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.

I run the tractor and- and ah- Interviewer: Oh yeah? Speaker: Yeah so I went down there for part of the summer just for ah farm experience, I guess. Interviewer: Square bails or- Speaker: No just loose hay. Interviewer: Stoots. Speaker: Loose. Interviewer: Oh yeah? Speaker: You- you just used um a hay fork and load it onto the wagon and hauled it in and- and ah piled it up into the- they had a sling that would bring it up and then go over it and then drop it.

Speaker: You get the hay in. Interviewer: That was a big job wasn't it? Speaker: Yeah. They forked it on and forked it off at one time. I didn't. Interviewer: What did you do? Speaker: Well I had a hay-fork which is a track in the ridge of the barn. Right at the top of the roof. Interviewer: Yup. Speaker: And you- back to the wagon or whatever you were drawing the hay on in under and set the fork and then pulled it up.

Interviewer 1: And where would it get put? Speaker: Into the (inc) and you'd trip the fort and it would drop it. Interviewer 1: And then back out. Speaker: And then you spread it and do it over again. I did that one year here myself without a- without a hay-fork. After that I had a hay-fork. 'Cause I didn't like forking all that hay off (laughs). Interviewer 1: (Laughs) Yeah. That's a big job isn't it?

Speaker: Into the (inc) and you'd trip the fort and it would drop it. Interviewer 1: And then back out. Speaker: And then you spread it and do it over again. I did that one year here myself without a- without a hay-fork. After that I had a hay-fork. 'Cause I didn't like forking all that hay off (laughs). Interviewer 1: (Laughs) Yeah. That's a big job isn't it?

…and then we come along with the wagon later on, go between the two coils and be a guy on each side of the wagon and put a- put on and that sort of thing and- and there was- Interviewer 1: With a- with a fork? Speaker: Yes, with a hay fork, ah, with a hand hay fork type-thing, yeah. Interviewer 2: Mm-hm. Speaker: And, ah, so that was, ah- that was a big part of the summer, ah, when you're going to school was, ah, doing the hay crops and that sort of thing.

Speaker: My dad or- sometimes we'd have a hired man for the summer months. Interviewer: Would they fork it up there? How do you get it- the hay up there? Speaker: Well, it's hard to explain that. I used to drive what they called the-horse-and-the-hay-fork. And there was a big fork in right down from the ceiling. And you put that into the ah, into the hay. And then, the horse outside would pull that up on the rope.

you didn't do it all at once it'd be three or four or five forkfulls. Throw that up on the wagon and the guy on the wagon had to build the load now. And you took it into the barn and they had what they called a hay-fork. It was an iron affair that went- it was across the top was about a foot and a half and then it- two irons went down about three feet and then there was two rods went down to two little prongs that tipped up and down, and it activated them.

step on it like that and jump on it, and then pull that handle up and that turned these two little- you wouldn't- wouldn't think they'd hold the hay. Interviewer: Yeah! Speaker: And they pull it up and over and that locked it. And then there was a- a hay fork rope that was fastened to a car at the- as they called it, it was a four-wheel metal affair with ah ran on a wooden- at the big barn ran on a wooden track 'bout four inches square.

So there was two pulleys on the car. The one the rope was fastened to and the other went down through the pulley on- on this hook, and up and around. And it was um, it was a trick rope fastened to this hay fork. So you- after you dumped one you'd pull it like this and it would come with a hay fork on empty to the middle of- over the barn floor. And then trip, and then ah this pulley with a rope around it would come down.

it was fastened to and the other went down through the pulley on- on this hook, and up and around. And it was um, it was a trick rope fastened to this hay fork. So you- after you dumped one you'd pull it like this and it would come with a hay fork on empty to the middle of- over the barn floor. And then trip, and then ah this pulley with a rope around it would come down. But the rope up there went along the track and out the end of the pigeon-hole at the end of the barn

and then to a- to a horse that would pull it up when you got it all hooked up. But anyway when you got her down there then when you got the fork in place and-everything, then you hook this hook back into the hook on top of the hay fork. Then you'd yell "Alright!" And a guy outside or my mother or somebody driving the horse out there. Go up and it would pull that bundle up and then when it hit the top it would trip it, and then go along the ah track. And when it got

Speaker: Amazing. And the s-- second time was up in the hay mow, then you drew the hay in a wagon and then you hitched a horse to the hay fork. You filled the fork with hay off the wagon. Put the fork into the hay and then Sharon sometimes drove the horse out a piece and that would lift the- the hay off the wagon up on a rack. Interviewer: Oh, like a forklift that wold just lift it up, yes.

Well it was- it was put on a wagon and the horses pull the wagon, and ah in the um barns itself, it had what they called hay-fork.