PUBLISHED BARN STORY continued

                                             BALING HAY

        Why bale hay? Most farms years ago raised cattle. Hay was needed to feed them through the winter. A farmer cut clover in the summer after it bloomed with a sickle type machine pulled behind the tractor. Once the hay dried a little, it was raked up into rows--resembling long curls--to let the wind and sun dry them.

          In a day or two a baler was pulled behind a tractor along with a hay rack. The rectangular-shaped bales were formed by the baler with twine to hold the hay shape together. It was pushed back and up toward someone who would stack the bales--usually 30-70 pounds each-- depending on how much moisture remained. 

        When the hay rack was stacked full, it was taken to the barn. Most barns, like ours, had a big door up high at the front of the barn. The hayrack was pulled up in front of the barn. Huge forks were used  to hold, at least, eight bales together. They were lifted with a pulley. Once the hay reached the top, it then followed a track. Once it reached a certain location in the hay mow, someone would trip the forks and the hay would drop.

      On this particular day I was the guy doing the stacking up in the barn. This was quite an operation, generally taking, at least, six men or so to complete the cycle. It was in the late fifties, I was in my teens. Hot day! Really hard work for 75 cents  to one dollar an hour. The there was no air movement in the barn.

         At some point, I looked down on my arms, and there was no sweat. Once I was sweating like a "pig" and the next minute I was dry and clammy. I knew I had dehydrated. Time to get out. The rest of the afternoon it was lemonade for this guy. 

**As a footnote, I used to do some work as a teen-ager for Art DeWitt, who lived  just lived just north of our place. I will never forget baling hay for him one day. His wife, Beverly, made lunch. I was amazed that we could eat fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetables, complete with pie and go back to work after a brief rest. Then, enjoy a sandwich and lemonade at 4 0'clock and we'd go home and eat later again.