Do You Make Good Hay?

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 59, Issue 6, 15 December 1939, Page 469

Do You Make Good Hay?

- By -

J. E. BELL,

Instructor in Agriculture, Auckland.

»j*n—mi—tin——ihi—llli——llli—-Illi——llli—llli mi——nil—— •£• I Hay is the mainstay of the ? 1 farmer in the winter months, and I J every care should be taken to .1 ! see that the hay harvested is | I of high nutritional value. Poor I I quality hay lowers production j j and brings about stock troubles. j j This article outlines the essential | j points which must be observed « | in successful haymaking. j ♦ I—-1111-^—llli——llli——llli——llli——llli——fill——llli——llli—ll •i*

HAY- is the chief supplementary fodder of the New Zealand farmer. He relies ,on it to carry his stock through the winter. The , importance of hay is illustrated by the following table, which shows the acreages cut for . hay and silage in the 1937-38 season. Acres. Pasture cut for hay 404,156 Pasture cut f for silage ..... 80,595 Lucerne cut for hay or silage 39,087 Total • 523,838 By far the greater part of this, area was utilised for* hay. ■ The lucerne areas are fairly evenly spread in sheep and dairying districts, but the pasture cut for hay and silage is located chiefly in dairying districts. Hay yields average about if; tons per acre.' A good crop will yield between two and three tons per acre.

Closing of Fields Fields for hay are usually closed up in September, or at the time when the spring growth of pastures commences. Nevertheless, fields are quite frequently closed for hay any time up till January. At times, a field may be allowed to produce two crops of hay in the one ' season, the first comprising early, and the second late grasses: Such treatment, however, may cause considerable damage to the sward. The closing of a field from stock allows the pasture plants to grow vigorously, but it has . a detrimental effect on the ultimate vigour of the bottom grasses and clovers, because the total growing species overshade them. Our most important grass (ryegrass) and our most important clover (white clover) are low-growing species which, dislike shading.. Thus the closing of fields for hay has a, detrimental effect on subsequent production, particularly in winter, when we depend ,on the combination of ryegrass and white clover for feed for stock.

Recovery of Pasture After the hay is cut the bare ground dries out quickly in the summer, to the further detriment of the short rooted white clover and ryegrass. The shorter the period in the spring during which the field is shut up and the earlier the cutting, the less will the ryegrass and white clover suffer from overshading and from drying out. If cutting takes place sufficiently early the pasture will recover somewhat before summer, the damage then done being much less severe. In a dry season a field cut late for hay may not provide any feed until the autumn rains, and it may take a year or two of careful stocking and topdressing to bring back a good sward. The earliness of cutting is dependent on > the weather. In some districts weather conditions suitable for haymaking begin in late November and early December, but in others haymaking is a very risky undertaking until late December.

To secure a good aftermath and less damage to the pasture the cutting should begin as soon as climatic conditions usually allow of fairly good harvesting conditions. Fields harvested for hay should receive an extra allowance of fertiliser and lime to stimulate the white clover so that the sward will recover. The topdressing should be given; either just before closing the field, or, probably better still, immediately after cutting. Fertilisers which improve the growth of clover, are of the greatest value. Therefore, on soils which respond to them, lime, phosphate, and potash should be employed to reinvigorate the sward. ' . ' Importance of Clover gHE Good pasture hay is made from a balanced mixture of palatable grasses and clovers. The more fibrous a clover or a grass, the less valuable is it as a constituent of hay, It is generally recognised, therefore, that ryegrass makes better hay than Yorkshire fog, and it is probable that white.-clover is of better feeding value than the more fibrous clovers, such as red clover and lucerne.

Being a winter fodder, hay should have a high protein content. As clovers contain more protein than grasses, they are important constituents in the hay, and should be well represented. Pure clover hays, such as lucerne and red clover, are valued because of the high protein content of the leaves. . By far most of the hay made ■ in New Zealand is from permanent leas. ' Time to Cut The feeding value of hay depends largely on the stage- of growth when mown. Cut in the flowering stage, with the stamens of the flowers protruding, grasses produce the greatest amount of feeding value per acre. Cut later in the seeding stage, heavier yields are obtained, but the material is by then so fibrous that the feeding value is very low per ton, and the total feeding value per acre is lower than when cut in the flowering stage. , Cut earlier than in the flowering stage, the yield, and feeding value per acre is lower than in the flowering stage, but the feeding value per ton of fodder is higher. Except for second cut hay, cutting at this stage is seldom

