Hay-making

Horowhenua Chronicle, 5 January 1914, Page 2

Hay-making

AT LEVIN'S STATE EAiUi

To the city dweller the haymaking season is pictured us a I period in which is concentrated ! most of the joys of rural life. Sitting, at the desk poring over a column of figures, or weary of trying to sell useless things to people—things which are nevei of any use to the purchaser—he draws mental pictures of Arcadian life in the hay held where all :rre happy, and work a pleasure; wjiere, si mid the murmur of the bees, inoiv in broad*riinined hats bring- down clover* and long , , lush grasses with steady sweeps of a keen-edged scyUie; "where' , the sweet-smelling , lniy is forked inio long rows, afterwards into rocks, and finally built into a .stack by the haymakers, who, at frequent iutervals, are waited on by the women folk in cool, white dresses and sunbounets, with a plentiful supply of fresh buttered scones and gallons of tea. With these pictures in his imiiu* he is called back to reality by the advent of the boss or the intrusion of a possible customer, and the more irrascible of him curses his lot with all the energy of a religious fanatic cursing 'an unbeliever. Yet it is 1000 to 1 that at the same time the haymaker is bemoaning his lot with equal fervour. Owing , to the unseasonable weather the hay may be bleaching for days before he can get.it in, and then he may have to work 16 or 17 hours a day to make the most of the fine weather. And the lads who are pressed into service will tell you in picturesque language that haymaking is "no good, that the time spent in eatiug buttered scones and fcakes, and talking to country maidens is all too short to compensate for the sunburn, .the blistered hands, the irritation' caused by many steds insinuating themselves inside one's and the many games of cricket and tennis ihat are missed. But haymaking at the State Farm is quite ditferent from all this; it goes smoothly to the busy rattle of machinery. From thw mowing* machine to the elevator that carries it to the top of the stack, the manual handling of the hay is very little, 'ine hay-sweep practically does away with all forking in the held. Its long wooden lingers run along the ground collecting the hay, and when it is full carries it to the stack where it is forked by two men into the elevator . . Tlie. elevator is practically the same as the elevator on a threshing machine, and is worked by a small engine. But the most interesting anil perhaps me s most useful is the rake for turning the hay. It costs about Alto £U, whereas the sweep and elevator are costly, and only useful where a large quantity of hay is dealt with. The raise is really four forks worked by a lourcnuiked shaft, a fork on each crank. These forks turn two swaths at a time, and leave the hay quite loose, enabling it to dry thoroughly in a few hours. in broken weather this rake not only saves labour, but makes it possible to get the hay in quickly and in good order, and this, to the small dairy farmer, is of some consequence. saved has a far higher feeding , value than that 'which has been Jymg exposed to the weather for a week or more. And fed on good hay cows will give a higher test and an increased milk yield. The larger cheque from the factory would very soon pay for n rake.