Spring 2022 Hay

I never got around to finishing this post about last year's hay-cutting, but it's apropos for what's going on now on the Sutherland Place. So far two fields have been cut and baled this week, but several fields are yet to be cut. A chance of storms has postponed cutting for a while—just like this time last year.

The fields look pretty much alike from year to year.

On a Saturday in mid-June 2022, the last of the spring hay was cut on the Sutherland Place. Part of it had already been cut, raked, baled, and hauled away a week earlier, but forecasts for bad weather had postponed cutting the rest. 

Here's what the fields looked like on that Saturday. A year later, they still look the same.

One of the tractors used for raking:

These last hayfelds are near what used to be William Milton Sutherland's home.  He was the grandson of the original owner, Philomen Sutherland. The house—actually a double-pen log cabin covered in clapboarding—still stands, but parts of it are collapsing, so its days are numbered.

While hay was cut close to the house, a little weedy patch in the midst of the field was left alone. It's where the hearth for the long-gone kitchen was. The kitchen was midway between the side door and the henhouse.

Here's a closer look at the door:

The top of the chimney is missing, and the bottom has collapsed. Part of the cabin's front (the left side, not shown) has bowed out. 

The back of the cabin still looks straight, but looks are deceptive.

Below is what's left of the henhouse.

Beside the big hayfield is a large barn that's starting to fall in.

A different view:  

And a closer look:

In its heyday,  lot of hay was pitched into the loft . . .

. . . but the loft is long gone and the methods of making hay have changed.

In the middle of one of the smaller hayfields is what's left of an old tobacco barn. 

Here's a view from the other side.

Looking from the remains of the old tobacco barn, the big barn is at the left and what used to be an equipment shed is farther down the hill. Some of the round bales are beyond the tractor.

Farming has changed a lot since Phil Sutherland arrived in the 1790s with his young bride Fannie; and since Milton Sutherland raised his family in the cabin in the mid-1800s, went off to war, and returned to take up farming—but haying is still done every spring and fall.

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Spring Hay 2022

 "Farming is pretty work." —author Lee Smith

We are currently in the midst of getting our spring hay cut, raked, and baled. Haying is hot, tedious, and dusty work, but it's indeed pretty. Here are some pictures of raking and baling at Smith Farm in Union Hall today.

Yesterday, hay was finished on our Polecat Creek Farm in Penhook:

Altogether, these two farms produced 257 bales. We still have two more farms to go.

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Fall Hay 2015

It won't be fall for a couple of weeks, but the fall cutting of hay on Polecat Creek Farm is done. Last week it was cut, raked, and baled during a hot dry spell that was perfect for hay-making. Hay is cut one day, given a day or two to dry, then raked, and finally baled. On the day I took these pictures, the first field that was raked was soon baled while another field was being raked.

 

Nothing smells better than fresh-cut hay!

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Last Morning of Summer

On the last day of summer, George and Jim-Bob breakfasted on the deck.

They have  lot of cat-work to do, so they eat hearty.

 Inside, Dylan and Tanner napped in the sunlight.

Fortunately, no one was rocking in the rocking chair.

Tanner even naps recklessly.

Down the road at the farm, hay that was baled yesterday dried in the morning sun.

But something moved near the bale. See them?

How about now?

Something else moved through the tall grass, How many can you count?

Looks like a lot of critters were out and about this morning.

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