The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1921-06-16

greatest yield Of digestible nutrients
is obtained il the clover is harvested
when from a half to two-thirds of
| the heads have turned brown. From
this time on the hay becomes woody
and less palatable.
Late cuttings, Of course, reduces
the yield of the second crop of clover,
either of hay or seed. Timothy is
the one hay crop least injured by al
lowing it to become mature after cut
ting. The markets prefer hay made
from timothy when the seeds are in
the soft dough stage.
Why this is true is difficult to I'M
derstand, for timothy cut just as the
seeds are beginning to form makes a
much more palatable and nutritious
hay and the farmer who produces hay
for his own use should harvest it at
this time. With few exceptions, hay
crops make the most palatable hay II
cut very close to the period of bloom
ing.
When two crops maturing at diff
ferent times are grown together, as
for example clover and timothy, one
must decide whether the quality of
hay will be most reduced by allowing
the early-maturing crop to become
over-ripe or by cutting the late-ma.
turing crop before it has reached thu
proper stage. In case of timothy and
clover, the latter is less injured by
allowing it to get quite mature than
the timothy by cutting before mature,
and the best period to cut is when the
timothy is in bloom. If one constit-
uent greatly predominates, the mix
ture should be cut when this crop is
at the best stage.
Curing in Shocks
The best quality of hay Of any kind
is produced when the process of cur
ing is completed in shocks. In fact,
clover and alfalfa hay of the finest
quality can hardly be made in any
other way. 1t is a question, however,
whether the farmer with large crop
to make can afford this practice. He
must sacrifice something in quality in
order to get the entire crop in with
out serious loss. The amount of help
available, the weather and the price
of hay must be taken into considera-
ton in determining which method to
use.
The most rapid way of handling
hay is to cure in the swath, and IL
teddered once or twice so that the hay
will cure rapidly and evenly, fairly
good product may be made. As soon
as cured the hay should be raked to
prevent overcoming and burning. AL
falfa loses its leaves rapidly and it
is a good plan to rake early in the
morning while damp with dew.
The moisture will dry off in short
time in the windrow. Use the tedder
in from two to three hours after the
hay is cut, and if very heavy use
tedder again in a few hours. The
tedder should not be used after the
hay is partly dry or the leaves will
be knocked off.
u Rake into Windrows
Better hay can be made and the
work done nearly as fast by raking
the hay into small windrows with a
side-delivery rake as soon as thoroly
wilted. In the loose windows, cur
ing proceeds rapidly and there is no
loss Of leaves and less damage from
hot sun. The hay can be taken from
these small windows with a hay
loader or sweep rake. II the hay
must be pitched by hand, It can be
raked into large windows with an
ordinary hay rake. The side-delivery
rake is almost indispensable to the
large hay grower.
II shock curing is practiced the
hay should be teddered shortly after
cutting and raked into windows be-
fore any Of the leaves are dry enough
to crumble. II should then be imme-
diately put in shocks. Let stand in
the shocks until wisp twisted very
tightly shows no sap. Open the'
shocks slightly. leave an hour OF two
for any moisture to evaporate and
take In.
Do not fail 10 have hay-fork,
hay-sling or some contrivance for un-
loading hav. Unloading hay by hand
is the hardest and most time-consum-
ing job connected with haying, and
no farmer can afford II even II he
raises but few acres Of hay.
SWIFT PRODUCE REVIEW
Live hens are moving in normal