278 FIELD CROPS 



in the barn, a track and carrier should be placed in the peak 

 of the roof and provision made for unloading by horse power. 

 When the mow does not afford sufficient storage room, 

 particularly when the hay is to be sold rather than fed, a 

 specially constructed hayshed may be useful. This con- 

 sists of a set of posts covered with a roof, under which the 

 hay is stored. If desired, the sides and ends may be enclosed ; 

 but this is not essential, as there will be little loss from 

 weathering if the sides of the pile of hay are kept straight, 

 so that rain and snow cannot penetrate. Where there is an 

 abundance of hay and insufficient storage space under cover, 

 stacking in the open is necessary. Where a number of loads 

 are to be put into one stack, unloading is faciUtated if a set 

 of poles or derricks is used and the hay is unloaded with 

 horses. Small stacks expose relativel}^ more surface to the 

 weather than large ones, and a greater proportion of the hay 

 is injured by weathering. 



355. Baling. If hay is to be sold for shipment, it is com- 

 pressed into bales of from 100 to 200 pounds. The ordinary 

 bale averages about 100 pounds in weight. Hay in the stack 

 or mow occupies from 350 to 500 cubic feet to the ton, de- 

 pending very largely on the height of the stack, the kind 

 of hay, and the length of time it has settled. Baled hay 

 occupies from 100 to 150 cubic feet to the ton. Baling 

 presses are of various kinds, and the pressure is applied in 

 various ways. The power for pressing is generally supplied 

 by a sweep drawn by horses, though a steam or gasoline 

 engine may be substituted. A bale of hay is ordinarily 

 about 16 by 18 by 40 inches, though both smaller and larger 

 bales are made. The bale is bound with wire. Baling is 

 not generally done until some weeks or months after the 

 hay crop is harvested, usualty during the winter when there 

 is little other farm work. 



356. Measuring Hay. As has previously been stated, 

 a ton of hay occupies from 350 to 500 cubic feet. The vol- 



