454 Cultivation of Grafs Land. fifty-halting Procefs of. 



the whole procefs, from the moment at which the mower applies his fey the, to 

 that in which the hay is fecured in the barn or ftack.* 



The chief part of this fort of labour is performed by means of fmall forks made 

 for the purpofe. 



In the firft day s procefs all the grafs mown before nine o clock in the morning 

 is tedded or fpread out, great care being taken to fhake it fo as to leave it free from 

 lumps, and to ftrew it evenly over the whole furface of the ground. It is foon 

 afterwards turned, with an equal degree of care and attention ; and if the number 

 of hands be fufficient they turn the whole again, or at leaft as much of it as they 

 can before twelve or one o clock. It is then raked into what are termed fingle 

 windrows, or fo as that each perfon may form a row at about three feet diftance ; 

 and the laft operation of the day is to put it up into grafs-cocks. The bufinefs 

 of the fucceeding day commences with the procefs of tedding all the grafs that was 

 mown the firft day after nine o clock and all that was mown this day before the 

 fame hour. The grafs-cocks arc then well fhaken out into what are called ftaddles, 

 which are feparate plats of five or fix yards in breadth. Where the crop is fo thin 

 and light as to leave the fpaces between the ftaddles rather large, they are imme 

 diately raked clean, and the rakings mixed with the other hay, in order to its all 

 drying fo as to be of an uniform colour. The ftaddles are next turned, and after 

 that the grafs that was tedded in the firft part of the raorning once or twice, in 

 the fame manner as defcribed in the firft day. This bufinefs mould all be per 

 formed before twelve or one o clock, that the whole may lie to dry while the peo 

 ple are at dinner. After this the firft thing is to rake the ftaddles into double wind 

 rows, which is done by every two perfons raking the hay in oppofite directions or 

 towards each other, forming a row between them of double the fize of the fingle 

 windrows, each being about fix or eight feet diftant from the other.They afterwards 

 rake the grafs into fingle windrows; then put the double windrows into baftard cocks ? 

 and conclude by putting the fingle windrows into grafs-cocks. The labour of the 

 third day is begun by firft tedding and fpreading out the grafs mown and not 

 fpread the preceding day, as well as that mown in the early part of this day, and then 

 the grafs-cocks are thrown out into ftaddles as before,and the baftard cocks into ftad 

 dles of lefs extent. Thefe narrow ftaddles, though laft fpread out are firft turn 

 ed, then thofe which were in grafs-cocks, and laftly the grafs is turned once or twice 

 before twelve or one o clock. When the weather has been funny and fine, the 



* Middle ton s Report of Middlefex. 



