The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1903-11-02

nay on the top layers seemed to cure al
most IN day or two. When the green
vines cut and exposed to the sun JUS
a Few hours are put in the center arse
of the main barn. being thus surrounded
on an sizes with well cured nay. llies
seem 10 me to cure even quicker, IL pos
slDle. than that | consider the rack
system SO sure one and satisfactory
,hat experimental in one corner Oh lie
narn with some peas where the vines ana
the podS We're both green. | cut IL oht
morning and hauled 1t up the next ana
stacked 1t on the skeleton floors aoou,
two-thlrds of the way up and 1t cureu
perfectly in about Ave or six days.
fou may say that this Is costly way
OIL curing nay This barn did not cost d
great deal of money 1t successt MY
cured about twelve or fifteen hundred d"I,
lars worth of hay, and could have put
several tons more under one Of the snrl
ters and some little more In the loft, BE
SIDES everybody is not going to cure such
a large quantity ana would only need d
very small shelter closed on one of the
long sides. preferably the side towards
the west and tho northwest. from whence
most of the summer rains come. man
can build shelter to cure five or zen
tons Of hay that Will cost him only re"
dollars; besides, he can cut all the mate
rial necessary on his own farm except
possibly the roofing and know that the
extra value Of the hay thus cured WI
more than pay for the expense OF inc
shelter the very first year. In addltloh
TO this he then has shelter or parh
which he can use for cattle In the Witt
and for other storage and for many pul
poses. The cost Of the lumber LOT mah-
ing the racks and skeleton floors was very
lnconsldera BILE. The only lumber a man
would have to buy after his barn OF snti
ter IS built would be the iX4S or me
2x4 timber for his cross pieces or braces
Almost any kind of pieces of strips would
do for the skeIeton floors and one or lhe
best things IS small skinned pine sapNheS
Another thing | forgot to state aoou'
the curing process was THIS: by ieaV ~,
the space between the main floor ana ing
first skeleton floor vacant at frst' anu
by beginning to put hay on the ilrst shel
eton floor instead Of the main moor, wv
advantages are gained. In the lirst piaco
opportunity Is left for the air TO coihc
up from under The floor. and in the sec,
ond place In very few days the stnan
pieces can be pulled out from uhoer tne
hay and used on top thus affordllg mo- .
space at the top for new hay ana az .,io
same time permitting a second use OF .ne
poles II II man should build ms palh
more than thirty feet wide. would ad-
wise that he have a driveway through
the center Of it.
1t is not necessary TO build a new barn
for the purpose. Any old barn or shelter
already on the place can be used ABOUT az
we'll The loft does not seem 10 De ol
much use, because 1t Is so difficult 10 pun
the hay up that high. Perhaps with
to advantage
AS an evidence of how we'll and how
quickly this hay was cured, it is now be-
ing baled some Of IT within three weeks
Of the day 1t was cut.
| had heard of methods similar TO TINS
of curing hay and expected 1t TO do Well
but the thing that surprised me was the
remarkably quick manner in winch the
vines cured under the influence or air ana
how much quicker they cured this way
than under the influence of the sun. one
OF the main advantages gained by the
use of the skeleton floors besides the Tree
access of air is that the pressure is anSo-
lutely taken off of the hay and each sue
cesSve floor starts new point Of sup
port Another advantage to be gained by
this method is that hay is cured III JUST
about half the time and with Just apoul
half the labor It takes to cure 1t IN the
field
There is nothing original in this plan;
IT Ia a combination OF the ideas OF Colonei
Redding. of the Georgia experiment $40
ton; Colonel j. NJ Thornton, or lallade-
on Ala. Mr. Duggar, Of the Auburn.
Ala station. and Mr.. Bush LuinSueh oI
Macon Ga.
Comment-The above excellent paper
was furnished for this department. on
request of the editor, by a very prominent
gentleman who operates fine farm near
Macon. Ga / VIII only remark that the
mast season was one in which cowpea
vines could be saved by almost any pro-
coes And. again. when one-half the pods
arc ,,tDo at the time of moving the vines
Tho vines are much more easily cured,
INF the hav IL not so good as when MADE
from vines cut earlier. / am mucH
obliged for the article and commend II 10
the reading OF farmerS