The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-06-17

that he was acting for the superintendent.
To one who began life on the rugged New
England farm, swinging the scythe, raking
hay with hand rake, spreading and pitch
ing with hand fork, the appliances OF to-
day are wonder and a delight. 1t is a
hard and exhausting days work for man
to NOW two acres of fairly heavy grass, be-
ginning early and working late. A boy
must spread it out to dry, and then to get it
raked together, tumbled into heaps, loaded
upon a cart, (sbout four good loads,) hauled
into the barn, pitched off and packed
away is work enough for two
men and one boy another
whole day. Yet by such slow and labo-
rious process, lasting from four to six weeks
of the midsummer, the New Highlander, to
whom the hay crop was the principal affair
of the year, gathered in his fifty or one hun
bred tons of choice hay. What an expendi-
ture of muscle; what contribution of life
and being to that single object of securing
hay for the animals through long and
fierce winter. But now half dozen teams
and drivers go into hundred acre field in
the morning and ride around over it,
and at night the 200 tons of
hay are moved down. Meantime, as many
boys mounted on tedders have kept the cut
grass flying in the sunshine and wind, and
after these still other charioteers, rudy
girls, perhaps, have raked the hay into rows
by horse power. It is hauled to stack or
barn, handled with forks and patent tackles,
and more work is accomplished in the hay
field in one day than the same force would
have done in three weeks twenty-five
years ago. Besides, they are
not one half as much fatigued
Instead of monotonously exerting the
same set of muscles all the long, hot day, |
the men have been riding on dainty spring
seats, and seeing horse muscle do all the
work. It is wonderful, the change in this |
single department of Sarm labor. There is
still toll in the process, but the rapidity of
progress, and the magnitude of the work
lone in short time, relieves the mind from
hat sense of a great and dragging task,
of toll, in view, to be slowly
evelled, which the farmer of yore
had to encounter. In truth. the enan-
ipation of the northern farmer
rom slavery is hardly less remarkable than
hat ofthe southern negro from bondage. The
laying season is at hand. If our farmers,
With the extraordinary facilities at their
could be persuaded to take care
t this crop as they might, they would in .
rease its aggregate value fully twenty-five
er cent, which would amount to millions !.
( dollars. False theories about the proper
me to cut hay and carelessness in saving the
Top in good order cause immense ;,
'ss to the wealth of this state :,
very year. Nearly all the grass is allowed :,
stand two weeks longer than it ought to :.
3 left before cutting. A load of new clover :,
ny drove round the Circle last week, =
hicb, by over ripeness first and sun burn .,
e after it was cut, was reduced in value -
lily one-half below what il should have =
zen worth. Grass for hay should always -
} harvested before passing beyond the :,
age of blooming. Yet it generally stands =,
this region until the seeds >.
ell off. The baled hay in 8,
lr commission houses now >,
ustrates this well. The magnitude and =,
cressing value of this crop make the =,
bject one of great importance, and the :;
70 Of machinery entirely disposes of the =,
difficulty of being unable to handle the M
op at the proper time. ~