HAYMAKING

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 21 November 1928, Page 5

HAYMAKING

MOST IMPORTANT OPERATION POINTS TO IMiMIiMKIiR Summer is almost upon us, bringing Willi ii.. lino weather om> of tin- most imporiaiH. operations mi the farm —haymaking (writes "l'.raekcn" in the Auckland "Slar"). In the course ni liii' next few weeks in. New /.calami alone, L suppose mimic litiiuli'ods ni thousands of lons (if hay will lie harvested. It. is one ni' I lie must universal farm operations, and one In which 1 am afraid 100 litlll- - and aLteiilion is "paid. Many dairy, men in this country rely solely upon their liay In ensure themselves against it time of want. It is a case of pulling all your eggs into one basket, and despite the old proverb lo the contrary, it lias its advantages, provided you pay due attention to thai basket. ' On the other hand a failure means irretrievable disaster. I am, personally, a, great believer in having, so to speak, a second line of defence. Our climate is fickle at the best of times, and wo cannot prophesy with anything like, certainly, as is tlir case ill California, what the weather condil ions are going to be. l'or years, up to last season, we had wet summers, accompanied by tremendous growth, making harvesting a long, difficult and unsatisfactory performance. .Much of the hay harvested was got in n hurry, and at a later date went up in smoke. Still more was mushy and almost valueless. Last year, on the other hand, the dry weather, more particularly in llii! Auckland district, set in in November, and the hay crops in many instances were hardly worth cutting', all of which tends to prove that it is advisable to supplement your liay wil h something else. In any ease 'he hay crop is worth infinitely closer study than in many cases it receives. Its feeding value is somewhat variable, and can differ to an enormous extent by reason of, not only its constituents, but its handling. It Van easily he valueless except as packing, and on. the contrary it can be a very valuable feed. During the course of some twenty-live years as a farmer, I have helped to harvest some strange samples in the way of hay, and t very much doubt if more than 60 per cent, of it was worth the labour and time involved.

There still appears In lie a section of the farming community to whom hay means dried grass. In reality, there is a vast difference. The former is a valuable sun-cured feed, cut at the right moment, handled with care, nutritious and appetising. The latter has lost its nutritive value, is dusty, injurious and unpalatable. it would seem rather unnecessary in a country such as this, where the dairying industry is the mainstay of our salvation, where we (latter ourselves on being above all things good fanners, to waste time and space on an elaborate, and lengthy article on such a universally performed farm operation. At the same time, there are doubtless those amongst us whose experience as farmers has been brief, and for their benefit 1 would suggest that when preparing for and harvesting their hav they would remember that—' •

(1) Only Hie best of materials should he used. 'The crop necessitates a considerable expenditure in labour and (he loss of the use of a paddock for some two months. On high-priced land this is a very serious consideration. Nothing but the best paddock on. the farm should he closed for hay. Clover, cocksfoot, and ryegrass should, where possible be its foundation.

(2) The hay crop is a heavy drain on your land, and consequently you cannot afford to be miserly with your manure if you expect to get results. (3) The use of the harrows before shutting up I lie paddock is an excellent, stimulant and serves the double purpose of gathering all rubbish. Infinite delay and annoyance can be caused by bits of wire and other rubbish in the crop. (4) Don't leave your mower until the day you ought to start cutting before you overhaul it. 'This is a matter that should be seen to during the many wet flays that we experience during the winter. (5) Make sure that your machine knives are in good order and that you have plenty of horse-power. A weak team in a mower or binder means slow, bad work. With a fast team of sufficient strength a lot of ground can. be covered in ten hours.

I (6) Don't start lo cut until your crop is ready. The clover should be in flower. If the crop is left standing 100 long all nourishment goes out of the straw and the leaves and seed of the clover are lost in the subsequent handling. (7) Once the cutting is finished, work the crop as little as is consistent with safety. In clover hay particularly undue turning and handling is injurious. In a very heavy crop more handling is necessary, but the old method of continually tossing and turning has, I think, been proved detrimental. In the average crop two or three days should be ample to cure it. If it is left in the paddock too long its nutritive value suffers. (8) Quite apart from the uncertainty of the weather, speed in stacking is essential. It is belter to have too much help than too little. (9) Once your stack has settled thatclij ing should be done. The, practice of ; waiting until the. weather has broken is not good. Even a few- hours' rain does j no good, and it is obvious foolishness to spoil a line product, harvested at no little expense, for the sake of covering it. ! Lastly, build the fence round your slack- of such strength that stock will leave it well alone. Dairy cows have a most disconcerting aptitude for finding the weakest spot in a fence, more especially a temporary one. They appear to be obsessed with the idea that where they can get their beads their bodies can follow. Ikiihed-wire has been responsible for the loss of more valuable stock than is realised.