Essentials in Good Haymaking

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 65, Issue 5, 16 November 1942, Page 261

Essentials in Good Haymaking

Haymaking causes more worry, anxiety and disappointment than practically all other farm operations. The time for harvesting is compara- — l ._, tively short, and haymaking cannot be postponed | without a consequent loss of quality and quantity. On a dairy farm routine work takes up so much

! of the day that little time remains for this work. I Labour is not only scarce, but expensive. And !«_<>«».<>«.<>«. there is the weather to be considered, a factor which has a very important bearing on quality and over which the farmer has no control.

THERE is probably no other farm operation today in which system and efficiency count for more than in haymaking; yet, throughout the dairying districts, even where up-to-date machinery is used by some farmers, more or less haphazard methods of making hay are common. During the haymaking season, a large amount' of labour is wasted annually. On some farms this amounts to little, but on many others the loss is serious. Wasted labour does not necessarily mean idleness, but wrong methods, inefficient management, and improper and inefficient machinery. If

By

E. H. ARNOLD,

Instructor in Agriculture, Dargaville.

a current practice allows labour to be expended unnecessarily on operations which do not utilise the labour to best advantage, then that method should be abandoned and replaced by a new one. Improved methods, together with proper and efficient, i.e., well repaired, equipment mean more work accomplished at reduced costs. More mechanical and horse labour used ensures

more rapid and easier work and often a big saving in the hay secured during unfavourable weather. It is quite unnecessary for the small farmer to make a heavy investment in new haymaking equipment; but the pooling of suitable and available machinery in co-operation with neighbouring farmers, an increased use of horse labour, and better working methods will mean more work accomplished at a reduced cost, than if each individual farmer attempted to save his own few acres of hay. It is not only the making available of suitable equipment that is necessary, but the reduction of hand labour to a minimum and the restriction of hand labour to those essential operations that cannot be performed by machines or horses. Care of Machinery If it is possible to bring about an aggregation of equipment by means of co-operation- among neighbouring farmers, it is also essential, that prior . to the commencement of the haymaking season, all machinery be carefully overhauled. At the same • time, there can be laid down a stock of those spare parts so necessary when minor breakdowns occur. Mowers should be kept in good repair, especially if operated by those

who know very little about machinery. The most important thing is to see that the knife bar is lined up correctly in order to prevent breaking knife-bars. The proper adjustments should be made carefully, so that a clean job results in the field. ' The edges of the knife sections and the ledger plates should be in actual contact, just as must be the edges of a pair of scissors. To keep down the draught -of the mower, to eliminate side-draught, to avoid ragged cutting, and to prevent grass hanging on the knife, the sections of the knife must centre on the fingers. This means that when the knife is at the end of its outward stroke, each section should lie in the centre of a finger, and similarly when at the end of the inward stroke; further, the blade should move so that each section travels to and fro between the centre lines of a pair of fingers. It is a good practice to commence mowing in the morning with at least two sharp knives, a good knife seldom remains sharp after two hours’ work. The extra knives can be used when the other becomes blunt, -or may replace broken ones. The best sharpener is the grindstone, using plenty of water to keep the sections cool during grinding. The emery wheel or the file may have to be used; but dry sharpening is liable to destroy the temper of the

knife metal. Mowers should be oiled frequently, as oil makes the machine run easier and last longer.

Mowing Practice Considerable differences of opinion

exist as to when is the best time of the day to cut hay. Some never cut when the grass is wet, others start mowing at any time, while some mow in the afternoon only. When large areas must be harvested, it is necessary to keep the mower going most of the day. Where the acreage is small it is customary to wait until the dew is off the grass. While this practice is de-, sirable in some cases, in others, it'is merely wasting valuable time and it should be followed only with careful judgment. The farmer should consider in the ’ light of his own experience and that of his neighbours as to the earliest possible time in the morning after a heavy dew at which it is safe to start cutting under different conditions, considering the amount of moisture contained in the upper surface of the soil, whether a yield is light or heavy, the climatic conditions, and whether or not a tedder is to be used. All possible loss of valuable time, such as is entailed by having labour idle or employed at work which is less profitable and necessary than making hay, should be avoided.

Further, it is important to know how much hay to have down at one time. It is not good practice to have two or three times as much hay cut down as can be handled within a reasonable period. Loss of quality can be avoided by mowing only one day ahead of the stacking or baling; then if rain comes up, a minimum amount of hay will be damaged.

