HOW WE MADE OUR HAY. 137 



ribbed across with broad bands of faded grass, about 

 six to eight yards wide, called "staddles," with 

 vacant intervals of about three to four yards each 

 between. Turn these bands once gently with the 

 machine, if the seeds be not too ripe, else they will 

 shake out, and if there be not a superabundance of 

 small clover and trefoil, the leaves of which fray 

 away too readily as they dry. In that case, turn 

 gently with the rakes and pikes. Tedd again the 

 portion spread from the swathe the first thing in the 

 morning, and then go to dinner. Phoebus, mean- 

 while, will be doing much for you in the pride of his 

 splendour, so that when you return from your re- 

 freshment you will have to rake into broad rolls the 

 bands into which the grass-cocks of the last evening 

 had been laid out. Then rake the fresh-tedded por- 

 tion into wind-rows to be lapped into summer-cocks. 

 Then make the broad rolls into large or " bastard "- 

 cocks, each one holding eight or ten times the 

 quantity of the summer-cock. Finally, put the 

 wind-rows into summer-cocks. 



3rd Day. — Tedd the grass cut after nine A.M. 

 yesterday and before nine A.M. to-day, beginning 

 with yesterday's. Then throw out the summer- 

 cocks into staddles. Then sticking the pike in 

 lightly, upturn and just open in a broad band or 

 staddle, to disperse any damp it may have accumu- 

 lated, each of the bastard-cocks in succession. Next 

 turn again these opened bastard-cocks; then turn 

 the band of spread out summer-cocks ; let one or 

 two now prepare the base of the intended stack ; it 

 should have a strong thorny pillow overstrewn with 



