Abstract: Baled material (4) is fed into a resilient sheath (4) through an open end thereof with at least the open end portion held in a resiliently expanded condition so that after insertion of the material the sheath can contract around the material, so expelling excess air. The sheath is held by a holding device having members (25; 124) movable on cranks between positions in which the sheath can be readily located on the members in its unstressed condition and in which at least the open end of the sheath is enlarged by stretching.

Abstract: A bale-sheathing device is provided for placing a tubular plastics sheath around bales of straw, grass, hay or silage, in order to facilitate chemical treatment of the latter. The bale-sheathing device includes a mobile sheath-carrying structure for supporting and holding open an axially closed-up portion of the sheath in a manner enabling this closed-up portion to be progressively pulled out rearwardly off the sheath-carrying structure. The sheath-carrying structure is forwardly provided with means, such as a pair of inclined guides, for lifting up a bale to be sheathed and guiding it through the closed-up portion of the sheath as the device is advanced. The bale-sheathng device enables a sheath to be passed around each successive bale of a row of juxtaposed bales without having to drag the bale over the sheath or the sheath under the bales.