OATS, BARLEY AND RYE 



77 



band and the heads placed toward the direction of the prevailing wind. 

 Where wind storms are very prevalent at this time of the year it is best 

 not to use cap sheaves. When oats are green or damp, long shocks, made 

 by standing the sheaves in pairs and extending north and south, are to 

 be preferred. It pays to have the grain properly shocked, even though 

 it is to be threshed in a short time and directly from the field. 



If the grain is to be stacked, stacks should be well built. Rails or 

 old straw should be used for the foundation to prevent damage to the first 

 layer of sheaves. Stacks may be either round or long. The butts should 



mmm 



mm, 



m-H- 





A Field of Good Oats being Harvested with a Modern Self-Binder. 



always be laid toward the outside of the stack, and the outside layer 

 should always slope downward so that the stack will turn rain. The 

 greatest diameter of the stack at the time of construction should be five 

 or six feet above the ground. This form in settling accentuates the slop- 

 ing of the outside sheaves in the upper portion of the stack. Whether 

 oats are to be threshed from the field or stack will be determined largely 

 by the threshing custom of the locality. Where the custom of threshing 

 from the field prevails, it will be difficult to get stacked oats threshed 

 until field threshing is completed. Stacking entails some additional work, 

 but generally improves the quality of the oats. Oats in the shock are 



