MODERN FACTS, OPINIONS AND PRACTICE. 



225 



well glazed, and before it has got hard and perfectly ripe, and slook it im- 

 mediately, the sap will go on to elaborate and perfect its office on the grain, 

 as though the stalk were left standing : and so with wheat — whereas, if you 

 leave either, spread out as it falls, exposed to sun and weather, the whole will 

 immediately wither, and the immature grains will shrivel. Hence his peo- 

 ple followed close on the heels of the scythe-men, to pick up and bind, and 

 shock the wheat immediately. As to wheat, the object is. first to keep it from 

 shattering, as it does badly, if left to get dead ripe ; and besides, it is agreed 

 by millers that wheat thus early cut makes much better flour. As to Indian 

 corn, the object in early cutting off, is the better to sow down the ground in 

 fall grain. None know until they try, how apparently green grain may be cut 

 if quickly gathered up and otherwise properly cared for. 



There is said to be an old saying in Scotland, that " Barley will ripen nine 

 days in the stook." 



July 10. — In the absence of Mr. Green, 

 who was to has-e inti'oduced the subject for 

 the eveuing's discussiou — " Oa the best time 

 and method of ciittiag and securing the bar- 

 ley crop," Mr. Hislop volunteered to su[)ply 

 his place, by slating, iu the first place, that 

 in his opiuioii barley, like wheat, ought to be 

 cut before it is fully ripe, r,ot adhering to the 

 old maxim that it ought to be forgotten lor a 

 week or ten days alter it appeal's to be rij^ie. 

 Maltsters certainly ditier in their opinion on 

 this head, some saving that when it is reaped 

 before being ripe the malt is apt to be flinty, 

 while others maintain that the barley in that 

 case germinates more freely, and if managed 

 with judgment, produces a superior malt. 

 Mr. Hislop stated that at any rate, accorduig 

 to his experience, the early reaped barley, 

 that is, that which is cut before being dead 

 ripe, commands a better i)rice in the market, 

 which he considered a sure cnteriou of its 

 Buperiority. The mode of cutting which he 

 recommended was with the scythe provided 

 with a piece of thin board ten inches in hight 

 at the heel of the blade instead of a bow of 

 w^ood or iron ; that the barley should be 

 taken up immediately on being cut, and made 

 up mto sheaves of sizes varying according to 

 circumstances ; that is, if the weather was un- 

 propitious, or if there should be much young 

 clover on the ground, into small sheaves, and 

 into larger if the weather should be warm 

 and dry, and little oi' no clover ; though as a 

 general rule ho .should prefer small sheaves. 

 He particularly condeunied the practice of 

 allowing the barley to remain in the swath, 

 after being cut, even if overtaken with rain. 

 He then said that in setting up, he generally 

 placed iive sheaves, if small, or four, if large, 

 on each side, and hooded them with two 

 others. The plan of hooding he particularly 

 recommended, as he maintained it preserved 

 the color of the barley, and rendered the 

 Ba.n;)!f more i)l ':isiii',^ to the eye. 'S\w stonks. 

 he said, should he set up with the end.-i north 

 and south. Mr. Bayldon, speaking as a mah- 



sheaves and set up into stooks immediately 

 on its being cut, even if the weather shoidd 

 be wet ; and stated that he found by experi- 

 ence that the barley which had been so 

 treated, compared with other barley, cut on 

 the same day, which had been allowed to 

 remain in the swath, tlie former was much 

 easier to malt, and was superior in quality 

 when malted. The system of hooding the 

 stooks he much recommended. With regard 

 to the most advisable time of reaping barley, 

 he should say that in variable weather, let it 

 be cut before being fully ripe; bat if the 

 weather should be hot and settled, he thought 

 it better to allow it to remain until it was 

 ripe, but not beyond. He farther observed 

 that a litde sweating in the stack he consid- 

 ered to be deskable, as it made the barley 

 germinate better and malt more freely. — Mr. 

 John Wood said lie had tried hooding the 

 stocks, and most emphatically recommended 

 the plan, particularly iu a wet season. He 

 also said that in his opinion the barley should 

 be taken up immediately on its being cut, and 

 not on any account to lie in the swath. He 

 also recommended that the stooks should not 

 be moved or touched until led away, even in 

 bad weather. — Mr. Cliarlesworth said he ap- 

 proved of early cutting and of hooding the 

 stooks, and remarked that in his opmion 

 there is more barley spoiled by being allowed 

 to stand too long, tlian by being cut too 

 early. — Mr. T. Wordsworth expressed the 

 same opiuion. — Mr. Hislop here again ob- 

 served that in Scotland there is an old saying 

 that " barley will ripen nine days in the 

 stook." — Mr. W. Belton gave an instance 

 where in a field of barley, willi a thick un- 

 dergrowth of clover, the part which was 

 taken up immediately produced an excellent 

 sample, and in that ])art where the barley 

 was allowed to remain in the swath the 

 sample was not nearly so good. — With re- 

 gard to early cutting, Mr. Briggs remarked 

 liiat i'l all sous of g:ain, when cut on the 

 verge of being ripe, the .skin is thinner and 



ster, said that he always prefers a bright finer tliau when allowed to remain umil dead 



color in barley. To attain this he recom- ripe, and that in the latter case the woody 



mended that it should be taken up into 1 fibre at the exterior of the grain increasoe, at 



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