165 



THRESHING AND DRESSING GRAIN. 



I PASS on now to the business which forms, 

 generally, part of the winter employment of 

 the prosperous farmer, but which immediately 

 follows harvest, with the needy and embarrass- 

 ed class. The process of separating the grain 

 from the ear has been performed in various 

 ways, in different times and countries. The 

 eastern nations placed their corn in the circular 

 track-way of their cattle, who were driven 

 over it, round and round a post. This practice 

 is adverted to in St. Paul's quotation from the 

 Jewish law : " Thou shalt not muzzle the 

 mouth of the ox which treadeth out the corn." 

 Both in the United States and in Europe, 



