PROTECTING STACKS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 April 1938, Page 3

PROTECTING STACKS

A NECESSARY PRECAUTION. VARIOUS COVERING METHODS. Farmers often neglect to cover their haystacks from the weather, and frequently rain may damage 25 per cent of the hay in an uncovered and badlybuilt stack, causing a direct loss of £8 to 10 per stack. Well-built and properly wired down stacks will turn a great deal of rain, but if a stack is to be kept for some time it is always as well to cover it. In stack building the centre should always be kept well hearted up, and on completion the sides, ends, and roof should be carefully raked down. In topping off a stack it is quite a good plan to finish off the roof with freshly-mown green material to a depth of 3ft, bringing this green stuff well down over the sides; lightly rake down, and wire securely. Wire netting in place of fencing wire and placed along the full length of the top of the stack and weighted down is an excellent method of keeping the top secure. When haystacks are likely to stand for any length of time they should be covered. Thatching with rushes was a common practice at one time, but the difficulty in procuring rushes, and the amount of labour and time involved in doing the work satisfactorily, has put this method out of vogue to a great extent. The use of manure sacks for covering haystacks is very satisfactory, as the sack covers rarely last a season; the life of the covers may be extended to two or three seasons if the sack covers are soaked in a solution of bluestone (21b to 20 gallons of water). ROOFING IRON. Many farmers now use corrugated roofing iron to cover their stacks, and this material certainly makes a most satisfactory cover. Sometimes only the ridge is covered, but complete covering is the best method. In covering haystacks with roofing iron, secure wiring down is essential. When commencing to build the stack lay. single wires with loops at each end at 10ft intervals across the bottom, and allow the ends to protrude 2ft on each side of the stack (the ends are put out of the way by placing under a sod whilst building is in progress). When building is completed 6in by 2in timber is placed above the eaves lengthways along each side of the stack and also on the top of the ridge, and the beams bolted together. Wires are then taken over the stack and attached to the wires previously placed under the stack and strained tight and thus holding the beams tight; short wires with weights are usually attached to the eave beams before the wires are finally strained. The top is then covered with 10ft roofing iron. The over wires may be re-strained at any time as the stack settles. Another method of building and covering with iron is to make the stack with a lean-to roof (a stack 16ft wide and 38ft long would give a fall of 21ft).