HARVESTING. 149 



round at one complete stroke of the scythe) must go to the 

 sheaf. One cut will sometimes make a small one ; in 

 other cases, two or more may be necessary, just according 

 to the quantity cut and separated from the uncut corn at 

 one stroke of the scythe 



' ; In the next manipulation, the straw has to be kept 

 straight, and the butts even, in order that the sheaf may, 

 in the first place, be loosely and properly bound, and in 

 the second place, that it may afterwards stand in the stook. 



" The last thing the gatherer has to do in her work is 

 the laying of the sheaf she has gathered into the band. 

 Small sheaves are more easily handled than large ones, and 

 for this reason are generally better laid into the bands for 

 binding. When the bandster also stooks, the gatherer makes 

 the bands. Eut in the case of a wet season and small 

 sheaves, it is better to make the stooking a separate job, 

 when the bandster makes the bands. In this case the last 

 manipulation of gathering and the first of binding a small 

 sheaf become a sort of joint process, the binder sometimes 

 taking the band for the next sheaf out of the one he has 

 just bound, but sometimes from the sheaf that is being 

 gathered, while occasionally the gatherer drops the small 

 handful for him with which to make it ; the two thus 

 working to each other's hands. But, whichever of the 

 three ways it may be, the bandster generally contrives to 

 have hold of one end of the band while the gatherer is 

 putting the loose sheaf into it 



" We now come to the work of the bandster ; and the 

 binding of a small sheaf loosely, ' so that the sun may 

 shine and the winds whistle through the stook,' and that 

 the sheaf itself may, after all this, and the handling it 

 sometimes gets, go to the stack-yard without breaking or 

 losing any of its contents, is a very fine piece of workman- 

 ship. It must first be properly balanced in the band ; 

 next it must have an even bottom on which to stand ; then 

 the top requires to be such as to defend a shower, while 

 the middle must be straight to support weight ; and, lastly, 

 the knot or tie of the band must be properly made so as not 



