Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1854-01-13
4aulatnraI.
From The New York Tribune.
urluu Grnsx for Hay by steo

our State Agricultural Society, and
now is time TO think about il, that pre-
miums may be offered, or the matter at
least discussed at January meeting Of
the members and executive committee.
It is TO solve the question Of grass for
hay-thati is discharging the from
it by steam instead OF the slow, imper-
feet process of drying il in the sun, oft
On interrupted by rains, and the product
injured or spoiled. Now, il saturating
itwith steam will have the effect, as we
believe il will to cure it, so that an
hour Of sun will dry it. or so that it
may be preserved with salt, it opens
new era in the use of steam for agri-
cultural purposes. The process need
not be very expensive or laborious one
Let the grass be heaped up as fast as
cut and covered with lndiarubber cloth.
Thena pipe from steam boiler, noun
ted upon wagon, may inserted under
the center of the pile, and steam applied
to a degree Of heat strong enough to
almost cook the whole heap; at any
rate to prepare it for very rapid sun
drying. We believe from some expe-
riments which we seen in drying other
vegetable substances. that green clover
may be preparedin three hours for safe
ly slowing away in the barn. BY us
ing metal caps instead of cloth, the
process of steaming may be continued
10 expel all the moisture. Whether it
can be economically used upon the farm
is the point which we wish to see set
tied, and that is what the agricultural
societies should determine. Steam has
already been applied to carry manure
10 the field, blowing the ground and
ihreshing the crop. No doubt it will
be soon applied to sowing the seed and
reapfng, rs moving, ana II only re
mains to cure the green grass as fast
as cut. blythe same powerful agent.
This is not chimcra unworthy of
thought. Il is a subject which sooner
orlater will attract the serious attention
of that portion of farmers who do think.
Try il, ifyou please, on a small scale;
take any succulent plant and subject it
five minutes to steam, and then place it
in the sun and see how quick it will be-
come as dry as wcll-cured hay. APP
pies. peaches, &C., can be dried by steam
in one day. If grass cannot be cured
by steam, let US know why.
VIII it be any more wonderful than
il is now for farmer to leave home at
Buffalo in the morning and sell his crop
The same day in New York, for him to
yet up in the morning and call for John
90 ''get out the moving machine and
small locomotive aud cut down that fif
ty acre lot Of clover to day and tell
George TO fire up the hay maker and
follow Alexander and William with the
steam raking machine, and cure that
grass as fast as it is cut, and | will
come down with the four wagons, and
let us see how much of that crop we
can have safe in the barn before night.
"Peter."
eyes, sir"
"Peter, you may fire up the barn
engine, and see that the hosting ma
chine is all right on both sides of the
floor, for shall bring two tons at a
load, and while one ton is going up in
the right-hand NOW, we can bitch on
20 the other and have that up directly,
it will not take over fifteen minutes to
get offa load. In tn intervals between
loads keep the engine at work filling up
the great water tank; that last planting
of potatoes need watering, and as soon
as the water is warmed little in the
sun, we will give them a shower. All,
boys, this is the age of steam; you do mt
have to work to cure hay as 1 used to
when l was boy; when we used to
cut all the grass with scythe-"
''By hand, father"
Eyes. my son, by hand, slow, hard
labor; and then we had to spread the
grass to dry, and then turn it over
and over in the sun. with sticks and
wooden forks. or clumsy iron ones; we
had no steel ones then; and then we
raked it by hand. and made it up in
cocks, which had to be opened and
spread out to dry again, and again
raked up; then we pitched it on and off
the wagon, and sometimes it was fort
night after il was cut before We could
get it cured enough to stack or put in
the barn.
"And all that by hand labor?"
eyes, hand labor and hard labor"
"Well. father it does appear to me
as though people must have been very
stupid when you were boy, not to
have any steam engines on their farms"