258 Kansas State Board of Agriculture. 



A HAY-CURING BARN. 



By E. I. BURTON, Farmer, Coffeyville, Montgomery county. 



Three years ago we built a barn for the purpose of curing and stor- 

 ing alfalfa. The dimensions are 36 by 84 feet, walls 18 feet high and 

 constructed of Denison interlocking hollow tile, laid in cement. The roof 

 is one-third pitch and of Ludoeci Celladon roofing tile. The tile for 

 both the side walls and roof came from factories located in Coffeyville, 

 making a short haul for us. ' The next season we built an addition 72 

 feet in length, using the same material as for the first building. 



We think there are no walls for all kinds of farm buildings so good 

 as hollow tile, and no roofing equal to tile. However, any other material 

 in general use would, of cdurse, be all right for a barn for curing and 

 storing alfalfa. Here, where he can haul the tile direct from factories, 

 without having any freight or handling charges added to the price, we 

 find tile the cheapest material we can use for good buildings. The tile, 

 both for walls and roofing, does not cost as much as the better grades of 

 lumber and shingles. Then, after the building is completed, there is no 

 painting to be done. 



In the walls, every 13 feet, are 11-foot openings. These openings have 

 double sliding doors. When the doors are all open we have nearly one- 

 half the side-wall space for sun and ventilation. Our ventilating doors 

 make the putting in or taking out of hay very convenient. 



The three floors of the barn are all made of two-inch native lumber, 

 and are laid open to give perfect ventilation. The two upper floors are 

 loose, so when we are storing baled hay they may be easily shifted to the 

 outer sides. 



The barn is equipped with hay carriers running the full length and 

 operated from the center driveway. They will throw the hay either way 

 desired. We use this carrier for loading and unloading both baled and 

 loose hay. 



At the beginning of the haying season we have about 15,000 square 

 feet of drying floors. When the weather will permit of proper curing we 

 bale the alfalfa in the field. If the weather is threatening, when the 

 hay is but partially cured,* we rush it into the barn and scatter it out 



* It was for a number of years the practice of J. W. Berry, of Jewell county, Kansas, 

 to do a large part of the curing of his alfalfa hay in the shed. By his method, it is said, 

 he got better color and quality and was able to bale in the winter and sell at an average 

 of $2 per ton above the market price for prime alfalfa. 



The usual practice in good haying weather was to start the mower when the dew and 

 all foreign moisture was off in the morning, about eight a. m. ; rake as soon as partly 

 wilted, about eleven a. m. ; and haul to the shed for storage when half cured, about 

 two p. m. The floor of the shed was elevated a foot or two above the ground and con- 

 sisted of narrow boards or poles spaced a few inches apart. The hay was spread evenly 

 and loosely, without tramping; in fact, a spreading platform was provided to make 

 walking over the hay unnecessary. The shed was so large that a single cutting would 

 cover the floor to a depth not to exceed four or five feet. The second cutting was spread 

 over the first, the third over the second, and so on, until the shed was full. The natural 

 heating of the hay and the consequent rise of the warm, moist air, coupled with the open 

 space below and the loose condition of the hay, caused a circulation of air, which re- 

 moved the moisture, prevented excessive heating, and gradually cured the hay. Because 

 of the unusual care necessary to its success, the method is not recommended for general 

 practice. 