possible. Nevertheless, taking into consideration the effect on the pasture sward, the better aftermath secured, and the better quality of the hay, it appears that cutting should take place as early as weather conditions will permit, providing there is sufficient bulk to handle efficiently. The aim should be to cut hay before, rather than after,. the flowering stage of the chief grass present, which is usually ryegrass. If ryegrass reaches this stage in late November, then the attempt should be made to cut hay in late November. Clovers do not deteriorate after flowering nearly so rapidly as grasses, and unless they form the bulk in the hay crop their stage of growth is not given much' consideration when determining the time, to cut. A clover crop is best cut when the clover is in full bloom. At that stage a high quality high-yielding fodder, can be secured. Hay which is dried and cured so that nearly all the natural condition colour of the grasses and clovers is maintained is of good feeding value, is high in nutriments, reasonably low in fibre, and exceedingly palatable. A

great amount of hay harvested in New Zealand is badly cured. It is either sun bleached or harvested damp, turning out of the stack musty, mouldy, fibrous, and without a vestige of green colour. . Such hay is almost valueless as a fodder, and is dangerous to the health of stock forced to live almost entirely on it. Machinery Required The implement ■ requirements of a dairy, farmer for haymaking on a 100-acre dairy farm are one mower, a sweep, a hayrake or a side-delivery rake, and a stacking outfit. Before a field is • closed for hay it should be harrowed. During harrowing a watch should be kept to see that no rubbish of any kind which will afterwards interfere with the mower or haymaking machinery is lying on the field.

All machinery should be overhauled before haymaking begins. If implements have been carefully greased, oiled, and housed or covered, little attention will be necessary, but on many farms they are badly abused and are left out in the weather to rust. Perhaps the best salesman the implement manufacturer possesses is the weather. - The most delicate and important machine used in harvesting hay is the mowing machine. , Many mowers are neglected, and after a few years’ work they , cut very badly. The average life of a mowing machine is about seven years,, but, properly cared for, it will last a lifetime. Some mowing machines are still going after 30 years of use. Care of Cutter Bar The cause of deterioration of the machine is almost invariably located

in the cutter bar. The rest of -the machine is, nowadays, practically foolproof, and, even if it is worn through

insufficient oiling and greasing, the machine will function quite well if the cutter bar is in good working order; , The trouble is usually maladjust-

ment of the cutter bar. First of all, the cutter bar should be properly aligned, so that when the machine is at work in a crop it is at right angles to a line drawn through the centre of the offside wheel of the machine? In setting this alignment allowance has to be made for lag, and, when- at rest, the end of the cutter bar should be set about' fin ahead of the right angle. x < . Next, the knife should work freely .in its stroke, which is tested by putting the machine out of gear and working the pitman by hand. Although the knife should, work freely, there should be very little lateral or up and down movement. The up and down movement is checked by caps, which should be hammered down so that they nearly touch the . knife sections. In some modern machines . the up and down movement is scarcely perceptible, but in older machines and in some modern ones the movement is easily discerned. : : The lateral movement is checked by different methods. In some machines there are adjustable wearing plates

which keep the , knife up ■ to its work. In others there are no wearing plates, and the knife is kept from moving sideways by adjusting a piece of metal behind the knife, which not only functions for this purpose, but has caps which prevent up and down movement. Common Misapprehension Many people are under 'the impression that the knife does all the cutting, and confine their attention to the grinding of the. knife. For the knife to cut when the other parts of the mechanism are out of adjustment it is necessary that , the horses be working at a very rapid pace, which is both tiring on the horses and on the driver. -The cutting. is performed by the blade section and the ledger-plate of the finger bar, which act as a pair of shears. The finger , bars divide the grass into, bunches, and the knife section, moving from the centre of one finger to the centre of the next, presses the bunch of grass against the ledgerplates of the finger bars. The knife section, in sliding over the ledger-plate, cuts the bunch of grass from the rear forwards.' ' • For efficient cutting it is obvious that both edges—the ledger-plate , and knife section-must be both sharp and in close contact. As stated, it is usual to keep the knife sections sharp, but little ’ attention is paid to the edges of the ledger-plates. After a time the edges of these plates become dull and worn. Before putting the mower away the ledger-plates should be greased, to protect them from rust. If the plates are badly worn they should be removed. . '

Lack of Contact Lack, of contact between the knife section and the ledger-plates is a common source of bad cutting. The same thing is sometimes seen in a shearing hand piece, where, unless ,the comb and cutter are brought in close contact, the shears will not cut. Lack , of contact may be due to the knife lifting through-improper adjustment of the caps, or. by the non-align-ment of the finger bars. Sometimes one or more finger bars have been knocked up by striking some object. This fault may be discovered by looking along the' points to see that they are in line. . Adjustment is usually made by the hammer.

Renewal of Wearing Blade •The inner wearing plate is sometimes worn and requires renewing. It is generally ad visable, to renew all the ledger plates- and the inner wearing plate every three years, or after about 300 acres of cutting. When the knife is at the end of its outwards or inwards stroke each knife section should be in the centre of a finger. If the knife sections do not centre every other cut is not completed properly, and the draught is increased. This defect is usually , due to the bad alignment of the cutter - bar, or to incorrect length of the pitman, which can be adjusted.

