The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1919-09-19

cICie, tuFfS AROUND, ana pulls the
lever to the other side, n charge of hay
being pressed for each half circle. This
type is easily portable and is always
ready for work. since it is not neces-
sary to take off the wheels or lower
them from the ground to the axle or
to stake the front end of the press.
1t has a smaller hour capacity than
the continuous-travel press and re-
qulreS a well-trained team TO operate
it to capacity.
Large Growers Use Power.
Large hay growers and shippers who
buy and bale large quantities of hay
generally use power presses. These
are In common use in sections where
the usual practice is TO bale hay from
the windrow or the cock, such as the
alfalfa and Johnson grass and prairie
Kay sections of the South. They are
sometimes used in preference to the
two-horse type on alfalfa and Johnson
grass hay farms, even where the hay
acreage is comparatively small, say
from so to IS acres, for the reason that
they will bale hay about twice as fest
as II could be done with twO-horse
press, thereby greatly lessening the
danger of injury tc hst due to bad
weather.
AS power to drive hay presses. the
steam engine, portable or self-pro-
polling, has been almost entirely SUI
perseded by the gasoline or kerosene
engine. With gas engine there is no
need for an engine and water haul
er. A few owners employ an engineer
when doing custom baling with q fast
working crew, because he keeps the en-
CINE going and saves expensive loss Of
time on the part of the press crew.
When the crew IS hired by the ton the
men are not paid for time lost on ac-
count of q breakdown. and in such
cases engineers are not often en-
ployed. Usually one of the press
crew looks after the engine when it re-
quires attention. On farms where
tractors are used, if the tractor is not
needed for other essential work when it
is time TO bale hay, the belt power
press should ordinarily be used. since
1t costs less than the motor press, and
since 1t would not be good business TO
use motor press while a tractor
stands idle.
Thorough discussion is also given in
this government publication to the inn
portant features of power presses. the
difference between the light-duty and
heavy duty presses, the longevity of
the press, as well as facts about the
economic operation of these presses.
The capacity of the press depends, to
a large extent. upon the skill of the
crew operating IT. The average power
press should bale from 20 to 80 tons
in a 10-hour day. The capacity of a
power press under average conditions
is about twice that of a two-horse
C-esS
According TO Investigations of the
United States department of agricul-
rure the cost Of baling prairie hay from
The windrow, with the power press,
to 9S cents a ton. while the
cost of baling with a 2-horse press
was s1.67. In the alfalfa and John
son grass belt of the South the cost
vas 20 cents for baling with the pow
ar press from the cock and S1.04 for
oallng with the horse press.
The prewar price charged by custom
,alers vas from $3.50 to 50 a ton
When the minimum rate was charged
he hay grower was sometimes re-
luired to furnish enough pitchers TO
leliver the hay TO the feeder. In some
Instances the hay grower also boarded
he crew. Within the last year or two |
he rate for baling hay has been con-
;iderably increased. A charge of from
f~ /
n many sections at present. This |
,rice may or may not include the cost |
# the wire and of getting hay TO the |
,reSs.
Economy Of Buying a Press.
The ACCESSIBILITY Of buying a hay |
,ress depends upon the amount OF |
lay TO be baled yearly, the likelihood |
# being able to obtain a crew when |
leeded and the rate charged by those |
making a business of doing custom bal |
ne. Whether it will pay the grower
he total cost of baling. including la
or. repairs interest and depreciation,
S less than the rate charged by the
ustom baler.
The practice Of baling hay directly
rom the windrow or cock originated
q the semiarid West, where the wealth
r does not often interfere with hay
baking. This method has also spread
0 the alfalfa and johnson grass land
reas of the South. where the wealth
r often is unfavorable- 1t is popu-
lr because it saves labor as COM |
AIRED with stacking or putting bay
lto the barn. For instance, in Kansas
nd Nebraska 1t requires about IL
ian hours and / horse hour to put
on of hay into the stack with a stack
r after 1t has been brought to the
tack with a push rake. The cost of
abor for stacking alone. during 1918,
,as about go cents ton This work
) entirely eliminated when hay Is
aled from the field, the saving of la
or being much greater In sections
here 1t Is customary to handle hay
' hand. Growers are able TO extend
ne hay-making season by baiing part
( their hay from the windrow durins
ropitious weather and stacking u
Gliding the baling until the rush a
= ! r. !