Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1874-08-21
Hay and Grain Caps.

THESE agricultural appliances consist
of square pieces of cloth of some sort, to
be spread over cops of hay or shocks of
grain, to shed the rain during showers.
In wet and lowery weather caps, by pro
tecting hay or grain from damage incident
to exposure to storms, will often save
more than their cash value. The most
enterpfising tillers of the soil who are
ambitious to secure their crops in an ex-
cellent condition appreciate the value of
caps, as they not only keep hay or grain
dry during a drenching rain, thus saving
them from damage, but all the labor of
spreading out the wet hay or grain and
turning the cops over after the shower
has passed will be avoided
The principal rea on for not providing
a large number of caps is their great ex-
pense when purchased ready for use. But
by managing economically one can obtain
a supply al a comparatively cheap rate
A few days since the writer went to sew
eral places in New York city where army
blankets, sheets and pieces of tents are
sold, Hundreds of parts of tents about
five feet square, which were just the arti-
Giles for grain-caps, were offered for sale
at thiFty-tive to sixty-five cents each
But many were badly torn, and many
conclusion was that it would cost more
to mend the rents and bullet-holes than
the labor of making new ones. Hence, a
piece of good muslin about five feet in
width was purchased, cut into pieces five
feet square, each corner turned down
about three inches, and the raw edges
hemmed on IA sewing machine.
Near each corner the cloth was
stitched about an inch square, then
hole was cut through the center of
each stitching, in the form of cross,
thus, I, by which a buttOn-hole is made at
every corner for receiving the wooden
| pins that hold the caps on the cops of
hay or shocks of grain. The wide mus
| lin cost twenty-three and half cents
| per yard. About one and half wards
were required for each cap. \ boy made
! the caps with a sewing machine at the
rate of six caps per hour, making the
cash expense about thirty-eight cents
each for new caps of strong, unbleached
muslin, These were dipped in thin coal
tar, then wrung out as dry as could be
and were spread out to dry for few
| days, when they were ready for use
Some wide bed-ticking, of firmer quality
than the muslin, was found at large
wholesale store, which made much better
caps, at an expense of few cents less
per cap. Wide bed-ticking or wide mus
lin may be obtained in almost any city
Treated with light dressing of coal tai
the cloth will shed the water during any
storm, and the caps will not be stiff like
oil-cloth, Oil viii render cloth tender
and almost rot en-, while coal tar seem!
to increase its strength.
-Four wooden pins, each about eighteen
inches in length, are required to holC
each cap on Il cop of hay. Such pins
would be neater if they were turned
about half an inch in diameter, pointoC
at one end, with II knob on the Other
end. But we split out some pieces o.
timber about one inch square, and shaved
the pins to the desired form, leaving /
rude knob at one end. These answered
a satisfactory purpose, costing about on'
| cent each. AT chair factory one cOulC
probably procure a supply OF pins TO
about half cent each.
| When the caps are put on the hay o.
grain u bundle of them is laid on
wheelbarrOw with basketful of thu
wooden pins, when cap is placed on
shock of grain or cop of hay, where
lupon two persons, one at corner dag
onally opposite the other, draw the cal
down and each thrusts in pins through
the holes near the corners of the cap
Such caps will keep grain dry AM
bright, and prevent the straw iron
bleaching, so that the shocks may b
taken to the barn or stack soon after
hard shower, If no caps were employed
hundreds of sheaves get so thorough
drenched with water that the bands mus
be loosened and the grain spread out t
dry. Our caps are not only used to pro
tect hay, oats, barley and wheat, bu
they are put over corn-stalks in the fall
For this latter purpose caps will b
found of great value, as they keep tn
leaves and husks of the stalks dry, clea
and bright, thus saving large quantit