A disaligned bar, besides causing ragged cutting, causes severe wear on the knife head. A mowing machine should always receive the careful attention that is due ; to, any valuable machine. It is fairly easy to keep the machine in good order, but often extremely difficult to set an old machine that has been neglected. Gate Sweep The common , hay sweep , ten years ago —and quite a common sweep to-day the gate sweep, which ' consists of a gate-like structure placed l on top of a heavy plank of wood. At each end of the gate are hinges to which is attached a small gate. Two horses

are hitched to the free end of each small gate, the implement being drawn along with the large gate at right angles to the line of travel and the small gates in front and parallel to the line of travel. ■ The gate sweep picks up from the windrow, the hay collecting in front of the large gate and kept from spreading sideways by the small z gates. The gate sweep brings in a good load, but the ’ hay becomes somewhat tangled and rolled, and the power required is great compared with other sweeps. It is simple and cheap to construct, but must be made of hard wood or- iron ■if it' is to last. ' - When the sweep arrives alongside the, stack two horses are unhitched and the gate is turned so that it is in line with the large gate. The other horses are swung round 'so - that the small, gate to which they are attached is in line with the other two.' They are driven forward pulling the gates free . of the load. Then the other horses are re-hitched, and both teams are again turned facing forward' in position for gathering more hay. The horses are usually driven out at the trot, and walk the gathered load in to the stack. The work is carried out very . efficiently and quite speedily.

Pronged Sweeps , The gate sweep is being ; replaced to an increasing extent by pronged sweeps, which have a much lighter draught, and which do not damage and entangle the hay. On small farms the favourite pronged, sweep is the tumbler, which is pulled by one horse. It has j short teeth in front, parallel, and shod with sharp iron points. These teeth, or prongs, are attached to runners at the back with iron handles curved backwards. As. ths sweep is pulled forwards, the teeth run along the ground gathering the hay which collects on top of them, being prevented from going further back by the handles and a low framework. This sweep collects a small load from the windrow and carries it .to the stack, where it is tipped by lifting up the handles so that the sharp teeth dig into the ground. The handles strike- the ground, after the load is tipped and, the horse continuing on without a halt, the sweep' completes a full somersault in readiness to collect a fresh load. The timber for constructing the teeth and framework must be of hardwood to stand this rough treatment. This sweep is cheap and efficient for con-

veying hay short distances. In large fields, or where the carrying distances are , long, larger sweeps are required. These run on wheels, and the inclination of the prongs, which are long, is adjusted by the position of the seat of the driver or by mechanical means. They , gather very large loads, and are pulled by two horses. They are much wider than the tumbler. ■ The wood for the, prongs need not be as strong as for the tumbler. ' The material is wheeled to the stack site, the tines are depressed, and the implement backed, leaving the load of hay behind. This type of sweep is more costly than the tumbler, being popular only on large farms. Advantage of Tractor Of recent years sweeps fixed to the front, of tractors have demonstrated their efficiency. . For speed in gathering hay they are unequalled, for they can carry fairly large loads at a fast speed. Because of its high price, the hay loader is not common in New Zealand. It is constructed on the same principle as the hay elevator. It is coupled behind a wagon, the top projecting well over on to it, and as the wagon is drawn along it pulls the hay loader behind it. The wheels of the hay loader work the elevator, which picks up the hay from the ; windrow or swathe, dropping it on the wagon, which must be driven so that it strides over a row or swathe of hay. Two active men are required to build the wagon, and it is not advisable to elevate large rows of hay. -When the hay is short the machine is

at its best, for it will then pick, up more cleanly - than the hand fork. It is difficult to operate in windy weather because of the wind blowing the hay as it . falls from the elevator on to the wagon. Types of Rakes . ' v The horse rake is a very common implement. Almost all dairy farmers possess one or have a share in one. It consists of a row of curved teeth mounted on a frame supported by wheels. On being drawn forward by one horse in shafts, the teeth are depressed to collect the hay. When sufficient is collected the teeth are raised by depressing a lever or pedal, and the load is dropped. The teeth are again lowered to gather more hay. The loads are dropped in rows to form windrows. . ' . Horse rakes should be run as much as possible across the swathe, for they pick up better in this way, and the hay is less disturbed. The horse rake is being replaced on large farms by the more expensive side-delivery rake, which can be used to turn, hay as well as to . rake it into windrows. Sidedelivery rakes prove particularly serviceable in hastening the haymaking. They enable the hay to be turned more often, thus resulting in a better and more evenly cured product. Side-delivery Rake The side-delivery rake has an action similar to a road grader. About three or four rows of rakes revolve > on. a shaft set at an angle to the direction in which the machine is drawn, and they sweep the hay into a continuous row. It works 1 two swathes at a

time, these being just turned over, or swept to.one side to form a windrow. By going in the opposite direction, two adjacent swathes can be swept on top of this windrow, thus making four swathes into one windrow. The action of the side-delivery rake is probably more gentle than the hay fork. ' . .

