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is left. Thefa different prafticcs Imve tlieir advocates ; 

 one party fiippofing that the work proceeds more (lowly, 

 wliere it is executed in fo clofe a manner ; while the other 

 contend that the contrary is the cafe. But as the ilubble 

 which is left is not only ufelefs to the land, but in many 

 cafes very troublefonie in its fucceeding culture, being fre- 

 quently under the neccflity of being removed, it would feem 

 to be the bell as well as chcapeil praftice, to have the bufi- 

 nefs conft antly executed in a clofe manner. It has been ob- 

 ferved by a late praiftical writer, that by this means the 

 agricultor will not only have more litter at command, for 

 the bedding of his yards. Halls, and other places, and con- 

 feqiiently an increafe of manure, but have tlie bufinefs more 

 expeditioufly performed, witli much lefs walte of grain, 

 and at the fame time be freed from the trouble and expence 

 of removing the ilubble. It has indeed been fully fliewn, 

 by a careful trial, made with the view of afcertaining the 

 difterence between high and low reaping, that the advantage 

 is confiderably in favour of the clofe method. 



And the refult of the trial is thus ftated by the writer of 

 the Agricultural Survey of the Weft Riding of Yorkfhire, 

 who obferves that the experiment was made upon part of a 

 field of wheat, two ridges of which were cut clofe by the 

 ground, and the other two confiderably higher, though not 

 fo high as the general run of the Yorkfhire ilubbles. Each 

 of the divifions was apparently of equal quality, and mea- 

 fured a trifle m.ore than a quarter of a Scotch acre, which is 

 about one-fifth larger than the Englifli flatute acre. The 

 crop was flacked feparately, and the time taken to the part 

 cut low was one hour and twenty-four minutes, of eight 

 (hearers ; while the high cutting was performed by the fame 

 number of hands in forty-eight minutes. The wages paid 

 that week were iBd. per day, and the fuppofed expence of 

 maintenance 6(i. or 2 s. per day altogether. When threlhed, 

 the grain and ftraw were carefully meafured and weighed, 

 and the refult of the experiment was as follows : 



£ s. d. 

 Refult — 8 fhearers, i hour 24 minutes, at 2^.1 



per day, or 22r,d. per hour - . - J 'r 



The fame hands in 48 minutes - - -014 



DifTe 



: of ex 



pence 



in favour of high cutting one fliilling, or four {hilling^ 

 I'i'r acre. , 



£ s. d- 



o 1 8 



t^ peck of wheat more upon tlie low cut"} 

 ridges than thole cut high, at i.f. 4^/. per > 

 peck - • - - - --J 



14 ftones (22 avoirdupois pounds) of morel 

 ftrawj at 2d. per Hone - - - -J 



Or fixteen (hillings per Scotch acre. 



From which deduft the increaled expence of cutting, 

 there remains a benefit of twelve (hillings per acre in favour 

 of low cutting. 



It is noticed farther, that the .above trial, according to 

 the beft of the reporter's judgment, was fairly made ; and 

 the reafon which urged him to make it, was to filence the 

 objections of fome neighbours, who alleged low fhearing 

 was not profitable. It is alfo proper to obierve, that the 

 field of wheat, on which the trial vi-as made, was not broke 

 down nor ftraggled, fo was in a favourable condition for 

 high cutting. We have feen wheat-fields, where three times 



Vol,. XXIX. 



n J-: A 



the quantity might have been left, unlefs great pains wc.e 

 ufed. 



But the methods of reaping grain crops, both with the 

 fickle aiul the (cythe, have each their advantages and difad- 

 vantages. In the firfl manner, tlie crops arc depofited with 

 more regularity and exaanefs, and confequently bound into 

 fheaves with greater facility and difpatch. Befides, in many 

 cafes lefs lofs is incurred by fhedding, in the time the work is 

 in performing ; but the labour is executed with greater dif- 

 ficulty and trouble. The latter poficfics the fuperiorily of 

 being more expeditious, and of being performed to any de- 

 gree of clofenefs that may be required; while it has the evi- 

 dent difadvantage of leaving the cut grain in a more irregular 

 and uneven fituation, by which it is rendered lefs fit for 

 being bound up into flieaves, which in many cafes is an in- 

 convenience of great confequence. When the grain has at- 

 tained a high degree of ripenefs, there may likewife be great 

 lofs fudained, by its being (hed during the operation, in 

 this way of reaping and cutting the crop. Where this me- 

 tliod is praftifed, it is, however, not unfrequentlv the cafe 

 to have it bound into (heaves ; tli.)ugh the moft' common 

 cuftom is to let it remain in the rows or fwaths, till fit for 

 being put into tfie (lack. When bound, it is generally the 

 praflice to cut it inwards againll the crop on which it refts : 

 in the other cafe, it is cut in the manner' of grafs for hay. 

 It is obvious, therefore, that when labourers are procured 

 with difficulty, this mode of reaping is the moft advifeablc ; 

 while, under the contrary circumftances, the former may be 

 had recourfe to with more advantage, as the work may be 

 executed in a neater and more exadl way. See Har- 

 vesting and Sickle. 



It may be remarked, that this is a fort of work that is 

 often let by the acre to perfons that go about for harveft 

 work ; and it may, in many cafes, be the beft performed in 

 this manner. But great attention (hould be paid by the 

 farmer, to fee that the grain is cut and bsund up in a pro- 

 per method, and that the work be not performed in improper 

 weather. The prices vary according to the nature of the 

 crops, the feafon, and other circumftances, fometimes rifing 

 as high as eleven or twelve fliillings the acre, and fometimes 

 much higher. 



Reaping Fork, a tool of the fork kind, invented for the 

 purpofe of raifing and collefting the mown grain into 

 (heaves, fo that it may be bound up. It is conftrudled 

 with two, rather long, prongs below, (lightly curving up- 

 ward, fomewhat in the manner of the common large hay 

 fork, to which are attached, at the upper part, near the in- 

 fertion into the handle, two other upright prono-s, which 

 bend a httle forward towards their tops or ends ; by means 

 of which, with the under prongs running along the ground, 

 the tool being pufhed forward by the labourer, the grain in 

 the ftraw is raifed up, brought together, held in a firm 

 manner, and removed from the fwathe fo as to be bound 

 into flieaves. In this way, the lower prongs perform the 

 work of picking the flrawy material from the land, while 

 the higher upright ones prevent it from falling backwards, 

 and determine the quantity which is neceffar^' for a fheaf. 

 In this manner, by this fim.ple contrivance, the mown graia 

 can be brought together and bound up with much greater 

 regularity, and in a much more expeditious method than is 

 poffible to be done by mere hand labour. 



Reaping Hooi, an implement of the fickle kind, with 

 which the bufinefs of reaping is performed in fome diftrifts. 

 Thefe hooks are fometimes formed with teeth, or in a 

 toothed manner, and fometimes with a cutting edge. In 

 Devonfhire, and fome other counties, thofe with fmooth 

 edges are generally preferred to fickles with fawed ones : 

 3 S thefe 



