The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1920-08-12

Otner crop. Ine time lOr iiuiNtStihb
is comparatively short. Other crops
require attention at the same time.
And the weather is to be reckoned
with. This year, when farm labor all
over the country is very scarce, the
difficulties of haymaking will be much
greater, and larger quantities of hay
will be lost than usual-unless labor
saving methods are more generally
employed.
A great deal of labor is wasted ev-
cry year during hay harvest. say spe-
cialists of the United States depart
ment of agriculture, not because OF
actual idleness on the part of the
workers, but because labor Is expended
unnecessarily on operations that do
not utilize IL to the best advantage.
II an old method can be superseded by
n new one that will enable the same
number of men to accomplish more
work in the same length of time, or
fewer men to accomplish the same
work in the same length of time, 1t
will mean more hay saved, more profit
to the farmer and better condition
for the country.
Shift Burden From Man to Horse.
Although there is a scarcity of man
labor, there are still plenty Of horses
on most farms, and herein largely lies
the solution Of the problem. On farms
where considerable hay is grown meth
ods must be adopted by which the
greater part of the heavy labor is done
by horses. This will necessitate the
general use of certain types Of labor
saving machinery. some of them not
so common in the East, which have
been thoroughly tested and proved sat
isfactory In the western part of the
United States. The small hay grower,
however, need not make very heavy
investment in new haying apparatus,
for by rearranging the working of his
crew and using n little more horse
labor for the hard work he can add
considerably to the efficiency OF his
crew.
Here are some suggestions made by
the specialists for avoiding waste or
, labor In haymaking:
Do not run two or more mowers
close together. If the front mower
has any trouble that causes II to stop,
all of the mowers usually wait while
| repairs are made on one. There Is a
tendency, also, for drivers to waste
too much time talking when they stop
occasionally to let the teams rest. A
good practice when two or more ma
chimes are used is for each driver to
Law off "land" for himself and work
independently, so there will he no in
reference from other machines.
Side Delivery Rake Is Best.
Do not turn hay by hand. 1t is too
costly. The cheapest and most efii-
cient way of stirring hay In the wind
row Is with a two-horse tedder One
man will do more work than II men
stirring with hand forks. 1t Is not
even necessary TO have man to run
the tedder. A boy big enough to drive
team will do just as much work.
A one-horse rake operated by n
man makes raking very costly. A
two-horse sulky rake is better, but the
side-delivery rake is best. When cur
ing is done IN the swath and hay
loader is used. the crew can start
taking the hay from the windrow as
soon as the side delivery has made one
double windrOw across the field. II
the sulky rake is used, the crew vii
have TO wait until the rake has gone
several times across the field. In this
matter the extent of the haying opera
tions has to be considered, of course
On very small farms the use of the
side-delivery rake might not b'
economy.
II the weather Is clear and the ha,
Is I'm proper condition, there Will be M
necessity for hay-caps or for furthe
labor till the hay is thoroughly cure'
and ready to be hauled. But hay-cap
will pay for themselves In one yea
when the weather Is bad. They ar
more especially needed with clover
! alfalfa and pea vines, all of whicl
cure slowly.
III hay is to be punched. the ham
method is too expensive. A two-hors
sulky rake can bunch 80 acres or NOR
day and boy can drive II just a
; well as n man. Even more labor GU
be saved. however, by using the pus
rake to bunch hay after II has bee
raked into the windrow. 1t Is goo
plan to have two men working tt
: gether TO round up the punches. sine
more can be accomplished than whe
each works alone.
II is waste of time to pitch ha
onto small hayrack on n higi
. wheeled wagon. Use large hayrac
op a iow-wheeled wagon.
Loading hay with pltchforks is tn
hardest, slowest and most expensiv
way. The men are working constan
", but the horses are doing nothin
most of the time. II loader Is use'