deltacounty

Doesn't look like they worried too much about what was growing between the rows.

Why would you want to climb way up on that bail of hay? And couldn't that be a bad place to park if a strong wind came from the opposite direction?

It is a great place to get naughty.

The ladder may still be in place from the process of making the haystack. A well-made, evenly shaped haystack, with the hay firmly packed into place from the ground up, could withstand most winds without damage. I am curious about the oblong shape of this haystack. The shape is unlike the round haystacks that were usually made inside a large cage . Yet, the sides of this haystack are quite straight and it's very tall so if it was done freeform, it's a masterpiece.

And here I thought they were putting the finishing touches on the country drive-in theater :) There are enough bulges here and there that I'd believe it was free-form - what strikes this city-boy's eyes is that is a lot of hay to have stacked outside without any cover?

I'm a generation younger than this photo, but I grew up on a ranch in northern Nebraska where we made haystacks. The haystacks were kept outside, and they were shaped to shed water. If they were used during the first winter after they were made, rotting of the hay from moisture was minimal. It wouldn't have been practical to keep all the hay inside because such a great quantity of hay was harvested each year to see the cattle through the long winter. I think this was probably true in 1940 in Colorado also. Also, keep in mind that the annual rainfall isn't that much in Colorado. The main reason to keep hay inside is to avoid water damage.

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called we love orchard, and we'd love to have this added to the group!