306 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 



cient grapple forks made that will take loose hay 

 and deposit it nicely on the stack. 



Unloading Hay. — In unloading at the barn the 

 problem is rather different, especially if the hay has 

 been loaded onto wagons. It is then compacted 

 so that forks have good opportunity to get hold of it. 

 in barns, too, it is possible to arrange ideal tracks 

 for unloading 'machinery. Good apparatus cost lit- 

 tle more than poor. It is economy to put in the 

 best. 



I would always build hay barns in such manner 

 that there would be no cross.-ties through the middle 

 section, thus nothing to make it necessary to lift 

 the hay to the peak in order to swing it in to the 

 mow. There are carriers made that do not ever lift 

 the load higher than will clear the level of the hay in 

 the mow when it swings in. It swings in at any height 

 desired, thus will put the hay clear into the peak, or 

 will swing it in at the level of the mow floor. These 

 carriers use either slings or forks. 



Slings. — Slings are arrangements of ropes form- 

 ing a sort of large net that is laid in the bottom 

 of the load on the wagon rack. Pulley blocks with 

 hooks in them are attached rapidly to each end of 

 the sling and when it is lifted everything comes up 

 clean from the rack. There is nothing swifter, 

 cleaner or more efficient than the sling. 



Curiously enough slings are not in common use. 

 Perhaps the reason is that commonly men have 

 sought to take off a whole load by putting in several 



