Speaker: Ah, it'd be stored in the loft, or the cowshed, or the cow-stable. Horse-stable. Sometimes, maybe have to stack it, if you had more'n the building would hold. Interviewer: Um, what outfit would you use to lift the hay from the wagon, ah- Speaker: Hay-fork. With a lot of it, a lot of it and the first was done by hand, with elbow-grease and a pitchfork. Interviewer: Yeah. Speaker: Forked it. And I think it was getting pretty handy when you got the hay-fork. Interviewer: Um, what did they thresh with, before the machines came on? Speaker: The tramper. Well, no, with the flail. Interviewer: Uh-huh. Speaker: That- the flail was- yeah, two sh-- one stick, and then a short piece of a stick tied to that, and you'd flail it.

Interviewer: It's interesting. Speaker: Yes. Interviewer: Yeah. Speaker: Well ah then maybe we'd let- let it sit for a day in the coils. And then we'd draw it in on the wagon. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Speaker: And ah we had a- a hay fork that come down from the loft and with it, we had boards up on the loft in like a tra-- like a trolley, you-know? Interviewer: Yeah. Speaker: And there was a hay fork out, and it was worked by ropes. And my father used to put the hay on the hay coils. And then we'd draw it in on the wagon. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Speaker: And ah we had a- a hay fork that come down from the loft and with it, we had boards up on the loft in like a tra-- like a trolley, you-know? Interviewer: Yeah. Speaker: And there was a hay fork out, and it was worked by ropes. And my father used to put the hay on the hay forks. The rest of us wasn't heavy lif-- wasn't big enough to lift the hay forks, so we know (inc) big (laughs). And ah we u-- used to go up

hay fork that come down from the loft and with it, we had boards up on the loft in like a tra-- like a trolley, you-know? Interviewer: Yeah. Speaker: And there was a hay fork out, and it was worked by ropes. And my father used to put the hay on the hay forks. The rest of us wasn't heavy lif-- wasn't big enough to lift the hay forks, so we know (inc) big (laughs). And ah we u-- used to go up in the- in the loft and my brother-in-law, he has his father's there one day and

And there was a hay fork out, and it was worked by ropes. And my father used to put the hay on the hay forks. The rest of us wasn't heavy lif-- wasn't big enough to lift the hay forks, so we know (inc) big (laughs). And ah we u-- used to go up in the- in the loft and my brother-in-law, he has his father's there one day and oh I was out there and I was sifting around doing nothing and I said my sister "

Speaker: Mm-hm. Sometimes we'd have some buckwheat in there. Not- we weren't extensive t-- farmers though but we- we had our own. Interviewer: Yes. Um, you used to help out in the field sometimes? Speaker: Oh yes. Interviewer: Yeah. Yeah. Speaker: Gave the horses all that hay fork (laughs) I was sick of the (inc). But I drove the horse- I drove- I drove the horses on the hay fork and I also reaped and had feedings with the horse and the reap.

Speaker: Piled it all in a mow. Interviewer: Uh-huh. Speaker: Half the size of the barn. You-know, tramp it in. Interviewer: Which? Speaker: You'd tramp it in with your feet. Get much in. But, ah, you don't throw it in with the fork, no, they'd take it in with the hay fork. Draw it in with a horse, do-you-see, a track is up and just keep it rolled on the back on a carriage, and ah, it trips and the fork would drop right down here onto your wagon. Great big long prongs up on end (sp).

the um, right building that I was speaking of, where um, i-- now let me see how I explain this um, they would drive the wagon into the barn, into the bottom of the barn, there was an open area there and then they had hooked up what they called the hay fork. Now, this was hooked up into the roof of the barn, they would unhitch one horse, which it would take out to the back of the barn and um, on the inside of the top of the barn was a track and uh, a track with a rope which would

take out to the back of the barn and um, on the inside of the top of the barn was a track and uh, a track with a rope which would go the length of it, pretty- you-know, would go quite a length up there but they called it the hay fork, you would stick this- it was about three feet long, you would stick this hay fork into the hay on the wagon and the rope took it up to this um, track and then when it was up, uh, no when my mother was- when my mother had the fork

a track with a rope which would go the length of it, pretty- you-know, would go quite a length up there but they called it the hay fork, you would stick this- it was about three feet long, you would stick this hay fork into the hay on the wagon and the rope took it up to this um, track and then when it was up, uh, no when my mother was- when my mother had the fork ready in the hay on the top of the wagon and the clamp down on it,

