Bales

[jmi]

A pretty typical sight of this season round here:


Olympus OM2n, Zuiko 50mm f/1.4, Fuji Sensia 100

About this time last year. Only just got a scanner that does a halfway acceptable job on slides.

[nikonbob]

Good light in the photo. Morning or evening shot? I remeber the old 50 to 80 lb. square/oblong ones. No I don't remember stooked hay.

Bob

[John Parry]

Nice!

Good sky detail - did you use a grad filter? If not, it's a nice balancing act!

Regards - John

[jmi]

Thanks both of you!

It is indeed just good light, no filters at all, taken at about 9am. I was on my bike whizzing past and just had to stop. They are in direct sun which looks to have put everything important within the (fairly wide) latitude of the film.

I really must make use of a whole field full near my house (with tripod this time), just waiting for the right light.

[Randy]

Great shot, it could pass for a picture over here in the Colonies, we have the same bales.

[kiev4a]

When I was a teenager I "bucked" a lot of the old small bales--that's what I did in the summer when school was out. The bales ranged anywhere from 50 to about 90 pounds, depending on whether they were grass or clover. Bucking bales paid more than other ag work ($1.25 and hour) plus the farmers' wives usually put on a big spread--Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, for lunch. On other jobs you had to take your own food.

[kamera]

In the US the round bales have taken over the method of baling hay...you never see the propped stalks anymore unless at a 'historical farming' display, and you very seldom see the rectangular bales.

The rectangular ones I am personally familiar with from baling to throwing on a wagon to storing and then using.

Ron Head
Kalamazoo, MI

[kiev4a]

In this area huge square bales are the now the norm rather than round. Not sure of the size but nobody's going to grab 'em by the strings and throw 'em on a wagon. A few small farmers still use the small square bales.

[Just Plain Curt]

Been there, done that, got the backache to prove it from the old style rectangular bales. One hint, to preserve forearm skin, wear a long sleeve shirt even if it is hot.

[doubs43]

kiev4a said:

When I was a teenager I "bucked" a lot of the old small bales--that's what I did in the summer when school was out. The bales ranged anywhere from 50 to about 90 pounds, depending on whether they were grass or clover. Bucking bales paid more than other ag work ($1.25 and hour) plus the farmers' wives usually put on a big spread--Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, for lunch. On other jobs you had to take your own food.

That brings back a lot of memories, Wayne. I hauled a LOT of hay and straw when I was a teenager. We'd get a crew of 3 ~ 5 and haul for any farmer who needed our services. Some had the newer balers that made small 50 ~ 75 pound bales (mostly alfalfa and clover) depending upon moisture content. Some crimped and some didn't. Some still had the old "horse-head" balers that made bales about twice the size of the newer models and could weigh 125 pounds or more. They were always fun! Every once in awhile the baler wouldn't bind correctly and would toss out a double bale. We'd have to use 4 people to keep it from breaking as we lifted it onto the wagon.

One farmer I knew would cut in the early morning, crimp the hay and bail that afternoon. The bales were heavy with moisture and I never understood why he didn't burn down his barn but he didn't. Just lucky, I guess.

Walker

[doubs43]

nikonbob said:

Good light in the photo. Morning or evening shot? I remeber the old 50 to 80 lb. square/oblong ones. No I don't remember stooked hay. Bob

Bob, I've seen a few haymows... pitched with forks. I also recall shocked corn and wheat but they were almost a thing of the past by the time I was a teenager.

Walker

[doubs43]

weirdcollector said:

Been there, done that, got the backache to prove it from the old style rectangular bales. One hint, to preserve forearm skin, wear a long sleeve shirt even if it is hot.

A long sleeved shirt and keep the smooth side of the bale toward your forearms. The stubble side would tear your arms up!

Walker

[Microdad]

We used hay-hooks when we put the hay up, it made it a lot easier. Plus, the grass hay and straw were a lot lighter then the alfalfa.

[GeneW]

When I was very young I lived on my grandparents homestead farm in N Minnesota and would watch the men put up haystacks. A horse would pull the lift with a big load of hay and a man or two would work on top with pitchforks, arranging it into place. Later they used tractors instead of horses.

Gene