State of Agriculture in Nor thumb crland. 



163 



ally in terror of those shake -winds which the vicinity of his native 

 mountains occasions, and must guard against the heavy rains 

 which often succeed them. He cuts his corn several days before 

 the farmer in Kent or Surrey would deem it fit, and instead of 

 leaving it exposed on the ground for days afterwards, his oljject 

 is to get it as fast as possible into a state for resisting rain, and for 

 standing till it is safe to carry it into stack ; the practice of housing 

 it in barns being here unknown. For this purpose he applies 

 all his force (50 or 100 reapers, as it may be) to one plot, and 

 marshals them under his own eye, placing in regular order two 

 or three upon each ridge, according to their width ; the centre 

 reaper twists or knots a band of corn, which is laid in the middle 

 of the ridge, and filled as they proceed. A binder follows each 

 party or band of six reapers, ties up the sheaves as tight as pos- 

 sible, setting eight or ten of them in a double row, close at top 

 and wide at bottom, which done he covers those with two other 

 sheaves, in form of the ridge of a house ; this is called a "stook," 

 and, when skilfully set, these are often found, after many days of 

 stormy weather^ to have sustained little injury. This mode of 

 working precludes the possibility of cutting by the acre, so that 

 most of the harvest- work is done by day's wages, and in part by 

 bands from Ireland and the Highlands of Scotland, who visit the 

 county in great numbers at that season. It is cut very low in 

 the district in question, about 4 to 6 inches from the ground ; but 

 I cannot commend the farmers in the south end of the county for 

 following this good example, whose slovenly habit in this respect 

 tends to a great loss of manure. Three reapers should cut an 

 acre per day, on an average ; and the wages, without food, are, 

 for men^ from I8s. to 206'. per week, and for women 15s. In the 

 case of the Scotch and Irish, they are supplied with food by the 

 farmer, and with blankets in barns and outhouses^ and receive 

 12s. or 146". per week. When fit to be stacked the corn is car- 

 ried home, and built into round ricks, of such size as the thresh- 

 ing-machine on the farm can manage in a day if worked by 

 horses, or in half a day if driven by water or steam. These 

 ricks are covered by a thatching of straw^ previously drawn into 

 bundles, and tied down by ropes made of twisted straw, and laid 

 regularly over, meeting at top, diverging towards the eaves and 

 fastened to a belt-rope, which is first of all tied round the stack. 

 This forms the constant occupation of the men when a dewy 

 morning or a shower renders the corn unfit for stacking ; and the 

 ropes are either made at such times, or prepared previously by 

 old and infirm men, capable of doing little else, with each a boy 

 twisting the straw with his throwcrook as it is passed in regular 

 thickness through their hands. Such a minute description of so 

 simple an operation, generally performed at times when other 



