1^2 HARVESTED CROPS. 



the ears from flipping through it, the butts 

 are freed from (hort ilraws and weeds, by 

 means of a fmall long-toothed rake or comb. 

 This done, the rope is unhooked and the 

 ** reed" laid evenly in a heap. 



A quantity of clean ftraight unbruifed 

 ftraw, or '* reed," being thus obtained, it is 

 formed into fmall fheaves, returned to the 

 floor, and the ears thraflied again, ^vith the 

 flail, or is again thraflied by hand over the 

 cafk, to free it eifedtually from any remain- 

 ing grain, which the former beating might 

 have milled. 



Laflly, the reed is made up into large 

 bundles — provincially "fheaves" — of 36 

 pound each j with all the ears at one end 3 

 the bi^itts being repeatedly punched upon the 

 floor, firfl in double handfuls, and then in 

 the flieaf, until they are as even, as if they 

 had been cut off fmooth and level, with a 

 fithe, or other long edgetool 5 while the 

 ftraws lie as flraight, and are almofl as flout, 

 as thofe of inferior reed, or flems of the 

 Arundo. 



It is not for the purpofe of thatch, only, 

 that the flraw of wheat is carefully preferved 



from 



