'284 THE farmers' handbook. 



The position of the farmer who has to cut for hay a crop that he intended 

 for grain, is a different one. He cannot expect to get the quality that the 

 grower will who has grown for hay and cut at the right time. In matters 

 both of variety and of time of cutting the grain grower is at a disadvantage 

 — more especially when he delays cutting as long as possible in the hope 

 that he will get a crop of grain, the straw meantime losing all the colour 

 that would recommend it for hay. In such circumstances the only advice 

 that can be offered is that the farmer should endeavour to cut at the earliest 

 possible moment after he is satisfied that he is not going to get a profitable 

 prain yield. 



Cutting the Crop. 



Throw the machine in gear as the horses reach the crop, and drive down. 

 and round the edges. Cut at least two rounds before attempting to cut 

 the back swath or the piece knocked down by the horses. 



By means of the lever, move the knotter to or from the butter-board as 

 required, so that the sheaf will be tied in a position that it will be evenly 

 balanced. When the crop is very tall, and with machines that will allow 

 it to be done, the mechanism operating the packers and supporting the 

 butter-board should be adjusted so as to give as much room as possible on. 

 the length of the table. 



Raise or lower the reel as the height of the crop requires. If the crop 

 is leaning away from the knife, put the reel forward, so that the beaters 

 will be lifting the crop backwards when the knife reaches it. 



In a short, thin crop the beaters should be low and well back over the 

 table, so as to prevent the stuff lodging on the knife or falling in front. 



In a very light, thin crop it is advisable to have the beaters right down 

 on the fingers, so as to sweep the greenstuff on to the canvas. It is not 

 possible to do this with the beaters as fitted to the machine, for these are 

 made of wood, and therefore stiff and rigid, and in consequence they cannot 

 be set closer than 3 inches to the fingers, because of the ridge at the back of 

 the knife, which would break the beaters if struck by them when revolving. 



The efficiency of the beaters for dealing with light crops can be very- 

 greatly increased by tacking or screwing leather on to them, so that the 

 edge of the leather projects about 3 inches beyond the edge of the beater. 

 As the leather is flexible, the reel can be lowered until the edge of the leather 

 touches the fingers; when the reel revolves, the leather, as it strikes the 

 ridge at the back of the knife, will bend and pass over it without injury, and 

 at the same time will sweep the short straws on to the canvas. 



For a very light crop the binder may be further improved by inserting a> 

 piece of tin, or galvanized iron, under the first roller-holder, and allowing it 

 to project until it meets the clip on top of the fingers. 



A light, thin crop can be cut better if rather on the dry side. 



It may be thought that the mower will deal with a lighter crop than the 

 binder, but it may be taken for granted that when a crop is too light for a 

 binder to deal with, though in good working order, it is also too light for 

 a mower to deal with profitably. 



When the crop is too short for the mechanism to tie it in sheaves (and it 

 is then so thin that if cut with a mower the rake would miss a great deal), 

 it may be gathered in loose bundles by loosely covering the sheaf-carrier with 

 hessian. 



This will carry the loose straws until enough are collected, when the trip* 

 can be released and the bundle deposited on the ground. 



