THE WHEAT CULTURIST. 353 



rake, feet, legs, and hands aid him in his labor. He 

 must not make any false motions, nor work like a man 

 beating the air. Every motion must be easy and effect- 

 ive. Why will a small, light man frequently rake and 

 bind as fast as two large, heavy men ? Because he knows 

 how to do it ; while the others alluded to are awkward, 

 and labor to a disadvantage. It used to be a common 

 occurrence to see a small man raking and binding in 

 heavy wheat, and keeping up close to a good cradler. 

 I have frequently heard my father tell of his ambition 

 and skill in raking and binding wheat after a good 

 cradler, when the country was new, and the wheat was 

 as high as their heads over the entire fields ; and that 

 often, when on a strife as cradlers were accustomed to 

 " race it " in those days he said he has raked and 

 bound the swath alone, and took the last clip off the 

 cradle, as he closed up every sheaf. And it is not in- 

 credible; for, when I was a lad, it was an unusual 

 occurrence for two hands to follow one cradler. Some- 

 times a boy would be employed to rake the swath into 

 gavels, for another boy or man to bind. 



I well remember, when I was fourteen years old, as it 

 was considered too hard work for a boy like me to rake 

 and bind, and keep up with a man who cradled wheat, 

 that another boy was hired to assist me. He was to 

 rake the gavels and I to bind. But he was so unac- 

 countably awkward, and made such miserable work at 

 raking, that I refused to have his assistance, as both of 

 us could not keep up with the cradler. He made such 

 ill-shapen gavels, that I was required to spend more 

 time in straightening up the gavels than I would occupy 

 in raking them myself. Therefore, I performed the 

 task alone, in good wheat ; have often done it since ; 



