32 BULLETIN 578, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
MeruHop 33. 
This crew, used in Nebraska, makes more than 500 acres of prairie 
hay ina season. The yield being only 1 ton to the acre, it is neces- 
sary to use three mowers in order to cut sufficient hay to keep the 
stacking crew of two men busy. It is sometimes necessary to add 
two men to this crew, one to drive the team on the stacker and the 
other to help on the stack. Where large acreages are put up, it is 
the rule*in some sections to have one man on the stack for every 
sweep rake, which increases somewhat the cost per ton. A 
Work Cuart 33.—Prairie hay stacked with push rakes and stacker (Nebraska). 
[This method is adapted to over 500 acres. ] 
Time required 
Operation Men | Teams 
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Push raking 
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Stacking. ......% 
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Ten men and 18 horses put up 45 tons (45 acres) per day. Yield, 1 ton peracre. Man-hours 2.22, team- 
hours 2perton. Labor cost, $0.84 per ton. 
MertuHop 34. 
This method is adaptable to an area of 300 acres of timothy and 
clover. In order to cut 30 acres with two mowers in 10 hours, it is 
necessary to use 6-foot or 7-foot mowers when using the ordinary 
team. If 5-foot mowers are used, it will be necessary to use three 
of them, which will increase the cost per ton by about 8 cents. The 
rakes not only rake the 30 acres over once, but go over the windrows 
and glean the hay left by the sweep rake. (See No. 35, in which 3 
mowers are used.) Twenty tons per sweep rake per day is a big 
day’s work and represents about the maximum amount that can be 
handled even with a yield of 14 tons per acre. Three sweeps usually 
are needed to handle 40 tons per day. 
