VOL. LX.
INDIANAPOLIS, MAY 13, 1905.
NO. 19
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HOW TO HANDLE THE HAY CROP.
Have Plenty of Help.
1st Premium.—The hay crop is one of
tin* most important crops oir tlie farm,
inasmuch as the production of hay, pro-
*iiiks an important food for horses, cat-
lie and sheep. Also it is an important
factor in the rotation of onr crops, and
helps to keep up the fertility of the soil.
There are several varieties of grasses
Krown for hay, but clover is the most
valuable variety successfully grown in
Indians!, for all purposes, so I will con-
line my article to the best
means of handling clover
hay.
In the spring of the year,
as soon as the frost is out
of the ground, clear tlie
clover field of all stones,
stumps nnd other, rubbish.
If you do not find time
to haul off the stones, roll
the ground with a heavy
roller when the ground is
soft, iu order to crush the
stones into the ground and
level up the field. If a
large growth of weeds has
come up, after removing
the cover crop tbe preceding year, they should be
clipped with a mower during August. This gives tho
ycung clover a better
chance to get well established and' forms a good
protection for the young
. plant during winter.
In June or July, as soon as about one-
half of the heads are ripe, cut the clover.
Have enough help engaged to take up the
hay as soon as cured. A great deal of
judgment is required, in order that we
may determine when the grass is just ripe
enough and not over ripe, how much to
cut down at one time, and just when* to
mow on account of threatening weather,
Theso perplexing questions must all be
answered in view of the following conditions; distances of hauling, facilities for
handling the crop, and the amount of
labor at our command. Do not let Uie
hay become too dry before raking up, or
the leaves will be reduced to powder and
lost in handling. If the grass is matured before cutting, it need not be so dry
before placing in the mow.
I would recommend the following tools
for handling the crop: A good C foot
cut mower, self dumping rake, tedder, two
low wagons, two sets of slings, and a
modern barn outfit, consisting of track,
rope and pulleys. If a large acreage of
hay is to be made, a hay loader will prove
a valuable investment, and its companion,
a side delivery rake, will be almost indispensable. In case your bam is not
constructed so as to admit of the use of
slings, you can use a double harpoon hay
fork instead.
Do not overlook the importance of having plenty of efficient help engaged for
the hay harvest, as a few dollars invested in this direction will mean a great
saving in taking care of this important
crop. Havo the mower knives sharp,
and in the morning keep the mower humming so you can "make hay while the
sun shines." If a portion ot your hay
gets out, dry it thoroughly before putting
it in the mow, and if possible' keep this
hay in a separate mow. When your hay
is cured,  do not wasto timo by cocking
it in the lield, but hustle it off to the
barn as soon as possible. I have seen
many tons of good clover hay ruined
bj*   violating   this   rule. Hay   making
is a busy time, and the farmer can well
afford to work a little overtime iu order
to get the crop into the barn iu the best
possible condition-. I do not think there
is any excuse for making hay on Sunday.
It may generally be traced to a case of
mismanagement.
-Other varieties of hay may be handled
in practically the same manner, but of
all the grasses grown for hay in. Indiana
I exclaim, without hesitation, "Clover is
king." J.  C.   K.
N<A>le Co.
provided they leave it light. The ordinary sulky rake will prove valuable under
conditions existing on most farms, but
whore the fields nn- large tind smooth the
side delivery rake, used iii combination
with the hay loader, will be found highly  useful.
If the mows in the barn must Ik* built
any distance, above the lloor oir which the
wagons drive with the hay, n horse fork
will nlso be essential to do the most economical work. There are many types.
The harp'Kin fork, either single or double,
is well adapted to handling of a coarse
hay; while one of tbe grapple forks is
more satisfactory with fine bay.
Cass Co. A Reader.
■ sf slings in one season. With two men
in tlur mow, one on the wagon to handle
ihe slings, and a boy to drive the team,
you can unload a large load of hay in a
very  short   time. We   have  frequently
done it in six minutes.
To hav? good hay it is necessary that
no rain fall upon it. Even a heavy dew
causes fermentation and the nutritious
quality of the hay is injured. Neither
should it be drawn irr before it is thoroughly cured, or it will heat or mold in
the mow.
Hay is a valuable crop to the farmer,
••.nd if properly put up will make a good
forage food for his stock in tho. winter. It
is also a prolitable crop to sell.     F. It.
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Wheat Elerator of Canadian Northern Ry., at Port Arthur,  Ontario,  Can.    Largest in the world; capacity 0,150,000  bu.
Machinery Should   Be Durable.
