16 



BULLETIN 528. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



to obtain thrashers. A few are thrashing from the shock, and this 

 is possible except in very unfavorable seasons. 



Table VIII. — Crews and duty of machinery in seeding and harvesting timothy and clover 



(average of 38 farms). 



operation. 



Seeding with wheat drill 



Clover seeding (wheelbarrow) 



Mowing, 5-foot cut 



Tedding, 6 to 8 feet wide 



Raking, dump rake 8 to 10 feet wide- 



Raking, side-delivery rake 



Piling in field 



Loading, hauling, and storing: 1 



8 loads, 1 J tons yield 



12 loads, 1 J tons yield 



13 loads, 1 \ tons yield. 



Crew. 



Man. 



Horse. 



Acres 



covered 



in 10-hour 



day. 



10.60 

 19.00 



9.50 

 14.50 

 17.00 

 16. Q0 



5.40 



5.50 



8.50 

 9.00 



Bays per acre. 



10-hour day. 



Man. Horse. 



0.09 

 .05 

 .10 

 .07 

 .06 

 .06 

 .18 



.54 

 .47 

 .55 



0.18 



.20 

 .14 

 .12 

 .12 



.36 

 .47 

 .44 



9-hour day. 



Man. Horse. 



0.10 

 .06 



0.20 



i Loaded by hand, unloaded with fork. The results will be somewhat increased by the use of a hay 

 loader. 



Table VIII gives the crews and duty of machinery as the average 

 on 38 farms for seeding and harvesting timothy and clover. The 

 figures given for broadcasting with a wheelbarrow seeder are for 

 using the seeder one way. Where one-half of the seed is drilled in 

 one direction and one-half broadcasted in a cross direction, simply 

 add the work units for seeding with drill and seeding with a wheel- 

 barrow seeder. 



Very few mowing machines wider than a 5-foot cut are used for 

 the ordinary hay crop. The tedder is usually used for clover or for 

 heavy timothy and mixed grasses. Both the dump and side-delivery 

 rakes are used, but the latter is generally preferred. This implement 

 is especially necessary if the hay is loaded with a loader from the 

 windrow. The side-delivery rake will, furthermore, quite largely 

 take the place of the tedder. The figures given for loading, hauling, 

 and storing are based on pitching in the fields by hand and un- 

 loading in the barn with a horse fork or sling. Insufficient data 

 were obtained on the use of a hay loader, but there is little doubt 

 that in favorable weather the hay loader would be of decided advan- 

 tage, particularly with timothy or mixed grasses. 



Table IX gives the crews and duty of machinery as the average on 

 18 farms in seeding and harvesting alfalfa. Alfalfa is a compara- 

 tively new crop in Chester County, but a few successful growers 

 were interviewed, from whom data were obtained. Inoculation has 

 been done by applying soil from an old alfalfa field at the rate of 

 300 or more pounds per acre. Recently commercial cultures have 

 been introduced. While the cost of these cultures usually exceeds 

 the cost of applying soil, the convenience of handling is an important 



