The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1913-05-22

the leaves and not through the stem
The object in handling, therefore, Is
TO evaporate this water before Inc
leaf structure Is destroyed by the
heat of the sun, and at the same time
prevent damage from other sources.
Supposing the clover TO be cut ir
the afternoon, the tedder should be
started the next morning us soon as il
dries a little, so that the sun and
wind may have the greatest drying
action. The heavier the crop and
the less drying the weather, the moro
it should 5o stirred. Twice teddlnG
is usually enough. When sufficiently
dry TO 70 in the NOV. the less han
ding the better There 10 a constant
loss OF leaves, and us il becomes drier
the loss increases.
With all conditions favorable, the
hay should be ready 10 NOW the
afternoon of the day after cutting
AS soon as a sample bunch twisted
in the hand tightly shows on moisture
on the outsides OF the stalks IT Is
ready TO NOV, and no time should be-
lost In doing so.
II will happen in the most OF cases
that clover cannot be cured in one
day This necessitates punching or
shocking, for II left in the swath the
dew is liable TO damage It, II good
weather can be depended upon, the
curing may be completed In the win
row. When the weather Is doubtful
it should be shocked. for If once It
gets wet, much labor is required 10
scatter and dry 1t and its value is
decidedly lessened
When the clover is put in cocks
these should be small rather than
large, IL quick curing is desiged The
cocks are simply miniature stacks
They Withstand light showers, but
have very little power to shed water
and heavy rain is liable to soak
them to the bottom To prevent this
some have adopted the use OF caps
made Of cloth and held on the cocks
either by four pins or by weight
at each corner This increases labor
and expense and has not been adopted
( generally.
! Storing.
Before going into the barn clover
should be absolutely dry SO far al
dew and rain are concerned II II
surprising the difference between The
action of the sap, or water in thu
stalk. and water that falls on thu
outside. either in the form Of rail-
or dew The reason Is not hard I,
find. The air is always filled in tht
summer season with spores, or min
ute forms Of vegetable life. which de
velop into moulds, mildews, and sucl
like. These are brought down an'
deposited on the clover by rain, an'
with moisture and summer heat, Il
once start up the heating or fermen'
ing process, which speedily ends. /
not interrupted with the destruction
OF the hay. The sap is entirely fre,
from all this. It carries no sporo
with It, hence does little damage n
compared with dew or rain
II is quite true that hay can be pu
in the barn too green, and especial.
II the weather is sultry or heavy ladeI
with moisture, Under these circum
stances. hay is never so dry rs
seems. and there is danger of mould
Alternate layers Of clover and stra,
help to remedy green hay, and thi
practice causes considerable amount
of the straw to be eaten by the stool
A good lugumnous hay Is one O
the essentials to the most successor
operation of practically all stuc
farms. It has no equal as roughag
for cattle and sheep, and It Is recon
mended by some hOrse-mcn for youn
horses above good timothy. II is
common belief among hog men that
part of the ration of the brood SOY
during winter should consist OF goo
clover hay.
I