The Charleston advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1894-189?, 1894-07-01
HAY SHEDS.

HAY SHEDS.
1t is about the time Of year that we should, as
the old prophets used to do, take up our parable
on the subject of providing shedding for hay.
It seems to US an absolute waste of raw m aterial
to own land, fence it, pay taxes on it, grow
great crops of grass, buy machinery, furnish the
labor and convert it into hay, and then stack the
hay in the open field. We do not believe stack
was ever built in the United States which did
not waste from twelve to twenty per cent. of the
hay, and in many osses from twenty five to
thirty; nor do we believe that the man lives who
twelve per cent. The waste comes not from any
apparent spelling of the hay, but from the fact
that the heating, which is inevitable, will cause
moisture to settle on the outside during the
night, and this moisture will discolor and de-
stroy the feeding value of the entire outside of
the hay. stack and the smaller the stack and
the greater proportion Of the surface exposed,
compared with the quantity of hay, the greater
will be tho waste.
Then comes the danger of settling to one side
or the other, and thus inviting the rains of
heaven inside the danger of the top being
blown off by Winds the waste of hauling from
the stack to the barn the waste which comes
from cutting stack in two, or leaving the bot
tom exposed to the SHOWS of winter, and the ag-
gregste of all this waste is something enormous
We do not pretend to say that these losses can
be avoided by using hay shed, for nothing
short of barn will prevent some exposure, and
even the top layer of hay in NOW, no matter
how well covered, will be more or less damaged
by the moisture condensing on the hay when
undergoing heating and becoming discolored.
By far the greatest percentage Of this loss,
however, can be avoided by the construction of
hay sheds.
We have often described in a general way how
these can be built and do not care to enter into
more than general description, for the reason
that with general plan given every farmer who
has enterprise sufficient to secure q hay shed at
all can plan one for himself better than nybody
else can explain it for him. We have found
twenty by forty and sixteen feet high to be q
and eight by eight for the posts, and prefer the
former size. Thirteen feet is sufficient width
apart for the posts, and a moments reflection
will enable any one to see that for shed Of the
size mentioned but ten posts will be required.
Where pine is used, it is better to get the posts
sixteen feet long, and bolt them to oak posts
set in the ground three or four feet, 80 that the
oak posts, when rotted, can be replaced without
damage to The shed.
These posts can be tied together by four cross
timbers, but the one at the end which the hay
goes in should be at least two feet below the top
of the posts 80 as to allow the horse fork full of
hay full swing in passing in. Sixteen. foot
boards will roof each side of this shed They
can be battened, if necessary, but if the lumber
be reasonably dry it will not shrink enough to
do any particular damage. Some farmers, in
fact, prefer not to batten, and allow the boards
to cup by mailing four inches from either side of
the board, 80 that the water falling on the edge
little water flows into these sheds when the
roofs are unbattened. We prefer, however, to
batten.
The horse fork can be used, the track being
suspended from the roof, as in barn, and the
inconvenience of the two inside Gross pieces In
barn of the above size can be avoided by putting
the hay in in sections, and taking care not to let
quantities Of it lie across the Cross pieces. A
shed of this kind can be brsoed without Gross
pieces, but not without more or less waste Of
space