Stacking Equipment , A fair amount of hay is , still stacked by hand, and where stacks are small it is probably the cheapest and speediest method. The transport and erection of a stacking outfit takes time, and in small fields the hay can often be half gathered by the time it would take to have the hoist in position. It is also uneconomical to have a hay lift which cannot be kept going because the sweeps available are inefficient or because there are not ] enough' of them. ' The mast and boom grab lift, taking its , load from the gate sweep or wheeled sweep, is most, general. The

fork type of elevator which goes with the wheeled sweep is sometimes ' seen on large farms.- The elevator built after the style of the threshing mill elevators and driven by an engine is extremely rare.

The mast and boom stacker consists of a mast placed in the ground and held by guy ropes. Sliding up' or down it is a boom, and up the mast and along to the free end of the boom runs a rope through pulleys. At the boom end the rope holds a grab, and at the other end it is . hitched to a horse, which thus pulls the grab and its load of hay up. The boom is swung so that the load is over the stack, the grab is tripped, the load is dropped on the stack, and the horse is backed to allow the grab to descend. As . the stack increases in height, so the boom is raised up the mast. There are variations of the lift utilising the grab. Some stackers consist of two poles at each end of the stack with a wire rope between, along which the grab with its load may run to drop the hay in any part of the stack.

Curing Hay cannot be considered a difficult crop to grow, but it certainly is the most difficult of all crops to secure without damage. The hay harvesting period in a fickle climate ( is a time of considerable anxiety and activity. Farmers depend largely on their hay to winter their stock. Therefore it is very desirable to make good hay, neither over-dried nor under-dried. If it is under-dried it will heat too much or go mouldy in the stack; if overdried, a considerable amount of nutriments is lost. Good curing depends chiefly on the weather,' and generally necessitates the employment of large numbers of men. The labour difficulties can be overcome to a large 5 extent by. the use of machinery, but this is often beyond

the means of the farmer. There are perfect methods of making hay, but it is almost impossible for many farmers to carry out these methods. However, the farmer should endeavour to cure his hay in the best possible way .with the means at his disposal.

Drying ' t After cutting, the aim in haymaking is to get the material dried as quickly as . possible, and, at the , same time, to maintain the natural colour and aroma 'of the freshly-cut . grass. The drying agencies are the air and the sun. The wind is a better drying agency than the sun, for the sun bleaches the grass and so dries and makes brittle the clover leaves most valuable part of the hay—they fall off and are lost in the handling of the hay. " ; , Newly-cut grass has a coating of waxy or oily matter on the epidermis which waterproofs it. This coating .will remain intact as long as the grass is fresh and not bruised. With- the drying out of the hay and rough handling, especially when the grass is wet, this covering is destroyed. . Rain falling on freshly-cut grass does little harm, but on drier grass it washes out the soluble plant foods and spoils the colour, and palatability of the hay. The more the grass is handled, the greater the loss of nutriments by rain washing. *■ '

Normal Harvesting Method The normal method of harvesting is to cut, let the grass dry in the swathe (the swathe may or may not be turned), rake the swathes into windrows, and stack from the windrows. In dry, hot, sunny weather a good deal of sun bleaching occurs, and very little hay with a light green colour is harvested. In wet weather the whole of the hay may get wet once or twice,

and the feeding value and .the palatability are lowered. How should good hay be made? Haymaking is a very old practice, and it may be of interest to go back and see how hay was made when labour was cheap and abundant. Hay was made for sale (when one has to sell a commodity quality, is a very important attribute), and every endeavour was made to make good —hay of a good colour, '(high feeding value, and good aroma. Of course, bad hay was made as well and a writer 100 years ago comments as follows: ■ . “Haymaking, as usually performed, would induce one to believe that the period of conducting it had arrived unexpectedly and the time spent upon it was thrown away. The practice commented on delays the cutting down of the .grass until it has passed its most succulent —allows it to lie on the ground when cut till 7 it is bleached by the rain and scorched by the sun or rotted by the growth of the aftermath penetrating through the swathes— the weather-beaten swathes together as fast as possible into as large'ricks as will keep the hay without heatingand permits the ricks to stand on the ground till the grass under them 'is destroyed. . The grass thus treated is expected to make good hay.”

