©62 
THE RURAL, NEW-YORKER 
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jj A Woman Hay Farmer 
How She Handled the Crop 
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T ill'] LAND.—When a lovely old man¬ 
sion came to the family with 12 
acres of intervale grass land attached, it 
seemed natural that I. who loved all out¬ 
doors, should be chosen to “run the farm,” 
not with the expectation of making 
money, but with the modest hope of keep¬ 
ing the land in good condition and mak¬ 
ing it pay for itself. I went at it on a 
business basis. The land was valued at 
$1,000. so $72 was considered a fair rent, 
being approximately 7 per cent, on the 
money invested. I, as one of the joint 
owners, receive a third of this rent. 
“Ask everyone’s advice,” said an experi¬ 
enced member of the family, “and then do 
as you please.” This valuable sugges¬ 
tion should be written in letters of gold, 
for out of it has come all my nuggets of 
wisdom gathered in three years’ experi¬ 
ence. The farming world is very kind, 
and will spend any amount of time, 
standing first on one foot, then on the 
other, giving neighborly information as 
to seeding down, rotary crops, and sweet¬ 
ening the land. 
Early Experience. —The first year, 
1009, the haying was done by the job, at 
a cost of $45, and this, plus $72, was the 
whole outlay. The crop was light, for the 
land was rather “run out” in spots. I sold 
my hay for $140 in a lump. A pasturage 
of cows after haying brought $16 more. 
$140 plus $10 equals $162, income; $72 
plus $45 equals $117, expense; $162 minus 
$117 equals $45, net profit. In 1010 four 
acres were seeded at an expense of 
$101.44; also two acres of sweet corn 
were planted at a cost of $100.12. The 
hay was sold for $110 “stumpage,” and 
the corn brought $K0 to the acre, being a 
little light owing to a raid of woodchucks. 
The year’s work stood me as follows: 
Hay sold. 
Corn . 
Fodder plowed in... . 
. 1(50.00 
. 10.00 
Total income. 
Cost of seeding. 
Planting corn and 
same . 
Rent . 
hauling 
. 100.12 
. 72.00 
Tntjil ovnonsp . . . . 
.$282.56 
'280.00 
$2.56 
From a purely financial standpoint this 
result left much to be desired, but I knew 
my land was in much better condition, 
and the woodchucks looked so plump and 
Handling tiie Sweet Corn. 
appreciative. 1011 was the banner year 
of my farming experience. I seeded down 
two acres. My hay was of excellent qual¬ 
ity, perfectly cured, not a drop of rain 
coming upon it. With 24 tons crammed 
into my barn I felt at peace with all 
the world, and started for Boston in 
search of culture. 
Finding a Market. —One day, walking 
up Boylston street, this peace was dis¬ 
turbed by a male relative. (Male rela¬ 
tives are so plain-spoken.) “Have you 
sold your hay?” lie demanded. “Why, 
no,” said I, “not yet.” “Not yet! What 
are you dreaming about? I should think 
it was up to you to get awake. I know 
of some one who has just sold a hundred 
tons for $27 a ton. Here it is the last of 
May. The thing for you to do is to find 
a market, then go home and press your 
hay and ship it before the new crop is 
ready.” As he left me I actually panted 
with excitement. “Find a market” seemed 
as preposterous as to hunt for a pole, and 
the only pressing I knew anything about 
was the pressing of my clothes. But a 
remembrance flashed through my mind of 
a transaction highly cherished by my fam¬ 
ily, probably because it was the first oc¬ 
casion that I showed any business ability. 
This transaction was the sale in two 
hours, in a small village, of a hundred 
cords of wood. I nerved myself to sus¬ 
tain my reputation. The next hour was 
spent in inquiries concerning hay men in 
general and honest ones in particular, 
after which I boarded a Cambridge car 
and began my interviews with a calm face 
and wildly thumping heart. I learned 
that if the market could have just what 
it wanted, it would be Herd’s-grass of a 
coarse quality, with a sprinkling of clover 
and Red-top, pressed in 200-pound hales, 
and, in order to get a good price, it must 
be shipped during the next three weeks. 
