1859. 



^^EW ENGLAND FAKMER. 



381 



ure, two and one-half cents, while the milk is | ripe, as the ear generally, except in late seasons, 

 sold in our cities for five cents a quart, wine ripens before the entire of the straw ; and it is 



measure, which any one can see at a glance is 

 giving the dealers an enormous profit, while the 

 farmer is not receiving enough for his milk. 



Now, it seems to me, that the old adage, "It 

 is a poor rule that will not work both ways," is 



observable that the first reaped usually affords 

 the heaviest and fairest sample." 



Careful observation will show that "the indi- 

 cations of ripeness in wheat are few and simple. 



applicable in this case ; and that if milk is sold by ' When the straw exhibits a bright golden color 

 wine measure, it ought to be bought by wine jfj-Qj^ the bottom of the stem nearly to the ear. 

 measure of the farmer. 



I am not a farmer, and sell no milk, yet a 

 sense of the injustice done to those who do sell, 

 prompted me to write this, hoping that it would 

 call attention to the subject, and that something 

 would be done about it. 



Knowing that your valuable paper has an ex- 

 tensive circulation among the very class of per- 

 sons most interested in this matter, I send this 

 article to you for publication. J. 



Concord, Mass., June 27, 1859. 



or when the ear begins to bend gently, the grain 

 may be cut. But — as the whole crop will not 

 be equally ripe at the same time — if, on walking 

 through the field, and selecting the greenest 

 heads, the kernels can be separated from the 

 chaff when rubbed through the hands, it is a sure 

 sign that the grain is then out of its milky state, 

 and may be cut with safety; for although the straw, 

 may be green to some distance downwards from 

 the ear, yet if it be quite yellow from the bottom 



Remarks. — We have a good law for regulat- j ^l • \ ^ c ^.-u 



, ° „ ,,, , ..^, upwards, the grain then wants no further nour 



mg the purchase and sale or muk, and it taose . ' ,, *;, ^i j -e i u 



* ,f .,, , , . ' . , ishment from the earth, and, ir properly harvest- 



V7ho sell muk by the quantity are disposed toi , .^ .,, , , • i r^u .. i -n u * i 



. •'. ,, J, ed, it will not shrink, ihese tokens will be lound 



submit to the exactions of others, and transgress 

 the law of the State every day, let them suffer 

 the consequences. Thank you for calling atten- 

 tion to the matter. 



HARVli&TIWQ THE GRAIK CHOP. 



In making a tour of two or three hundred 

 miles last summer, while our farmers were har- 

 vesting their crop of small grains, we became 

 convinced that much negligence and waste still 

 prevail, even with some who mean to be tidy and 

 economical farmers. 



In harvesting these grains we suppose the first 

 Important consideration to be, the time of cut- 

 ting. When is the proper time to cut wheat, 

 barley and oats ? Some persons do not com- 

 mence until the leaves on the stem are dead, and 

 the berry or kernel is so far advanced as to be 

 considerably dry. Under this practice there must 



be considerable loss experienced in both grain 



and straw. At this advanced stage the head has 'shocking and after-handliug, the bundles are 



to sufficiently indicate the ripeness of wheat, 

 barley and oats ; but that of rye arises from the 

 straw losing some of its golden hue, and becom- 

 ing paler. The usual practice in England is to 

 cut down all grain before it is quite ripe, and to 

 leave it in shocks until the grain is perfectly ma- 

 tured and hardened." 



This extract, which we take from an excellent 

 English work, does not precisely agree with our 

 remarks in relation to the appearance of the 

 stem, as the latter, we have often observed, may 

 appear nearly dry for a few inches immediately 

 below the ear, while the rest of the stem is quite 

 green. But the suggestions we have quoted are 

 valuable, and will aid many cultivators in decid- 

 ing at what particular moment to cut their grains. 



Another loss in this harvest is occasioned hy 

 the careless manner in which grain is gathered 

 and tied up, being brought into bundles uneven 

 at the ends and of irregular size, so that in the 



become dry, and the little scales which encircle i burst, and the ears broken off. The stooking, 

 and hold the grain are separated from it, so that i or shocking, is often so badly done that they do 

 at every touch it shatters out and is lost. The I not shed the rain, or protect the bundles from 



process has also gone too far to permit the grain 

 to produce as much flour and nutriment as it 

 would if the harvesting were done at an earlier 

 day. 



As wheat or barley approaches maturity, the 

 careful observer will notice that the stem, imme- 

 diately below the head of grain, shrivels, and has 

 the appearance of having partially become dry. 

 When this appearance has covered about six inch- 

 es of the stem immediately below the head, we 

 have been in the habit of cutting these grains ; 

 the kernel is then glazed and just going out of 

 the milky state. "If not reaped until the straw 

 is wholly yellow, the grain will be more than 



dews, and are upset, and scattered by the wind. 

 They are often left uncovered, so that in wet 

 weather, as was the case at the last harvest, the 

 loss must be considerable in the quantity of grain, 

 and more still by a depreciation of its quality. 

 We were gratified to notice in our ramble last 

 summer that in some districts, caps, or coverings 

 of cotton cloth, were used on stocks of grain in 

 the field. It had been raining for three days — a 

 part of the time heavily — and yet most of the 

 stooks so covered had received no damage what- 

 ever — all their upper portions being entirely di7. 

 We thought that about three farms out of four 

 along a range of towns in south-eastern New 



