When we first moved back to the farm in 1946, the Moorman road was still a gravel road. That summer i road on the hay wagon in the field just north and west of the Turkey Run bridge. Francie Holland farms it now. At that time we did not bale hay, it was stored loose in the haymow of the barns. The haymow being the second floor of any barn we had. The hay was mowed, dried in the sun and then raked into windrow. The hay wagon had no sides but did have two vertical wooden posts at the back to keep the lose hay from falling off the back A hay walker was hitched to the back of the wagon. The hay walker would pick the hay up and 'walk' it up an inclined plane to about 12 feet above the wagon bed where it would fall onto the wagon. Men on the wagon would use pitch forks to distribute it evenly on the wagon. This was very hot, dirty work, with all that dried hay falling onto the wagon.
When the wagon was full, it would be pulled to the barn to be unloaded. There an elaborate mechanism of ropes, tracks, pullys and 'knives' was used to lift the hay off the wagon, lift it into the mow and deposit it is strategic spots in the mow. First the set of 4 knives (curved pieces of metal approximately 4 feet long) was lowered to the wagon and they were set to grasp a clump of hay that weighed perhaps 150 pounds. Once that was set, a tractor or team of horses would list the hay by pulling a rope until it was lifted to a track fixed to the topmost beam in the barn roof. At that point the entire assembly would unlock, allowing it to be moved along the track freely using another guide rope. When the hay was positioned properly, a trip rope was pulled which collapsed the knives and dropped the hay to the floor where more men with pitchforks distributed it evenly. This was an amazing mechanical device that saved a lot of labor in filling the various barns on the farm.
There were a total of 9 barns that I remember. The barn at Wilson's is the one I remember the loose hay apparatus being used. There was also a large barn at Ed Browns house, at the home place, and at Shorty Valentines house. There was also the sheep barn, the cattle barn, the colt barn and the milking barn at the home place. There were smaller barns at Tommy Byrd's house and at Mart's old place. This gives a good indication of how much haying was done at one time at the farm.
The first hay baler was a Case model that required two men to ride on the baler itself to tie the bales. There was no automatic mechanism to tie the bale. A bale is a compressed, rectangular package of hay that weighs from 50 to 100 pounds. While either twine or wire can be used, my father would only use wire. You could make the bales heavier that way. A twine tied bale usually weighs 60 pounds, while a wire bale weighs significantly more. The actual weight depends on the dryness of the hay, but 80 pounds was the usual weight of our bales.
Everyone detested that Case baler and when My father gave the men a choice of a new truck for hauling grain and livestock or a new, automatic baler in 1950, the reaction was unanimous... new baler. This required only three men to operate, one to drive the tractor and two to load the wagon. There were usually 5 layers of bales on the wagon with a 6th level of single bales that put in the middle that helped tie the two haves together.
Hay season started in June, after school was out and planting was done. It would last until wheat harvest started in the middle of July. It is long, exhausting work that never seems to end. Loading the wagons is the better work as you are moving and there is a bit of breeze. Unloading the wagons is the really hot work. The temperature in the haymow can be 110 degrees, it is dusty and there is not a breath of air to be found. You quickly begin to yearn for rain for a respite. While you are working you continually scan the sky for signs of rain. Much of the time you are disappointed! There is one condition of the sky that looks like sure rain, but the rain never comes. When doing hay, you quickly learn to recognize this teaser.
Technology has marched on and hay is now formed into large rolls that can only be manipulated by machinery. In the US the rolls are either 900 pounds or 500 pounds. A very small piece of machinery picks up the hay and compresses it into a roll. When complete, it is wrapped in a strong plastic mesh and the tractor driver backs the machine up and when it is pulled forward again, the roll is disgourged and the next bale is begun. Only one person is needed to process the hay. Later the rolls are moved with special loaders that pick these up one at a time. They are often stored in a row at the edge of a feedlot, covered in white plastic to keep the rain off.
In Europe, the rolls are smaller, weighing approximately 300 pounds. The same techniques are used for processing straw. StrawIn any event they cannot be moved by muscle power now. The haying process is solitary occupation now.
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