I heard the phrase, \u2018make hay while the sun shines\u2019 yesterday. I hadn\u2019t heard it in a long time. I think its been around forever and it may even be considered a proverb. It probably originated with Medieval English farmers. Before they had machinery, it would take farmers many days to cut, dry and gather hay and since hay can be ruined easily if it gets too wet, the farmers had to take advantage of hot, dry, sunny weather to cut and gather their hay. The phrase generally came to mean take advantage of circumstances before the chance slips away.<\/p>\n
Speaking of hay, when I was growing up the farmers around Maysville grew a lot of hay. All the hay was cut and stored for use in rectangular bales. I never saw rolls or \u201cround bales\u201d of hay when I was living in Oklahoma. I helped with the hay baling operation a few times in high school \u2014 all the farmers had hay-baling machines that formed, and tied, the hay into those rectangular shapes. I remember that machinery being noisy, hard to maintain and vibrating a lot. The newer machines that roll the hay seem to be a little less complex and more reliable.<\/p>\n
The round bales seem to be the choice of most farmers today. The round bales don\u2019t cut the hay as much and therefore reduce waste \u2014 fewer cut ends soak up less water. Water can get into a rectangular bale of hay from the top (rain) or from soaking it up from the ground. The round shape reduces the ground exposure \u2014 less amount of the hay is sitting in direct contact with the ground. The round shape also allows a lot of the rain to run off instead of soaking in. Round bales are easier to feed out, you can just roll them along and the hay unravels.
\nSo I guess that\u2019s progress \u2014 rectangular bales of hay haven\u2019t quite gone the way of the dial telephone or typewriters yet, but take note next time you see one \u2014 it might be your last\u2026.
\n\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n
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I heard the phrase, \u2018make hay while the sun shines\u2019 yesterday. I hadn\u2019t heard it in a long time. I think its been around forever and it may even be considered a proverb. It probably originated with Medieval English farmers. … Continue reading