Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-07-01
Chr former.
Hay Making and HAY Barns.


it as an article of food. How this loss may
be prevented is a matter of great Importance;
yet it may be to a great degree, If proper
care and attention is given to the subject.
The question may be asked by some-what
causes hay to heat in the NOW. and how can
this be prevented, Or the injury caused by 1t!
The cause of hay heating can be explained
on philosophical principles. 1t is law OF
nature, that in all quantities of vegetable
matter where there is sufficient moisture and
heat, fermentation will take place, and this
action, carried to certain extent, produces
decomposition, but that no fermentation takes
place without both these agents acting IN con-
cert; and in order to produce this action. it
is necessary that the matter to be acted upon
should be pressed into certain degree OF
compactness; but if free circulation of air
is permitted through the mass this action is
prevented, and no change takes place. In
NOW of new hay, If it is but partially dried
all the conditions of fermentation are sup
piled. and it soon commences and ii it pro-
ceeds to q certain extent, renders the hay
worthless as an article Of food, in most cases;
if not spoiled it is materially injured. Now
if the hay could be kept up loose, or free
circulation Of air pass through it in any way,
the heating would be prevented and no loss
occur. This is proved from the fact that
though the center of the NOW may be much
injured by heating, the outsdes are but little
if any. Another fact is noticed in connec-
ton with this the hay on the top of the NOW
is always injured the most; this illustrates
another law of nature, which is that heat and
vapor always rise. Consequently the heat
and moisture from the lower portion OF the
NOW, pass up into the upper part and the
vapor coming in contact with the cold air, con-
denses on the top and makes the hay wet, and
spoils it for anything except manure.
1t ought to be land, as general thing, L
suppose that it ISL the intention Of all far
mers to have their hay sufficiently dried be-"
fore it is put in the barn, but many causes
prevent it being done at all times; cloudy
day, the prospect Of storm, or a sudden
shower, the hurry to get their haying done in
given time-these, with many others, pre-
vent a great quantity of hay from being sutil-
GENTLY dried each year and in such sea-
sons as we had il 81, if hay is Thoroughly
dried at all, it must be done in the barn, or
under sone cover. If the farmer has plenty
of barn and shed room, much green hay can
be dried under cover, even in unfavorable
weather, (by the building Of temporary scat
folds, on which hay can be placed until it is
dry before it is put into the mow,) mixing
old dry hay with damp hay to absorb mois
turc. Where no old hay is to be had, straw
answers good purpose These and Other
ways can be resorted to, when necessary, with
much benefit.
Much Improvement mi ht be made in q
large share of the barns for storing hay
The scaffolds, as general thing, are well
enough but in most of the barns the bay
in which the largest part of the hay is put
has no floor, and the only means OF keeping
the hay from the ground, are few loose
boards or poles laid on the ground, which are
but little better. The consequence is, much
of the hay on the bottom is injured by ab
sorbing moisture from the ground. In THU
section Of the country the most of the hay
that is injured by heating is that which II
put in the bay. But little hay is hurt by
heating when put on scaffods, for the reason
that it is placed in smaller quantities, an(
there is greater circulation of air about it
Now, if a sufficient circulation Of air is per
mited about the hay in the bay it will keel
as we'll as on a scaffold.
A few years since / built me new barn
and constructed my bay so as to prevent an,
damage to the hay by absorbing moisture
from the ground. The sleepers were laid Oh
a level with the top Of the stills; on these wa
laid a floor of plank, leaving little spac
between each plank in laying the floor. TN
underpinning to the barn around the bay wa
made of stone without mortar or filling 0
any kind, for the purpose of giving fire.
circulation of air under the whole bottom o
the bay, the floor of which was from on
foot to eighteen inches from the ground
The bay, when finished, being 30 feet long
Is wide, and IS from floor to the plates.
In storing my hay, [ put my coarse ma,
in the bay at the bottom, and laid the ,ha,
up in three seperate lots, for the purpose o
sorting it according to the quality, and ais
for convenience in feeding i'out. l usual.
have coarse hay enough to fill two-thrds o
the bay; the other third of the bay is file
with fine hay, as the scatfold will not hold it
In sorting and storing my hay in this way
in my barn, l have never had any hay 70
the scaffold Or in the two mows Of coars
hay in the bay,) heat sufficiently to discolo
it, Or injure it in any way, with the excep
ton of a few loads last year, which L wa
obliged to get in before it was dried, and
put it on top of the coarse hay; this | foun
a little smoky when | fed it out in the winter
In the end Of the bay, which is filed wit
fine hay, found when came to feed 1t Out
that from the top of the NOW down abou
onc-halt the way, in the center Of the NOV
the hay would be more or less injured b
heating, although the hay appeared to b
sufficiently dried when it was put in. To OF
viate this difficulty, two years ago tried tn
experiment of putting chimney OR vontilt
tor in this part of the bay; and it has full
answered my expectations in the matter.
For ventilator, | took four boards abou
eight feet long, and one foot wide, and naile
them together, making long box; and wit
a two-inch auger, made holes through tn
sides of it lew inches apart; | then cut
hole through the floor of the bay, and set tn
end of the box in the hole. This box,
think, is not large enough, and shall max
another about eighteen inches square, which
think will BE large enough for NOW fiftee
feet square. | suppose that it is immaterii
how the ventilation is madc--the only thin
needed being something that will make an
keep an open space up through the hay. |
putting the hay about the yentilator, car
must be used to keep it perpendicular; an
after the hay is filled up to the top, | tax
hold of il and null It LIN half It's lenrth an