Morgan County democrat. (Versailles, Mo.) 1900-1906, 1904-08-12
HAY CROP OF NEW YORK.
Value Of the Harvest in the City Alone
Ii Estimated at Fifty Thou
sand Dollars.

New York City'B hay crop, public AND
private, which IL now being harvested.
must be worth fully "A million OF dol
lars.
The city alone harvcsts hay from the
nan hundred acres Of park land. and
the crop must be worth AT least $4,000,
though the park department receives
no such price for It, aayB the Sun.
All over the upper part of Tho Bronx
and In other acmi-rural borOughs. es-
pcciaIly the bnrOuEhB Of Richmond and
Queens. haying occupies Il considcra-
bic number of the inhabitants In tho
last week of June and the first week Of
July. The abundant rains Of some
weeks ago In effect mad" the crop. and
hay ID running from one and II half 10
three tons to the acre.
Iiaying gives the suburban rcRiona a
new touch of the country. Even where
there are no actual farming operations
going On there is usually some ono
with "A mower. often the worse for
wear, ready to cut hay for HIS neigh
boris.
a good deal Of the city hay crop Is
'iN ~ 'i' i''H1llIlIl'h llipli
The cradle, Ike the horse car, has per-
sisted In New York, although IT. excitcs
ridlcule IN the real country. Much OF
the local hay crop rs cut with scytheS.
and even the sickle is occasionally
used.
IT is often hard for the local hay
grower to find n skilled haymakcr. and
wages are 80 high in the suburbs that
haying lis not profitable. Some suburb
antics who own acres Of hay finds that
IT barely pays to cut II store tho
crop.
For this reason most OF the local
hay crop Ia sold standing at hbsurdly
low prices. Half II dozen charitable or
Institutions in The Bronx, with large
grounds upon which hay grows. arc
glad to turn It over 10 friends or neigh
boris at nominal rates.
In Hpmc Huch cnsra all sorts Of per-
SONS. men. wOin"u and children. arc
pressed INTO service nj the harvest, and
there arc even E%lcnncrH. as in old
Scrlpturnl times. who follow the hay
makers about the fields to gather n 1T
tie harvest Of their " Up ut Wake
field the other day there worked In q
HIEglc hay field n policeman. the wifo
Of II nclHhbOrInE shOplcopcr. several
hired haymakcrB and Il Tiny four-y"ar-
old volunteer, II chubby. black-cycd 1T
tie rid In an immense straw hat. who
mantnlly turned the hay with a full
crown wooden rake.
Suburban hnymnking Is sometimes
made The excuse for n frollc and picnic
TO which urban friends are invited.
Then you may zee merry girls In smart
Gowns and rough straw hats playing nj
harvesting. The picnic ends In "A sup
with n prOfuslon OF sights and sounds
and odorB that create tho Illusion OF
The real country.
In some Of the rcmotcr parts ~ The
; Bronx the serious hay harvest ~ that
Of the Stat marshes, where men with
acylhca and cradles venture far out
upon the tidal plains and gather n rank
crop, which is valued not only IN "a
food for beasts. but II much used by
The market gardeners OF the region for
mulchlng.
Part OF the crop rs usually stored all
winter long upon bits Of fast land. and
nothing gives the wlntry landscape OF
the mhrshcs 40 warm n suggestion Of
Hnmmc M these amber mounds
smooth. soft aud drllciouBly rich in
tone. melting into the general Coloring
Of the level Bhorn grass.