HARVESTING EARS, [Chap. 



have any quantity of corn ; but, all the children 

 of the farmer's family, and all the children from 

 the workhouse, if necessary, may be employed 

 at it. A child ten years of age will do the 

 work pretty nearly as well as a man. The work 

 will come at a time of the year when there is 

 little or no employment for such persons -, the 

 wages are low; and the cost comparatively little. 

 Then, it may be done by very slow degrees; 

 it is now the tenth of November, and one half 

 of my corn is yet hanging upon the stalks, with 

 advantage rather than the contrary. If you 

 apprehend wet weather, it is good to do as I 

 have now done ; namely, get in a large quantity, 

 so as not to render it necessary to go actually out 

 1 1 the wet to bring it in. One dry day, whether 

 frosty or not, is sufficient : if there be absence of 

 rain for one day, or half a day, and if there be 

 a little wind, it will enable you to re-commence 

 gathering. 



130. The buskers are seated conveniently 

 Tound, or at the side of, a large heap : they 

 have baskets placed before them : they strip off 

 the husks, twist them out by the tail, fling them 

 behind them, and toss the ears into a basket. 

 While this is going on, the farmer himself, or 

 some particularly trusty man, takes away the 

 baskets with the ears in them; and, having 

 sorted them, puts the head-ears into the Corn- 



