Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1913-08-15
FARM AND AM, ORCHARD
Agricultural Colleges
Oregon Washington Specially Suitable
Burning Spoiled Hay Waste.

Oregon Agricultural college, Cor
wallis. = every ton of this spoiled
hay contains as much plant food as is
taken away from the farm in 80 BUSH
els of wheat, or &c bushels of oats, or
200 bushels of potatoes, or 600 bushels
of apples, or one ton of fat hogs, or
four tons of milk, or ten tons of but
ter. Every acre of this spoiled hay
that is applied to the land will permit
the raising of three 30-bushel wheat
crops, or five 40-bushel oat crops or
three -bushel potato crops, or three
600-bushel apple crops, without any
depreciation in the fertility of the
soil, and where applied to lands not
now giving a maximum crop will
bring greatly increased yield and
still leave the soil enriched"
This remarkable statement was
made by Professor H. D. Scudder,
head of the department of agronomy
at the Oregon Agricultural college in
answering the question of what to do
with the spoiled hay now engaging the
farmers serious attention.
"The question has come to US what
to do with this spoiled hay, which is
valueless for feed," said Professor
Scudder. "Many farmers are leaving
it on the ground and it is killing out
the growth underneath the cocks or
windrows, so that when it is removed
the weeds will spring up and injure
the second cutting. Other farmers
are rolling it up and burning it. The
folly of this can be seen at a glance.
1t should be hauled to the barnyard
and thrown in deep piles. 1t other
words, it should be composted or al
lowed to rot. If it inclines to fire
fang it should be wet down little.
In many cases it may be hauled of
and spread at once on the stubblefielc
or pasture that is to be plowed this
fall. Before blowing it should be
thoroughly disked and thoroughly
mixed with the surface soil.
every ton of this damaged hay i.
equal approximately to four tons Of
fresh manure in plant food value. Ap
piled to ground which is to be put il
potatoes, barley or corn next year, {
very marked effect will be seen."
1t was also pointed out by Professor
Scudder that the farmer who has dam
aged hay in the field and will make
use of it as fertilizer will suffer lit.
tie or no loss of the value he would
have received for it as marketable
hay. The principle governing here is
the same as that which requires that
hay be not sold at all, but be fed tc
livestock on the farm, for when thus
fed 80 per cent of this fertility is re.
turned to the soil while the finished
product sold, such as pork, beef, OF
mutton brings a fancier price thar
the raw material from which it wa.
made. When clover is manufactured
into butter almost the entire fertilit,
content is retained upon the farm, fol
the ton of clover hay contains SO. 5(
worth of plant food, while ton Of
butter contains so cents worth OF
plant food. The farmer gets $40 8
ton for the clover hay, while for the
finished goods, butter, he gets 5000 9
ton. His advice to the farmer is this
Don't burn the hay, for the bulk OF
its fertility content, nitrogen, goes ur
in smoke. Or don't leave it lying on
the field, for then it destroys the
meadows and brings in weeds. Ger
tainly there should be no question as
to what should be done with the
spoiled hay"