STACKING. 



kingdom are denominated fa'u/fis, or faufes. And it is 

 probable that in fome inllances they may be prejudicial to 

 the Itacks, by the admilTion of too much np.oi'l air. See 

 Harvest.'NG of Grain. 



A curious praftiec in this mode of ftacliina: grain prevails 

 in fome parts of the northern didnfts of the kingdoir^, 

 where the operation is performed round about a high coni- 

 cal frame of wood, which has, in fome cafes, a fmall door, 

 provincially termed a lope, formed in it on the fide or quar- 

 ter from which the wind commonly blows, in order that a 

 more free admiffion of air may be fecured, a lateral vent, or 

 fmall opening, being fometimcs, perhaps, made in the body, 

 a little below the point of the wooden frame, which has in 

 different parts of thefe diftridls of country the names oi faufe 

 houfe and luindy houfe. The writer of the Coirefted Ac- 

 count of the Agriculture of the County of Invernefs fuggelli, 

 that where wood is fcarce, the fame effeft and advantage may 

 nearly be produced, without an upright timber-frame, by 

 filling a fack with ilraw or hay, and fixing a rope to the 

 moath of it. This fack i; fet down adjoining to the logie, 

 and in the centre of the fpace on which the Hack is to be 

 built ; and as the Hacking advances, the fack is gradually 

 pulled up, fo far as is thought neceflary and ufeful, by 

 which means a future draught of air is freely admitted. 

 Thefe precautions are, however, it is faid, moltly ufed 

 when the material is damp, and the ftack to be formed on 

 the ground. See Staddle. 



In fome damp fituations and moid wet feafons, grain is 

 occafionally (lacked up in the field in different form? and 

 methods. The writer of the Account of the Hufbandry of 

 Middlefex has remarked, that to the weftward of the city 

 of Bath, the excefTive moillure of the climate has neceffa- 

 rily induced and obliged the occupiers of arable land to fe- 

 cure their corn or grain crops in the field, immediately after 

 they are bound into (heaves, by (lacking them in round ricks 

 or Hacks, which contain about a cart-load each ; the (heaves 

 being placed in fuch a manner as to fccure the ears equally 

 againll the rain and damp arifing from the ground. They 

 are fet on their butt-ends in the bottom parts, but every 

 (heaf, from the eaves upwards, is placed doping in a thatch- 

 like manner, and in the form of a cone. One flieaf is in- 

 verted at the top, and fpread over this conc-like point ; 

 which method fecures the whole, until it may fuit the conve- 

 nience of the farmer to carry the matters to be re-Hacked, 

 or built up in the barns or Hack-yards. When thefe ricks 

 or Ihcks are well made or put up, they are (ecure, it is faid, 

 againft every pofGble quantity of rain, and for any reafonable 

 Jength of time ; even for a whole winter, if it were necef- 

 fary to keep them out fo long. This is a praftice of Hack- 

 ing in the field, which, it is thought, deferves imitation i^t 

 all wet climates, and indeed in all others, in cafes of wet 

 harveft feafons. 



The method of flacking or making the arifh mow or 

 ftack, which is another mode of Hacking grain in the field 

 in fome of the fouth-weftern diftrifts of the kingdom, is 

 thus defcribed by the writer of the " Weftern Tour." A 

 fort of cone or pyramid is firH formed with (heaves fet upou 

 their butt-ends, and in a leaning manner towards their centre ; 

 the workman then gets upon them with his knees, an afTiHant 

 putting the (heaves in their proper places before him, while 

 he creeps or crawls round the mow or Hack, forcing and 

 beating them down in a perfeft manner with his knees applied 

 about the binding-place ; and continuing in this manner to 

 lay courfe after courfe, until the mow or Hack be deemed high 

 enough ; obferving to contraft the dimenfions of it as it 

 rifes in height, and to fet the (heaves more and more up- 

 right, until they form at the top a Hiarp point, which is 



capped with an inverted fheaf, either of corn or reed. \u 

 cafes where corn or grain is put up or built in thefe (lacks, it 

 is moilly thought to be quite fafe. 



The Hacking of corn, when carried to the yards, is fre- 

 quently performed on oblong and other forms of raifed 

 wood, on frames covered with loofe poles or other matters, 

 fo as to admit air freely to all parts ot the bottoms of the 

 mows or Hacks, and at the fame time to prevent rats and 

 other fuch animal;; getting into them. 



The Hacking of grain is moHly performed in a neat and 

 exaft manner iu many diHrifts towards the middle and more 

 northern parts of the kingdom ; but in many of the more 

 louthern and eaftern counties, it is often done in an extremely 

 bad and flovenly manner. In Oxtordlhire and Berkfhire 

 Hacks are formed with peculiar ueatnefs, and have much merit 

 in their dilferent forms and (hapes, being not unfrequently 

 duly arranged, and placed in neat clean Hack-yards. In 

 the latter of the above counties, it has been remarked, that a 

 farmer who was negligent in thefe refpefts, would be the 

 objeft of obfei-vation and derifion in his neighbourhood. 

 And that the labourer who can make a handfome rick or 

 Hack, prides himfelf on his (l<ill ; and as good as well as bad 

 examples are catching, others, in imitation, endeavour to 

 gain credit by the fame means. 



In finilliing the Hacking of grain in many places, the 

 ftem or body parts of the Hacks or mows are neatly pared 

 round, in order to prevent the vermin, which might leap 

 againll them, from finding any thing to hold by ; and the 

 whole is completed in a neat and exacl manner. 



Stacking of Hay, the work or bulinefs of putting hay up 

 into ricks or ilacks. This is an art which requires much 

 care and attention in the pcrfon employed for the purpofe, 

 though much lefs than that of building corn-Hacks. There 

 fhould conHantly, though it is often too much neglefted, bt 

 a proper Hand or foundation, (omewhat raifed by wood or 

 other materials, prepared for placing the Hacks upon ; but 

 nothing of the (helving outward direction or of the coping 

 kind is here neceflary. See Stack, Staddle, and Stand. 

 It may be noticed, that in performing the bufinefs of 

 Hacking hay, the work (hould conHantly be performed as 

 much as poifible while the fun is upon the hay, as much ad- 

 vantage is thus gained in the quality of the hay: and it is 

 neceffary to have a Hacker that has been aecuHomed to the 

 bufinefs, and a proper number of perfons to help upon the 

 Hack, in order that it may be well fpread out and trodden 

 down. The building of thefe forts of Hacks (hould be con- 

 dufted much in the fame way as thofe of the grain kind \ 

 the middle of the Hack being always well kept up, a httle 

 higher than the fides, and the fides and ends be well bound 

 in by the proper application of the fucccffive portions of 

 hay as the work advances ; and during which it is a good 

 way, where there are plenty of hands, to have the fides and 

 ends properly pulled into form, as by this means much after- 

 labour is prevented. It is likewife of advantage, that the 

 hay fhould be well fhaken and broken from the lumps dur- 

 ing the operation of Hacking. The form in which the 

 Hacks are built is not, as has been already feen in fpeaking 

 of Hacks, of much confequence. See Stack. 



With the intention of preventing too much heat, fome- 

 times in building thefe Ilacks, as well as thofe of the grain 

 kind, holes, pipes, and chimnies are left in the middle, that 

 the excefTive heat may be difcharged. But there is often 

 injury fuHained by them, from their attrafting too much 

 moiHure. See Hay, and HAY-maiiiig. 



For this purpofe, iquare (pouts or troughs, bored full of 

 large holes, and two oppofite boards, fecured about nine 

 inches apart, by nailing fliort laths on them, are fometimes 



employed ; 