Historic Account Arthur Young (1741 to ; 1820) describes in his “Farmers’ Calendar” the practice of haymaking in Middlesex in 1809, more than ( 100 years ago. The grass mown before 9 a.m. is spread evenly over all the ground and turned at least once that morning. In the afternoon it is raked into windrows three or four feet apart and then cocked. Next morning the grass mown the previous day / before 9 a.m. is tedded, and the grass cocks made the previous day are shaken out and then turned. After that, the grass tedded the first part of the morning is turned once or twice. In the afternoon the grass shaken out from the cocks is raked into windrows. six to eight feet apart and the other lot into windrows three to four feet apart. Both lots are then cocked. . And so it goes on, the grass being turned frequently during the day to dry. it without bleaching, put into windrows and . cocked every evening to protect it from dews , and rain. As time goes on the windrows and cocks are made larger,' until the hay. is finally

stacked. Thus, the hay was not allowed to get wet or to bleach, and heating to high temperatures' in the stack could not take place, because this process was finished • slowly at low, harmless temperatures in the windrow and cock in the field. Care was always taken to proportion the number of haymakers to that of mowers so that there was not more grass in hand at any one time than could be managed by the haymakers. It was particularly necessary to guard against the spreading of more hay than the number of hands could get into cock the same day or before rain. This description of haymaking more than 100 years ago, when labour was abundant and cheap, shows how good hay should be made in the field; The aim was to dry the hay as quickly as ; possible without bleaching or allowing it to get wet. The . passage of years has seen the introduction of labour-saving machinery. The mower has replaced the scythe, the hayrake and side-delivery rake the wooden, hand hay rake, the tedder the hand fork, and the hay-loaders, sweeps and mechanical stackers have lessened the cost and hastened the work of stacking. Limits of Machinery The full use of machinery allows of very quick handling of hay during periods of good haymaking. weather. But the introduction of machinery has not entirely solved the problem of haymaking. So far, no machine -to build cocks has been invented. Also, machinery costs money, both to purchase and to maintain, and an elaborate range of haymaking machinery is beyond the means of the average small farmer. Even with machinery haymaking still necessitates the employment of reliable casual labour, which is difficult to obtain in dairying districts. The necessity for extra labour at haymaking has brought in the system of co-operative work among groups of farmers, btit, as crops have to be harvested in rotation, the operation of the system usually results either in haymaking , being rushed in or in the last crops being cut on the late side. The key to the making of good hay thus appears to be the provision <of labour and machinery/ and on the general run of small dairy farms hand labour still has to do much of the work which, .on large farms, may be done by machinery. \ ,

Making the Stacks The site for the stack should, be level, well drained, and in a position suitable for. easy transport of the material. The material should not be placed on the bare field, and a foundation of straw (or preferably of logs) should be constructed to check the absorption of moisture from the soil. The logs allow of bottom ventilation, which makes it safe to put material into the stack earlier than would be otherwise advisable. , Before stacking, make sure that the material is sufficiently cured. Only experience will give the judgment required to decide whether the material is fit to be stacked. If the hay is too moist before stacking it will heat, become mouldy, or go brown or black in colour, or it may even catch on fire. This commonly occurs when haymaking in hot weather; the hay appears to dry quickly, whereas actually it is still sappy. The palatability is improved by the addition of about 15 to 20 lb., of salt to one ton of hay. A little salt should be sprinkled evenly over each layer of . hay as; it is stacked. i ' > • ■ ' 7,-- ./ / ■' . Round or Oblong Stacks may be round or oblong in shape. Oblong stacks should be placed end on to the bad weather quarter. In building, keep the heart solid and high, and spread the material evenly. Building should be carried out so that the sides spring a certain amount. In topping oblong stacks keep building the ends perpendicular or, for preference, sprung somewhat, at the same

time bringing in the sides very gradually so that, a steep, pitched roof results. Where the stack. is to be properly thatched or covered, steep pitched roofs are not so essential. In building round stacks, a steep pitched roof is essential. Some trouble is experienced in finishing the topping of the round stack.. The top cap of hay is , best made on the ground and carried up and placed in position. The round stack is built about five yards in diameter at the base, with a very small butt. Because of its small size, less heating is liable to occur. During and after the building is completed, rake well the sides of the stack so that, the leaves and stalks of the grass are pointing downward and thus aid in shedding the rain. After the stack has settled it should be finished by applying more, material to the top and down the sides. Newly-cut green material is best for this purpose. The stack should then be i lightly raked.

Protection from Weather , After the stack is finished it should be given some protection from rain. Thousands of . tons of hay are lost every year in New Zealand through bad building and improper covering. If the round stack is well built and raked all the covering that is necessary is a split sack placed and tied in position on the peak. The steep pitched and well raked , roof will then shed all the rain, and, when opened, the hay will be unspoilt except for an inch or so of the exposed outside of the stack. There are various means of covering the oblong stack. If the stack

is well raked a wire-netting covering extending to the eaves and weighted to hold' it in position is very efficient. It has a thatching effect, because it presses the outside straws into contact, and once these are wet the rain' water will not penetrate but will run down and drop off'at the eaves. In the haymaking districts of New Zealand topdressing' of the pastures is very common, and there is a large supply of fertiliser sacks annually available for coverings. These sacks are split open and a number sewn together, forming a fairly good sheet for covering stacks from rain. Sacks, can be made to last longer by soaking them in a solution of 1 per cent, bluestone. An untreated sack cover will last only one season, and if the hay is not used the winter after it is made it is necessary to cover the stack again. Sack covers are held in position by weighting with bags of earth, old parts of implements, or benzine tins filled with earth. ' ,

