HAYSAVING AND HAY^LAKING 45 



AND THE RIGHT WAY 



Instead of leaving the crop to lie in the swathe 

 several days after cutting, the swathe turner should 

 be brought into use and kept in use shortly after the 

 crop is cut. Given bright sunshine or a fair breeze, the 

 plan followed is to save the vetch crop in sections. 

 Thus, a{)out 4 to 6 acres, or so much as a swathe 

 turner can turn over in about three hours' time, 

 comprise a section. 



MORE USEFUL IMPLEMENTS 



As soon after cutting as the dew has dried off the top 

 of the swathe, the swathe turner commences operations. 

 The swathes are turned towards the sun, or, if there be 

 any wind, in the direction the wind is blowing. By the 

 time the last swathe of the section has been turned the 

 first portion will have dried considerably, and we start 

 to turn the whole thing again. 



As a general rule, in good weather, we give the crop 

 three turnings in the first day and two more in the 

 early part of the second day, in the afternoon of which 

 the crop is gathered in. This gathering-in consists of 

 throwing the swathes together with the swathe turner 

 and forming windrows. Next a slide rake is used to 

 run the windrows into heaps, and from the heaps so 

 gathered, pikes, cocks, or wynds, as they are variously 

 called, are made. 



These are pyramid shape and vary in weight from lo 

 to 15 cwt. They are topped off and raked down so as 

 to turn the rain. In these pikes the hay is allowed to 

 remain for a week or fortnight, and sometimes much 

 longer, if to get them carted doesn't fit in with the 

 general work. Once in the pikes we feel fairly safe. 

 In these pikes the stuff, of course, heats, but if there is 

 no moisture in the stuff when they are made, no harm, 

 t>ut in fact good, results from the heating. 



