1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



63 



VALUE OP HAY-CAPS. 



Messrs. Editors: — One of the principal uses 

 of our agricultural papers is to promote an ex- 

 cliange of views and experiments among farmers. 

 If a man has convinced himself, as Mr. Halsey 

 has, that a doing any kind of work is useless or 

 unprofitable, he cannot do a greater service to 

 his brother farmers than to warn them how to 

 avoid a foolish and useless expenditure ; but be- 

 ing now fully convinced that my experiments 

 have been fairly made ^ind supported by the tes- 

 timony of many who have tried them, I must ad- 

 here to my hay-caps. Mr. Halsey says he never 

 expects to save hay uninjured through a two 

 days' rain. I have done it, and hope, not to have 

 the rain, but to do it again, if it unfortunately 

 comes. In July, 1855, 1 had ten tons of hay cut 



tious to avail myself of those improvements, so 

 that what I say noio, will not apply to the ma- 

 chine I purchased four years since. 



With the first machine, it required one and a 

 half hour to cut an acre, and it was hard work at 

 that for man or beast. Yet I was pleased with 

 that machine, because it was so much in advance 

 of scythes in 'he hands of Irishmen. 



My mowing forces had hitherto consisted of 

 three or four Irishmen and one Yankee, and they 

 were usually cutting grass until about ten or 

 eleven o'clock in the morning. x\bout five dol- 

 lars per year was required for scythes, snaths, 

 and whetstones. This was just about the state of 

 things under the old hand-scythe administration. 

 Now we will commence with the new machine, 

 which I procured last season, (1857, when I had 

 cut about half of my grass with the old one,) and 



on four acres, by mowing machines. It was put Lj^jg j^as been the result, alluding to this season 

 up, and the second day covered with 200 covers. Lj^j With one Irishman to trim out the borders 

 I weighed several of the cocks, and they aver- 1 £^g^. t^^g machine was done, occupying perhaps 

 aged 100 pounds. It rained nearly two days, and Lj^g.^o^j.^!^ ^^ niuch time as the machine, we 

 the quantity of water was two inches and four-k^^^.g g^,^ sixty-eight acres. This statement does 

 tenths. On the third day, at 10 o'clock, I began 1 ^^^ include a meadow of ten acres where the ma- 

 to draw it in, only the bottom being a little wet. L^i^e would not work. The whole has been done 

 This saved me one day opening and spreading, ^ ^^^ Irishman, and I think he has not worked 

 and, in my opinion, saved one-third of the valuel ^j.g y,omx& than he has cut acres. I have kept 

 of the hay. My hay-caps to cover a ton cost 56, U^e machine in order with less time than it would 

 and the hay sold for b'12 a ton, and this saving [j^^ve cost me to keep the other Irishman in trim 

 was for three days' use of the hay-caps. Ihavei^j^j^ j^j^ ggythe, providing he had worked as 

 heard them so frequently commended, that Mr.' ^uch time. I have had occasion to grind but 

 Halsey's condemnation of them astonishes me L^^e during the whole season, and the breakage 

 very much. How much hay is injured by being jj^a,s amounted to only one blade, costing twenty 

 wet IS a matter I cannot speak of with entire cer- Lgj^^g^ i^ fact, the cost of repairs for the past 

 tainty, but I had rather keep even the dew offlfouj. yg^rs has not amounted to one dollar and 

 of mine.— Wji. H. Denning, in Country Gentle- g^y cents for both machines. 

 fno,n. ^ 'jjig matter of grinding needs a little explana- 



tion. When I say that I have ground but once, 

 I allude to a general grinding of all the blades 

 in the finger bar. With the exception of grind- 

 ing a single knife after it had come in contact 

 with a stone or a bone, the whole has been done 

 Mr. Editor; — In the use of labor-saving ma-: with the English burr whetstone, costing twenty- 

 chines, perhaps there is no question among far- .five cents, and consuming less time than it takes 

 mers that engrosses more attention and discus- 1 to grind the scythe for an Irishman after he has 

 sion than the expediency of employing a mowing whet the same a dozen times. My horses have 

 machine. This is a question which every sensi-: seldom sweat during the operation of mowing, 

 ble farmer will, of course, settle for himself, ta-,and I do not think it harder work for a pair of 

 king into consideration the quantity of grass to i horses than the splitting of corn hills, 

 be cut, the amount of labor to be hired, and the The machine can be put in order for work in 

 adaptation of his farm to a njower ; still I think less than five minutes after reaching the lot to be 

 a little practical experience may be necessary to | cut, and proceed forthwith to cut the double 

 lead him to a just and positive conclusion. It is swath. It makes very little difference with horses 

 the weakness of some men to believe that animal] or machines whether the grass is thick or thin, 

 and mechanical labor is much cheaper than man-, lodged or standing up, wet or dry. In the matter 

 ual, and your subscriber happens to be of that of drying, however, it is better to wait until the 

 class. Under the influence of this infirmity, I dew is oft", if the grass is heavy. The finger bar not 

 purchased a Ketchum machine four years since 'being encumbered with any thing, we run it up un- 

 of the firm oi Ruijgles, Nourse, Mason 8c Co., and'der a low apple tree, round a stone, in fact, any 

 whatever I have to say relates wholly to that pa- [place where it does not require a short corner to 

 tent. I was among the first to employ a mower the left. Being on a line with the driving wheel. 



For the New England Farmer. 



FOUR YEARS BXPERIENCE "WITH A 

 MOWING MACHINE. 



in this part of the country, and likewise a horse- 

 rake, having used the latter nineteen years. I 

 have never seen any other machine in operation, 

 and am not qualified to judge of their relative 



it shaves the convex and concave surfaces beau- 

 tifully. I have this season cut a surface, so un- 

 even that we could not cart a load of hay over 

 it. It is nearly all iron, not subject to decay, ex- 



merits. I think, however, that the firm who nowicept the pole and driver's seat. Take off the fin- 

 manufacture the Ketchum machine, (Nourse,'ger bar and pole, and it is as compact as a wheel- 

 Mason & Co.,) have been very ambitious to dis-1 barrow, and may be run and stored by one man 

 cover, and to add improvements as fast as they I in like manner. Every part appears to be of the 

 could be discovered, in order to perfect the ma- required relative strength, and it is difficult to 

 chine. On my part, I have been equally ambi-jsay which part is most likely to fail. 



