GRAIN. 



fpread out too thickly over the floors of the granaries anil 

 corn-rooms. From one to two feet, or two feet and a half 

 in depth, is confidered fully fufficient fur the i>urpofe, in 

 proportion as it becomes more dry and the moillure more 

 difiipated. When grain is heaped together to too great a 

 thicknefs at firfl, from the natural moillure which it con- 

 tains, it is frequently apt to heat, and thereby greatly 

 injure the fample. Frequent fcrecning (liould hkewife be 

 had recourfe to immediately after its being depofited in the 

 corn-rooms, and occafionalh- at other times as circumllances 

 may demand. 



Other points have been fuggcfted by Doc*\or Darwin, as 

 necefTary to be attended to in this bulinefs, in order to 

 perform it in the mod effectual manner j luch as thole of 

 having the doors, windows, and other principal apertures 

 of the buildings placed in fuch a manner as to face the 

 I'outh, and as clofe to the ceiling as polhble, fo that the 

 !H,-s of the fun may enter with the greatell freedom. And 

 ;ii addition, the linings of all fuch corn-rooms lliould con- 

 itantly be formed of fuch materials, as have no tendency 

 from their coldnefs to precipitate the moillure from the 

 atmofphere, which is frequeully the cafe with particular 

 iubltimccs, when warm, damp, fouth-vvelt winds take place 

 ifttr cold or call ones, and in tliat way impart it to the 

 grain that comes in contatl with them. It is alfo equally 

 neceffary in all fuch cafes that the entrance of wet and 

 raoilhire ihould be prevented in an effediual manner, by 

 having recourfe to proper Sheltering boards, Hides, and other 

 contrivances of the fame kind. 



There is likevvife a particular fort of management necef- 

 fary in the turning over and ilirring of grain in order to its 

 complete ventilation, as when the corn is tirlt placed in the 

 rooms it ftands in need of much more frequent turning over 

 than afterwards, when it has parted with a conllderable 

 proportion of its moillure and is become fomewhat dry. 

 For the iirll month or fix weeks, once or twice in every 

 'veek or ten days may be fufficient to anfwer the purpofe ; 

 but afterwards for four or five months longer, about once 

 m the fortnight may commonly be fufficient, and trom that 

 period only once in the month, except when the feafon 

 proves very moift, warm, and of courfe improper for keep- 

 ing the grain well. 



In order to accomplifli this bufinefs different methods are 

 in ufe ; it is the cuilom in fome places to have empty Ipaces 

 i left on the fides of the heaps of grain and other parts into 

 . which they may be turned over when neceifary ; while in 

 others, fquare holes are formed in the ends of the floors, 

 and round ones in the middle, by which means the grain 

 is thrown from the upper to the lower chambers, and back 

 again, and of courfe becomes agitated and expofed to the 

 air in a more perfetl manner. This is a method that is 

 praftifed with fucccfs in fome parts of the county of Kent. 

 As, however, in thefe modes fuch frequent turnings are not 

 only extremely troublefome, but expenfive, in coiiiequence, 

 efpecially in the firft cafe, of being performed by the 

 (hovel, the plan of having (llding fliutters in the middle of 

 tlie different floors fo contrived, as to have an inclination 

 towards the centre of the granaries, has been had recourfe 

 to ; by the occafional removal of which, and the opening 

 of the windows and ventilators, the grain is turned and 

 expofed to the influence of the air at the fame time with 

 great eafe, convenience, and difpatch. 



This mode of preferving grain was long ago found by 

 Monfieur du Hamel to anfwer perfeftly well, even in cafes 

 where it had beeu laid up in a moid, damp, and improper 

 Itate. . . 



There can be no doubt, however, but that grain may 

 be preferved without having recourfe to the mean> of vtnii- 

 lation, by depoliting it, when in a perffttly dry Itale, m 

 deep wells, pits, and caverns that are free from any (on 

 of damp aid moillure, and fo far below the furface of the 

 ground that it cannot be affeiled by the heat or iht-changCK 

 that take jdace in the (eafoiis. But though grain lias been 

 known to have been preferved in this manner for a great 

 length of time in thofc countries where it is the praiSice 

 to have it llorcd up lor times of ftarcily, it is by no means 

 cither a very fate or convenient mellmd. 



It mult be oblervcd, however, that in whatevi-r mantior 

 grain is fecured, it is elTentially Heceflary that care Ihould 

 be taken that fuch portions as are in a foft damp Aate, .or 

 which have been badly harveflcd, ihould not, on any account 

 be laid up with that which is in a dry condition and perfecYlv 

 found ; as from the quantity of moillure that is containird 

 in it, and the tendincy to germination that takes place in 

 confequence of it, a muUy bad Imeil is liable to be im- 

 parted to the whole, and the fample either totally er in a 

 great degree dellroyed, 



• The practice of cxpoling grain to the free aftiun of tlie 

 atmofpheric air, has been diicarded by fome in coi.fequence 

 of the ova oi eggs of infects being liable iii that way to be' 

 depofited among the grain, but it would leeni more pro- 

 bable, when the economy of fuch inlects is well confidered, 

 that their ova were either depoUted originally among thi- 

 grain in fuch lltuations, or brought in with diflereut parcels 

 of It from diiferent places. On this a<.:couiit it is evident 

 that great cauticm Ihould be ufed in furniihing frelh parcels 

 of grain for being laid up, and that the fci-een Ihould be 

 conilantly employed before putting it into the rooms. 



It is, however, pretty certain that where grain is tpbe 

 preferved for much length of time, though it may without 

 doubt be fafely kept in the ways that have been already 

 mentioned ; yet it is moll probably not only a much better, 

 but more certain and economical method to let it remain 

 unthreflied from the ear in the flacks in which it has been 

 built, particularly where they rell upon lladdles that are 

 properly conftruCted for the purpofe. 



It may be proper to obferve, that where grain is to bs 

 long preferved after being threlhed out, there Ihould always 

 be proper buildings of the granary kind provided for its 

 reception, the fizcs of which Ihould be proportioned t» 

 the extent of the farm, being conflantly adequate to con- 

 tain about one-half of the grain-produce after it has becH 

 threflied out and cleaned. 



In cafes where the grain is ground and preferved after- 

 wards in the flate of meal, it is the ufual and by far the 

 bell mode to pack it very clofely by means of treading or 

 rammhig it into dry, dole, fmall rooms, or large cheils, as, 

 in this way, when laid up in a proper condition, it will 

 keep for a very great length of tiu,e quite fafe and five 

 from mifchief. 



But, notwithtlanding the cuftom of preferving grain ik 

 ftacks and granaries, from the convenience of it, may, i» 

 fome inllances, be beneficial, not only to the farmer, but 

 the public, and, confe<iuently, in fome meafure necefiarj-, 

 it is clear from the trials thaf have been already made, that 

 the lloring of grain in either way fliould be carried to as 

 fmall an extent as pofllble, as it has been afcertained that 

 there is a contlant decreafe takini^ place in its weight from 

 the period at which it has been ^larvelled or hid up, but 

 that this lofs is far greater at lirll, than after it has been 

 kept fome time. ■ .. 



In the fecond volume of the new edition of Geor^ical 

 4 C 2 Kflayj, 



