Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-10-10

Z A CHE,r WAY TO MAKE GRAIN Cars
Grain caps, which are of'en called hay caps,
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 protect
ing hay or grain from damage incident to
exposure to storms. will often save moro
than their cash value. The most enterpris-
ing tilers of the soil, who are ambitious to
secure their crops in an excellent condition,
appreciate the value Of caps, rs they not
only keep llay or grain dry during drench-
ing ruin, thus saving them from damage,
but all the labor of spreading ont the wet
nay or grain, and turning the cops over after
the shower has passed, will be avoided.
The principal reason for not providing o
hrge number Of caps is their great expense
| when purchased ready for use. But by
managing economically one can obtain
supply at a comparatively cheap rate. \
few days since the writer went to several
places III New York city where army ban-
| kcts, sheets, and pieces of tents are sold.
Hundreds of parts of tents about five feet
square, which wee just the articles for
grain caps. were offered for sale ut thirty
five to sixty-!,yc cents each. But many wcro
badly torn and many others were half rot
ten with mildew INC conclusion was that
1t would cost more to mend the rents and
bullet-holcS than the labor Of making new
ones. Hence, 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
heinnicd on a sewing machine. Near each
corner the cloth was stitched about an inch
square, then II hole was cut through the
centre Of each stitching, in the form Of q
cross (thus y. by which button hole il
made at every corner for receiving the wood
EN- pins that hold the caps on the cops of hay
or shocks of grain The wide muslin cost
twenty-thrce and half cents per yard.
About one and half yards were required
for each cap. y boy made tue caps with
sewing machine ut the rate of six caps per
hour, making the cash expense about thirty
eight cents each for new caps of strong, un-
blcac!led muslin. These were dipped in
thin coal tar, then wrung out ms dry rs they
conla be, and We're spread ont to dry for u
few days. when they were ready for use.
Some wide bed ticking of frmer quality
than the muslin was found at a large whole-
sale store, which made much better caps Mt
an expense ofa few cents less per cap.
+ Wide bed ticking or wide muslin may 10
obtained in almost any city. Treated with
light dressing OF c"nl tar, the cloth will
shed the water during any storm, and the
caps will not be sih' like olcloth Oil will
render cloth tender and almost rotten, while
coal tar seems to increase its strength. -Four
wooden pins each about eighteen inches in
length, are required to hold each cap on q
cop Of hay. Such pins would be neatcr il
they were turned about half IN inch in di-
amctcr, pointed at one end with knob on
the other end. But we split out some
pieces OF timber about one inch square, and
shaved the pins to the desired form, leaving:
Il rude knob at one end. These answered
satisfactory purpose. costing about one. cent
each. Ut chair factory one could prola-
bly, procure supply of pins for about half
Il cent each. When the caps are put On the
hay or grain, a bundle Of them is laid on u
whcelbamow with a baskctful of the wood
en- pins; when Il cap i, placed on shock
pf grain or a cop of hay, whercupou two
persons, one at Il corner diagonally opposite
the other, draw the cap down, and each
thrusts in pin throug the holes near the
corners of the cap. Such caps will keep
grain dry and bright, and prevent the straw
from bleaching, so that the shocks may be
taken to the barn or stack soon after hard
shower. If no caps were employed hun
dreds Of Shcayc. get SO thoroughly drenched
with water that the bands must be looscned
and the grain spread ont to. dry. Our caps
are not only used to protect hay, oats, bar
ley, and wheat, but they are put over corn
stalks in the fall. For this latter purpose
caps will be found of great value, as they
keep the leaves and hlsks of the stalks dry,
clean, and bright, thus saving IL large guam
t,y of the best Of fodder Even on our
little one-horSe Farm caps have II vast
amount of hard labor, and save more thnn
their cash value in the quantity Of hay and
rr, gp,snn