308 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 
loading machinery. A hitch here and the whole 
work is delayed and often many men made idle. 
The Open Center Hay Barn.—There are several 
advantages of building hay sheds and barns with 
open centers. There is time saved for one thing, 
since the hay is never lifted to the peak of the roof 
till the height of the mow makes it necessary. Then 
the hay never is dropped from a height, thus there 
is not such hard packing of the middles. This pack- 
ing often results in a good deal of spoiled hay, espe- 
cially if it is put away rather moist. It is easier 
on the men in the mow since they can push the hay 
one way or the other as it drops and thus do quite a 
little toward distributing it where needed, 
