292 



THE FARMERS HANDBOOK. 



In stooking, two sheaves should be handled at once. Each sheaf should be 

 grasped about a foot from the ears rind stood firmly on the ground, leaning 

 towards each other at the top, and the short side of the sheaf towards the 

 centre. About three pairs should stand firmly upon their own bases. Two 

 additional pairs at each end should lean towards the central pairs, and a 

 single sheaf should be placed at each end. This would make sixteen sheaves 

 upon the ground. Two sheaves should be used as caps. The butts should be 

 placed in the centre and pressed together to interlock them, and a good 

 handful of straw upon each side of each capping sheaf should be bent down 

 from the bands to prevent the winds ixoin blowing the cap off. 



The number of sheaves in such stooks will depend upon the length of the 

 sheaveSj as no more should be placed in the base than can be reasonably 

 covered by the two capping sheaves. Such stooks, if properly built, will 

 turn considerable rain and dry readily. As they are only two sheaves wide, 

 they may be blown over. To overcome this, buttresses should be started 

 upon either side at the centre and built as the original stook, and covered by 

 two capping sheaves as before described. A stook in the form of a cross is 

 thus made, which will withstand considerable wind. 



Stacking. 



The oblong stack is preferred to the round form, as it is easier to top up. 

 A new hand working on a round stack will often find it bulging before lie 

 reaches the full height, and he will have some difficulty in keeping a true 

 circle. But we do build round stacks at Wagga, following the same 

 principles, and with excellent results. Those who prefer the round forms 

 and have had experience of the work, will find no difficulty in adapting these 

 notes to that form of stack. 



The size of stack which is found the most convenient is 12 yards by 6 

 yards, built 14 feet to the eaves. The capacity is 45 to 50 tons. The stacks 

 are often required to stand through all weathers for so long as seventeen 

 months, and become compacted to such an extent that the eaves are 



Fig. 1.— Commencing the stack. 



