The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1893-03-23
THE FARM s.AND HOME.
THE PROBLEM 9OF PROTECT
ING HAY STACKS.
a Variety of Covers-Fences and Fence
Rows Five Banded Bees-More
CIover-Farm Notes and
Home Hints.
Protecting Hay Stacks.

ii
was covering stacks with slough
grass. Thirty-ive years ago I was
doing the same in Page county, Iowa,
writes W. r. Laughlin in Coleman's
Rural World. Have driven many
stakes and leaned up many poles
in the almost vain attempt to keep.
the gales from taking the tops off the
stacks of hay and grain, or from so
displacing them that the rains found
easy access.
Some years since Professor Sanborn
sent out cards asking a great many
Missouri farmers as to their estimate
of what per cent. of the value of the
hay that was stacked out of doors
was lost by the weather. These
estimates he averaged. have not
his bulletin at hand, but feel sure
that the loss was not less than
twenty-five per cent.
ling mentally with the problem of
how to protect stacks. Had sent for
documents to two parties advertising
stack covers. Their covers were all
heavy and quite costly There is
not the least doubt but they would
have protected the stacks, but whether
being heavy they would have lasted
at all in proportion to the price, is
with me still doubtful. Whether
water proofing them with some prep
aration or other would tend to pre-
serve them is yet an experiment.
Last summer / concluded to try
covering one stack of clover hay with
muslin costing five cents per yard, a
small rick containing four and half
tons. l built my stack carefully and
made it quite sharp on top, the cover
was put on the hour the stack was
finished. That night it rained three
fourths of an inch; the cover did so
we'll that little later placed the
same kind of covers on two other
stacks of the same size .
MIR. A. A. Berry, farmer and stock
raiser, agricultural editor of the
"Clarinda Herald" and observer for
the signal SERVICE has furnished me
with an itemized statement of the
rain fall here, which shows that since
my hay was stacked, and before the
great snowstorm of December 7, we
had a little more than twelve inches
of rain. In one night there fell two
and half inches.
Except in two places where the
covers were misplaced by the wind,
my hay is in perfect condition, just
as good as if it had been in barn.
Two of my stacks are standing I'M
touched. invite anybody who
wishes to examine them. The covers
have paid me up to date at least as
much as their cost, and seem but lit.
tie the worse. This time I fastened
on my covers by tying to them as
weights stones and fence posts. For
the next hay crop / shall sew on each
cover ten pockets of good material,
each large enough to hold say fifteen
pounds of stone, gathering the cove,
where each pocket is sewed on, ex-
cept at the corners, so it will fit the
stack closely, then the wind canno1
get hold under the covers and they
will stay right there in any gale; the
wind can get no hold on the hay, and
the stack will stand in shape till the
gale shall be strong enough to push
it over bodily. .-
Mr.. Editor, this is only a report O.
progress, l expect to continue the ex
pertinent How many more will try
p 1t carefully and reportp