274 A FARMER'S YEAR 



advertisements only, or that are sent by some distant firm. If they 

 buy at home, not only do they give their custom among their 

 own people, but also the local merchant who sells to them is more 

 or less responsible for the article sold, and will generally undertake 

 its repair. The advantage of this can scarcely be over-estimated, 

 especially in the case of any sudden breakage while the machine is 

 in active use. 



The price of this machine that is a reaper only, not a binder 

 is 26/., which seems a good deal of money for a farmer in these 

 times to expend on one article. In certain seasons, however, it is 

 quite possible that it would pay its cost twice over, for when the 

 spell of fine weather is short the rapid work of a machine has an 

 enormous advantage over the slow toil of the labourer, even if the 

 labourer can be found, which nowadays is not always the case. 

 It is, however, a mistake to suppose that a reaper will cut corn in 

 every case and every season. So long as the straw stands up 

 quite straight it will deal with it admirably, but if it is badly laid 

 and twisted about the machine often does more harm than good. 

 Nor is it safe to use it among very tall and thick beans if they are 

 in the least beaten down. Here also we do not put a reaper into 

 barley, as the treading of the horses is too destructive to that delicate 

 grain ; moreover, the machine throws off the corn in sheaves or 

 bundles, which is not good for barley, that should be spread out 

 thin to dry as it leaves the scythe. 



July 1 6. To-day I experienced one of those disappointments 

 which are the natural lot of those who try to improve. Some 

 years ago I planted willows round the edges of the dry marsh, 

 No. 1 8, and the low marsh, No. 19, setting them also on the 

 bank of the Waveney that borders those fields. I went to much 

 trouble and some expense about these trees, enclosing them sepa- 

 rately for the most part by means of stout stakes, four of which 

 were sunk at the proper angle and at a distance from each other. 

 Round the stakes I fixed barbed wire, about five strands of it 

 to each sapling. From the beginning I had bad luck with these 



