We threw the grass in at the scuttles and spread it round
in a layer about eighteen inches thick. As thus charged, the loft would
hold about as much hay as grew on an acre. From four to seven hours were
needed to make the grass into hay, but the time varied according as the
grass was dry or green and damp when mown. Once in the haymaker it dried
so fast that you could often see a cloud of steam rising from the
scuttles in the glass roof, which had to be left partly open to make a
draft from below.
Of course, we used artificial heat only in wet or cloudy weather. When
the sun came out brightly we depended on solar heat. Perhaps half a day
served to make a "charge" of grass into hay, if we turned it and shook
it well in the loft. Passing the grass through the haymaker required no
more work than making hay in the field in good weather.
In subsequent seasons when the sun shone nearly every day during haying
time we used it less. But when thundershowers or occasional fogs or
heavy dew came it was always open to us to put the grass through the
haymaker. In a wet season it gave us a delightful feeling of
independence. "Let it rain," the old Squire used to say with a smile.
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