138 THE MOST ECONOMICAL METHOD OF THRESHING 



three extra hands the work can be carried on simultaneously, 

 and the " shorts," which are always more or less mixed with 

 chaff, can be passed through the cutter as they are ejected from 

 the mill with satisfactory results. If the chaff bing requires 

 further augmentation this can be achieved by putting a quantity 

 of hay through the cutter, and the mixture will be a most 

 nutritious one ; where this suggestion is carried into effect it is 

 imperative that the cutter be a large-sized and first-class one, 

 as steam is a searching power, and will very soon detect any 

 weakness in it. For oat threshing a different arrangement of 

 the stacks is necessarv. In most situations it will be found a 

 very difficult matter to attain that point of dryness at which 

 oats will keep satisfactory in stacks of the dimensions given for 

 wlieat, and as a precautionary measure, ten feet is recommended 

 as the width of base, and twelve feet as the height to the eaves ; 

 other conditions the same as for wheat. Only six stacks of this 

 size can be overtaken in a day, the mill being in the centre, one 

 extra forker is required to place the sheaves of outside stacks on 

 the centre one, where the principal forker stands, as he could 

 not be expected to do more. It is not to be inferred that the 

 amount of work here indicated is the maximum that can be 

 performed, on the contrary, it can be increased from twenty to 

 thirty per cent, if desired, but experience proves the wisdom of 

 the motto, " a fair day's work for a fair day's pay," and the 

 average stated will be ultimately found to yield the most 

 satisfactory results. 



As oat straw is almost exclusively used for fodder on the 

 farm, the custom is to put it up loose in ricks like hay. From 

 the tangled way in which it is ejected from the mill, it is not 

 possible to bunch it neatly like wheat straw, consequently one 

 of the men can be dispensed with to assist the forker, thus 

 making the outlay correspond with wheat threshing. It is the 

 duty of every one employing these mills to detain them as short 

 as is consistent with the work required to be performed, allowing 

 for the state of the weather, by being in a position to set them 

 agoing immediately after their arrival. ]\Iany a favourable day 

 is allowed to pass unimproved from one or all of the following 

 reasons : — the necessary fuel has not been provided, sacks to 

 hold the grain have not been procured, a sufficient number of 

 hands cannot be rallied, or some such kindred obstacles, all of 

 which clearly betrays a want of forethouglit on the farmer's part, 

 and the squel to it in all probability is that the following day 

 will be unsuitable for the purpose (as regards weather). 



The irregularities consequent upon such delays tend to 

 unpunctuality, are a direct loss to all concerned, and therefore 

 ought surely to be avoided. When the work to be executed is 

 approaching completion, every facility ought to be afforded to 

 the engineers to collect, hap, and otherwise prepare for removal; 



