140 Effective Farming 



the grain and deposit it in piles, but do not bind it in bundles. 

 It is afterwards bound by hand. Before binders were per- 

 fected, reapers were much used in all sections, but in recent 

 years they have not often been employed, except when 

 there is danger of binders tipping over because of the hilly 

 ground. 



In the West where the grain is allowed to become fairly 

 ripe before it is cut and where large areas are planted to wheat, 

 grain-headers are used extensively for cutting wheat. These 

 machines remove the heads only, leaving the straw standing 

 in the field. Combined harvesters and threshers are also used 

 in some parts of the West. They cut the heads and convey 

 them to a thresher that is attached to the machine. The ripe 

 conditions of the grain and the dry climate make the cutting 

 and threshing possible at one time. 



On small areas or on very hilly ground, grain-cradles are 

 sometimes used for cutting wheat. A cradle is similar to a 

 scythe, but in addition to the blade it is provided with long 

 wooden fingers that carry the grain and deposit it in swaths. 

 The grain is bound into bundles by hand. Before the advent 

 of harvesting machines, cradles were used extensively for all 

 small grains. 



Wheat, except that cut by the combined harvester and 

 thresher, is usually threshed by machines that are operated 

 by horse power, steam, or gas engines. The bundles or heads 

 of grain are run through the machine which removes the grain 

 from the straw and chaff. The grain comes out of one opening 

 and is measured automatically. The straw and chaff come 

 out of another opening ; the straw is usually stacked arid saved 

 for stock feed or bedding. (See paragraph 229.) A typical 

 threshing scene is pictured in Fig. 52. 



In some sections the grain is threshed direct from the shocks ; 

 in others it is stacked or placed in a mow and threshed later. 

 If the weather is dry and the grain can be threshed soon, 

 threshing from the shock secures the grain in good condition. 