When two mowers are at work in one field, it is best for each teamster to lay off a “land” for himself and work independently. With two machines working one behind the other, if the slower team is in front, the second mower can travel only at the slow pace of the first mower. If the front mower has a breakdown, the following one is often stopped and remains idle while repairs are being made.

Curing

Practical haymaking in this country must be governed by the motto, reduce with all possible haste, the exposed area of the hay surface. This results in wind-drying the hay. If hay is exposed to the sun, the grass is bleached; the clover leaves dry out and become brittle; these, the. most valuable part of the hay then fall off and are . lost in the subsequent handling. ' Most' hay is left in the swath, and from there when apparently dry, swept in, and immediately stacked. The quality is thus not as good as it could be and serious consideration should be given to raking the hay up into windrows and later into haycocks. In fine weather good hay can be made without cocking, but care should be taken that hay left out in the windrows is not left too long and allowed to become sun-bleached. By thoughtful organisation, much of the handling of hay between cutting and stacking or baling can be done by horse labour, but when the hay, on account of the weather, must be cocked, then the full use of sufficient hand labour is well repaid. Although the hay rake will bunch up the hay from the windrow, only hand work can build haycocks which will turn the rain. Stacking The use of some form of sweep to bring hay to the stack is now almost universal. But on some ■ farms, the hay after being gathered by sweeps, the most up-to-date way of hauling hay, is then pitched on to the stack by man labour. Perhaps two men pitch half each until the stack reaches a height of ten feet. Then it is necessary to use an empty wagon as a platform. From then on, it is necessary for one man to pitch the hay on to the wagon, from where the second man pitches it on to the stack. This operation reduces the amount stacked' per hour by just one-half and is very inefficient. Even the simplest form of home-made stacker by which the hay is hoisted by horse labour is more efficient. In fact, in most districts under a system of co-operation sufficient stackers are available, and their use makes haymaking easier work, more rapid, reduces costs and ensures the best quality hay . being secured. Stackers will enable a large haystack to be built, instead of a number of smaller, poorly built stacks which usually result when the hay is manhandled.

In haymaking operations, much time can be saved, labour utilised to full advantage and costs reduced, if thought is given to the number of men employed and the number of sweeps used when stacking hay. The smallest gang that can be used to put hay into the stack, when using the sweep and the stacker, consists of two men. When only two men are employed, one man uses the sweep and the other works on the stack. This arrangement causes

unnecessary running about at the stack and idleness of the sweep. When three men are employed, the third man, perhaps a youth, drives the team on the stacker hoist. With this method, the men at the stack are idle a large part of the time. Three men will handle more hay if two sweeps are used and the sweepdrivers work the team on the hoist. A properly-arranged and efficient gang requires four men, or three men and a boy. Two sweeps are worked by

two of the men, one man works on the stack and the other man or boy drives the team hoisting the hay. Some stackers are automatic, while others require the services of an operator which necessitates an extra man and increases the cost of stacking. In extremely hot weather, or when the yield is very heavy, it is more efficient to use a further man on the stack. A factor affecting efficiency, and costs, but which is often neglected, is the site of the stack in the field. . This

may have to be decided by the feeding out operations in ine winter. When

these are of little or no consideration, if a suitable site otherwise is present, the stack should be placed as near as possible in the centre of the field. This avoids, firstly, short hauls, idleness of the sweeps, overwork for the men on the stacking, and later, overwork for the sweeps and idleness at the stack.

Baling Hay

Baling of part or the whole of the hay crop on some farms has on account of its many decided advantages come to stay in many districts. As most of the pressing is done by contractors, it is extremely important that the labour in the field be carefully arranged, so that the press is furnished with sufficient hay to keep running to its greatest capacity. As delays in the arrival of the outfit on the farm may be unavoidable, hay for pressing must be put up to finally cure in well-built haycocks which will turn the rain. Further, an early start can be made in the morning without waiting until dew is gone off the hay in the swath or windrow. Carelessness in setting up the press, usually by placing it at one end of a field instead of in the centre, results in wasted labour and low capacity of the outfit. The sweep drivers often cause extra work by dumping the hay so far away from the press that one man must pitch all of it to a second man, who pitches it to the feeding table. If several sweeps are in use, the dumping of only one sweepful at a time close to the press, enables the feeders to pitch easily just the rigid amount to make a charge, and thus keep the press working steadily to capacity.