The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1918-07-09

prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agricuiture)
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 1t 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 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
q resultant frequent breaking of vital
parts. The use of this loader, under
conditions not recommended by the
manufacturers, also has tended to lin
it 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-
vealed the fact that the hired men as
a 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
were hauled in one afternoon, but
when the owner was present ami
working on the wagon, seven loads
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
a revolving drum studded with spurs
of spring wire about six inches lone.
The other type takes up the hay Ey
means of 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, clover
and other legume hays.
The hay loader, under ordinary con-
ditions, will increase the capacity of
a crew about 80 per cent over that of
the same crew pitching the load on b.
hand forks.
The loader is valuable implement
and its saving in labor cost will be
considerable, especially on farms
where labor is scarce and expensive.
Push Rakes and Stackers.
In system three push rakes and
stackers are used. This system came
into general use a number of years
ago in the region from about the nine
tieth meridian to the irrigated sections
of the West.
A large percentage of the hay in this
part of the country is stacked; and
the comparatively large acreages
grown, plentifulness of horses, scare
ity Of farm labor and desire to make
hay with the least amount of hand Ia
Dor were incentives to the use of these
two machines.
Push rakes, also known as 'bull
rakes," ego devils" 'slip-arounds,"
consist of wheelless. two, three and
four-wheel types. They are capable
of handling from 900 pounds to ton
of hay depending upon the type, the
skill of the driver and the team.
There are several kinds of staoI,n-s