66 



THE WHEAT INDUSTRY 



palms or fingers, and blowing away the light fine 

 stuff, the chaff. From the suggestions afforded 

 by this very primitive method grew the use of 

 sticks to beat the grain out of the heads and the 

 use of the wind to carry away the chaff. This 

 method is still preserved to us in some places by 

 the use of the flail. 



FIG. 39. Threshing with a flail. 



The Flail. - The flail consists of a short strong 

 stick, used as a handle, to which another heavy 

 stick is fastened by means of a piece of strong 

 rawhide or rope. Striking a bunch of wheat with 

 this device shatters the spikes and causes the 

 grain to sift through to the floor. The chaff is 

 removed by dropping the mixed grain and chaff 

 in a draft of wind. Threshing by this method is 



