THRESHING. 



Forty coombs of wheat take eiglit horfes, at? 



Ten men, at ix. bd. each 

 Five ditto to droflinj; 



And wheat cods more by 6J. 



The calculations of the expences are here made greatly 

 under the rate of wages and hire of horfes which has fince 

 taken place. 



The above (hould lead the farmer to be caretul in put- 

 ting up thcfc machines ; and to be certain of thei;- being 

 conllrurted in fuch a way, as to aiifwcr the purpofe m a 

 perfeft maimer before he begins the work. 



It is well obfervcd by Mr. Somcrville, in the Agricul- 

 tural Report of Eaft Lothian, in caUing the attention of 

 the public to the unrewarded merits of Mr. Mickle, in 

 bringing the threfl\ing machine to a (late of perfeftion, that 

 it is computed, by thofc who have paid every poffible at- 

 tention to the fubjedl, that in Britain about 7,500,000 acres 

 are annually employed in raifing grain, the produce of 

 which, if averaged at three quarters per acre, amounts to 

 22,500,000 qrs. ; and, as it is admitted that the furplus 

 quantity gained by the ufe of thrcfliing machines is at 

 lead a twentieth part more than when the flail is ufed, it 

 will appear that 1,1 12,500 qrs. would be faved annually, 

 were the whole of the grain in the kingdom threflied in that 

 way ; the value of which, if only calculated at 3 2s. per quarter, 

 would be 1,781,250/. ; to which adding the favings of ex- 

 pence, at IS. per quarter, upon 22,500/X)0 acres, wx. 

 1,125,000/., it would make the enormous fum of 2,906,250/. 

 fterhng; a faft almoft incredible to any but thofe who have 

 turned their attention to the fubjeft, and are well acquainted 

 with the great difference between the threfhing-machine and 

 the flail. 



All forts of grain (hould be in a proper, hard, dry con- 

 dition, when it is to be threfhed out, otherwife the work 

 cannot be performed in a clean and pirfeft manner, whether 

 it is to be executed by the flail or the machine. 



It is a remark of the time of Lifle, founded on his own 

 extenfive experience, that wheat threfhed in damp weather 

 generally yields but little flour, with a great deal of bran, 

 when it is ground ; and that if it be put into facks, it will 

 grow mufty in lefs than three weeks, let the weather be 

 ever fo dry afterwards : but if, on the contrary, it be 

 threfhed when the air is perfeftly clear and dry, it will keep 

 well in facks for a long time, efpecially if thefe are laid 

 upon treffels high enough to fecure them from the damp- 

 nefs of the ground or floor. 



But for keeping of the meal or flour, in general, there 

 is no better way than firfl to bolt and clean it from the 

 bran or huflcs, which is apt to make it mufly, and then to 

 tread it down as hard as pofTible, and head it up clofcly 

 in clean, dry, tight, and well-bound cafks, which muft be 

 laid in a cool dry place. 



It may be noticed, that the beards of barley come off 

 bell, in thrcfhing, when the fheaves or fwarths of this corn 

 have taken the dew before their being houfed. It will keep 

 well in the mow unthrefhed for one year ; but for making 

 it into malt, which muft be done before the heat of the 

 fummer comes on, it (hould not be kept above a year and 

 a half, or at mod two years : otherwife it will be filled with 

 weevUs or infefts ; unlefs it has been previoufly cured in a 

 ftove or kiln. 



But oats, from their being defended with a double hufl^, 

 are the grain leaft fubjed to harbour vermin. The beft way 

 to keep them after they are threfhed, which (hould be done 



when dry, is to dry thera well on a kihi, and tlien to b;nTeI 

 them up in clean clofc calks. i( 



As for beans and peas, they always threfti beft after they 

 have fweated in the mow, which they are very apt to do ; 

 as the whole crop of either of them never ripens altogether, 

 the green parts heat, and communicate their ferment to the 

 whole heap. The danger to be guarded again ft is, that 

 they do not heat too much. For this reafon, farmers gene- 

 rally choofe to ftack them without doors, rather than to 

 houfe them ; that they may be the more thoroughly dried 

 bv the fun and air. As beans are a very large feed, and 

 confequently full of moifture, it is found beft to let thofc 

 that are intended for keeping, fweat and feafon in the mow 

 until March, when they may be threfhed without danger, 

 for beans never give again, after they have once been 

 thoroughly dried and hardened. 



And vetches, when wanted for fowing immediately after 

 they are cut, may be threfhed very well on a hurdle, with 

 a cloth ; though they then be too foft, notwithftanding their 

 being ripe, to be threfhed "on a floor, where the flail and the 

 threfher's feet would bruife and break them. 



In general, in the bufinefs of threfhing, as the work pro- 

 ceeds, it will from time to time be neceffary to remove all 

 the long ftraw from the corn beaten out of it, which laft 

 always lies underneath, with a prong or fork, and then the 

 pieces of ftraw, broken ears, &c. with a wooden rake. 

 The remaining grain fhould then be (hovelled up on one fide 

 of the floor, and the work be repeated till enough be 

 thre(hed out to make what is commonly called a clearing. 

 The heap (hould then be wholly paffed through a wide iieve, 

 which retains only the bits of ftraw, and fuch fragments or 

 ends of the ears as have efcaped the flail. Thefe frequently 

 contain fome good corn, and form an ufeful fodder for moft 

 forts of animals, being what are commonly called ca-v'ings, as 

 feen below. 



Much labour may often be faved in the ufe of the fieve 

 by faftening a loop to its rim, and refting it thereby on a 

 hook fufpended by a rope. This will fuftain half the weight 

 of the corn, and the neceffary circular motion may more 

 eafily be given to it. 



After much threfhed grain has thus accumulated on the 

 threfhing-floor, and the fliort ftraw and chaffy matter have 

 been feparated from it, as juft noticed, by pafling it through 

 a wide riddle or fieve for the purpofe, which (honld always 

 be done before too much grain has been collefted, as in that 

 way the bruiCng of it is more effeftually prevented ; it muft 

 be put by to afford -more room. The fhort chaffy fub- 

 ftaiyce thus feparated from the grain is in fome diftrifts de- 

 nominated covings, or ca'vmg-chaff', and is capable of being 

 employed with advantage, as feen above, in the feeding of 

 horfes, or neat cattle and fheep. When this has been done, 

 the loofe grain fhould be thrown into a chamber or other 

 place conveniently formed for receiving it, where it fhould 

 remain till a fufficient quantity has been collefted to render 

 the clearing and cleaning of it by fome kind of machine 

 for the purpofe, requifite. But the improved threfhing 

 machines render this unnecefTary, as they drefs or clean it 

 at the fame time it is threfhing out. See Winnowing 

 Machine. 



Furze tops in their young ftates of growth are in fome 

 northern fituations beat or threfhed by the flail, and in that 

 way bruifed as horfe-food, where proper machinery for this 

 purpofe is not at hand. The work-horfes during their ufe 

 have Kttle other food, it is faid, though performing great 

 labour. 



From the whole of what has been faid, it is evident that 

 the farmer fhoidd always confider well before he decides on 

 the mode of threfhing which may be the moft proper and 



advan» 



