Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1918-08-27

prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture
There are four distinct systems of
making hay, each of which is divided
In actual practice into several meth
DDS. Loading by hand is the oldest
system and the one most generally
used In the older hay-growing sections
of the East. Its retention in these sec
tons Is due largely to the fact that
1t requires a minimum amount of
equipment, which makes it particular
ly suited to farms where only linn
tied acreage of hay is grown.
The equipment required includes
only moving machine, rake, pitchfork.
wagon and rack, and, in most cases,
unloading apparatus such as hay forks
or sings.
Nearly everyone Is familiar with
this system, which consists merely Of
pitching the hay on the wagon with
hand forks and hauling to stack or
barn, where 1t is. either pitched off
by hand or unloaded with horse forks
or sings.
While 1t can be used under almost
any conditions, this system involves
large amount of irksome hand labor,
and for this reason, as well as the
greater expense Of labor, it should be
replaced by some other system when
ever practicable.
Loading With Hay Loader.
The second system consists of load
Ing the hay with hay loader. This
method is used most largely In the
timothy and clover hay area. 1t is
used to a certain extent in New York
and Pennsylvania, and to a greater
extent In Ohio, Indiana and Iowa.
In some localities there exists
prejudice against the loader. The
first leaders put on the market were
= not mechanically perfect, and there
fore did not always give satisfaction,
and the delay caused by break-downs
Influenced many to abandon their use.
Moreover. the loader often has been
used on uneven or stony ground, with
resultant frequent breaking of vital
parts. The use of this loader, under
conditions not recommended by the
manufacturers, also has tended to lin
II its popularity.
Another, and perhaps the most i'm
portant, reason for the loader not be-
Ing used more generally is that to use
1t economically the men on the wagon
must work very hard while the load
/, Is being put on. A study of the use
of the loader in several states has re-
yealed the fact that the hired men as
q rule do not like to work on the load
er, and for this reason push rakes and
stackers have supplanted it on some
, farms In the middle West.
! On one farm it was noticed that
, when the owner was absent five loads
4 were hauled In one afternoon, but
| when the owner was present and
r. working on the wagon, seven loads
e were taken from the field in the same
! length of time.
: At present there are two types OF
leaders. One picks up the hay with
revolving drum studded with spurs
of spring wire about six inches long
The other type takes up the hay by
means of a forklike arrangement fas
tened to long wooden or steel arms
The bed of the carrier is now made
solid, so that there is little likelihood
of losing leaves from alfalfa, Glove
and other legume hays.
The hay loader under ordinary con
:, ditions, will increase the capacity o
!. a crew about 80 per cent over that o
e the same crew pitching the load on b,
{ hand forks.
The loader is valuable implement
and its saving in labor cost will b
4 considerable, especially on farm
q where labor is scarce and expensive.
g Push Rakes and Stackers.
l. In system three push rakes ant
l. stackers are used. This system cam
It into general use number of year
IS ago In the region from about the nine
T. tieth meridian to the irrigated section
= of the West.
= A large percentage Of the hay in thi
y part of the country Is stacked; an
; the comparatively large acreage
grown, plentifulness of horses, scare
ity Of farm labor, and desire to max
hay with the least amount of hand Ii
Dor were incentives to the use of thes
two machines.
Push rakes, also known as 'bu
u rakes," ego devils" "slip-arounds,
consist of wheelless, two, three an
e four-wheel types. They are capabl
Of handling from 800 pounds to a to
d Of hay, depending upon the type. tn
a skill of the driver and the team.
There are several kinds of stacker
the overshot and swing-around bein
1 the most common. Homemade stacl
9. ers are of various kinds, such as "gil
4 poles" derrick stackers of diffareI