Interviewer: Would you do anything with the reins in-- Speaker: Oh- Interviewer: As well as to say the words? Speaker: Oh, oh yes, we would always pull the reins and they were very knowing. They just knew what you wanted them to do and actually now when I was driving the hay fork with- with old Roy um, you'd just say "Giddy-up, there" and he knew where to stop.

or so in blossom, and then it was cut (inc) Interviewer: With what- with what piece of- Speaker: With a mower. Interviewer: Yes. Speaker: And then it was raked, and ah, coiled, piled in little piles to dry, and then the p-- ca-- coils were forked onto the wagon, brought into the barn and a hay-fork would be ah, a big fork, plunged into the hay, and drew up, and it went in on the track. And ah- Interviewer: Into what part of the- Speaker: In the barns or the lofts, you-know? Interviewer: Mm-hm, and it would be stored there for- for animal feed.

like little beehives and then when they cured after a week or so and the s-- the weather was right, then we'd have to load it onto a a hay wagon again pulled by horses um and take it all the way to the barn and unload it all by hay forks and pulleys and horses and all that. Interviewer: Now, would that all would be loose, right? Speaker: All loose yeah.

Speaker: And then we would take the load of loose hay to the barn and then would be a ah a big hay-fork (inc) put in with the load of hay and ah you would draw it up on the track end of the barn and then you would spread it out and trap it and-so-forth so the- and then- so that was ah first of all, then we went with-

when it got there and- went down the track in the barn, they had somebody pull the ch-- something (inc) rope or a chain or-something and then dumped it (laughs). Interviewer: I see. Speaker: But then you know what we played after doing that all day? Interviewer: What did you do? Speaker: Horse and hay fork (laughs)! Interviewer: How did you do that? Speaker: I'm not sure (laughs). Well I don't know what we used for a- for- to load the grass. We used grass (laughs). Whatever we used, I don't remember exactly but- but one of us would be the horse (laughs)

And I'd build the loads and they would go themselves and come up to the end of a windrow and turn and get on the next windrow by themselves just talking to them. . And later on a-- as Mother would drive the team on the hay-fork if you know what a hay-fork is (laughs). That took the hay up on the track and drop it in the (inc). Mother got that she wasn't able to do that anymore for she done it so many years.

And later on a-- as Mother would drive the team on the hay-fork if you know what a hay-fork is (laughs). That took the hay up on the track and drop it in the (inc). Mother got that she wasn't able to do that anymore for she done it so many years.

Interviewer: Can you explain to me what the mow is? Speaker: Well it's the upper part of the barn. You walk into the barn floor w-- and there's a- a mow on each side that you mile the hay. Before we had ma-- ah, bails, there was a hay fork rope, ah, a hay fork. We still have it up in the barn. They bring it in in a wagon, loose and they'd stick these big forks and grab i-- big piece of hay and then the- they'd have the horses hitched and somehow or the other

Speaker: a fork and then you put the one piece on the top of it. And it'd shed the water, and then you go out and you loaded all that loose. There's all loose hay. Interviewer: Loose hay! Speaker: And bring it in and y-- and there was a- you use a hay fork. I've got a couple that I've bought ah, at home there now. And you put that into the thing and when you pull the lever on the side, there was two things that went that way.

And I'd throw it down over the back and he'd holler down and it would just be like a- like that. And away we'd go down to his barn and- and he'd pull it off with the- with the hay-fork. And I got the job of working in the mow and it was a little old peak-roofed barn, hotter than hell. And you'd just pretty near melt. But anyways. Interviewer: What's the- what's a mow? Speaker: That's a- well the- in- the barns were- were built different.

they pull it up with a sling and then i-- there's a track in there and it goes a long the track and it goes along the track and you can trip it with a rope and drop it wherever you want in the mow. Sometimes they used a hay fork for that, but quite often they used these slings.