Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-07-08
FARM. HOME AND GARDEN


THE object of putting grain and hay IN
-.ocks is to save il from loss by rain. The
-ecret in good stacking lies in making it
-bed water. and to do this there must be
j tbatching, kind Of straw shingling on
-,ary mart of the outside above a few feet
sro1 the ground All the outside straw
lr bav must incline downwards, and it
INST have that tendency fixed when the
stack is built
The first thing 10 be learned and re-
,nembered about stacking Is TO keep the
middle full. Start in the middle of the
fopndation. Put the first forkful there
and build around 1t. Not only must the
1,iddle be kept full but it must have the
r1ost tramping if any is done, the point
Icing that if any part of the stack is more
soIidlv built than another part it ought
~ he the middle, so that in settling the
,,i6dle will not sink faster than the out
side. Then lin case of hayl If the out
.ide LAYERS are so arranged with the fork
rs that the stalks and blades he straight
ened out enclining downwards, they will
settle that way.
The same principle holds with wheat,
rye and oats, but it is not so difficult to
ret the straws into position because they
ire bound beforehand. But the stack
must be begun in the middle of the foun-
dation. Lay bundle down, then put
another on top of that, let the but end
evtend a little beyond the heads of the
uuder sheaf Build onsand around these,
tons in, butts out, ring after ring, until the
bottom is large enough. If the stack Is
I'm be long-a rick-and not round, then,
when the rings widen TO the proper size
rs TO width, build back and forth on the
two sides that are to be run out as ends.
Widen the stack a little as it is raised to
about feet then place two er three layers
SD as to keep the outside going up per
pendicularly. After that draw it until
the stack is finished. As soon as the
stack is high enough to commence the
drawing in, the middle should have the
filing. On a stack of ordinary width the
middle, when drawing in is begun, ought
TO be at least two feet higher than the
outside. Keep it that way to the top.
7When grain is very short it is not best
10 undertake to widen any up to the
bulge" because there is danger of the
sheaves slipping out. Where the straw
is long enough, the stack may easily be
extended three or four feet on each side
bevond the outer lines of the foundation,
and that makes room for a good deal
more grain than can be put into a stack
that is run up straight, or drawn in from
tine bottom. The writer of this always
did his stacking of grain, except the fill
ing of the middles on his knees. But
the work can be as well done standing by
using a good fork to place the sheaves.
Every bundle ought to be pressed into
place by the stackers weight upon it.
A stack whether of grain or hay, after
+, is finished and settled some, ought to
be raked so as to comb out the straw and
make a good matching. The top may be
secured by a few sticks tethered with
straw or hay bands, twisted and ten to
twelve feet long, and thrown across the
top of the stack. If a rick, the weight
ought to be about four feet apart They
need not be heay-just enough to keep
the bands in place.