Mowing

Contrasts, here's the old fashioned way with a Massey ferguson 25 raking the sun dried hay into tidy lines; meanwhile brother drives the MF baler around and forms the bales. The regular thumpada of the baler is quite soporific. The sea fog came in late yesterday afternoon, so the hay quickly absorbed moisture which slowed the baling process down as the hay got heavier. The MF tractor needs regular clearing of the drive shaft as the hay gets wrapped around it and causes the bearings to overheat. A fix on the engine has just negated the anticipated profit on the spare bales for this year. These lads do it because it's in their blood.

By contrast in the next door field were three massive John Deere tractors and a Manitou. The Manitou was lifting crates of potatoes, weighing tons, into stacks. One JD was lifting the potatoes into a hopper which then deposited them in the boxes, at the same time of course the soil is virtually ploughed. The next John Deere was spreading fertilizer and harrowing at the same time; the next crop were delivered in trays stacked in planting wagons ready for planting this afternoon. The third JD was towing huge containers of potatoes back to the yard ready for sale to them there sooooopermarkets.

I have learned an awful lot this week, just simply through natural inquisitiveness and the attention to detail which Blip has encouraged.