3^8 HARVESTING. 24. 



Three women and one man make a fett 5 



who, of a middling crop, do an acre a day. 



If corn be thin, a man will bind after four 



w^omen -, if very thick upon the ground, he 



requires a boy to make bands for him. 



Sometimes the bands are laid for the wo- 

 men to throw their handfuls into ; but in ge- 

 neral they lay the corn in " reaps," of about 

 half a (heaf each ; the binder gathering it up 

 carefully againft his legs in the manner wheat 

 firaw is ufually gathered on the thrafhing- 

 iloor. This is much the beft way (though 

 fpmewhat more troublefome) ; the corn be- 

 ing by this means bound up tight and even, 

 and the Hieaves made of an equal fize. 



I'he dav-wapes of a woman in harveft Is 

 jod. of a man 2 s. Thus wheat, which in 

 Surrey would coft los. to 12s. and which, 

 in any country I have obferved in, would coft 

 7 s. or 8 s. is here cut for 4s. 6 d. an acre. 



But the faving of fo much an acre is far 

 from being the only advantage arifing from 

 the practice of employing women in the work 

 of haiveit. The number of hands is in- 

 ereafed •, the poor-man's income is raifed ; 

 the parifh-rates are in confequence Icfiened ; 



and 



