C86 Cut.rcatlon of A ruble Land. Cutting and Harwflhig Grai 



an 



the former is probably the better practice. And all ftrong crops of peas (hculd 

 be ho-.ikcd not mown, as is often the cuftorr. 



Befides thefe methods, when the harvcfl is late and unfavourable, and die diffi 

 culty of preferving the grain greatly increafed, others are fometirncs had recourfe to, 

 fuch as gailiug and but ling the corn. The fi i ft of thefe operations is chiefly practifed 

 -when the crops are cut lute and in a wet condition, and is performed by tying the 

 fheavcs in a rather locfe manner in the ufual place, and then flipping the bands up 

 to the cars. They are afterwards fet down on the ground on their root ends, in fo 

 forcible a manner as to give them a good bafis to reft upon : with experienced 

 labourers, the hand is then thruft down through the middle of the flieavcs, by which 

 the butt ends are fpread out and the central parts left open and hollow, more efpeci- 

 ally thofe that face towards the fouth ; as, by that means, the air and the rays of the 

 fun enter and pafs through more freely, from which the grain is better and more 

 .quickly preferved and rendered fit for the mow or the flack.* 



The kultinv of grain in the field is moftly had iccourfe to in late wet harvefts, 

 and is a practice often attended with much fuccefs in the more northerly climates, 

 cfpecially when it can be accompliflied while the corn is in a tolerable ftate of dry- 

 nefs, immediately after being cut and bound into (heaves. The huts are formed by 

 building the (heaves together in fuch a manner as to (hoot off the wet as much as 

 poffiblc, to the height that the labourer can reach as he ftands upon the ground, 

 being fo narrowed up as that they may be covered at the tops by a (heaf or two, 

 fpread outfo as to let the water readily pafs away. They generally contain from 

 about twelve to twenty Jbock s, in proportion as the draw is more or lefs bulky. 

 When thus properly constructed, the grain may be preferved, however bad or 

 long continued the harveft feafon may be. Grain managed in this way has been 

 found, on the huts being taken down after they had been expofed to the moft fevere 

 and heavy rains of the worft harveft feafons for five or fix weeks, in an aftoniihing 

 ftate of prefervation, little injury having been done, except to a few of the top 

 fheaves ; while that in fields adjoining not treated in the fame manner, though 

 carefully fet up in (looks and hooded, was compleatly grown and matted together, 

 fo that each (look was a connected mafs of vegetable vegetating matter. f This 

 fact (hows the advantage of the practice in the mod clear and fatisfactory manner, 

 in diftricts where the harvefts are protracted to a late period } and the weather on 

 that account apt to be wet and unfavourable. 



After the grain has been rendered, by fome of thefe modes, perfectly dry and in 



* Modern Agriculture, vol. II. f Ibid. 



