the wagon used to collect the hay. Hay baling began with the invention of the first hay press in about 1850. Hay was baled for easier handling and to reduce space required for storage and shipment. The first bales weighed about 300 pounds. The original machines were of a vertical design similar to the one photographed by the Greene Co. Historical Society. They used a horse-driven screw-press mechanism or a dropped weight to compress the hay. The first patent went to HL Emery for a horse-powered, screw-operated hay press in 1853. Other models were reported as early as 1843 built by PK Dederick's Sons of Albany, New York, or Samuel Hewitt of Switzerland County, Indiana. Later, horizontal machines were devised. One was the “Perpetual Press” made by PK Dederick of Albany in 1872. They could be powered by steam engines by about 1882. The continuous hay baler arrived in 1914. Modern mechanized techniques Modern mechanized hay production today is usually performed by a number of machines. While small operations use a tractor to pull various implements for mowing and raking, larger operations use specialized machines such as a mower or a swather, which are designed to cut the hay and arrange it into a windrow in one step. Balers are usually pulled by a tractor, with larger balers requiring more powerful tractors. Mobile balers, machines that gather and bale hay in one process were first developed around 1940. The first balers produced rectangular bales small enough for a person to lift, usually between each. The size and shape made it possible for people to pick bales up, stack them on a vehicle for transport to a storage area, and then build a haystack by hand. To ease labor and increase safety, loaders and stackers were developed to mechanize the transport of small bales from the field to the haystack or hay barn. Later in the 20th century, balers were developed capable of producing large bales that weigh up to . Conditioning of hay crop during cutting or soon thereafter is popular. The basic idea is that it decreases drying time, particularly in humid climates or if rain threatens to interfere with haying. Usually, rollers or flails inside a mower conditioner crimp, crack or strip the alfalfa or grass stems to increase evaporation rate. Sometimes, a salt solution is sprayed over the top of the hay (generally alfalfa) that helps to