The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1919-09-05

ly lessening the danger of injury to
hay due to bad weather.
AS power to drive hay presses, the
pelling, has been almost enrlrely super
pelling, has ben almost entirely super
seded by the gasoline Or kerosene en-
gine. With gas engine there is no
need for an engineer and water
hauler. A few owners employ an en-
glneer when doing custom baling
with fast-working crew, because he
keeps the engine 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 account of
breakdown, and in such cases engi-
neers are not often employed. Usually
one ofthe press crew looks after the
engine when it requires attention.
On farms where tractors are used, of
the tractor is not needed for other es-
sential work when it is time to bale
hay the belt power press should or
dinarily be used, since it costs less
than the motor press and since it
would not be good business to use
motor press while a tractor stands
idle.
In northeastern Oklahoma special
lists of the United States Department
! of Agriculture ascertained that the
average life of a power press was 14h
years. Power presses were used an
average Of At days year and baled
| 1000 tons a year, or total OF IA, 800
tons. The repairs amounted to about
2 cents a ton baled, and the total MAJ
chinery charges, including repairs, in
terest, and replacement charges,
amounted to about 712 cents a ton.
In the alfalfa belt of the south it was
found that the average life of a power
press was 1212 years, in which it baled
total of $500 tons of hay. 1t was
used about Al days a year. The re-
pairs amounted to 31a cents a ton
paled, and the total machinery charges
including repairs, interest, and re-
placement charges, amounted to.
about Is cents ton. That the cost
of repairs for power presses was.
higher in the alfalfa district was
partly due to the fact that many press
owners had had little experience with
hay presses; partly to carelessness on
the part of laborers, and partly to the
condition Of the hay, as tough" hay
is hard on the press. A good belt
power press can be purchased for
from about $400 to 5000. The motor
presses equipped with engine cost
from about $500 to $500, depending
upon the make and type.
The size Of bale that press makes
sometimes has great effect on the
selling price Of the hay. On some
markets the difference in selling price
between hay in large bales and that
in small bales is considerable. The
successful grower OF market hay
keeps informed as to just what the
market, to which he ships his hay,
demands in type, size, and weight Of
bale. Some Feeders object TO lightly
baled hay. They believe cnat the ''lite'
is pressed out Of such bales. Some
prefer the large, loosely pressed
bales, believing that the hay in them
has greater 1eedlng value than that
in small, heavily pressed bales. Oc-
| casionlly small Dales are desired on
GCCOullU VI Vic CclSC Will W1llSlL OA1S
1 man can handle them or because it is
easy to detect the presence of spoiled
5 hay in them. 10 realize the greatest
{ possible profit from the sale of his
hay the hay grower must put his hay
) into bale that will meet the feeders
J ideas rather than his own.
In shipping baled hay it frequently
!; happens that it is not possible to load
to even the minimum weight with
: lightweight bales if the Car is of the
! older and smaller type. In some in
stances it is impossible to load the
minimum weight into car with bales
weighing from go to 10 pounds,
whereas if the same-sized bale con-
tanned from 80 to 100 pounds this
difficulty would not be experienced.