130 



the sack, the air reaches even to the top of the stack. As 

 to the question, how soon beans can be put in, by means 

 of bosses, that depends upon what state the beans were in 

 when cut. It is therefore necessary to mention three dif- 

 ferent cases in which beans are cut : First, before either 

 leaves or pods have changed their colour , if cut in this 

 green state, they will require from fourteen to twenty 

 days, in a bad season, with bosses, and twenty-eight with- 

 out them. Secondly, when above half of the pods have 

 turned yellow, and part of the leaves fallen off; when 

 cut in this state, (which is thought much the best), they 

 will require from seven to eight days with bosses, and 

 fourteen without them. And, thirdly, when the pods 

 have all turned blackish, and the leaves fallen off, in this 

 state three or four days may do with bosses, and seven or 

 eight without them. On the whole, it may be affirm- 

 ed, that beans, by this mode may be harvested in half 

 the usual time. It is supposed that the beans grow up- 

 on strong clay, or carse land ; on dry land, they will re- 

 quire much shorter time in the stook. 



Any thing that would tend so materially to improve 

 our mode of harvesting beans and pease, (for the latter 

 crop might be treated in the same manner), the culture 

 of both of which is so desirable, is of the most essen- 

 tial consequence to Scottish Husbandry. 



IO. THRESHING AND CLEANING GRAIN. 



We next proceed to the process of separating the grain 

 from the straw, and cleaning it afterwards, operations 

 which have been carried, in Scotland, to a degree of per- 

 fection, altogether unrivalled in any other country *. In 



As a proof of the great number of threshing- mills and 

 fanners erected in Scotland, it may be stated, on the autlio- 



