Hay

A method of conserving green crops is that of hay making. The aim in hay making is to reduce the moisture content of the green crop up to 15-20%, to inhibit the action of plant and microbial enzymes. Thus, a green crop in a mature stage is preserved for a long time.

Indian hay is seldom taken in  the same in  which this term is understood in the western countries. It consists of dry grass on which the seed has ripened and leaves have usually been shed. In feeding value,   it mostly corresponds to the straw of cereals rather than to hay made before the seed has ripened. During the later part of the monsoon season, when grass is ready to be cut for hay (the only time when grass is available for hay making), the weather is often so wet that hay making cannot be attempted. At the end of the monsoon season when there is still some chance of making hay from some good quality grasses that may be left, cultivators are too busy in making preparation for rabi sowing. According to the type of forages which are dried, hays are categorized as leguminous, non leguminous and mixed.