HARVESTING 63 



August: Montana, the Dakotas, Central and Northern 

 Minnesota, Canada,- England, Belgium, Netherlands, 

 Central Russia. 



September and October: Parts of Western Canada, Scotland, 

 Scandinavia, Northern Russia. 



November: South Africa, Peru, Northern Argentina. 



December: New South Wales, Burmah, Argentina. 



Thus it is seen that the wheat harvest in the 

 United States begins in Texas in May and ends 

 in the Dakotas in August. All through this 

 season the hum of the harvester measures pros- 

 perity to a great section of our country. For as 

 soon as the wheat is cut it can be used as the basis 

 of credit. Money can be secured by loans if the 

 owner does not care to sell. When the wheat is 

 cut, the income from it is fairly certain, as there 

 is then but slight chance of failure to secure the 

 grain, the wheat of commerce. Only one great 

 process in production remains to be accomplished. 

 It is that of threshing. 



QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES 



1. Suggest conditions in which sickles or cradles would 

 be the tools best adapted to the wheat harvest. 



2. What are the essential parts common to different 

 harvesting machines ? 



3. To what wheat field conditions is the reaper well 

 adapted ? 



4. How did the term binder come to be applied to the 

 machine of that name ? 



