11 E A 



R K A 



Some dirtiiiguifli reality into fubjeftive and objcftivc. 

 REALM, Recni'.m, Kltigdom, a country which gives 

 its head or governor the denomination of king. 



The word is formed of the French i-oyaumr, which de- 

 notes the fame. 



REALMONT, in Geography, a town of France, in the 

 department of the Tarn, and chief place of a canton, in the 

 diftridl of Alby ; 9 miles S. of Alby. Tlie place contains 

 2247, and the canton H949 inliabitants, on a territory of 

 247^ kiliometres, in 19 communeB. 



REALVILLE, a town of France, in the department 

 of the Lot ; 8 miles N.E. of Montauban. N. lat. 44° G. 

 E. long. 1° 34'. 



REAMLA, a town of the Arabian Irak ; 10 miles W. 

 of Baffora. 



REAMO, a town of Naples, in Abruzzo Ultra ; 6 miles 

 W.N.W. of Teramo. 



REAMUR, a town of France, in the department of the 

 Vendee ; 18 miles N. of Fontenay le Comte. 



REANG, a town of Bengal ; 45 miles S. of Silhet. 

 REAPER, a perfon whofe bufmefs it is to reap or cut 

 grain. 



REAPING, the operation of cutting crops by means 

 of the fickle. It is a very laborious fort of field-work, and 

 one which requires confiderable attention and care to per- 

 fprm it in a neat and cxaft manner. Reaping is performed 

 with feme other forts of crops, befides thofe of the grain 

 kinds ; as occafionally for peas, beans, flax, and others of 

 a fimilar nature. Work ot this nature is executed in many 

 different ways, according to the differences in the culloms 

 of different diftrifts ; as by fets of men hired by the month, 

 for this particular purpole, called harvelt-men ; by perlons 

 taking it by the piece, or by the acre, and by the (heaf or 

 ftouk of eiglit flieaves. 



In fome methods, by the piece or the quantity is unquef- 

 tionably the belt, in molt cafes, on account of the very high 

 prices which are exafted at this very bufy feafon, and the 

 very fmall extent of labour which is performed in working 

 by the day, which cannot be controlled by the farmer at 

 fuch hurrying times. Befides, the work is, for the moil 

 part, the bell and molt expeditioufly performed in thefe 

 ways ; which are objefts of very great importance, and de- 

 ferving of much confideration in this fort ot bufinefs. The 

 eye of the farmer is, however, conltantly neceflary to lee 

 that all goes on in a riglit maimer. 



In the northern parts of Lancafliire, this fort of labour is 

 moftly performed by the day, or the hattock of ten (heaves, 

 or the ftouk of twelve fheaves ; three-pence being often paid 

 for the former, and four-pence or five-pence for the latter, 

 in thefe places. 



In fome diftrifts, the reaping of the crops commences 

 before they are quite ripe ; but in others, not until this has 

 fully taken place. 



Reapinc; of Corn, the practice of cutting it with the 

 fickle, or otherwife, by perfons employed for the purpofe. 

 It may be obferved, that the bufinefs uf reaping or cutting 

 grain crops differs much in the manner of performing the 

 work, in different diftrifts of the kingdom, and kinds of 

 crops. In the more fouthern parts of the ifland, the crops 

 of this fort are moftly cut by means of fhort .ftiff fcythes, 

 made for the purpofe, having bows formed of bent fticks, 

 or what in fome places are termed cradles, fixed upon the 

 lower parts of the handles, for the more readily depofiting 

 the ears or heads of the corn in one uniform direction, as 

 much as poflible, in order that it may be afterwards bound 

 up into (heaves. But in other cafes, the naked fcythe is 



made ufe of; the corn being feldom bound up, beii^g (imply 

 raked together into fmall heaps, in a (imilar manner to 

 hay. 



In the more northern parts of England, and in Scotland, 

 the reaping of grain crops is, however, in general performed 

 by the (ickle, or reaping liook ; the dilTerent handfuls, as 

 foon as cut, being depolited upon bands, formed by tv/i(ling 

 together a few (talks of the corn at the ends next the ear», 

 and afterwards bound up into (lieaves, m order to their 

 being fet up into /hocks or hallocks. This method is, in moft 

 inftances, adopted with the wheat and rye crops, in every 

 part ot the ifland ; as in cutting them with the fcythe, it is 

 difficult to be performed without much lofs being fudained 

 by the (hcdding of the grain. And, in addition, it is of 

 great advantage to have thefe forts of crops bound up re- 

 gularly into fheaves, the Itraw being much better. 



Belides thefe, there is another mode (ometimes praftifed, 

 which is l)y means of a hook with a (harp edge, without any 

 teeth ; the labourer, in executing the work, hooking up 

 the corn towards him. It is moftly made ufe of in the 

 fouthern diftrifts, where it is known by the name oi bagging, 

 the grain in this way being cut very low. 



In this way the reaper coUefts enough for one flieaf at a 

 time, binds it, and fets it up in tens, called a (hock in 

 Middlefex. This bagging (or fagging) praftice is, to all 

 intents and purpofes, mowing with one hand againd the 

 Itanding corn. The toothlefs hook, employed in doing it, 

 is of nearly twice the weight of the common fickle. It is 

 (harpened occafionally, when neceflary, in the manner of 

 the fcythe ; and tht- operation of cutting the crop down is 

 by a fuccefffon of blows made upon the ftraw of the Handing 

 grain, very nearly in the direftiun down towards the furface 

 ot the ground. Reaping in Middlefex is moftly all done 

 in this way, as the proper ufe of the fcythe is but little 

 known. 



This method has the advantage of being done clofer, and 

 with equal or more expedition than the hand reaping mode, 

 befides the faving in ftraw, which is here fuppofed worth 

 Is. the acre. 



In Effex wheat crops are generally reaped or cut with the 

 fickle, though in the vicinity of the metropolis it is not un- 

 common to have it mown with the fcythe, as clofe to the 

 ground as other forts of grain crops, in the view of increaf- 

 ing the quantity of ftraw, which is there very valuable. It 

 is thrown, in thefe cafes, with great fkill and dexterity into 

 fwaths. When perfeftly ripe, it is foon bound up into 

 fheaves of fix or eight inches diameter, with bands of wheat- 

 itraw of fingle or double lengths ; but when not in this ripe 

 or dry ftate, it is allowed to remain in the fwaths two er 

 three days, as neceliary. However, in more than three 

 quarters of the county, it is reaped or cut with the fickle ; 

 and indeed in almoft all places, when beaten down by the 

 whid and rain. 



In regard to the time of reaping the grain, there is con- 

 fiderable difference in different diftrifts ; fome not reaping 

 it until it is quite ripe, while others cut it when fomething 

 fhort of this ftate. This, iiowever, ihould probably be re- 

 gulated by the nature of the feafon, and the kind ftate or 

 quality of the crop, as well as the ufes to which the grain is 

 to be put. 



In refpeft to the manner of reaping grain crops, whether 

 the fickle or fcythe be employed for the purpofe, there is 

 much difference in the height at which the crops are cut in 

 different places. In fome it is the praftice to have the 

 bufinefs performed in as clofe a manner as poflible ; while in 

 others a ftubble of eight, ten, and" fifteen inches, or more, 

 12 is 



