mercredi 13 juin 2007

Hay making day two

The rain stayed away today and the forecast is now for the possibility of a thunder storm late tomorrow evening - which should be time enough for the hay in field 2 to dry. It's already fluffy and rustles and is taking on that bluey green colour. I reckon it'll be ready by lunchtime tomorrow.

Meantime I've cut the grass in field 6 (the new one which is established meadow). It's so dense it was impossible to cut really close to the ground, even so there'll be plenty of hay as the growth was at least two and a half feet high. It's a big field and took about 5 hours (with a considerable break for lunch). I should have started at the crack of dawn when it's easier to cut but I elected to tidy the workshop to make room for the things brought from England, so it was a late start.

In medieval times they reckoned a good man could cut an acre of grass in a day with a scythe (although there's an account of a man cutting four acres!). I managed about an acre in 8 hours so I think it's official - I'm a peasant.

1 commentaire :

Anonyme a dit…

Hi Lee
I remember making a hay reek in Ireland where Renates relatives still farm in quite an old fasioned way. You have to build it up under yourself while others pass you fork loads of hay. Something we have tried here in Orkney is fogage, which is leaving the grass all summer and outwintering animals on it. We kept 20 sheep on 6 acres and they would not eat any hay when we tried to give it to them.