Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Haley is out yesterday and today using what we call “the suntan machine”.  It is a little Allis-Chalmers tractor, a D-15 —1961 model.  It pulls a small trailing sprayer tank, which is connected to a hand-gun nozzle.  Haley uses this to apply a herbicide to our ditch banks.  This herbicide is ‘selective’ in that it will stop woody sprouts like maples and willows and cedars, but leave the grass unaffected.  We prefer to keep our ditches free of trees and brush.   Years ago, when I performed this task, I used a big canvas umbrella to ward off the sun.  Haley prefers not to use an umbrella, and hence the name:  “suntan machine”.

The suntan machine is prepared for the task of hand-spraying the ditch banks of summer.

This is less tedious a task nowadays.  The driver has a cell phone for playing music in tiny earphones, and to make a call in case help is needed away from the main farm!

This task will be complete in early July, after we begin to mow the riparian strips along the ditches at Huey, Burke, Waldo, and Dunn.

Mowed the yard at home today.  Seems like there’s always mowing to be done here… around the farm we probably keep about 7 acres mowed!

90F (32C) predicted for today.  Sure like my air conditioner!