It's been another week of wet and windy weather and they ("who are they?") are predicting gales right up to Christmas and beyond. The cattle are going through hay like there is no tomorrow.
Yesterday Number One son bought a Star root slicer. To any anoraks or collectors, it's a No9. It been in the back garden of somebodies and he duly bought it. We lifted it on to the back of the pick up and brought it home. It's got 4 carrying handles like the root cutter we bought a few weeks a go.
Number one and number two (I sound like Charlie Chan) helped me carry it into the cowshed and then I was sent for spanners and number one son duly loosened a few nuts and the old girl worked again. We raided the wife's potatoes from the utility room and sliced a bucket of them for the cattle. They were very impressed. The missus wasn't!
A very blurred picture of the cattle tucking into the potato slices.
Still haven't got any fodder beet yet. Some farmer told me every rat in Christendom would visit the farm if we bought some. The old terrier and cat would think Christmas had come early. I have managed to get a ton of cow potatoes for around Christmas. Should be happy potato slicing time!
Yesterday Number One son bought a Star root slicer. To any anoraks or collectors, it's a No9. It been in the back garden of somebodies and he duly bought it. We lifted it on to the back of the pick up and brought it home. It's got 4 carrying handles like the root cutter we bought a few weeks a go.
Still haven't got any fodder beet yet. Some farmer told me every rat in Christendom would visit the farm if we bought some. The old terrier and cat would think Christmas had come early. I have managed to get a ton of cow potatoes for around Christmas. Should be happy potato slicing time!
I'd like to know who "they " are too!
ReplyDeleteit's currently snowing here, sadly I may need to go to the shops for milk :(
that's an awesome tool you found, I have a small one like that in the kitchen, but for humans lol :)
Hi MEOD.
ReplyDeleteIt's raining here for a change. We don't want no snow. It is an awesome tool. Suppose the people who made the root slicer are long gone. They made things to last in those days. Thanks!
Another good find Dave. What do you think the No. 9 stands for?
ReplyDeleteThanks Philip. Presume it was one of a series of agricultural machinery implements?
ReplyDeleteIv'e got smallholder gizmo envy again!
ReplyDeleteGood find
Gill
Thanks Gill. We are like the Wombles scouring for treasure for the smallholding and the house. There is still plenty of it about if you look for it. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAnother great find Dave. You can't beat these old pieces of equipment for the small farms, they are useful and help with the hard work. As for rats, we had to keep up with a regular poison routine to keep them down. Your farmer friend is right, they are attracted to sweet tasting fodder beet.
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel. Yes it's great to give new life to these amazing pieces of farm machinery. They are hand powered too. We don't like using rat poison. I hate finding rotting carcasses so we leave it to the terrier and cat.
DeleteThe root slicers are such interesting tools. I bought some seeds for Mammoth Mangel Beet, fodder beets. I had no idea there was a tool for slicing and dicing them! Very cool tool! Wouldn't mind having such a tool here :O)
ReplyDeleteHi Texan. I am after a Furze machine to join the collection. You can feed the Gorse/Furze to horses. I have grown sugar beet in the past and chopped it up with a spade and a billhook and fed it to the cattle.
DeletePS
ReplyDeleteI have as yet to plant and grow the fodder beets. But plan to give them a try. I think our chickens would love them!
Most farmers feed the beet with straw to make the hay.silage last. I think your chickens would love the fodder beets.
DeleteUsed to use one very similar to chop turnips (or swede) but it was adapted to power by a single Lister diesel. Milkers loved it.
ReplyDeleteHi Cumbrian. I know dairy farmers who use pto driven beet pulpers. Still haven't sourced any beet yet.
ReplyDelete