THRESHING BEANS 161 



two rows of beans ; the blades of steel running from one to two 

 inches under the surface, sloping backward, cut. off the vines be- 

 neath the surface or loosen them so that they are readily gathered 

 with pitch-forks and are thrown into heaps. On the largest bean 

 farms traction engines are used to cut the bean roots. 



There are some local variations in the form of the harvester, 

 and in some cases an iron-frame cutter constructed on the model of 

 a V-shaped cultivator with guiding wheel is used. 



The beans are allowed to be in the field in small piles for two 

 to four weeks, according to the curing quality of the local climate, 

 until the vines are well dried. This not only facilitates the opening 

 of the pods but saves the beans from staining by contact with green 

 leaves or by the damp dust they gather. 



Threshing-floors. The early method of threshing was by use 

 of the threshing-floor, and it is still practiced or held in view to 

 prevent excessive charges by machine owners. It is tedious work, 

 requires many animals and exposes the beans to greater injury by 

 early rains. A threshing-floor is made by wetting down a circular 

 piece of ground about sixty or eighty feet across, tramp it with 

 horses and wagons until smooth and hard ; then cover the floor with 

 straw for a few days until it is dry, when it is ready for the beans. 

 The first flooring of beans is put on deep, so the horses' hoofs do 

 not cut the floor. Care should be taken all the time during threshing 

 not to cut the floor. Two or three big wagon loads of beans are 

 placed in a ring on this floor during very dry, clear weather. For- 

 merly horses attached to light wagons were driven over the beans 

 (usually two or three teams at a time), till they were all shelled 

 from the pods. The vines are then thrown off and more beans from 

 the field brought on. This process is continued until there are many 

 tons of beans on the floor under those that are being threshed out. 

 After this the whole mass of chaff and beans is run through winnow- 

 ing and screening machines and the beans placed in sacks of 

 seventy-five to eighty pounds each and are ready for market. Of 

 late years the teams on the floor are attached to disc machines 

 instead of wagons, which greatly facilitates the work. 



In suitable weather tramping is a less expensive method than 

 threshing by machinery, but there is far greater danger from sudden 

 storms of rain, as beans on the tramping-floor are in the worst pos- 

 sible shape in wet weather. Beans in the field can stand an inch or 

 two of rain without much injury, if allowed to thoroughly dry before 



