HAYING TOOLS. 



The helps of the western man who makes much 

 alfalfa hay are the wide-cut mowers, the side deliv- 

 ery and wide two-horse rakes, the sweep rakes that 

 gather the hay together and carry it with no handling 

 to the stack or mow and the big forks or slings that 

 by the aid of derricks or pitchers lift the hay to the 

 stack top or put it in the barn with no fork handling 

 whatever till it comes to hand of the man in the mow, 

 or the stackers on the stack. 



The Side Delivery Rake. — This is a tool not in 

 universal use as yet. It has indeed its limitations 

 and imperfections. It is slower to gather the hay 

 than the wide two-horse sulky rake. It is more com- 

 plicated, so more apt to get out of order. It costs 

 more. On the other hand it can do many good things 

 that the common rake cannot do at all. It can sin- 

 gle out and rake the driest hay, and can turn it up 

 loosely so that air can penetrate it and yet further 

 dry it. It can be used to turn these windrows over 

 if need be to dry them further. Hay may be cocked 

 after the side delivery rake to good effect, or it may 

 be taken up with the hay loader. On the whole, the 

 writer does not see how a farmer making much al- 

 falfa hay can avoid using each of these machines. 

 The side delivery rake when everything is working 

 nicely, weather, men and tools; the wide two-horse 