T hatching . The thatching of hay stacks has not been a common practice in New Zealand, and nowadays a thatched stack is seldom seen. Rushes from swamps are generally used for thatching, but straw or raupo is sometimes used. The workman cuts ithe rushes about . 12 to 18 inches long, placing a layer of these; so that they jut over the eaves, and' pegging them into place with twine wound around sticks forced into the stack. The next layer of rushes is placed above the bottom layer and overlapping it by about four inches.

Layer after layer is placed in this manner, until the whole of the roof is covered. It makes a very effective and tidy cover, but entails much work. • Corrugated galvanised roofing iron is frequently used for covering stacks, Generally, it is used to cover only the top of the stack, coming down the roof sides only a short distance. The iron, about 26in. wide and five to ten feet long, is placed in the opposite direction to the way it is placed on roofs of dwellings. Usually, only three sheets are used to cover each section of the stack—one on top and one on each side of the roof of the stack. The top sheet overlaps the other two. The sheets or iron are held in position by wires which run over the stack from side to side, and to which are attached weights' clear of 1 the ground, The next section of the stack is then covered in. the. same way, and the ■ sheets then overlap or underlap the sheets covering the first section, depending on the way the crest of the roof slopes. In placing the sheet iron, care must be taken so that' it does not shed, large amounts of water into one point of the stack. L

If the stack settles, unevenly the roof must be inspected to see if any of the water is being run by the iron into the stack. If this is occurring the. iron should be removed and the hay underneath adjusted, or the matter may be simply righted by altering the overlapping or ' underlapping of the sheets of iron. The iron costs 2/to 5/- per sheet, depending on the length. After the iron is put on the remainder of the roof of the stack must be well raked so that the water shed by the sheets of iron will run down to the ground and not penetrate the stack. Canvas Covers Costly s ..Canvas covers are most efficient, but are costly. These are held in position by weights in the same way as the sack cover. The weights are attached to the four corners of the cover and along the sides, and should be numerous and heavy enough to ensure that the cover fits snugly \ down and will not be torn off by gales. All stacks on which the covers are held in position by weights should be visited from time to time to adjust

the weighting as the stack sinks so that they are kept clear of the ground, When covering stacks, ladders should always be used, and care should be taken not to tramp on the haystack and form holes in which water will later collect and cause considerable rotting as it works its way to ground through the material. Ax,.. . , Dutch barns for hay are not common m , , J e . ald alth ° agb there S n no doubt tbat they could be use*UJly e J npl I °/ tO a greater extent - They should be erected in positions giving access to two or more fields so that their constant utilisation does not necessitate the cutting of one field every year. A Dutch barn consists of a gable roof supported either by permanent studs without walls or by wire ropes running through pulleys supported by long poles so that the roof can be raised or lowered. The y i? usually constructed of galvan*sed corrugated roofing iron on a framework of wood. The difficulty with the Dutch barn is that it interferes with the hoisting of hay by stackers, the extent de-

pending on the type of 'barn and stacker. Further, it is stationary, and often results in the harvesting - of the one field for hay year after year. Care must be taken to harvest hay in the barn in a dry state, for if the hay catches fire there is danger of destruction of or 1 damage to the barn. Baling Machine Hay for transporting long distances is invariably baled. The baling machine can be worked ,by horsepower, but generally the power is supplied by a petrol engine—usually the engine of a tractor, which also transports the baling machine from farm to farm or field to field. The hay is fed into the machine, which rams it into bales about 651 b in weight, which are tied with thin wire. Baling can be done from the windrow or cocks or from the stack, but it is safer to cock than to leave the. hay in windrows ready for baling. j The baling of hay saves considerable time in feeding out the hay, and is sometimes undertaken for this reason alone. The bales are stacked in, sheds or in the open under cover. They should be stacked so that air can circulate trebly and prevent undue heating through fermentation in the bales. Contrary to a popular opinion, hay must be in as good condition for baling as for stacking. If hay is baled in too wet a condition it will open up very musty. ' On some farms in this country where large areas of hay are saved and where hay is sold'off the farm, pick-up balers are employed, as this greatly facilitates haymaking. The hay is cut, and 24 to 36 hours later it is turned with a side-delivery rake. Then, when ready for baling, it is picked up from. ' the windrow, automatically fed into the baler, and delivered baled from the machine. For this process to be