Pressing the Hay. —Two days later 
found me at home telephoning hither and 
yon for a hay-press. The only thing 
available was one of the old-fashioned 
sort of two-horse power, and this seven 
miles away. It required six horses to 
bring it, and a proud day it was when 
this imposing chariot appeared and was 
set up in the barn, to be mine until hon¬ 
orably discharged. We started off in 
high feather, my four men and two horses. 
The first bale was turned out “in the 
shake of no time.” The second, a little 
more slowly with discouraging creaks. 
The third bale groaned dismally and end¬ 
ed in a savage bang, which said as plain 
as day that something had broken. It 
was the big iron shaft. My men said 
there was a flaw, and they never saw 
such rotten iron. The blacksmith said 
there was no flaw at all. The owner said 
it was a “brand-new shaft,” and I must 
pay for the mending. My men and horses 
went home. Fearing the shaft could not 
be mended, I telephoned for a new one, 
with the understanding that I should 
bear one-half of the expense. This came 
straggling along after four days. But in 
the meantime the old shaft was patched 
up, and with much telephoning and bi¬ 
cycle riding my industrial army was again 
assembled, and we started, fearful of the 
worst. But the expected did not happen, 
and we dragged on, taking six days for 
what should have been done in three. 
During these six days I learned a num¬ 
ber of things, the most important of 
which was, that even I, the inexperienced 
presser of the hay, could help materially 
by being on the spot. 
Getting It Siiipted. —With the help 
of my wheel I made breakneck rides in all 
directions. There were cars to engage, 
bills of lading to understand, and a hun¬ 
dred and one unexpected happenings to 
settle. “He who would be well served 
must serve himself” ; so it was the own¬ 
er’s eye that discovered the unswept cars 
and the careless packing *of bales. A broom 
and shovel soon made the one right. The 
first layer of bales I turned on their 
broad sides, the others on their narrow 
sides, thus squeezing an extra bale in each 
tier, and filling the extra height in the 
car, which made a big difference in my 
profits, as a loosely packed car costs as 
much to transport as one filled to the 
limit. My cup of joy was full when I 
learned I was three tons better to the car 
than one of the, presumably, experienced 
“men folks” who shipped alongside of me. 
By dint of rushing, employing extra men 
and horses in its transportation, we just 
made connections. As the freight train 
steamed into the station and side-tracked 
itself to take on freight, the last bale was 
put in and the door locked. It reached 
its destination in time. My bales satisfied 
the buyer, and the trials of hay-pressing 
were forgotten in the gratification of re¬ 
ceiving a substantial check. 
Results of 1911. 
Expense. 
Seeding 2 acres. $70.00 
Haying . 68.00 
Rent of press . 12.00 
Transportation of same. 12.00 
Pressing 24 tons. 88.22 
Half new shaft. 5.00 
Mending old shaft. 2.50 
Telephoning, etc. 2.00 
Two cars for transportation. 50.00 
Rent of land. 72.00 
Total expense.$300.72 
Income. 
24 tons of hay at $27.$644.06 
Second crop. S.OO 
Total income.$652.06 
390.72 
Net profit.$262.24 
While I have been obliged to hire all 
labor done, I have looked after the essen¬ 
tials needed, ashes, manure, phosphates, 
etc. I have hired my men, paid my bills 
and fought my own battles, notwithstand¬ 
ing that I was much of the time actively 
employed in a distant city. The figures 
of this banner year show that financially 
I came out with flying colors; but more 
valuable even than the money made has 
been the experience in business and with 
human nature. But the most satisfying 
thing of all is my well-tilled land, stretch¬ 
ing off towards the mountains, the tall, 
waving grass, the bees and butterflies 
that take toll from my clover-heads, and 
the swinging, gurgling bobolinks, to whom 
my little farm is a “joy forever.” 
Maine. iiattie a. pike. 
Homemade Cheese Making. 
