The Monaghan hayfield (1950)

By Rory Stewart

During the interval in attending to the flax crop, the hay has been growing, and is now ready for cutting. The earlier cut 'hayseed crop' has been cut, hand tied in sheaves and arranged in four sheaves per stook (as in an oats crop) and left in the field. Later after the ripening process they are built into ‘huts’ (small circular field stacks).

There they will remain until it is time for them to be drawn home to ‘the haggard’ where they will be re-built into larger stacks, or ‘reeks’ in readiness for the travelling threshing machine. Some years earlier (1940), hayseed huts stayed in the field until local men using hand operated ‘flails’ with which they threshed the seeds from the stems on large tarpaulins, or close meshed jute sacks stitched together to form “a flailing floor.”

Here we depart ‘the hayseed crop’ bearing in mind the war years still cast a a long shadow well into the first half of the year 1950. Then the time came to save the important ‘second cutting’ permanent and meadow land using the horse drawn reaper, or a man’s scythe for smaller land holders (or even in adverse weather conditions). In spite of expert advice, little hay was being cut early as recommended. Bulk was still the keynote rather than the lesser bulk quality. Mid-July was a traditional starting time, and for the majority it was “the hayseed harvest” rather than the permanent meadows which might start in mid-August. Weather conditions, and those for growing flax would determine the rotation of the hay harvest.

Overall, anything from mid-July to late September was a long drawn out season in field work. In most localities, owners of a reaper or “mill” were few in number. I remember at most two “one horse reapers” operating their clattering serrated blades. The daily output of such an apparatus on most hilly fields might yield a hard earned cutting per day. On the other hand, the smaller farmer with his scythe might have a fight for his harvest during most of the summer in cutting, lapping, eventual cocking, and later into ‘huts’ or smaller field stacks. Enough to fit into a small barn. Cutting the hay crop by scythe or reaper is a mere preliminary to the amount of work which is to follow. On the smaller farm ‘saving the hay’ was very much a hand tool operation, and often where there was medium to large families, all the able bodied members participated in the work of the harvest. Many graips, pitch forks, and hand rakes soon saw small fields in hay cocks.

On the larger farms where there were one or more horses there was a variety of equipment to hasten home the hay crop. After a period of cut hay in swatches now well seasoned a horse drawn hay rake, or a hay sweep, or ‘tedder’ turned and tossed the crop to benefit from sun and wind. In favourable conditions the hay would be built up in small field cocks. Days later they would be built into larger field cocks. Large cocks required ropes to protect against windy conditions. In early periods, hay ropes were made in the field. The hand operated ‘rope twister’ was made from plain ‘bull’ wire with a hooked end which held the hay being ‘paid out’ by an assistant. Among older men were still some who could twist a rope, literally by long experienced hands. Eventually, in late Autumn, the hay cocks were drawn home, some on horse drawn low flat platform carts called ‘hay floats’. On medium and small farms cocks were towed home in a fashion of a horse fitted with a long chain around each cock, and towed into “the haggard”, (or stack yard) to be built into final stacks or ‘reeks.’

As yet, there were but few large open hay sheds, but some wise farmers did have reasonable stone built barns to hold at least part of their hay harvests. The smaller farmer was often obliged to make “bardrogs” or tied bundles expertly drawn from the round hay stack during the winter foddering, twice a day. So concludes the hay harvest. But bear in mind the threshed seed hay crop had little food value. Most small holders encouraged their live stock to seek for fodder amidst their few fields in favourable weather, so that some hay be available in adverse winter conditions.

(1) Some haymaking equipment of 1950 = A hay tedder, designed to turn the swathe, and at the same time tossing the hay to expose the under side to the wind.
(2) The hand rake. To glean the field, so that all the hay is safe in field stacks.
(3) The drag rake. Introduced in the 1880’s, recommended for use by ladies!! A wooden framed steel toothed monster. I only remember seeing one specimen outside our locality. Now extremely rare.
(4) Side delivery rake. A collecting machine for gathering hay into areas where cocks were to be built in the field.
(5) The horse drawn hay rake. Another item on the larger farm to collect for hay cock building.
(6) The tumble rake. A horse drawn wooden device for turning swathes, and later to draw hay to cock builders
(7) The hay float. A low flat cart featuring a tilting body platform, having a mounted winding winch to draw field cocks to ‘haggard storage’.
(8) The hay stack. A circular shape with a sharp conical roof.
(9) The hay reek. Large cottage shaped oblong featured on large farms
(10) In conclusion about general hay and hay making, to secure hay in field or haggard, “hay ropes” made by hand with a rope maker were common, but soon dispensed with the introduction of the commercial hay rope. It became available in general hardware shops, and was known as “Hairy Ned” a jute composition in a bituminous solution to preserve it against rats and general rodents! (Such is the tale of past years in hay making).

Taken from Monaghan's Match
December 2003