successful, the weather conditions of the, district must be fairly stable at the , period of the year when hay' is saved, and the area of hay to be saved must be fairly extensive. Size of Stacks Round stacks are usually about syds. in diameter. It is rather difficult to build larger stacks, although they can be made any size smaller. The size of the butt is usually very small, being about 3ft. highl and the sides of the cone roof are very steep. When settled down, a round stack 4yds. in diameter should" be 12 to 15 ft. high. Oblong stacks should be made as narrow as possible. If made too narrow there is danger of the stack toppling over, and if too wide more likelihood of heating . and spontaneous combustion. Generally, they are about twice as long as they are wide, and should be built with as steep a roof as possible.. The distance from the ground to the eaves is usually about as high as from the eaves to the top of the roof. When the stack is settled it should be little higher than it is wide. This height is limited according to the efficiency of the stacker, from 15 to 20 ft. Hay settled in the stack averages about 14 cubic yards to the ton, but it varies according to the compression of the hay and the material from 10 to 18 cubic yards to the ton.

Firing of Stacks The heating of . hay stacks causes much anxiety every season. If a hay stack begins to heat, drive an iron rod into the centre of the stack from the leeward side. Leave for a time, and then withdraw the rod to test the heat by hand. If the rod is not too hot to hold there is no immediate danger of firing. If the heat is over' 140 deg. F., action should be taken to

stop firing. Firing takes place when the temperature reaches 300 deg. to 400 deg. F. To stop firing, sections termed windows can be cut into the centre of the stack, or a piece can be cut right through the centre and removed. The safest plan is to turn the hay and rebuild it alongside. There is more danger of large stacks firing than of small ones. . 1 ' Annual Crops for Hay , Probably only a fraction of a percentage of the hay in New Zealand is harvested from annual crops. Special crops for hay include the following:— Algerian oats, 2 to 3 bushels plus 1 bushel of tares sown in the autumn. Algerian oats, 2 to 3 bushels plus 2 bushels of peas sown in the early v spring. . Algerian oats, 3 bushels sown in the autumn. Italian ryegrass, 251 b. plus red clover 61b. sown in the autumn. The crops should be cut when the oats are .in the milk stage, or the ryegrass begins to flower, or if the legumes dominate when they are in full bloom. The crops are generally heavy and difficult to cure. In wet districts heavy crops of red clover are almost impossible to harvest in good condition. In districts where there is plenty of surplus pasture in the spring to harvest it is seldom necessary to grow annual crops for hay.

Feeding the Stock Stacks should be opened on the leeward side of the bad weather quarter. After the cover is removed from the section to be cut a hay knife is used, and the material is forked into a sledge or cart. After the feeding out is finished the exposed hay should be

covered, with sheet iron or other covering material to prevent damage by. rain. The area exposed in one cut varies according to the size ( of the herd. Usually, about two square feet are exposed for each dairy cow being Ted. The daily allowance of the dairy cow is 141 b. of good hay. This amount will keep her bodily wants supplied. The dairy cow, however, at all stages of her. lactation and between lactations requires more than a maintenance ration, and other foods, such as grass pasture, ensilage, and roots, supply this need. , Between lactations she should be regaining the condition she has lost during her milking season in readiness for the demands made by early calving on her body fat. - If a cow receives 141 b. of good hay for three months in the winter she will consume nearly 12cwt. of hay. Actually, our dairy cows receive about half this amount. Hay is a dry fodder, and, except when newly made from young growth, is inclined to constipate, and should not be fed alone. A quantity of succulent fodder. should be fed with it. ' ' ■ ■ ■ Hay feeding . should begin ■ early in the winter before the grass becomes insufficient for the cows’ requirements so that the cows enter the winter in good condition. If a cow enters the winter in poor condition she cannot be’built up on the coarse fodder then available, but if she enters the winter in good condition she can be easily maintained on them'9HMMfIQBBSM Cows should receive their hay ration in the morning soon after the morning milking is finished and before the supplementary roots are eaten. When succulent feed is not available it is important to see that the stock can obtain plenty of drinking water. ' Food Values Vary Hay of good quality is highly digestible and nutritious. Poorly-saved hay,

on the other hand, has a low food value, and is liable to cause , indigestion. When dry, stalky hay is fed to stock great care should be exercised to provide succulent food and ample water to prevent digestive troubles. The farmer who has a large supply of poor quality hay with little or no succulent fodder, such' as grass ensilage, green feed or roots, is in a most unfortunate position. A farmer in this position can improve the feeding value of the hay by adding to it molasses dissolved in hot water. The cow will then be able to satisfy her food requirements with a less quantity of dry' stalky material, her digestive organs being subject to less strain and damage. Hay feeding is mainly confined to cattle, which should be introduced to hay as calves a few weeks old. Calves at that age will eat a considerable amount daily, and at one year will eat .several pounds. Hay has a tonic effect and improves the' bone . and muscle, and lessens the tendency to distend stomachs in calves.

