THE WHEAT CULTUKIST. 377 



or grain might have been more than equal to the value 

 of the caps. 



I have examined various ways of making hay-caps, 

 and among them all I can recommend the following 

 mode of making them as the most convenient to han- 

 dle : Procure common sheeting, or bed-ticking, or any 

 kind of cloth, one yard or two yards wide, and make 

 the caps about six feet square ; let the rough edges be 

 hemmed. Now turn up each corner about three inches, 

 and sew them down tightly. Work a small eyelet-hole 

 near each corner, like Fig. 64, for the wooden pins to go 

 through into the hay. The pins may be made of anj 

 hard, straight-grained wood, about sixteen 

 inches long. These pins can be made the most 

 expeditiously by sawing off a log of green 

 timber, and split it out, as one would rive 

 out staves. Then shave them, so that they 

 will be about half an inch round at the large 

 end, with a knob on one end, and pointed at 

 the other end. The neatest way would be, 

 to have the pins turned, like the illustra- FIG. 66. 



Grain-Gap 



tion here given. pin - 



PAINTING GRAIN-CAPS. 



Some people paint their caps ; but this renders the 

 cloth rotten, and very stiff. But unless the cloth is 

 very good, they will not turn the rain during a very 

 heavy shower, if the cloth is not painted. Others have 

 saturated the caps with a solution of alum, and some 

 quicklime ; but I cannot recommend this preparation. 

 Yet the following preparation I can endorse, even for 

 rather poor cloth. If the caps are made of heavy bed- 



