HAY-MAKING PRACTICE

Waipa Post, Volume 49, Issue 3555, 8 December 1934, Page 12

HAY-MAKING PRACTICE

VALUE OF EARLY MOWING. HARVESTING 'ESSENTIALS. . Haymaking is a. particular phase of farm practice which is commanding' a great deal of attention among farmers throughout tine Dominion just now, and will continue to do so during the course of the next month or so. Two all-important factors which contribute largely toward the quality of the hay produced are the Luility of. the'farmer to make his cut at the correct time, and the efficiency w.J.i. which the work is cairied out. Tho Value and utility of the subsequent growth of the pastures is gveatly dependent upon these factors.

Weather conditions, of course, play a great part in t'ae planning of activities, but it is most important that mowing operations are carried out at the correct time. Very la/.ge quantities of bay are unlade each year in Jhis Dominion, but if farmers were really alive to the importance hinging upoitti efficient cutting at the right time, there can be little doubt that the quantity saved each, year would be graatly incrdased. And, what is more, the quality of the product would also be improved. To obtain hay of a highly nutritious quality the farmer should be certain of mowing when the grass is still green and leafy. By so doing not only will he obtain fodder of a much superior qualify, but there is a distinct 'benefit in 'Jhe improved aftermath that is secured. If the farmer fails to cut his grass for Shay when it is still in its early-flowering stage, the quality suffers. It becomes Oo mature and wooly, the aftermath is not nearly so satisfactory, and there is a tendency toward a weakening and opening-up of the sward. MOWING LEFT TOO LONG. W/Mle it is fully realised that farmers naturally choose their harvesting t.'me with the expectations of good weather, it may be as well to point out that invariably the mowing of the pasture is left too long] The nutritious value of the hay is detrimenlilly affected by the changes which occut.' in pasture plants after tjhey have reached the early-flowering stage'. The digestibility of the hay is seriously impaired without material increase in the nutritional content. If farmers were more fully alive to this position they would, perhaps, be more generally prone to cutting at an o?.rly stage in order to get greater value. The responsibility of expeditious and efficient handling would be intensified, but vfhe advantages would offer every recompense. Measures wiich may be taken to reduce the effects of interruptions due to the exigencies of the weather are well worth consideration. One essential factor in the convenient handling

of the hay crop is good equipment well maintained. To-day with the many revolutionary introductions into farming the mjan on the land has the. 'benefits of a varied assortment of mechanical appliances which should aid him greatly with regard to time as well as labour. This twofold purpose served by the enterprise of mechanical inventiveness in more recent) years'has decreased considerably the length of to snell of fine weather necessary in which to carry out harvesting operations. Thus the farmer is afforded a far better opportunity of undertaking the work at hhe best period of the season, and in consequence crops of la. higher nutritive value are saved—a fact wlhich. is far too often disregarded. Harvesters ot a higher quality are of undeniable benefit to the farmers no matter what aspect t\'iey are regarded from. BAD WEATHER CONDITIONS. It is not claimed that bad weather conditions will never interfere with harvesting operations, although the likelihood of this being greatly decreased by the utilisation of modern appliances is evident. In cases, however, where the 'weather causes an interruption immediately after mowing, farmers mould not disturo the cue grass until an improvement m the. conditions is established, this will greatly minimise the depreciation in the nutritive v|alue of the grass. If the mown material ?s handled during rough weather a greater proportion is exposed to the rain—a practice which may have disastrous effects on account of the washing-out effect of rain on the nutriment content. Expeditious working is however, advisable where threatening weather is exporiencd, the objective being to geti the hay into cocks as soon las possible. The cocking of hay is the ideal method in cases where the weather conditions are not altogeijher reliable. The encouragement of a plentilui aftermath by top-dressing is invariably worth wlhile as most pastures from which hay has been removed respond, well to superphosphate dressings, which are applied a s soon as the mown grass has been removed. It should be remembered that pastures in the more mature stages give more vigorous aftermath than those mown at a later stage. They also give a more notable immediate response to applied fertilisers, there is, 'however, even a more urgent need for the use of suitable fertilisers in cases where the cutting has been left to the over-mature stage. This is by reason of the fact that the longer the pastures are left before cutting the weaker they become. —"Cultivator" in the Dominion.