The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1915-07-31

ment of Agriculture)
The cure given the hay crop has
much to do with its selling price on
the city market One Of the greatest
obstacles in the way of producing hay
in the great agricultural sections or
the South. which imports more than
one-fifth of all the hay it uses. is the
matter of curing. Rains are heavy
in the South, and often come at har-
vest time. Weather-stained hay, I'M
less badly damaged, is quite satisfac-
tory as a feed for farm stock. but
there is a strong prejudice against
it in the city markets. The following
suggestions for curing southern hay
are contained in United States Depart
ment of Agriculture Farmers Bulle-
tin No. CIT. Growing Hay in the
South for Market"
The curing of grass hay in favorable
weather is a simple process. Curing
Is really a combination of three proc
esses, drying. fermentation and bleach
ing. The first two processes are nee
essary and desirable; the third is IN
desirable, but in field curing II can
not be entirely avoided. To secure
the best quality of hay the drying proc
ess must not be too slow. To avoid
uneven drying the familiar processes
of tedding and cooking are commonly
employed.
Tedding is simply the turning or
scattering of the cut grass after it Is
partially dry on top. It may be done
by hand with pitchfork or. pref
erably. by a horse-drawn machine
called a tedder. When the crop Is
very heavy, the grass Is sometimes
tedded when II the swath, but usual
ly not until after it has been raked
into windrows
Cooking consists of putting the par
TALLY cured hay into small piles The
object is twofold: U 1t reduces
the surface exposed to moisture that
may fall upon 1t. either az dew or
rain. and ca, 1t evens up the dry
ing, for the reason that the relatively
dry leaves continue to draw water
from the moister stems. Incidentally.
cooking also reduces the amount Of
bleaching.
In unfavorable weather the labor OF
curing hay is much increased. as the
cock. until sufficiently dry. should be
spread at each favorable opportunity
and recocked again in the evening or
when rain threatens. II ha- that is
not sufficiently dry be placed in the
barn or stack 1t IL likely to become
moldy and dusty.
Cut hay should never be handled
while wet with rain or dew. AS the
surface of the hay, II lying in the
swath, is the part which was best
cured before the rain, 1t is in the best
position to dry promptly. II in the
windrow. the stirring of the hay would
bring the surface moisture in contact
with the drier hay beneath. by which
1t would be readily absorbed.
Bale Hay Only When Sweating 10
Completed.
The fermentation of hay takes place
during the process of drying, and be-
cause Of II the characteristic sweet
odor is developed. The process Ia
accompanied by the formation of heat,
which is particularly noticeable in the
later stages Ct curing In the cock, the
stack. or NOW. The final stage of
fermentation - called sweating. The
process Of sweating continues for a
considerable period and hay should
never be baled until the sweating has
ceased. II for any reason curing be
long protracted the hay becomes
bleached or weather-stained and loses
most of its aroma.
Legumes, with the exception of
lespedeza. are far more dificult to
cure than grasses. This is due large.
ly to their solid, more succulent
stems. and to the fact that the leaves
shed readily II the curing process is
delayed, so that much of the LEAKAGE.
the most nutritious part of the hay,
is lost. Furthermore. legume hay ab.
serbs rain or dew more readily, both
In the windrow and In the cock. Fin.
ally. legume hay is very apt to heat
excessively In the sweating process
II put in the stack or NOW when not
sufficiently cured. This heating is
often sufficient to char the hay in the
center and sometimes to cause fires
Legume hay should therefore never
be put into a barn when half cured
Curing may be considered completed
when the stems are apparently dry. In
this state a wisp of the hay is dry
enough to rattle II gently shaken and
breaks readily when tightly twisted
in the hand.
Special Devices for Hay Curing.
To hasten the drying Of hay and to
prevent the injury Of half-cured hay
by rain. several devices often used are
helpful and are here described. but
each necessitates additional labor
Various forms of hay caps to protect