SEPTEMBER. 
291 
not yet withered and scorched by the frosty and its pretty 
little white blossoms ; the bristling barley ; the full pods 
depending from the tangled peas ; all the object of the 
farmer's hopes^ and the end of his ceaseless labours. " Thou 
crownest the year with thy goodness,, and thy paths drop - 
fatness. They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness^ and 
the little hills rejoice on every side. The pastures are clothed 
with flocks ; the valleys also are covered over with corn ; 
they shout for joy^ they also sing." 
We have begun reaping wheats as you see : when there 
is an anticipation of bad weather^ we have a mode of pro- 
tecting the grain which, I believe, is not adopted in the 
upper province, for want of which much is sometimes lost. 
We put ten sheaves together, six to stand against each 
other, in three pairs, and a single one at each end ; then 
we take the two remaining ones, the largest having been 
selected for this purpose, and opening the heads, draw them, 
ears downward, over the ends of the standing ones, so as to 
meet each other in the middle, covering all like caps (as in- 
deed they are called). The projecting ears and straws of the 
caps shoot off any rain, and protect the insides of the sheaves 
from moisture. The caps are kept in their place, by a few of 
the longest ears on each side of one being brought round the 
other in a band, and tied. In fair weather, the bands are 
untied, the caps taken off, and the sheaves opened a little with 
the hand to admit the sun ; all being ready to put up again 
in less than a minute. This whole bundle is called a stook. 
C. — I see a labourer cutting wheat with an instrument 
called a cradle-scythe ; what advantage has this mode over 
reaping ? 
— Many farmers doubt of any ; the grain is cut much 
more quickly, but as it has to be raked together in bundles, 
and to be bound by hand, there is little ultimate saving of 
labour, and perhaps even this is counterbalanced by the num- 
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