380 Covers for Corn Stooks and Hay Cocks. F.July, 



Labour and Cost. — At Is. apiece the cost of covers alone is 

 about X'B — £4 per acre, and the cost of labour in fixing and un- 

 fixing has to be added to this. As regards extra labour required, 

 at Aberystwyth it was found to take two men about two minutes 

 to cover one stook, or about two to three hours to cover one acre. 

 On account of the expense of covers and labour the practice was 

 not considered economical at Cambridge and at Armstrong Col- 

 lege, and the extra labour was stated to be an important item at 

 Newton Eigg and in Cornwall. 



1921 Trials. — As a result of the 1920 trials the manufacturers 

 of the covers used for the 1921 season stronger paper and dis- 

 pensed with the arrangement for threading them together with 

 needles, using instead better twine, attached to the eyelet holes, 

 for tying to the sheaf bands. 5,000 covers for corn stooks and 

 5.000 for hay cocks were supplied free of charge and distributed 

 to 48 different centres in England and Wales by arrangement 

 with the Ministry. Owing, however, to the exceptionally dry 

 weather experienced, 23 of the centres were unable to use the 

 covers. 



Durability. — It was again found at a number of centres that 

 the covers did not stand strong wind, especially after rain. At 

 other centres, however, they were stated to be quite fit to use 

 again. 



Effectiveness. — Protection from damage by birds was reported 

 from the Oxford School of Rural Economy, Cumberland and 

 Westmorland Farm School, Worcestershire, Cornwall and 

 Cheshire. Prevention of sprouting in stooks was reported from 

 Cumberland, Staffordshire, and Cornwall, while in Stafford- 

 shire, Worcester, Cornwall. Bangor, and Denbigh grain and 

 straw from covered stooks appeared to be freer from stain, and 

 brighter and sweeter in smell than that from uncovered stooks. 



From Worcester and Cornwall it was reported that the covers 

 would be suitable for special seed crops. At Armstrong College 

 the covers saved oats which were out in bad weather for five 

 weeks. The report from Montgomery stated that the covers 

 would be very valuable in a wet season. Rothamsted Experi- 

 mental Station stated that stooks sink after making and leave 

 the covers loose and liable to damage by wind, while covered 

 bailey did not bleach so well as uncovered. In E. Suffolk the 

 covers were found to prevent hay from drying. 



Summary. — The exceptionally dry weather which was experi- 

 enced in 1921 did not allow of a fair test as to the strength of the 

 covers when subjected to heavy rain, but it appears that. 



