COTTAGES AND FARMS 



23 



a little at a time, by one of the few labourers who could still 

 use the tool, and the fresh, sweet straw was tossed out over 

 the rack-board to the beasts in the yard. They would eat 

 up every bit ; whereas, when threshed out by machine, the 

 straw, having been put up in a rick, soon gets stale and 



The Iron Room 



finally musty. In this state it is less appetising, and much of 

 it is left uneaten and w T asted. 



The barn floor was either of stone flagging or of oak. 

 There is one floor of each kind in this range, but the oak 

 floor is the best, the stone tending to crush the grain. 



Now, alas ! these fine old barns stand empty. With much 

 else that is gone of the beauty and poetry of agricultural life, 

 the measured beat of the flail is no longer heard. Its cheerful, 



