OF HARVESTING GRAIN. 375 



Any plan that would tend so materially to improve our 

 mode of harvesting beans and peas, (for the latter crop 

 might be treated in the same manner), the culture of both 

 of which is so desirable, is of the most essential conse- 

 quence to Scottish husbandry. 



A very simple but effectual mode of preserving beans 

 in the stack, is to have two or three funnels as long as 

 to reach near its centre, to communicate with a vacuity 

 prepared by drawing up a sheaf of thatch while building. 

 Each funnel has two ends, generally triangular, about 

 eighteen inches each outside. These are covered with any 

 sort of coarse timber on all sides, so as to prevent their 

 being filled with the bean sheaves pressing into the open- 

 ing. They may be placed at different heights from the 

 bottom of the stack, and they will create such a suction as 

 to keep both corn and straw safe.* 



4. As in Scotland, wheat and other grains are, in general, 

 cut close to the ground, little or no stubble remains, that 

 can be applied to any particular use. Sometimes, how- 

 ever, cattle and sheep are turned in, to eat the fallen ears, 

 or any verdure that may happen to be on the ground. For 

 this sole purpose, the stubbies must be proportionally the 

 less useful, as the .crop has been the better reaped and 

 harvested, and as the land has been previously the more 

 accurately cultivated and cleaned from weeds. Farmers 

 will necessarily be careful not to admit live stock into 

 stubbles, where the land has been sown up with clover and 

 rye-grass, because the feet of horses and heavy cattle, 



properly leave no opening at either top or bottom. Remark by Mr 

 Church of Hitchill. 



* Mr John Shirfcff explains the operation of the funnel, in the fol- 

 lowing manner. The air in the funnel, being heated by the evaporation 

 from the raw beans, ascends, and is supplied by cool fresh air from below. 



