Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-07-03
NEW SERIES, NO. 2s.
NNDMS }S1,5O strictly in advance.
1UltMO, $500 at the years END.
Gbe farmer.
as to Having, &C.


There are two things connected with haying
which require to be brought under the consdera-
ti0n of farmers, from time to time We referto the
preparation and use of caps in the curing of hay
and to the defending some meadows, chiefly up
land and thin sown ones, against the injurious
effects of scorching sun after the first cut
ting.
AS to the first of these--hay caps-we Judge
from observation made last year and from inqui-
ries that they are not yet introduced to any ex-
tent. The general use OF them last year, would
have saved great many thousands of dollars
werth of hay, which the frequent rains injured
either partially or wholly. And the use of them
would save from loss or injury in every
season. The advantage Of saving from the use
of cape is so Obvious that it seems surprising
deed that they are not more generly and more rap
idly adopted and employed. Can it be the cost of
them which prevents their general introduction!
Surely no one would be deferred from providing
himself with dazen or so, unless his ideas
of their cost was greatly exaggerated dozen
would be sufficient to cover hay enough for one
load, or say dozen punches of loo pounds
or so each.
For want of protection which dozen caps
would furnish, the amount of hay which they
would cover and protect might be injured one
half or more, at the low price of $5 per ton.
A dozen caps might make several savings of
this kind in the course of single season !; and
before they should be worn out they would be
likely to save from ten to twenty loads from In
luries of similar amount We leave such read
der to make his own estimate of the saving in
quality and value of his hay which would proba-
bly, result from the possession and use Of set
of dozen of hay caps; We would call any
such estimate low one which made tile saving
less than two or three dollars year.
Now let us see what the twelve caps would
be likely to cost One yard and aquarter of
cloth of the width of iorty-two or fortyfve in
ches would make small cap, costing about fiji
teen cents -Four yards of ordinary width would
make cap of about two yards square, which
at sixpence yard would cost twenty five cents
The making off, the former need not be called
over three cents, nor that of the latter moro
than six. Caps will turn water in the steeple
form, as an umbrella will but, still more
efecha,ly if brushed over with boiled oil, or
oil and wax. For dozen it may require a
quart of oil and one-half pound of wax, max
ing the entire cost in the oiled state about twen-
iy cents each for the small size, and about thr-
tythree cents for the larger size, and still less in
the un-oiIed or unasaxed state in which some
would prefer them, as they would thus allow OF
evaporation and drying even under the covers.
The expense of dozen hay-covers, accord
ing to the foregoing calculations, would rang
from 80 25 to$4 10 l-2 and ii is generally sup
posed that they would last ten or more years :;
i, is certainly not extravagant to say that would
they yield 100 per ce mt. on the first cost every
year.
There are three-ways of fastening the corners ::
first, by pin stuck upwards through each cor
ner, for which way of fastening them an eyelet
hole should be wrought in each corner !; second, /,
by drawing out and twisting wisp of hay at
each corner and giving it one turn round the
corner of the cloth !; and third, by tying stone
in bag 70 each corner, the bag and corner hay-
ing been previously provided with tape.
Our present time and space permits US to say,
in regard to defending meadows from scorching
when quite bare, only this-that dressing of
well rotted manure or the scrapings of yard,
evenly spread and dragged and bushed in,
would greatly benefit many upland and bare
) meadows after cutting first crop of grass. We
should be pleased to hear from any one who ha
tried such an.-Country Gentleman.