Near Alloa, they have invented cast-iron pillars fot' 

 stacks, which seems to be a useful invention where stone 

 cannot be had. These pillars are two and a half feet 

 long, and the round bonnet on each end is one foot in dia- 

 meter. After levelling the ground intended for the 

 stack, so that all the seven pillars may stand plumb, and 

 level on the top, they are placed on the level surface, and 

 require neither building nor flag. Being placed in this 

 way, they can be removed with very little trouble or 

 expence. Vermin have also no way of getting up cast- 

 iron pillars of the above description ; and neither rat nor 

 mouse have been found in any stack properly standing 

 upon cast-iron pillars. The price of seven pillars is 50 s. 

 and the frame, which is made of the very coarsest of tim- 

 ber, may be valued, (including workmanship and nails,) 

 at 8 s. ; so that one stack costs 58 s *. 



There is another invention, which I believe is peculiar 

 to Scotland, called bosses. These, with cast-iron pillars, 

 are admirably calculated for harvesting beans in wet sea- 

 sons. The process is thus described. A triangle is first 

 erected on the middle of the frame to hand on the cross 

 binders of the frame, and which forms a boss of about 

 three feet wide ; railing must be nailed across the boss so 

 close as to preserve the sheaves falling into the boss ; but 

 when railing is not at hand, a strong straw rope may be 

 made to answer in its stead. After the binder has reach- 

 ed the top of the boss, he places therein a sack filled with 

 straw, which, when he builds round, he pulls up until he 

 reaches the top of the stack ; so that by the vent left by 



R 



* Communication from Mr John Laing, overseer at Tul- 

 libody. 



