Well thas nearly “ safety gathered in”(early September) Thas the harvest I’m a talkin about, und thas finished suffin early this year. Ridin about I hev seen a field or two o’Wheat that still want a’cuttin und the Young Master up at the Hall hev still got a field uf Beans t’get in.
I were a thinkin about the different sizes o’bales o’straw yu see about now, thes round uns unds und them brick shaped ones from little uns yu could pick up by hand right through to them gret old big uns that hev nearly 15cwt (750kilos) o’straw jammed in um.
I recollect we hed round bales back in the 1950’s. They were little doddy things. A firm called Allis Chalmers ,from America, bought over a baler that made little round bales. The Farmer where m’Father warked he hed one. As far as I can remember they only used it t’meak hay bales. That hed it’s own engine t’drive it und it hed a lot o’wide belts t’roll the hay inta a round bale. When they were carted t’the barn they took sum stackin cos yu could’unt get um bound tight agin one another. When yu were a stackin little brick shaped bales yu could build them up just like a house wall und bind um it tight. Yu could unt du this with them round bales und a lot o stacks made with um fell over. I think m’Father only used the Allis baler for one year cos another fault with um was if the belts wernt adjusted right they got hot und were likely t’fly a’fire und melt.
A’for them handling systems cum out all the bale cartin were dun by hand. That took two on u t’lift one o’them little brick shaped bales onta a trailer when that got high, Yu looked t’make the load 12 to 14 layers high. When yu went to hull the bale onta the load two on yu stood with yar back t’the load, one on yu ha’a work right handed und one on yu ha’a work left handed. That were handy if yu were both the same height und yar fork shafts were the same length. Yu both drive yar fork tines inta the bale und then yu lifted the bale up und back over yar head inta the load. That wark were part o’whot sum folks, who hev never dun any straw cartin, call “The Good Old Days”!!
They started a’usin them big round balers in the late 1970s. A firm called Farm Hand who hed a place near Wymondham got sum on um over from America. Another thing they bought over, about the same time, were a gret old machine that looked like a round tub on wheels. They called it a Tub Grinder. Yu could drop one of them gret old round bales inta it und teeth in the bottom of the tub would grind up the straw so that could be mixed with silage, Sugar Beet Pulp und Concentrates in a feeder wagon t’be fed to cattle und sheep. They called the mixed feed a Totally Mixed Ration, or TMR for short. They are a’still feedin cattle with TMR rations t’day. All they were a’doin were copying what farmers hed bin a doin for years on the barn floor. They used t’cut straw up through a Chaff Cutter und slice up Mangolds or Turnips on another machine, these machines were often turned by hand. That were hard werk I can tell yar. Yu’ed meake a heap on the barn floor with the chaff, sliced Mangolds/Turnips und sum suger beet pulp und rolled barley. Yu’ed then mix this lot up with a shovel und cart it by hand in a bushel skep und feed it t’the cattle they kept in the bullock yards durin the winter. Yu ha’a go inta the yard with the cattle t’feed um. That’d keep yu suffin warm if u’d got 20 or 30 head o’cattle t’feed every day (includin Saturdays und Sundays)
Well the old football hev kicked orf agin. Mr Adams und them boys up at Carra Rood hev meade a good start though thas a long way till next May. At least they hev beaton them old Tractor Boys . My Bother recon he support them, he lived in Suffolk for a bit, but when yu ask him he dont seem t’know much about who’s a’playin for um. He hant been sayin a lot since Norwich beat um.
Things are a’startin t’slow up in the old garden. Thas bin a long growin season cos a lot o’plants never really hed a rest as last winter were s’mild. The Missus recon we could du with a harder winter this year t’give things in the garden a rest. I say “Can I hev a rest un all if we get a hard winter”. She din’t say anything…… She just gi’me one o’har looks.
Fare ye well t’gether und du yu keep a troshin.