack The hay stacker and sweep
axe are quicker and cheaper ways Of
putting up hay, but we will do we'll
@ determine where the loss Of value
n the hay becomes greater than the
,aving in the expense Of putting up
he the crop. This is matter, BE-
ieve, that must be decided largely on
he individual farm, as what win pay
,ne farmer may prove losing plan
% another. Giving more thought to
he matter of hay making now when
clover and alfalfa are to be handled. 1t
8 we'll nigh imperative.