HARVESTING CROPS 77 



machinery for harvesting hay has greatly increased the 

 acreage of hay crops. 



Hay is cut with a mowing machine that can mow 

 from five to ten acres in a day. When the hay is 

 partly dry, it is raked into windrows in which the drying 

 and curing continues. In wet countries where the hay 

 does not readily dry out, before raking it is turned and 

 stirred with a machine called a hay tedder. From 

 the windrows the hay is pitched upon wagons with large 

 hayracks and taken to the barn or stack. On some 

 farms the loading and unloading are done by machinery. 

 If the hay is stacked in the field, it is moved to the 

 stack by means of sleds or drags. Very often, the hay 

 in the windrows is gathered into small piles or hay- 

 cocks and allowed to cure for several days before storing 

 it in a stack or barn. In the haymow or stack the hay 

 goes through a final curing process that makes it crisp, 

 palatable, and nutritious. Good, well-cured hay should 

 have all the leaves on it, should be light in color, free 

 from dust and mold, and have a clean, sweet smell. 



QUESTIONS 



1. Why is the harvest season usually the busiest time of the 

 year? 



2. What good results have come from the use of harvesting 

 machinery ? 



3. What was the old method of harvesting wheat ? 



4. How is hay harvested ? 



5. What qualities should hay possess? 