Horses and Sheep Working horses readily consume a little hay in addition to their chaff and oats or whatever ration they are being fed. Horses fed solely on hay will consume 101 b. daily. However, it is not concentrated enough for hard work. Do not feed horses with much new hay, because it may prove to be very laxative and cause colic. Sheep should be fed hay. if they will eat it. Sheep on roots should always be given some hay, and will consume lib. per head per day. ■ Hay' is fed to horses and cattle by distributing it on the ground. A clean, short, pasture—well drained and dry —should be chosen, and a forkful of hay dropped about every three yards. In feeding hay to sheep, wire-netting racks should be made if wooden ones are not available, to prevent much spoilage and. to encourage them to eat it. ; The wire-netting rack , is made by straining two lengths of wire-netting between two 1 posts. The- tops of the two lengths of wire-netting are then forced apart by hammering in stag-

gered stakes at intervals inside them. Horses take more readily to hay placed in racks. These can be made over the feed boxes in the stables or in the open in the field.

Composition of Hay / ; Hay is valuable as a fodder because it supplies bulk which not only nourishes the animal but fills its digestive organs and makes it feel comfortable. Green grass contains 70 to 75 per cent, of water, while hay contains 15 to 20 per cent, of water. Hay harvested with no rain to interfere with curing operations loses about 10 per cent, of its dry matter during curing and 16 per cent, in the stack, a total loss of 26 per cent, of dry matter. ' \ Hay subjected to bleaching by rain will lose much more dry matter, and that which it loses will be the more easily digestible and therefore the more valuable food in the hay. Hay contains much indigestible fibre, much digestible carbohydrates, very little oil, and a fair proportion of ash, containing much silica. It contains a fair amount of protein. - The loss in hay made during good weather is due to the continued respiration of the grasses and clovers after cutting. The cells in these plants do not die immediately after cutting, but go on breathing for some time. This respiration results in the loss of plant food. The aim, then, in curing hay is to dry the grass and clover quickly so that respiration is stopped at an early stage. Unfortunately, loss of dry matter is continued after the death of the cells by enzymes and by bacteria, giving rise to fermentation and commonly causing loss of food in the stack.

Variation Factors The composition of hay is affected by its botanical components. Broadly

speaking, the more , clover the hay contains the higher is its content of protein and the lower its content of indigestible fibre. Secondly, the date of cutting affects

the composition. . After flowering time the leaf growth almost ceases, and the plants devote their g attention to the transference of digestible materials from the leaves and stems to the seeds. The seeds are very liable to get lost in the process of making and saving hay, and the plants have robbed their stems and leaves in forming their seeds. Consequently, hay which has gone to seed contains little digestible protein and . carbohydrates, and has correspondingly much indigestible fibre and is poor in quality. Lastly, weather. conditions affect the hay composition. Rain washes the soluble or digestible nutritive materials out of the hay, and thus diminishes its food value. ' Analysis of Hay

The chief loss is in protein, and the losses are greater than indicated because the soluble constituents are lost. The following table shows the dif-

ference, not only the loss in composition, but also the loss in-digesti-bility, between hay dried carefully under artificial conditions and that made in the field in the normal way:—

The analysing of , hay to obtain the percentage composition is fairly easily carried out, but the work of arriving at • the percentage of digestible nutriments, nutritive. ration, and the starch equivalent is a somewhat costly and lengthy business, and even in Great Britain where accurate measurement of the feeding value of foodstuff is important it cannot be economically adopted to meet general requirements. In consequence, attempts have been made to determine the approximate feeding value of hays from their chemical composition by utilising algebraical equations, but it has been found that a new equation is necessary for every different type of hay. Thus, one equation which gives good agreement with actual results when used for permanent pasture hay cut at an advanced stage of growth will hot be suitable for hay cut from new pasture or lucerne or early-cut meadow hay.

Acknowledgements I wish to express my/indebtedness to fellow officers for photographs for the illustrations, and particularly Mr. P. W. Smallfield, Officer in Charge, Animal Research Station, Ruakura, from whom I obtained some of the matter confined in this article.

Dried Artificially. Made in the Field. Composition. Digestible. Composition. Digestible. Per Cent. Digestible. Per Cent. Composition. Per Cent. Digestible. Per Cent. Protein . . .... ...... 17.0 , 71 14.94 Safi 67 Carbohydrate and Fat . 43.8 66 44.22 •62 Fibre . : .. . 43.8 . . .. . 31.81 66 48 44.22 33.9 , •62 45 Ash 7.39 28 6.94 . 23 100.00 100.00

Well-made Hay. Spoilt Hay. Per Cent. Spoilt Hay. . Per Cent. Per Cent. Per Cent. Water . .. . ... 16.6 20.45 Proteins . . ........ 15 R1 ' 8 5 Carbohydrates and Fat 60.00 64.27 ' Ash ..... 6.78

The following table shows an analysis of well-made and spoilt hay: