Show harvest hints the value of the liay hay crop depends so largely upon its being harvested at the right time and especially upon its being properly cured without damage from rains that abat the iho timo time of the hay harvest is 13 always a season of anxiety ansi ety clover and orchard grass ere are tile tho first crops to be made into hay from the brittleness of the cured leaves of cl clover and the coarseness of the steins it is much more difficult to cure successfully than tho the smaller stalked grasses which constitute tho the bull bulk of the hay crop clover should be cut for hay ns as soon as the blossoms begin to turn torn slightly brown forthe for alie development opi tient and ripening of tho the seed will inako tho the stems moro less nutritious when mown t lie swath should lio lie in the sun until the upper tipper portion is partly cured then turn it over and generally finish by placing piecing into small cocks cocka until dry enough tor for the born tho the less handling and slit stilling ring it receives while being cured tho the better in a season beason of continued dry weather it may bo be hauled in from the swath or windrow it if cured enough but clover will not shed rain tit in art an uncovered cock and is damaged by a heavy dew timothy is the standard hay grass of tho the country and of tho the two is i more resistant to injury front from wot wet than clover neither one however should bo allowed to become wet from rain of after ter it has partly dried N when hen it is possible to prevent it when catching showery weather prevails partly cured hay bay should bo be placed into cocka and covered with buy bay caps of which every f farmer armer should have a supply these may bo be made from coarse heavy muslin 3 yards wide and if stretched evenly over tho the hay bay cocks and edges cages fa fastened stencil down will ivill in most caes be sufficiently protective without being painted caro must ho be taken that partly cured hay does docs not remain unopened in the cock long enough to heat and mold banners differ somewhat in their ideas about tho the proper stage of growth in which timothy should be mown the most common practice is to cut after tile tho seeds at arc fully developed but before they are so ripe as to shell hell out while bile curing and handling tho the hay As a rulo rule coarse grasses should be cut at an early stage and ana before ripening of the seeds has made tho the stems dry and woody |