MAKE HAY

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Most hayfields will flourish for five years or more without reseeding. The only care necessary during that time is the spreading of fertilizers as needed and a periodic harvesting of the crop. One possible exception: Your locality could suffer an infestation of aphids or locusts some season with disastrous results. Whether or not you spray under such conditions is a matter of conscience. If you choose not to do so, you can reduce your losses substantially by cutting the hay immediately upon attack and drying and storing it fast enough to save it from total annihilation.

Even in a normal year, when you're not racing a horde of hungry pests, the timing of the hay harvest is very important. The reason for this is that as the forage crop's blossoms develop, its energy goes into producing seed and its nutritional value begins to decrease. Legumes should therefore be cut at 10 to 20 percent of full flower for maximum protein and vitamin content. Grass hay is usually put up a little later by the calendar (just when depends on the climate of your area), but still during early bloom.

Three steps are involved in turning a green crop into what can rightfully be called hay:

[1] cutting (followed by partial drying), [2] windrowing (followed by further drying), and [3] baling or stacking. Just how you go about these operations depends on the amount of the harvest and the availability of money, equipment, and manpower.

In days of yore, hay was cut with a scythe and windrowed and stacked with a fork (all by hand). Unless very small amounts (two acres or less) of the animal feed are being put up or unless one is very thoroughly hung up on the romantic tradition this method is now impractical. (Someone who's good with a scythe really ought to write an article on the subject. I've tried my hand with the old time tool and rate its proper use as an art.)

Nowadays, most hay cutting is done with a mechanical mower powered by a tractor or horse. True, the tractor-driven model is two or three times faster but you can buy its old-fashioned counterpart for almost nothing (after all, who uses horses anymore?) and you'll find it quite efficient. The mower shown in Fig. 2 cuts a seven foot swath and ought to be able to handle one acre per hour. (Incidentally, if horses or mules aren't available, such equipment can be pulled by a tractor running at very low speed.)

Freshly cut hay is allowed to dry (pray for clear weather!) for anywhere from a half day to three days after it's mowed. It's then windrowed, or raked into rows. The tool commonly

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