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

| 100 tons.
| My experience shows that curing under
| shelter not only produces a better quality
| Of hay. but that 1t Is more satisfactory
| In every respect.
| Some OF the main objections to the old
| way Of piling the hay In cocks in the
field and curing 1t there were that after
/ the vines were cut the ground could not
| be Immediately planted with winter
grain crop Another was that cattle
+, and stock could not be turned In imme-
| diately fog two months grazing. Another
| was mat the rains damaged some part or
| every stack OF hay. The most important
| objection OF all was that by raklng the
hay into windroWs and then into small
! cocks and then into larger ones and then
| stacking and afterwards hauling to the
barn ! he vines were handled so frequently
that many Of the leaves and PODS feli
| on, and besioes very great ana unneces-
| sary labor was expended In these lnnn-
merable landings Under the method
which / have pursued the vines are cut
| and ralked into indrows and then hauled
direct to the barn. This is all the hand
ling they have except baling. BY this
method the falling leaves and waste OF
hay Is practically nothing.
| The main advantage Obtained by curing
| In a barn and under shelter is the free
| circulation of air and l have found that
! peavines really cure quicker and better
| by the circulation of air than they 90
by the rays of the sun. The air is bet
| ter and quicker than the sun, but II IS
, best, nevertheless. ! think, that every
| cutting should have at least few hours
| OF sun.
The object being to afford free a cir
| culation of air possible. and to cure
| the hay with about one-haH the iapor
usually employed the barn and shelters
were constructed in this way: The main
barn was built | ! 2 feet from the ground
on rock pillars, and the flooring put IN
with spaces of an men between each
plank The barn was built nigh with
loft there being / feet between the bot
tom floor and the loft floor. The loft was
about feet high on the sides and about
5 feet to the top of the gables. Inc
flooring of the loft was left loose so as
to afford the freest circulation Of air until
the bottom part of the barn and the shell
tiers were filled then the loft was used az
far as necessary for the balance OF the
crop. There was big Siding door Al each
end of the bar. 10 by 10 feet, and one on
either side by 6, and one on either
gable end, by 6. The sides OF the barn
We're 50 arranged that part of the upright
Weather boarding could be temporarily
taken out. leaving an open space from one
end of the barn TO the other Oh or 4
feet. These planks could be placed back
when the barn IS TO be used for other
purposes. and this arrangement may be
made in dozens of ways, the sides NAV be
left out entirely The object Of these
air and also to allow the hay wagons
to drive under the shelters either side
OF the barn and unload into the barn
through these openings This would
save a great deal Of labor. because If the
hay must be thrown in at the end of the
barn another man or two would have to
handle It on the inside to get IT on the
racks
on either side of the barn an open shcl-
ter was built attached TO the barn about
2 feet high at its lowest point by IL
feet wide by so feet long. found that
barn constructed in this way afforded the
very largest amount OF air circulation
constantly going on through the cracks
and doors
I'p and down the center Of the barn
were two rows of studding. or uprlghts,
between the bottom and the loft floors.
the two rows being / 0 feet apart and each
upright being about feet from the
other This made three aisles. two on
either side about 10 feet and in the md
die about % feet. BY mailing on these
uprights across to the uprlghts on the side
walls piece Of plank by about every
feet upwards and then. by placing
across these braces and AT right angles to
them and lengthwise to the barn small
strips Of timber or skinned pine poles,
skeleton floors were made on either side
Of the barn. The braces must be az
strong as by AZ or they will not support
the great weight Of the hay. The poles or
strips out Of which the skeleton hoorlng
Is made need not be very large, provided
| they average by inches. found that
by throwing hay on these skeleton f0ors
W and down both sides alternately, put
ting on q new floor just above the other
one, as each one was filled the nay was
| cured rapidly and I'm a most successful
| manner Ii was necessary to make only
! three or four floors on each side which
| floors being about feet apart. would
reach as high as the hay could be con
venienty thrown. BY filing up one side
| first the shelter on that side would no
1~
then that shelter could be used just as the
inside of the barn. Under the shelters the
vines were thrown flat on the ground tor
I ab0ut feet high. Slanting to the front to
shed the rain. Canvas or cloth pieces
could be laid on the edges also to keep
off tho rain. A u inch Dashboard around
the bottom of the posts kept the ram
from running under the shelter. Skeleton
floors were built on the posts of the shell
ter and across to the barn In the same
way as described except that would
not be SO particular about 1t under the
shelter and in many instances would
simply prop up the hay by putting slant
ing pieces of plank against the side OF
I the barn and against the posts and the
cross pieces. Hay cures even quicker I'M
der shelter than in the barn.
| nv working it this way and depositing
several wagon loads of hay under one
| shelter and then under the other, and on
| one side OF the barn inside and then on
! the other and finally by hllTg In the
middle aisle OF the main barn starting
| NJ the center and coming backwards to
| one end and then to the other, ana by
using the loft some. II was found that
| the hay could be stored fully as fast as it
| could be cut ana hauled. Most of 1t lay
| In the swath for ak or eight hours. was
| then raked into windows and almost inn
| mediately hauled
At first. however, was very careful
! that the bottom layers Of hay, say or 4
! feet high should be very well cured;
! In fact the first hay I cut was allowed
| TO stay in the sun two full days After
! that was not so particular and hauled
| almost as | pleased. The remarkable
! thing about II was that none of the nay
| got hot and none OF IL sweated. The CIR
! culation Of air seemed to cure it In a few
days.
There was one caution. however, which
| ! observed very carefully. No vines were
ever cut until o'clock In the morning
! when they were thoroughly dry from the
| dew and | never cut any vines that did
! not have at least one-half of the pods
| from Colonel J. NJ. Thornton. of Ala
bama, and it Is good one. He gave
me a third one. which, however. I found
unnecessary If you use the rack system l
| have described, and that was, never to
put vines IN a barn that were not thor
oughiy wilted 1 put q great many of
! them in the barn THAI were not thor
| oughly wilted but such were always put
| on the skeleton floors where they had
plenty OF air.
The hay which had already been cured
! in the barn had such q good effect on the
green vines put in afterwards that the