in Sheaves in the Fields fill quite dry. 21 



exposed to the sun and air to dry ; and as for the grain, no 

 part of it can get damp, because the ears but just meet ia 

 the middle, through which the air passes from the bottom 

 to the top SLitficieully to dry it. I have mentioned sheaves, 

 because in this ountry barley and oats are generally bound 

 as well as wheat; but both the former may be placed in 

 these ricks without binding, as I had some barley put in 

 one of them (byway of experiment), and think it to be 

 the better mode when there is much grass in it, by carefully 

 keeping the ears together when carried to the hurdles, 

 where a man is ready to put it up to another on the top, 

 and to place the ears inwards ; and it is done in as short a 

 time as the like quantity is put on a waggon, with this ad- 

 vantage, tl)at whereas a waggon with three or four horses 

 go over the clover to the great injury of it in wet weather, 

 by this method the corn is carried by women or children in 

 their arms to the hurdles, without the least injury to the 

 clover ; a consideration fully adequate to a little extra ex- 

 pense, if any, besides that of being more expeditiously se- 

 cured ; for every practical farmer will be sensible in how 

 short a time an acre oF corn may be carried from the cir- 

 cumference of an acre to its centre. As to the time of 

 fixing thf-e hurdles, I have ascertained that two people can 

 fix iheni in five minutes, and one rick would contain the 

 produce ot two acres of barley or oats. Tlie other advan- 

 tages, besides the corn being thus sooner secured, are, that 

 no more attendance on it is required, so thai a farmer's at- 

 tention may be better directed to his other harvest con- 

 cerns, and that one or two of these ricks at a tmie (as may 

 be convenient ) mav be laken into a barn t ) thrash, whereas 

 a pan of a Liroc rick cannot be taken in without the trouble 

 and expense of thatching the remainder, and be subject to 

 the risk of rain before it may be covered again. 



I trust it will be seen that by this plan there must be a 

 great saving of the quaiUitv as well as prtfservatiou of the 

 quality of grain, which is known oftentimes to shed a great 

 deal by being frequently turned to get dry. Before I thought 

 on this expedient (hnt barley harvest), f am clear that a 

 field of pease of mine required to be turned so often, that- 

 more shed out than were sown ; and a faimer in this neigh- 

 bourhood had a good crop of eight acres of vetches reduced 

 to sixty bushels, bv so frequently turning them for three 

 weeks, without getting them dry at last ; whereas an acre 

 or two might have been taken up in this way a few days 

 after they were cut, and the seed would have got sufficiently 

 hard; but the greater part of lliess were so soft as to be 

 B 3 lUUcU 



