We thank
Madge Wren and her descendants for their preservation
of this important historic Griffin photo - a brilliant
staged display believed to celebrate
the completion of Arthur
Griffin's first haymaking after moving from Riverlea to Inaha, in
1913/14. The photographer is not named.
Although unable
to identify individual family members, it is likely Arthur is centre
on the stack top, and that many of the family are presant.
Speed of operation was required when timing is
dependant on good drying weather - two mowers had been
used. Previous, the cut grass spread on the ground would
have been was left to dry for a few days and winnowed (ie turned to
assist drying) before buckraked in to a central point -
3 have been used in the photo which, for Taranaki, indicates quite
a large paddock. Operated by the horse in the
middle pulling a wire rope a McCormick Deering stacker
is seen with it's cradle in the air, now empty
after lifting the hay to the men on top. The last hay load is
waiting on the tumbler-sweep buck-rake centre front - only the
most experienced men were responsible for the building the stack.