The Portland daily press., 1875-08-23

THE FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
Hay Making by Artiflaial Heat.

skilful and mistaken methods of manipulating
their grass crop, than by all other errors Of
practice in agricultural operations, for in
stance, in cutting aud curing both harmless
and hurtful weeds, and deceiving themselves
by calling the product hay, and attempting
to deceive their cattle by giving it to them as
substitute for food; by allowing the crop
to grow and ripen until it passes beyond the
proper stage for food, and changes to wood or
fuel, and is only fit 10 be turned; and also
after the grass is cut, by exposure to dew and
rain until the saccharine juices are extracted
and wasted; but more than all, and worse
than all, by deliberately drying the grass to
death under the burning rays of the sun, and
then continuing the same ruinous policy by
opening wide the windows and doors of the
barn and admitting sun and air and light, so
that in few weeks the mows of hay and
straw would be pretty much of the same color.
Here is the great mistake, and the greatest
loss IN farm management, and we doubt not
that could accurate statistics be obtained on
this one matter, the depreciation of the hay
crop in the country each year would be found
to amount to millions of dollars.
1t seems hardly necessary to go back to
elementary principles, and state that haying
means process for the proper preparation
and preservation of one of the great food
staples of the world--in the first place for
ANIMALS, and then almost as directly for man.
For it is well understood that beef, milk, but
ter aud cheese are all more or less affected by
the quality of food which the animal con-
somes, and in some cases the health, and life
even of those who eat these articles of food,
may in this secondary way he positively en-
dangered. And yet how often this most deli
cate and in some respects difficult operation
is entrusted to rude and unskilful hands
anybody can make hay, and anything that is
called hay, will pass muster with most per-
sons. True it may be that in examining a
load or NOW of hay, purchaser will pull out
and condemn a wsp of wild or inferior grass,
and declare that it does not come Up to the
standard of good English hay; but rare is it
to hear condemnation pronounced because it
is made too much, that is, over-iried. Some
thing instructive may he learned from analo-
gies, and we have only to refer to the care
and skill and nicely experienced ia the cur
ing of tea, and its preparation for markets and
the sollcilude of every good housewife to ex-
clude the air from it, to see that similar dis
cretion with reference TO our great staple
would not be thrown away. So also in the
case of the various herbs and plants from
nh oil
pared; all undue exposure to sun and wiads
is carefully avoided, and by slow drying in
the shade, or the use of artificial, heat, the
juices Of the plants which alone are valuable,
are preserved in their full strength. Addi-
tional confirmation might be drawn from
comparison of the old method of drying fruit
on the outside Of the farm house, exposed for
weeks in the heat of the sun. drying winds,
and drenching rains, not to mention the at
tacks o. insects-with the speedy and admira-
BILE results of the modern Alden eyaporating
process. We are satisfied that these latter
processes are no further apart than are the
average fashion of hay-naking, and the new
way which science and common sense have
combined to introduce.
1t has been our conviction for years, that it
would be safe to predict that the labors Of
the husbaud.8an would yet be lightened by
making hay by the aid of artificial heat, both
as reformatory measure and necessary
step in scientific progress. Our walks and
talks in the moving fields of England some
years since, and a personal observation of
the difficulties there to be overcome OF
account of the lack of sunshine, have pre-
pared US to expect that some improved meth
ons might be looked for in that direction.
We subjoin an article from the London
Times of July 18th:
After some years of practical experiment.
ing Mr.. Gibs has brought his invention into
the following form: A portable stove con-
structed ofplate iron is surmounted by fan,
which is driven by belt from three-horse
power steam engine; the fan draws ali the
heated air and gases from the coke fire, to-
gether with a volume of warmed air, which
passes through chamber surrounding the
inner chamber Of the stove, and blows the
hot current, at a temperature of 400e Fahren-
he'll or more, into the drier This resem.
bles in general shape straw elevator, con-
sisting of sheet iron trough six feet in
breadth. twenty feet long if mounted on
wheels as portable carriage, or forty feet or
fifty feet long if fixture. The trough is
raised at one and at low angle, so that hay
fed in at the upper end flrtherest from the
stove shall slowly travel to the lower end
uear the stove, tits being assisted by slow
reciprocating motion given to the bottom of
the trough. A ridge of triangular section
running along the middle OF the trough
divides it into two almost semi-circular chan
nels, SO that the hay passes down into two
streams; the hot air issues through two slit
apertures, one on each side of the base of the
middle ridge, and for the entire length of
the machine; and the hay is kept continu-
allv stirred and lightened up over the hot
blast by number of small iron stirrers cley-
ery contrived TO initiate the action of forks
worked by hand.
We saw partly-made but wet hay passed
through the machine and converted al once
into thoroughly dry condition tor the stack;
We saw spoilt and musty hay dried into hay
OF fair apparent quality and pleasant fra
GRANGE; and We saw freshly-cut grass, satur-
ated with rain from very heavy thunder
shower which poured down at the time, died
into hay of first-class color, and possessing
the rich malt odor peculiar to we'll made hay.
with single twenty-foot machine the oper-
alton is too slow to employ fully one man re-
moving the dried product; but with two
such machines side by side, or with one fixed
macnlne OF forty or fifty feet length, prob
ably one set of carriers and stackers could be
kept going. From the experiments made un-
Ger our supervision, it appears that while
fresh and wet hay loses 70 to Is per cent. of
lis original weight in being made made into
hay the quality of moisture in excess in par
tially-made hay, or hay caught by heavy
rain. may be from 30 to 40 per cent. To ex-
pei this water from partially made hay re-
quires consumption of coke in The stove
and OF coal for the engine not exceeding
cost of Is Sd. per ton of hay dried. Preserv-
ing ffesh-cut grass may cost in fuel six or
seven times more. With outIsy Tor labor
and for wear and tear of apparatus, the total
expenses, according to Mr.. Gibbs calcnla-
ton, does not exceed 7s. or So. per ton.
which is indeed very moderate disburse-
ment Tor saving of perhaps pounds per ton.
10 make fresh-cut grass into the finest hay
at one stroke costs about 81 per ton of the
dried hay.
Now, it is possible that in wet season il
may pay thus to preserve grass entirely bv
artificial heat; but Mr.. Gibbs recommends
the general use of the apparatus for complet.
ing the process OF hay-making after the Grass
has been .withered by some exposure. and has
lost, say, more than half of its original mois.
ture. AT this stage it will cost little to clear
the field and get the hay safely into stack in