24. YORKSHIRE. 387 



24. 



HARVESTING. 



NO DEPARTMENT of rural economy 

 diftinguiflies the northern from the mid- 

 land and SOUTHERN parts of the IHand fo 

 much as the method of Harvefting. And, 

 perhaps, no Northern Diftricft ismoreflrongly 

 marked with this difthiguifhingcharadlerlflic 

 than that which is now under furvey. 



1. Cutting corn with the fickle. 



2. Cutting corn with the fithe. 



I. Sickle. It is probable that nine-tenths 

 of the corn which is cut with the fickle in this 

 kingdom is cut by men. In Surrey and Kent 

 a woman may fometimes be {ten with a fickle 

 in her hand. In Norfolk it is a fight which 

 is feldom or ever fecn. Here, it is almoft 

 equally rare to fee a fickle in the hand of a 

 man; reaping — provincially, " {hearing," 

 —being almofl entirely done by women. 



C c 2 Three 