2d Premium.—The time of cutting the
hay crop depends on the degree of maturity of the plants. Careful scientific
and practical experience indicates that
hay of the best quality is obtained by
cutting about the time hay is in- mid-
bloom. Hay cut at this time requires
longer curing, but is more bender and
contains more valuable nitrogen-containing food constituents ami in larger proportion; it is also more palatable and
more digestible. There is much difference in the rapidity with whicli grasses
deteriorate in value as hay. After passing the flowering stage, all become more
woody, less palatable and less digestible.
The farmer may wisely allow grasses intended to be made into hay for horses to
stand until somewhat more mature than
when hay for cattle or sheep is desired.
The horse feeder looks especially for hay
which is bright, clean and free from dust.
Timothy is the favorite horse hay. It
is weakened by early cutting, fbr at that
time tlie tuber, on the healthy condition
of which its future growth depends, is
not  fully developed.
Most of the machines used in the hay
field are so well known that description
scorns unnecessary. The mowing machine, tedder and rake are absolute necessities, and of each there are many kinds.
The buyer shonld look for wearing qualities nnd durability,, first of all. Many
styles of these machines will do good
work. Many believe it better to cure
hay with as little of the violent shaking
to which the hay tedder subjects it as
possible. There is considerable difference in the motion of different hay tedders in respect to the amount to which the
hay is broken; and those with such motion as to break it least are preferable,
Don't Let  It Get Overripe.
3d Premium.—On account of the uncertainty of the weather, the hay crop is
very difficult for tbe farmer to handle,
and it requires judgment nnd skill to put
the hay up in a good condition. Hay
that is not cut until it is too ripe loses its
best   feeding     qualities. It     becomes
woody and black, ami often it is so dusty
that it is not advisable to feed it to
stock. Good bright wheat straw is preferable to timothy hay that has not been
cut until overripe.
Do not commence mowing until the
dew  is  off. If  the   weather  is   favor
able, follow with the tedder; if not, wait
till the next morning. If it is a good
drying day, rake it in windrows. If it
looks rainy, it should be bunched, but
this is unnecessary otherwise. If it dried
well the day before it will be ready to
take  in  the  next  forenoon. If  it  has
not dried enough, run the tedder over the
windrows and it will soon be in good condition to draw. We have cut hay in
the morning and hauled it in the same
day. It was first class hay, too. But
when this is done the weather must be
just right, in order that the hay be properly cured.
A complete haying outfit consists of
mower, tedder, rake, loader and slings.
If much hay is to be made, and your
fields are not too rough and stony, it
pays to use a six-foot cut mower.
One of the essential hay tools is the
tedder, whieh is a great aid in curing the
hay and is much ahead of the old way
of turning it by hand. A hay loader
is very useful to large farmers, but on
small farms it carr be dispensed with. Oue
should use a sixteen-foot bay rack and
three slings. We would not use n hay
fork for .unloading clover hay. The time
saved in unloading will pay for an outfit
Use   Improved    Machinery.
The hay   crop  is  like  all
other crops the farmer harvests in that it is most easily  hii ml led  with  up-to-date
niichinery.       I   advise   one
to  prepare  ins   ground   and
be sure tbat it is in a condition that be can use machinery     without      running
a risk of breakage by  running    into    small     stumps,
stones,   or   any   of   the   obstructions      that    may    be
found   in   the   most   of   outfields.     I   would   make   the
ground  as  level  as  possible
before sowing, and take out
all stumps that could be removed.    Then in the spring
I   would     haul     off     large
rocks;     or  this     could     be
done after breaking is over.
But the ground  should    be
rolled   in   the   spring      to
mash the small rocks down, and also the
mole hills. After all this is done  then
I would say your ground would be prepared to use the hay tools that ane up-
to-date.
One of the most essential things one
must notice when commencing to mako
hoy is the condition of the grass. If it
is not matured enough for good hay, do
not commence to cut it down, for if you
do the hay will not be so good nor will
it be easily cured. -Y farmer that has
any amount of hay to make would need
such tools as a mower, tedder, loader, a
good wagoi*- and ladders, a fork or sling
in his barn, and possibly a rake. If the
above tools were used, but very little
work would uood to be done by liand. Also, if machinery is used, the amount of
Lay cared fur in a day would greatly exceed that that could be cared for by hand.
Fulton Co. A Reader.
No. 480, May 20—What is meant by
the term "a good housekeeper?"
No. 481, May 27.—Give experience with
incubators and brooders.
Premiums of $1, 75 cents and 50 cents
are given for the best, second and third
lest articles for the Experience Department each week. Manuscript should be
sent direct to the Indiana Fanner Company and should reach us one week before date of publication.
The United States Civil Service Commission announces an examination on
May 24, lSXTi, to secure eligibles from
which to make certification to fill a
\acancy in the position of gardener (experienced in handling garden plants and
hardy ornamentals), nt $720 per annum,
in the Bureau of Plaut Industry, Depart-
nulit of Agriculture, aud vacancies as
they may occur in any branch of the
service requiring similar qualifications.