452 



THR 



THR 



usual time of cutting tliem. It 

 may be easily done after a consi- 

 derable ram, while the ground is 

 soft by being moistened. But the 

 operator nnust have his hands well 

 defended by gloves of stout leather. 

 They may be taken out at any 

 time with a strong spade. Or 

 thislles may be cut up in autunui, 

 about the beginning of .September, 

 and burnt before they have scat- 

 tered their seed. A thorough til- 

 lage of the land, or a good summer 

 fallowing, will subdue them. 



But it signifies little for one far- 

 mer to destroy the thistles in his 

 ground, so long as they are sutler 

 ed to tlourish in contiguous fields ; 

 because the seeds are wafted in 

 the air from field to field, to a con- 

 siderable distance. For this rea- 

 son it is, that in France, a man may 

 sue his neighbour for neglecting to 

 thistle his ground in the proper 

 season ; or may employ people to 

 do it at his expense. 



Not only tlie fields, but the bor- 

 ders and hedges around them, 

 should be cleared of thistles, or a 

 complete conquest over them will 

 never be obtained. And this is the 

 most difficult part of the work. 



Thistles, cut an inch above 

 the ground, will not be so difficult 

 to subdue as those cut at the same 

 time with the hoe, and below the 

 surface. In the former case, the 

 remaining stub of the thistle gets 

 filled with water, which rots and 

 destroys the plant. 



THRASHING, beating out corn, 

 seeds, &:c. 



This is commonly done with a 

 flail. But it is greatly suspected 

 that many seeds are so bruised by 



this instrument, that they wtfl not 

 vegetate. That which is to be 

 sowed, should therefore be extri- 

 cated from the heads in some bet- 

 ter method. Striking the grain by 

 handfulls, against a beam or post, is 

 recommended. Some sorts of 

 seeds should be beaten out with a 

 staff, or a slender rod. 



Turning a heavy wooden wheel 

 upon grain, by a horse, might be the 

 means of saving a good deal of la- 

 bour. This is the common method 

 of getting out the seeds of clover: 

 And it might answer equally well 

 for any other kind of smooth and 

 slippery seeds. The wheel holds 

 the chatTin its place and drives the 

 seeds before it. 



An engine was once made by a 

 gentleman in the state of New- 

 Hampshire, consisting of a broad 

 framed wheel, filled with heavy 

 fliers, which, as the wheel turned, 

 fell out forwards upon the grain, 

 with considerable force. There 

 was thus two kinds of force at once 

 applied to the grain, the pressure of 

 the wheel, and the strokes of the 

 fliers. 



The ancient practice of treading 

 out corn with oxen and horses must 

 have been exceedingly inconven- 

 ient, ft is no wonder that it has 

 been long disused in most places. 



When the work is performed, 

 with a flail or otherwise, the work- 

 man should either be bare footed, 

 or have soft shoes, or Indian moc- 

 kasins on his feel, that he may not 

 crush thecornsby treadingon them. 

 Wheat, when it is new, is particu- 

 larly liable to he crushed. 



Mr. Mortimer thinks it a day's 

 work for a man with a flail to thrash 



