.94 Cultivation of Arable Land.* Threjhing of Grainin the Flail- Met hod. 



it in this way, it mould be mown as clofe to the ground as poffible immediately 

 after the corn has been removed from the field, being then raked together by 

 means of a large horfe ftubble-mke* and carried to the farm-or flack-yard in order 

 to be put up in a fort of flack for future ufe. 



When not applied as thatch, it may be made ufe of in the way of litter for the 

 cattle-fhills and fold-yards with great advantage. The practice of collecting it from 

 the fields mould therefore be conflantly attended to as much as pofiible, as other 

 forts of ft raw may be faved thereby, and at the fame time much manure produced. 



In regard to the methods of trimming grain. flacks after they have been fet up 

 and thatched, they are differently performed in different diflricts. In the fouthern 

 parts of the kingdom, where the injudicious practice of houfing grain lo-jfe fre 

 quently prevails, it is an ufeful mode to pare or cut the outrides of the flems of 

 corn-flacks in an even neat manner, by means of a fharp hay- knife or fome other 

 iharp tool. In this way the rain is more effectually prevented from being ahforbed 

 or taken into them along the loofe flraws. But where the grain is cut by the fickle 

 and bound up into fheaves this is unnecefTary, if the operator take fufficient care 

 in build ing the flacks. In this, as well as the preceding method, it will, howev r, 

 be advantageous to have the thatch evenly cut round the eaves and other parts 

 where it may project, as the rain will thereby be lefs apt to fall againfl the bodies 

 of the (lacks in bad weather, and at the fame time give them a neater appearance. 



Tbrejbing of Grain. In threfiiing out grain different methods are purfued. The 

 wheat-crops, in fome diflricts where the draw is much ufed for the purpofe of 

 thatching faijm buildings, is lafhed out over a flrong wattled hurdle,flone, or other 

 limilar contrivance. In other cafes, this as well as all the other crops are threflied 

 out by means of the flail or the threfhing machine. 



The flail method, from its being an extremely flow, tedious, and expend ve procefs, 

 and at the fame time one that requires a great number of labourers, can, perhaps, 

 only bepractifed with advantage on the fmaller kind of arable farms, that are cheap 

 ly fituated in refpect to the command of workmen, and where the expenfe of large 

 machines would be much too great for the quantity of grain which they produce. 

 But even in thefe cafes, if the fmall hand threfiiing- engines that are conflructed on 

 cheap fimplc principles, and which occupy but little room, mould be brought to 

 perform the bufinefs in an eafy, expeditious and effectual manner, which feems 

 not improbable from the improvements that have been recently made in this fort 

 of machinery, it will mod probably be to the advantage of fuch farmers to abandon 



* Section on Implements, 



