New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-12-06
NEW WAY OF BALING HAY
PANCAKES FOR THE MULES IN THE
SOUTH AFRICAN AND PHILIP
PINE WARS.

The Georgia and Argentine mules which are
doing war duty in South Africa with the British
Army will be surprised when they see the new
style OF baled hay which will be served up 10 them
the steamship Susquehanna Barber
Co.. agents, gets 10 Cape Town. Three hundred
tons were sent on the Susquehanna recently. and
It Is the first shipment by William c. Blooming
dale. OF No o. Broad-st.. Of about fortyfive hum
dred tons ordered by the British War Department
The balng of the hay Is being done at the
Washburn Stores Atlantic Dock, In Brooklyn,
where six new machines owned by the Planters
Compress Company. OF Boston, being used
The machine was invented by man named Lowry.
The hay Is put up In bales cylindrical In form, about
the size and shape OF the old fashioned 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 one hundred and
forty five pounds.
What will surprise Mr. Mule will be the way the
hay is handed out" II will be in pancake form
The hay pancakes, or layers which make up the
bale are about three fourths OF an Inch thick and
as soon the mule takes a bite Of the pancake he
will be kept chewing constantly that he will for
get all about the bullets. NJ Peck. who showed
the reporter the process did say that the mules
mental faculties would be engaged 10 this extent.
That is simply non-hayeating layman's own inn
preston. The hay in the lcake Is so tightly
packed that. soon the mule begins chewing
It he will have the same buoyant feeling expert
enced by the small boy whose waistband is made
tight by eating dried apples The most compact
bale of hay put up by the old style requires about
hundred and sixty cubic feet space per This
new tangled Georgia mule hay takes up only ff.y
cubic feet space per ton.
rather singular combination OF circumstances
is afforded al the baling plant In Brooklyn. The
contractor, Mr. Bloomingdale. Is using Canadian
hay, baled In the old fashion, In Canada.
The old bales are torn 10 pieces and fed into the
top OF the six new cOmpressors. About half the
product of the Brooklyn plant goes TO South Africa
for use In the army which is fighting the Beers,
while the other half goes to Manila for use by Law
ton and MacArthur's cavalry.
I'VE are compassionate when 1t comes to baling
ing IT," said Mr.. Peck. The good thing about
this new bale is that mule can carry two III
pound bales and after he is fed off them for two
three days there's enough left for a cavalry
man to use a miniature rampant. The hay Is
packed 20 tight that n bullet wouldn't go far into
II. mule can carry only one OF. the lt5 pound
bales The greater number OF bales shipped 10
South Africa weigh ll2 pounds. the English hum
dredweght.
"A rather remarkable fact In connection with
this process of bang discovered by accident.
You where the hay goes into the machine
through four mortised holes about the thickness or
the hand? Well. the frctiona heat caused by
the drawing OF the hay through those holes keeps
the whole top OF the compressor hot. AS the hay
passes thrcI-h the heat fuses the juices In the
timothy an over and makes the whole layer or
one OF these compressors to hay in its loose state.
on account OF its aromatic properties
Whether Mr.. Pecks theory IS correct or not. the
fact remains that the heated 1ay yielded de-
lIghtful fragrance the old storehouse where the
work IL being carried on.