40 FODDER IN INDIV. 



CHAPTER XV. 



Baling and Bales.— There a.re. more ways than one of 

 bundling or pressing grass, bhoosa, etc., from the primitive 

 of digging a rectangular hole in the ground of somewhat 

 less dimensions than the required size of the bale, filling 

 it with grass over lengths of rope and treading it down ; 

 from this progressing by various makes of hand-presses 

 good and bad, up to steam and hydraulic presses up to the 

 Lyon Press for grass or bhoosa which is about the latest, 

 and perhaps the best. The writer will always retain a great 

 regard for the old " Dederick Perpetual Press " a good old 

 patient long suffering machine ; with less woodwork about 

 it ir would want a lot of beating ; the Howard Press is 

 generally satisfactory also. The Dederick is a minimum of 

 trouble, convenient to repair, always patchable and workable 

 with any old engine that will run at all. When run under 

 good conditions it will almost consistently turn out a bale 

 24" X 17" X 14" weighing 80 lbs. and 250 — 300 bales a day 

 or more as a new machine with a sympathetic engine, and 

 intelligent working staff. Usually, however, we find the out- 

 turn per day is more like 150 — 200 bales ; variations are 

 easily accounted for by working conditions of both engine 

 and press, experience and ability of the supervisor and engine 

 driver, experience and handiness of the working coolies, 

 quality of grass and if loose or in pulas, cleanliness of 

 boiler and all working parts. The secret of a " good bale " is 

 its density. The bales from a Dederick Press made properly 

 as above are 25 lbs. per cubic foot, which figure leaves 

 nothing to be desired. Now obviously by reducing your 

 density to say 18 lbs. per cubic foot you will be able to get 

 a faster out-turn, i.e., more bales per diem all things being 



„ , , ,„ equal — you will also be nursing your 



Relation of Out-turn . . 



to number of hours machine by saving strain, you will be 

 wor ng- ay. ^^j^ ^^ work with a less steam pressure, 



and fewer revolutions per minute. To turn out 30 bales an 



