Submitted by Ellen Knoernschild & Written by Edwin Knoernschild when Edwin was 85 years old.
Putting up hay was one of the most unpleasant jobs on a farm. At first, hay was cut with a scythe and then raked by hand with a large wooden rake. Later, it was cut with a sickle mower pulled by two horses and raked a day later with a rake with many tines which could drop a row of hay. The next round would be dropped in the same place to make a windrow.
The hay was loaded in a wagon with pitchforks and packed down, hauled in loose on wagons and unloaded onto the loft by hand. The wagons could drive through the barn so that the hay could be lifted from them onto the floor of the loft. It was a big improvement when we got a hay fork which could be pushed down into the hay to lift a large amount from the wagon. The hay fork operated on a track suspended from the rafters of the barn. The hay would be lifted straight up from the wagon until it reached the track, and then it would follow this into the loft until a trip rope was pulled and the load dropped. A horse pulled up the load of hay by means of a long rope attached to the fork. The hay still had to be distributed over the hot loft.
The first balers were powered by horses. The early balers were stationary, and the hay had to be brought to it with a rake. The earliest balers used wire, which became a useful item for quick repairs as it accumulated on the farm. At first, the bales were lifted onto the loft by hand; later, an electric elevator was used, a conveyor frame with sprockets on both ends. The bales were dropped at one end and moved to the loft. Even with bales, it was still a hot, dusty job. We used to chop hay for the cows and oats for the horses with a hand-fed cutter in the hay loft.
When making hay, it was always touch and go with the weather. Rain would cause the hay to spoil by getting moldy. I remember one time when the hay was still a little damp after being baled, and to keep it from spoiling or, even worse, heating up and causing a fire, salt was sprinkled over the bales as they were put in the loft.
The very best hay was made from alfalfa, but red clover was also used. In the early days, timothy grass was raised for horse hay. We usually had 4 - 6 horses. We tried mules, which took the heat better, but you could not turn your back on them, or you would be kicked.
