REAPING. 115 



folium ; but no — up again it sprang, and was at 

 length allowed to grow to maturity. Just as it 

 came into flower we began to cut it for the stable, 

 cows, &c, and I never had a crop upon which they 

 throve as well. It was a treat to see them rush to 

 the heap of blood-red blossoms as the herdsman 

 pitched it off the cart into the " cratches." It 

 lasted the whole stock until the end of June, and in 

 July stubble-turnips succeeded to its place. Here I 

 would add that many good farmers cut their wheat 

 at least ten days before it is ripe. The sample 

 thus secured (provided the weather be favourable, 

 whence it is a practice that can seldom be ventured 

 on in the green western districts) will exceed all 

 others in fineness of grain ; nor is anything lost 

 in the measure. This practice the Flemish are fond 

 of with all seeds. 



A wheat-stack put properly together, even though 

 unthatched, will shoot off the rain, running little risk 

 of being wetted down even by a heavy and continued 

 shower. Notwithstanding this, let me advise you not 

 to attempt playing tricks. Get the rick as soon as 

 possible under cover. Wheat thrashed from the 

 stack is brighter than from the barn. In calcu- 

 lating the contents of a wheat-stack, you may in 

 an average crop look for three pecks to a bushel 

 per cubic yard. When you decide upon taking a 

 stack in, make provision to finish the job off without 

 delay. Never risk the leaving a stack open to the 

 weather. A singular mode of planting wheat is 

 mentioned by Young, as practised with so much 

 success by a Norfolk farmer that he shortened in 



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