Cultivation of Arable Land. Thrcflung of Grain IFinnotoing of. 99 



tions of the labourer: in general it may be of wheat from, one to one quarter and 

 a half; of barley from one and a half to two quarters ; of oats, moftly about two 

 in the day. The exertions of labourers in this fort of work in the northern di ft rifts 

 of the kingdom, are however much greater than in thofe of the fouth ; of courfe a 

 much larger proportion of labour muft be performed. In fome places it is the 

 practice to threm by the meafure of grain, as the bufhcl, quarter,. &c. while in 

 others it is done by the threave, of twenty-four (heaves, and in fome by the day. 

 In Kent, before the late rife in the price of labour, it was ufual to pay from two 

 {hillings and fix-pence to three millings the quarter, for the firft of the above forts 

 of grain ; two millings the quarter for the fecond ; and one milling the quarter for 

 the third.* And in the midland and northern dillricts the prices are nearly the 

 fame, or perhaps a very little lower in the latter. In the above county beans are 

 likewife threflied at one (hilling the quarter, and peas from one (hilling and iixpence 

 to two (hillings the quarter. But in whatever way the farmer has this fort of bufi- 

 ncfs executed, there is always much neceffity for his conftant inflection, in order to 

 prevent the frauds and impofitions that are too frequently practifed. 



All forts of grain and pulfe, when the ft raw is intended to be made ufe of as 

 cattle fodder, fhculd only be threfhed out as the ftraw is confumed, as it is eaten 

 much better, and is more nutritious in this frefh Mate than when given them after it 

 has been laid by fome time after being threfhed. And the fame is the cafe with 

 the caving-cbtff or other material fcparated from the grain.-f 



The grain as foon as threflied out (hould conftantly be cleaned from the chaff 

 and other extraneous matters, as by delay in this reflect the fample is liable to be 

 much injured. There are different methods of having this bufinefs performed ; the 

 beft is probably by means of the improved winnowing machines, as the work is- 

 executed in this way in a very cheap perfect manner, and at the fame time with 

 much eafeand difpatch. 



In fome diftricts it is however the common practice to have the grain cleaned 

 by means of the cafting-Jbovel and flat broom, which is denominated zfpry, which 

 fcrves the purpofe of fweeping off the chaffy materials and the fmall portions of 

 ftraw that are detached by the wind from the corn. Where the barn-floors are 

 fufficiently large in all directions, this mode of clearing grain is conceived by fome 

 to be the beft and moil expeditious, but that where the room is confined, winnow 

 ing machines will not only do the work better but perhaps at a more cheap rate.* 



The other methods of rendering grain clean by exposing it to the action of the wind,, 



/ 



* Synopfis of Husbandry. t Ibid. J Boys s Agricultural Survey of Kent. 



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