Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1912-07-19
CURING HAY PRopGRLY.

CURING NAV PHOr6nIS
uav Of any kind to cure for the
,rost palatable and nutritious Feed
.hould be cut rather green than over
ripe, Some have notion that It is
hatter to let hay stand and grow till
g "a fully mature and ripe. It 10 .
,.ct that hay allowed to fully ma
ture will be slightly more bulky and
perhaps dry out and cure easier, yet
4 viii not have the high feeding value
as when cut earlier and cured proper
" Many fail to realize the difference
hetween hay and other forage to be
stored for future feeding that has Q
rreen color and pleasant aroma, and
that which has no green color and no
aroma, Very ripe and dry hay is not
nalatable to animals, and II Is not
easily digested. 1t contains rela-
lively large amount Of indigestible
aber. Green hay, Of course, is more
diflcult to cure than ripe hay, yet the
+ extra work Is we'll worth while.
The amount OF time any hay should
lie in the field before being raked
and hauled IN for storage will depend
mon the amount to the acre, the
length Of the days Of sunshine, the
absence aof the clouds, the dryness OF
Z the air and the dryness of the soil
upon which 1t lies after being cut.
II the soil and air are both dry and
hot, a heavy crop OF hay will cure in
A very short time with moderate
amount of sun. II both air and soil
are moist, the same crop will require
q much longer time for curing, even
under hot sun.
Where the air and soil are reason
ably dry, hay Of any kind should. be
allowed to lie in the sun only few
hours before being raked into wind.
rows. In most cases two or three
hours are sufficient. A light crop
should be raked up an hour or two af-
ter cutting. It is mistake to allow
hay to lie in the sun SO long that It
becomes perfectly dry and bleached.
Sunshine aids In the development of
green matter In plants when they are
alive, yet 1t quickly destroys this
green when the plants are dead.
It should be the aim in curing hay
to retain as much of the green and
tenderness as possible. Curing hay
right does not imply drying 1t out
completely, but allowing only enough
Of the surplus moisture to escape
from the plants so they will not heat,
mold or rot in bulk in storage. The
more moisture that can be safely re-
tanned, the more aromatic, appetizing
and digestible the hay will become as
feed. Some good farmers Who are
experts in the making of choice hay
follow the mower closely with the
E rake, and the rake closely with wag-
4 ons for hauling and storage. Their
!. hay is put into the NOW green, SO
green and full of moisture that 1t
\ heats and "sweats" excessively, yet
without further disturbance it cures
out perfectly and comes out OF the
NOV some weeks or months later
with beautiful bright color, aromatic
and very nutritious for the animals
which consume it. This manner of
curing hay Is a fermentation process
rather than a sun drying, and 1t Is to
be highly recommended to those who
can work 1t with success. ~
A good and safe way to cure hay
30 that 1t will retain its green color
and possess good aroma and tender
ness is to allow 1t to dry in the sun
for about two hours, then rake into
large, light windows and allow 1t to
cure there for four or five hours.
I After curing in windows 1t Is then
piled into small stacks, or cocks. IN
\ the field, and in this form allowed to
stand for a dey or more. Timothy
4 and other similar long hay can be
built into cocks that will readily shed
water, while alfalfa, and the other
Y legumes in lunches in the field will
need to be covered with hay caps
4 made of canvas. The first cost Of hay
caps for large acreage Of hay is
"a relatively large at first, yet they will
soon more than pay for themselves
through the curing out of better hay,
as well as the saving of large amounts
OF this now one Of our most valuable
q crops. ."
Clover should always be raked into
4 windows for curing shortly after be-
ing cut so that the leaves, the best
part of the hay. will not become dry
and shatter of. The same is true of
cowpeas and alfalfa, o.