WO months ago Mr. Clark Allis gave 
his wife great praise as a cook and 
housekeeper, mentioning particular¬ 
ly a certain kind of cheese. There have 
been several requests from readers for 
further information about this cheese, and 
so we are able to print the following: 
I am sorry my husband has got me into 
trouble about cheese-making, for I have 
never seen a professional cheese-maker 
make cheese, and only know what I have 
learned from articles in agricultural pa¬ 
pers and some hints which a Scotch 
woman gave me. 
Get from a butcher a calf’s rennet, fill 
and cover with salt, using plenty—a pint 
or more. Dry thoroughly and roll up in 
clean brown paper. When ready to make 
cheese cut from your rennet in half-inch 
slices about two inches; put into a pint 
July 25, 
glass can and fill two-thirds full of hot 
water, using the salt, and adding more 
salt if in keeping it shows signs of mold. 
Let stand over night. When the liquid 
has been used add more rennet and hot 
water. It will keep for mouths. 
I have only tried making cheese from 
Small quantities of milk in the Winter. 
Then I would save my skim-milk till I 
had about three gallons and a half. Heat 
the milk to 85 degrees, add one table¬ 
spoonful and a half of the liquid rennet 
and let it remain till solid, like thick, sour 
milk, usually about half an hour, some¬ 
times longer. Cut the curd in squares 
with a long knife or spoon, and when the 
whey begins to separate carefully dip off 
with a saucer or shallow skimmer. Heat 
it to 00 degrees, pour over the curd until 
the whole mass is heated to 00 degrees, 
when the curd will settle in a mass to 
the bottom and all the whey can be 
turned off. We like this fresh curd, and 
eat it with salt or salt and cream. Make 
curd in this way three times, keeping it 
in a cool place, hut not allowing it to 
freeze. The last time I put all the curd 
through the food chopper and salt to 
taste. 
Mr. Allis had made a tin hoop nine 
inches in diameter and six inches high, 
with a row of small holes on one side to 
let the whey escape; two tin heavy gal¬ 
vanized iron circles and several wooden 
ones one inch thick, which fit loosely in¬ 
side of the hoop. The galvanized iron 
circular pieces should be just as big as 
possible and go into the cheese hoop. The 
wooden ones can be a little smaller. 
Place hoop on a board and take a cloth 
about the size of a flour sack and place 
inside of hoop. Put in one of the tin 
circles, which fits it to the hoop. Now 
fill in the curd and even it around, draw 
a corner of the cloth smoothly over the 
top and place on the other tin circle. 
Draw up all the loose edges of the cloth 
on top and put on as many wooden cir¬ 
cles as you need. The cheese is now ready 
to press, and you can press it by placing 
a big stone on top, or in whatever kind 
of a press you can improvise. 
When I make cheese of the whole milk 
I save the night’s milk, and in the morn¬ 
ing take off the thick cream, which would 
waste, and with the morning’s milk make 
it into curd. If I want a larger cheese 
I keep the curd on ice till I have enough 
to press. The morning after I take the 
cheese from the hoop, remove cloth and 
rub all over with melted butter, and it is 
then ready to use as we like it. If you 
A Pair of Alabama Boys. 
want to cure it longer, turn it every 
morning, rubbing it all over with butter 
as you need it. MRS. CLARK allis. 
Note. —Mrs. Allis has a heavy plank 
press, two planks, with a rod through 
each end, threaded nearly its length, and 
two big tail nuts to turn by hand ; hut I 
think a lever press with a weight at the 
end might be an improvement. Any kind 
of a press that will go down square and 
not make the cheese one-sided is best. 
The common lever apple presses might be 
used by hanging a weight on the lever.— 
C. A. 
Mrs. Hiram Offen: “Your recommen¬ 
dations are rather poor, I must say.” 
Maid: “Well, mum, yez weren’t recom- 
miuded very highly to me, ayther.”—Bos¬ 
ton Transcript. 
ALL HANDS IN THE HAYFIELD. 
