464 



Thatching. 



[SEPT., 



mercy of the elements, and, should a wet season be experi- 

 enced, the damage resulting may prove considerable. 



It would therefore be far more satisfactory to have the 

 thatching completed as soon as the ricks are in a fit con- 

 dition ; even if the work is not accomplished in the most 

 expert manner, sufficient protection will be afforded to prevent 

 damage by rain. 



Substitutes for Thatching. — There are many substitutes now 

 in use for purposes of thatching — the erection of Dutch barns, 

 for instance. The latter have done much towards reducing 

 the anxiety of the farmer when storing hay and cereal crops 

 during the showery weather which is so frequently experi- 

 enced in Scotland, Ireland, and the northern counties of 

 England. Even the South of England has not been exempt 

 during the past season, and many half-erected hay-ricks have 

 been left exposed to continuous rains; whereas, had a Dutch 

 barn been available for the storage of the finer qualities of 

 meadow hay, the saving would have been considerable. 



How to Learn Thatching. — A knowledge of thatching, like 

 that of any other branch of farm husbandry, cannot be 

 gained without careful observation and continuous practice, 

 but there is no reason why the youngest hand on the farm 

 should not attempt the thatching of straw ricks as a means 

 of offering a beginning to the more important work of 

 thatching corn ricks. 



Outfit and Materials. — The thatcher's outfit is neither an 

 expensive nor a large one ; it consists of a bill-hook, a pair of 

 sheep shears for trimming the eaves, a large forked stack 

 to hold the drawn straw or yealms, and a wooden hand-rake 

 with iron teeth. The principal materials necessary for 

 thatching purposes are straw, reeds, and heather, according 

 to the purpose for which they are intended. Oat and barley 

 straw are only serviceable where the corn so covered has not 

 to. remain in the rick for any considerable length of time; 

 well-grown stiff wheat straw will answer all general purposes 

 on the farm, but for more lasting purposes, rye straw or 

 reeds are to be preferred, heather being mostly used for 

 ornamental thatching — as, for example, model dairies, 

 cricket pavilions, summer houses, &c. Other requisites neces- 

 sary for thatching are a ladder sufficiently long to reach the 



