MAKING VETCH HAY 119 



turner or a horse rake, a farmer finds no difficulty in 

 putting a field of hay into pike in one-third the time 

 that it would require to cart it to the stack. In real 

 good hay-weather the intermediate or hand-cock stage 

 is dispensed with, the hay being taken straight out 

 of the swathe to the pike. If it is intended to leave 

 pikes abroad in the field for some time a couple of 

 pieces of binder twine should be passed over the apex 

 of the pike, the twine pegged down at the base of the 

 pike, so as to prevent the conical top being blown off. 



USE OF THE HAY BOGIE 



An argument which some English visitors to Ireland 

 have put forward against the pike system was that 

 sooner or later the pike had to be carted. That is 

 true, but there is far less labour in building a pike 

 than in loading the stuff on to a cart or waggon, and 

 once in the pike — this is an important point — no 

 further hand labour is required for loading. "With 

 a hay bogie, costing, even in war-time, only about £9 

 or £10, a man and a boy can load the pike on the 

 hay bogie in about two minutes, without in any way 

 breaking up the pike. 



The hay bogie is backed against the pike. The 

 body is then tipped up. In front of the bogie there is 

 a drum fitted with a couple of rachet levers. On the 

 drum two ropes are fitted which are fastened together 

 at the back of the pike. Then, by working the rachet 

 levers, the rope winds round the drum or barrel and 

 slides the whole pike en bloc on to the hay bogie, 

 when the body of the bogie automatically falls into 

 position, and is held there by a spring clip- 

 attachment. 



On the arrival at the stack the bogie is backed into 

 position. A touch is given to the spring clip attach- 



