Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-09-02

A HAY-CURING MAoHINB.-Wec copy from the
Mark Lane Express the following extract from
q letter written by hlr. Amersfoordt of Lake
Harlem, Hollands
1t is in 1872 period of eighteen years since
| established farm in the then recently drained
lake of HARLEM. During this period | collected
and used all the best agricultural instruments
as they were successfully proved serviceable in
other countries Having frequently heard it said
and seeing it repeated in tho papers, that | had
whole barns filed with such implements, which
were only ht for show, and never used in the
fields, thought it would eflectually contradict
such reports to invite the members of the agri-
cultural societies and other agricultural celeb
rites to visit me, and see these various modes of
saving labor and increasing the produce of the
earth at actual work. About four thousand of
my countrymen and many leading agricultur-
lists from other parts of the world accepted my
invitation.
On the morning of July showed powerful
portable engine driving a thrashing machine,
Dutch fan or winnowDg mill remarkable for
its simplicity, straw cutter, root pulper, cir
cular saw, corn mill, an oat bruiser, and other
implements. After that sent Fowler's fourteen
horse engine TO the fields, where it did good
work with four-furrow plow, a Cotgreaye's
pillow, cultivator and harrow; to other fields
sent horses to show moving machines, hay
makers, hay rakeS and various other plows,
scariiers, drills, horse hoes, &c. Last, but not
least, came your hay-drying machine, proving
the great attraction of the day. Ii was arranged
with horse gear OF Crossklfs, which l had
employed during seventeen years, the wood hav-
ing suffered much by this long service. | re-
paired it during last winter in my own carpeu.
ter's shop; the iron parts proved as strong and
workable as the day they came in Holland.
took great pains In adjusting this mill &C
cording to my best notions, fixed ii quite hori
zontally and strongly, with so good success that
although ii had TO drive an intermediate action
n I woG al n driv
mill with one hand, and 1t would even run some
seconds after l had left the work. was re-
warded for my trouble, because, although you,
the inventor, supposed that for driving the dry
ing fan 100 revolutions in a minute three horses
would be necessary, could perform the task
with one young OK, relieved after an hours
work by an ordinary horse "a roadster). 1t had
been announced by the agricultural society that
grass could be made into hay by this machine
In ten minutes. We had spared for this pur-
pose beautiful crop of timothy grass and clover
in the immediate neighborhood of the hay dryer.
1t was cut by workman with a scythe before
the eyes of the assembled crowd. On the day
before we had been able to dry 1t satisfactorily
10 exactly six minutes. The people now, of
course, hindered the men little In their work;
but it was done in ten minutes as aforesaid !;
and saw with satisfaction great many farm
ers taking samples Of the beautiful green, but
perfectly dry hay to show Mt home to their
friends. After this feat was accomplished, we
showed to the public the real work for which
the hay dryer is misunderstanding hay that was
half dry and drying it in three minutes ready
for the stack, as will be necessary on wet DAYS,
as it was used frequently on my farm In the
autumn of 1871, which proved itself very rainy.
After 81. Margaret's day, the saint who accom-
plishes in Holland the task ascribed In England
to st. Swithin, have no doubt that many a cart
of aftermath will have 10 pass through the arti-
fetal process Of drying; but have not the slight
est doubt that we will by this system be able to
save great deal of useful grass that would be
lost without it.