Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-12-07
NEW WAY OF BALING HAY.
Pancakes for Mules I'm south Africa
aud Philippines.
New York Tribune)
tito. $50.


The Georgia and Argentine mules which
are doing war duty i'm South Africa with
the British army, will be surprised when
they see the new style of baled hay which
will De served up 20 them as soon as the
steamship Susquehanna, Barber u Co.,
agents, gets 20 Cape Town. Three hun
bred tons were sent on the Susquehanna
recently, and il is the first shipment by
William G. BiOOmingdale. of No 80 Broad
street, Of about fOrty-dve hundred tons
ordered by the British War Department.
The baling of tho hay IS being done at
the Washburn stores, Atlantic dock in
Brooklyn, where six new machines, own
ed by the Planters Compress Com
pany, of Boston. are being used. The
machine was invented by a man named
Lowry. The hay is put up I'm bales
cylindrical IN form, about the size and
shape OF the Old-fashOned nail-keg, or.
eighteen inches high and OF the same
diameter. When baled IN this shape the
hay Is as hard as a board. The bales
weigh about 145 pounds.
What will surprise Mr. Mule will be
the way tho hay Is handed out" IT
will be in pancake form. The hay pam
cackes, or layers, which make up the
bale. are about three fourth OF an inch
thick. and as soon as the mule takes a
bite OF the pancake be will be kept chew
Ing so constantly that he Will forget an
about the bullets. Mr. Peck. who showed
the reporter the process. did not say thai
tho mules mental faculties would be en-
gagged to this extent. That is simply a
non-hay-eating laypan's own impression.
The hay I'm the pancake is so tightly
packed that as soon as the mule begins
chewing Il he VIII have the same buoyant
feeling experienced by the small boy
whose waist-band is made tight by eat.
ing died apples. The most compact bale
OF hay put up by the old style requires
about 100 cubic feet OF space per ton.
This new tangled Georgia mule hay takes
UP only fifty cubic feet space per ton.
rather singular combination of cir
cumstances Is afforded at the baling
plant in Brooklyn. The contractor. Mr..
Bloomingdale. is using Canadian hay.
baled IN tho old square fashion. ia Cana
da- The old bales are torn 10 pieces and
fed Into the top OF the six new compress
ors. About half the product OF the Brook
lyn plant goes 10 South Africa for use
IN tho army which IS lighting the Beers.
while the other half goes 10 Manila for
use by Lawton and MacArthur's cavalry.
I'VE are compresJonists when II comes
10 baling hay. but we're expansi0nists
when Il comes 10 selling IT," said Mr..
Peck. "The good thing about this new
bale Is that mule can carry two ll2-
pound bales. and after he is fed of them
for two or three days, there's enough left
Tor cavalryman 70 use as miniature
rampant Tho hay is packed 80 tight that
bullet wouldn't go far into II. 4 mule
can carry only one of the las pound bales
The greater number OF bales shipped 10
South Africa weight li2 pounds. the Eng
ish hundredweieht
a rather remarkable fact IN conncc-
.AlA with this process or baliug was dis
S<~red by accident You see where the
ssS0 goes into the machine through four
sAortised hoics. about the thickness OF the
hanoY Well. the frictional heat caused by
the drawing OF the hay through those