Year: 1877

The sooner all kinds of grass are
cured after being cut, the smaller the
risk from unfavorable weather. One
of the advantages of a tcdder is the
greater speed with which green grass
may be converted into cured hay. In
clear dry weather, one days sun is
sufficient for curing ordinary well RI
pened grass, if it can be frequently
shaken up so that the air can come to
all parts of it, but clover requires diff
ferent treatment. If dried like other
grasses, the leaves quickly become
brittle, break of, and are lost long be-
fore the stems are dry enough to keep
in the NOW without heating. For
this reason, most farmers prefer to
cure clover more slowly, keeping the
leaves in the shade while the stems
are being cured. This is usually done
by letting it stand in cocks several
days, and if one could be sure offair
weather, this would be a good method !;
but storms injure clover quite as badly
as other hay, and, unless the cocks
are well covered by caps, there is con-
siderable risk from leaving it long in
the field. Another objection to letting
| it remain long in cocks is the injury to
the next crop, for, where the cocks
stand, the young clover is often de-
stroyed or seriously injured. We
always prefer to cure all kinds of hay
as quickly as possible, if the work can
be well done.


Last year, we alluded to a method
for curing clover hay which had been
adopted by one Of our neighbors with
very satisfactory results, and by
which several days time may be saved
and without injuring the quality of the
hay by oyer-handling. 1t is so simple
and yet so philosophical, that the Won
der is that the method has not already
been more generally adopted. A sin
gle trial, we think, will convince any
one, as it did us, Of its advantages
over the old time methods. 1t is sim
ply this. Cut the hay when free from
dew. If moved with scythes, let it lie
in the swath q few hours to wilt. If
very heavy, the swarths may be turned
over some time during the day, but
before night, and while the air is still
warm, pitch the clover into small cocks,
no larger than will keep without
heating. If cut by a machine, rake
early before the leaves become dry
enough to crumble. Turning once or
twice with a tedder early in the day
will do no mann, but 1t should not be
handled much after leaves will break.


Instead Of leaving the cocks un-
touched for week, as many have re-
commended, they should all be made
over the second day by carefully pitch
ing the hay forktul at time on to a
new spot, putting, Of course, the top
forkful Of the old cock at the very
bottom, and the bottom On top Of the
new cocks. This gives every forkful
a good airing, the hay lies up lighter
in the new cocks and gives the air a
chance to circulate, while the grass
under the cocks is saved being killed
from suffocation. The same operation
may be gone through on the following
day, making the cocks double size, il
thought desirable. If the weather is
favorable, the hay may be well cured
in three days, in this way, when, il
the cocks had been untouched, double
the time might be required.


Of course, no definite rule can be
given as to the time required for cur
ing any kind Of hay, so much depends
upon the weather, but we think any
one will see, on moments reflection
that the above method well carried out
is an improvement over the old ways
of handling clover hay in the field
Ne,O Engldnd Farmer.