AUG.] WHEAT HARVEST. 427 



the bargain is made for the day, according to wea- 

 ther and competition. As the price of lahour in 

 common with other expences of farming miht 

 eventually regulate the rent, landlords are blind 

 to their interest in not building cottages : unite this 

 with the baneful custom of not giving leases, 

 which prevent farmers building, and the folly must 

 be seen in its true colours. In order to bring the 

 harvest business together, I have t !iis mat- 



ter here, but the young fanner is to remember that 

 the harvest-bargain is usually made long before this 

 time ; Whitsun-Tuesday is the common day for it ia 

 Suffolk. 



WHEAT HARVEST. 



Now is the time that the farmer gives the first of 

 his attention to that golden crop, WHEAT. Having 

 been a year at least, perhaps a year and half, or two 

 years, in gaining it, he is now anxious to get it safe 

 within his barn. Bad weather now greatly injures 

 his profit : he must have many hands at work to 

 make the best use of fine seasons, or he will gain 

 the name of an afternoon farmer. 



There are two ways of cutting wheat, reaping 

 and mowing : the first is the common practice, used 

 time immemorial, and by far the better. 



The low reaping called bagging is preferable to 

 mowing ; they cut thus near London nearly as low 

 as the scythe. 



Reaping is a work often put out by the acre to 

 the men, and it may be done as well so as most 



works : 



