Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-07-16
Farm and Household.
AWOnD ABOUT STACKING.

The object OF putting grain and
hay in stacks is to save it from loss
by rain. The secret of good stack
ing lies in making it shed water,
and to do this there must be a
matching, a kind Of straw shing'
ling on every part of the outside
above few feet from the ground.
All the outside straw or hay must
incline downwards, and it must
have that tendency fixed when the
stack is built.
The first thing TO be learned and
remembered about stacking is to
keep the middle full. Start in the
middle of the foundation. Put the
first forkfull there and build around
it. Not only must the middle be
kept full, but it musthave the most
tramping if any is done, the point
being that if any part of the stack
is more solidly built than another
part it ought to be the middle, so
that in settling the middle will not
sink faster than the outside. Then
lin case of hay if the outside layers
are so arranged with the fork as
that the stalks and blades be
Strengthened out inclining down
wards, they will settle that way.
The same principal holds with
wheat, rye and oats, but it is not so
difficult to get the straws into prop
er position because they are bound
in bundles beforehand. But the
stack must be begun on the middle
of the foundation. Lay a bundle
down, then put another on top OF
that, letting the butt end extend a
little beyond the heads of the under
sheaf. Build on and around these,
tops in, butts out, ring after ring
until the bottom is large enough
If the stack is TO be long--a rick
and not round, then, when the
rings widen to the proper size as to
width. build back aud forth on the
two sides that are to be run out as
ends. Widen the stack little as
it is raised to about six feet, then
place two or three layers so as to
keep the outside going up perpen-
dicularly. After that draw IN I'M
til the stack is finished. As soon
as the stack is high enough to com
mence the drawing in, the middle
should have an extra 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.
When grain is very short it IS not
best to undertake to widen any up
TO the "bulge," because there is
danger of the sheayes slipping out.
When the straw is long enough,
the stack may easily be extended
three or four feet on each side be-
yond the outer lines of the founda-
ton, and that makes room for a
good deal more grain than can be
mt into a stack that is run up
straight, or drawn in from the bot
tom. The writer of this always did
his stacking OF grain, except the
filling of the middles, on his knees.
That was the rule in those days
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 stacker's weight upon it.
A stack, whether of grain or hay,
after it is finished and settled some,
ought to be raked so as to comb
out the straw and make a good
thatching. The top may be secured
by few sticks tethered with straw
or hay bands, twisted and ten OF
twelve feet long, and thrown across
the top of the stack. fla rick, the
weights ought to be about four feet
apart. They need not be heavy
just enough to keep the bands in
place.