SAVING HAY IN WET SEASONS

Otago Witness, Issue 3414, 20 August 1919, Page 13

SAVING HAY IN WET SEASONS

As the making of hay in the wetter districts is generally attended with difficulty, and often with absolute failure, considerable interest will be taken by farmers in the Scottish Board of Agriculture’s experiments in haymaking on the Scandinavian method. A description of this novel method follows: — As most farmers are aware, _ grass is rarely spoilt for making into good hay, even when subjected to excessive rain, if it has not yet been dried, but is still in the fresh green state. As soon, however, as it has attained the half-made stage, a little rain then damages it very much, and continuous rain soon ruins it. In Scotland this risk is reduced by putting the half-dried grass into coils, which, while allowing the grass to dry slowly, are a protection against damage from moderate showers, but rarely so against heavy or continuous rain. It is just at this stage—viz., when the grass is between the green and half-dried state —that the Scandinavian method proves itself usefid, and offers a protection unattainable by the coil or any other method known to me. In the Scandinavian system the grass

cut and turned in the usual way, until a stage is reached when the grass would bo considered, scarcely ready to coil. At this point it is gathered into rows in the usual manner by tho horse-rake, after which the treatment peculiar to tho Scandinavian method begins. If at all convenient, the rows should run into a north-east and southwesterly direction, the reason for which will be#explained later on. For each Bcwt to lOcwt of dried hay expected, there should be provided 11 stobs or poles from 6ft to Bft long and from 2in to 3:n thick. The top or young trees, thinnings of plantations, do very well, or specially sawn wood 3in by 2in may be procured, and, in a pinch, ordinary fencing stobs or sheep net posts may be used. For each set of posts a light rope, spun with a little tar, 150 ft long, weighing 2|lb, and about gin or so thick, must also be provided, and to assist in building the drying erection a stob hammer and heavy iron crowbar should also be available. To be effective, the crowbar should be sharp at the one end and double its average thickness about Ift from the point. The stobs or poles are set in the ground, in much the same way as if a wire fence were being built, only in a much less substantial manner.- By dropping the iron bar two or three times on the one spot with as much force as possible, and then, turning it round once or twice, a hole is made into which a post is easily fixed by a slight tao on the top with the stob hammer. The poles are erected in .a straight' line about 4£ft to sft apart, a stay being fixed at each end. The end of the rope is now tied to one of the end posts, about l±ft to 2ft above the ground, after which it is passed round the second post, and so on to the last, round which it is given a double hitch, so as to fix it secure. Another double hitch is puton the same post lift higher up, as a beginning for the second line of- rope, after which the rope is put aside till the bottom rope is covered with hay. Each line of holes should have two or three rows of hay as collected by the horse-rake on each side, and from these the hay should be carried in armfuls, or by .groups or forks, and thrown over the bottom rope to the. depth of 18in or so. This is best done by hand, as the fork or frraip doubles the hay too much, causing the rain to lodge in the doubled pieces. When the whole rope has been covered to th« required depth a second rope is run along- close to the hay and fixed to the stake at the opposite end, in a similar manner to the first one. As soon as this is dono another layer of loin of hay is put on, and the same course is followed by the third and fourth* ropes. When the last layer of hay is being put on the*- top rope, thfe hay is straightened out as mucn as possible in Order that the rain may the more easily be thrown off. The bottom should now be gently pulled by hand and the sides dressed with a rake, the pullirigs and raking being put on the top. The hay on this erection is so loosely built that even in the calmest and dullest 'of weather it seldom fails to dry satisfactorily, as the ropes keep the hay off the ground and prevent the layers from pressing on each other. Even in the wettest of weather, good hay may be made by this method if only blinks of sunshine can be had now and again to partially dry what may have been out one or two days before. If only small areas are cut at one time when the weather is unsuitable, and the erections are carefully built and covered, the hay will dry and keep its colour well, even although more or less rain should fall every day After hanging on the rope for two or three weeks, accordin'g to weather, the hay may be removed to the staclc or barn without the necessity of field-rickmg If, however, it is desired to use the stakes and ropes over again, the erection may only be allowed to stand a few days, when the hay will be dry enough to permit of, its being risked in the field in the usual Way. If used in this manner each set of ropes and stakes may be filled many times in tho course of a season. With a moderate crop one man can erect the stakes and put on the ropes as speedily as three or four can bring forward and build on the hay, so that the system is neither so slow nor so tedious as at first sight it may appear, for less turning and shaking out are necessary than with the ordinarv method, and no coiling or ricking is required. In exposed situations the end of the erection, or drying-rack, as it may be called, should point in the direction of the prevailing wind, otherwise it may be blown" over. If the end is to _ the wind damage will rarely result from either wind or rain. The light special ropes previously referred to need not in every case be provided, for, in an emergency, if the stakes are put a little closer, binder twine might be employed, and if carefully rolled up afterwards, it might later on be used in the harvest field.