36 BULLETIN 578, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 
Meruop 38. 
This large crew is very efficient and makes over 1,000 acres of 
prairie hay each year. Kach member of the crew puts in a full day 
every day. The cost per ton is low, because men and horses are well 
used to the work and thereisno lost time. One more manis used on 
the stack than is customary when only three sweep rakes are used. 
This crew will put up 450 acres of tame hay in a 10-day season. The 
field is raked twice. 
Work CuHart 38.—Prairie hay stacked with push rakes and stacker (Nebraska). 
[This method is adapted to 1,000 acres or more of prairie hay or 450 acres of tame hay.] 
Time required 
Operation Men | Teams 
SB) whe) alk ale 
Mob aes oS ocnooO6 
Morena eye tste isi cisieicns 
eee ee ee ewe 
Push raking?.... 
Push raking..... 
Push raking..... 
SWEICGUNES anon cue 
Spel ebgles GS oon 
eel eae, Sy oc gan 
2 
=| 
Eat NeeP feats yet teehee (eye tola tor Melo Glo sels AES 
Fourteen men and 20 horses put up 67.5 tons (45 acres) per day. Yield, 1.5 tons per acre. Man-hours 2, 
team-hours 1.48 per ton. Labor cost, per ton, $0.696. 
Meruop 39. 
The labor cost per ton for this method is high, $1.55 per ton. 
This is not due to poor crew management, but to the low yield per 
acre (only half a ton), necessitating twice the number of mowers and 
rakes to harvest a given amount of hay as would be required for a 
yield of 1 ton per acre. It will be noticed that while a sweep rake 
handled 12 tons per day, it must cover 24 acres to get this amount. 
To cover this area, a sweep must be Kept on the jump every minute. 
This crew puts up 4,000 tons of prairie hay in Colorado. 
