mowburning

1. (archaic) Damage to hay caused by overheating while in storage.Examples: "In hay for hunters or racehorses, the two extremes must be carefully avoided—over-fermentation, producing mowburning; or under-fermentation, producing mouldiness."; "A practice has long prevailed in some districts, and has, for some time, been generally recommended by many high agricultural authorities, of mixing salt with hay which has been damaged by rain, in the proportion from 14 to 28 lbs. of salt to a load of hay; and when this practice is observed at the time of stacking, it is said, not only to prevent mouldiness and mowburning, but to render the damaged hay fully as palatable as the best-saved unsalted hay."; "The salt will be dissolved by the sweating of the hay, and will prevent mowburning or molding."archaicuncountable