Page 123 - Agriculture_Form_Three

Agriculture for Secondary Schools

brittle, will tend to shatter. Therefore, while harvesting more leaves than stems, you
should have to ensure proper handling and care in drying them so as to minimise the
amount of leaves that could be lost.

(b) Drying of the forage
The cut forage is laid out in the sun as a thin layer and turned regularly; at least 3
times a day to encourage quick and thorough drying. Turning too many times may
lead to loss of leaves and this reduces the quality of the hay. The drying process may
take between 2 to 3 days. Hay should not be over dried as it may lose quality also
become a fire hazard. Forages with thick and juicy stems can be dried after chopping
to speed up the drying process and to prevent loss of nutrients.
Field drying of forages is conducted during bright sunny weather but it may result
in bleaching of the forage and loss of leaves due to shattering. To avoid this, drying
can be done in barns by passing hot air through the forage. Even though artificial
drying produces hay of good quality, it might be too expensive to be managed by
small-scale farmers. Alternatively, if only small quantities of forage are harvested,
they may be gathered and allowed to dry in the shade so that the dried forage retains
its green colour. Do not leave the cut forage to dry in a moist environment as this
will encourage growth of moulds. Moulds can be extremely harmful to livestock
and to people handling a particular hay.

(c) Collection of dry hay
The hay with 15 - 20% moisture content is considered sufficiently dried. The
following features determine the moisture content: Hay fractures easily and when
the bundle is twisted, it snaps easily. If there is almost no moisture indication in the
hay, the leaves shatter easily. If the quantity of sufficiently dried hay is small, you
can collect it manually and store it in hay barn or bale before storage. In large-scale
hay making, collection is mechanised and it is done together with baling.
(d) Baling of the hay

Baling involves pressing a sufficiently dried hay in a baler so as to produce rectangular
or cylindrical bundles of hay. A bundle of hay is termed as hay bale. Baling is
important because bales take up less space in store and during transport compared
to loose hay which takes up quite a lot of space. To bale hay, you can use a wooden
frame, manual bale press, or mechanised baler. Hay can be baled into rectangular
or round bales. Baling rectangular bales is more preferable than the round ones as
they are more convenient to pack in store and vehicles for transportation. Bales can
be of different shapes and sizes. Figures 5.11 (a) and (b) show hand baler and a hay
bale, respectively.

Student’s Book Form Three
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