Harvesting Corn. 
210 
much clama<?o, or the aitelligence of the fanner would prompt 
him to adopt the same means as others to prevent the; h)ss. Still 
there are occasional seasons, such as those of 1841, 1845, and 
1860, in which the plan of making shocks well capped and secure 
would have saved a vast deal of both grain and straw, which as 
it was were bleached and damaged. With the present rage for 
cutting corn green, capping is found to retard the hardening of the 
grain, and may be dispensed with, if the sheaves, placed with 
the knots of the bands turned inwards, arc made to straddle 
properly, the ears being well pressed home together, and each 
pair of sheaves in the shock so adjusted that they can stand alone 
unpropped, even if some of the other sheaves be removed. 
Before entering into the expense of the various operations of 
which this Essay must treat, it will be desirable to calculate the 
annual expense of keeping a farm-horse. The keep may be 
thus estimated : — 
For 32 winter weeks — £. s. d. 
32 bushels of oats, at 3.s- 4 K! 0 
32 bushels of beans, at 5fl 8 0 0 
56 cwt. of carrots, at Is 2 1(3 0 
Wheat-diatf gratis. 
For 20 summer, &c., weeks — 
20 bushels of beans, at 5s 5 0 0 
5 tons of green rye, tares, Italian rye, or clover, equi- 
valent to one ton of hay, at 3 0 0 
Total for food 23 12 0 
Blacksmith's bill, shoeing and mending traces, 
&c 12s. Gf/. 
Harness-maker's, oiling, &c. 7s. 'od. 
Interest and tear and wear of harness, 10 per 
cent, upon 3/. 10s 7s. Od. 
17 0 
InsiTrauce of life, with tear and wear on 35?., the value of 
horse, at 10 per cent 3 10 0 
28 9 0 
Tear, wear, and interest on machines, &c., for preparing 
food, 10 per cent, upon 11. 10s 3 0 
£23 12 0 
Further, as to the rate to be charged for the use of a horse^ 
this ought to vary with the demand for his service at different 
seasons. There are not more than 250 working days in the 
year in all. Of these — 
£. s. d. 
60 days for harvesting and seeds, charged at 3s., will make 9 0 0 
90 for manure carting, root-harvesting, &c., at 2s. 6d ..11 5 0 
100 days at slack time, charged at Is. 8c? .. .. 8 G 8 
£28 11 8 
