The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-06-16
FOR SALE BY
CURING CLOVER HAY.
Crop often Stands Too Long--Hour Of
Day for Cutting--Use of Hay Caps.


Day for Cutting-Use of Hay Caps.
In view OF the difficulty generally en-
countered in securing properly-cured
clover hay, 1t is believed that the sugges-
tions on this subject by w. P. Brooks
OF the Massachusetts experiment sta
ton will be Of interest aud value to
many who are engaged in the growing
Of clover for hay Prof Brooks points
out, in a government report, that the
first consideration is the proper degree
OF maturity of the clover, and states
that clover is often allowed TO stand
too late to give best results when cured
as hay.
If it be suffered to remain until a
considerable portion of the heads
are brown and the seed ripe, there will
be but little roweu, while there is much
danger that the roots OF the clover
will die after the crop is cut. Relative.
~ early cutting then, before many OF
the heads are browns desirable, both
because better rowen crop will be Sc
cured and because the clover will persist
in the moving longer Good weather is
essential for the satisfactory making
of clover hay, as il Is. indeed, for the
satisfactory making Of any hayj but
it is far more important in the case OF
the cloyers than for timothy, on account
of the fact that the elovers need much
more drying The best hour in the day
for cutting, as it appears TO me, is late
in the afternoon. Whatever the hour,
lit Is essential to keep in mind the fact
that in the curing OF clover hay ii
should be handled but little after it be-
gins TO dry. 1t is generally well un-
derstood that too much handling as the
crop dries results In the breaking off
of the leaves and heads, which are the
most valuable portion of the crop.
Whatever the hour Of cutting, then,
the fact should be kept in mind that
this crop should be tedded but little in
curing. If cut late in the afternoon,
the crop may be tedded once the fol-
lowing forenoon. II the weather is par
ticular fine, it will then be ready to
rake and put into cocks late in the aft
ernoon OF the same day If the clover
is curing more slowly, it may be best
to leave it in windows over one night,
and to turn these carefully with the
fork the next forenoon, and to cock on
the afternoon of the second day after
cutting
The use of hay caps in curing clover
hay should be more general 1t is de-
sirable to leave the clover in the cock
for number OF days, sometimes as long
as week. The hay is coarse, and ii
exposed to rain it is badly damaged I'M
less the cocks are protected by caps.
When examination shows that the clov.
er in the cock is apparently cured, it
should be slightly opened and turned up
from the bottom on the forenoon of
good day It will then be ready to put
IN in tie afternoon Clover hay cured
in this manner should hold substantially
all its leaves and heads, and should cure
of bright green color. Such clover
is one OF the most valuable forage crops,
whether for cattle, sheep or horses.
Well-cured clover hay, popular opinion
to the contrary Notwithstanding is a
safe and valuable food for horses, which
will need much less grain when fed such
hay than when timothy hay is used