180 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
STACKING GRAIN. 
If grain is to be stacked in the open field, it is 
important that it be well done. The recollection 
of numberless moldy, sprouted sheaves, as we 
have seen stack after stack removed to the barn 
or threshing grounds, leads us to give a word of 
caution on this subject. 
Some farmers have permanent “stack-yards,” 
and others make their yards each year, contigu¬ 
ous to their principal grain fields The most per¬ 
fect cheap protection to out-door grain is afforded 
by a cap roof supported by four corner posts, en¬ 
closing a square space for the stack. The posts 
have holes for a greater part of their length, and 
the roof is raised or lowered at pleasure, and sup¬ 
ported in its position by strong pins. 
In extensive grain regions, however, most of 
the crop has to be stacked out without cover, 
and the form of stack here shown is a good model. 
The first important requisite is a good, well-ven¬ 
tilated foundation. A very common method is to 
lay a tier of rails upon the ground, at a distance 
of two or three feet apart, and cross rails over 
these, upon which the stack is commenced. II 
this cross-work of rails is carried sufficiently high, 
it answers pretty well. But we have seen so 
many wet and moldy bottoms, that we urge spe¬ 
cial attention to this, the starting point, and re¬ 
commend posts set in the ground as above. These 
need not necessarily be conical, as shown, but 
may be simply pieces sawn from logs, and set on 
end. They may be as numerous as desired, de¬ 
pending upon the strength of the bottom timbers, 
and the firmness of the ground. Of course they 
should be set about the centre, as well as the 
outer part of the stack. Upon these posts lay 
stiff rails, or small timbers sufficiently close to 
prevent the sheaves from falling through. A 
central pole, set firmly into the ground, assists 
the builder to carry up the sides evenly, and pre¬ 
vents settling towards one side. 
Commence by laying a tier of sheaves around 
the centre forming the base of the stack, with the 
huts outward, packing them closely. A second 
tier is next laid down, with the heads extending 
a little over the buts of the first, and so on, al¬ 
ways keeping the top or seed end of the sheaves 
highest, and towards the center. This is impor¬ 
tant, so that any water finding its way in at the 
top, wall run towards the outer edge, rather than 
the centre of the stack. Continue in the same 
manner, laying the inner tier, and binding it with 
the second, and so on. The sides should be car¬ 
ried up, either perpendicular, or a little projecting, 
as shown in the cut, for some six or eight feet, 
according to the size of the stack, and then be 
gradually drawn in. Two important points should 
be strictly observed at this stage, as indeed 
throughout its whole construction, viz.: keep the 
centre a little the highest, and the outer circles 
well bound by the inner ones. Having shaped the 
top, as seen above, by constantly drawing in, and 
elevating the centre still more, until it reaches a 
point near the top of the pole, allow it to stand 
for a few days to settle, if the weather is favor¬ 
able, after which, it may be so thatched and cap¬ 
ped with rye straw, so as to render it water-proof. 
A stack finished in this manner may not only 
stand for a long time uninjured, but is quite plea¬ 
sant to look upon, and a goodly number of them 
betokens a thrifty farmer. 
In England, where there is less dry weather 
and sun, in addition to the elevated foundation, 
they are accustomed to insert upright poles, with 
the lower end fastened to the timbers, one and a 
half to two feet distance from the central pole, 
and confined to it near the top, as shown above. 
The grain is stacked about these poles in such 
a manner that an opening is left in the centre, 
extending to the top. The supporting posts used 
are often capped with flat stones or plank extend¬ 
ing over them, to prevent rats and mice from 
getting into the stack. * 
TIM BUNK NR ON THE WEAKER BRETHREN. 
Mr. Editor. —1 see by a former number 
of the Agriculturist that you had your re¬ 
porter up here, taking notes at our Farmers’ 
Club. 1 had no idea that he was around, or 
I should have fixed up my remarks in a lit¬ 
tle better shape, and dove-tailed the argu¬ 
ment on mixed papers a little tighter togeth¬ 
er. I hold that what a man sees fit to print, 
should be watertight. I want you to under¬ 
stand, and the public also, that I am not re¬ 
sponsible for anything the reporters say 
about me, and that none of Tim Bunker’s 
sayings are the genuine article, unless they 
come direct from Hookertown, and are over 
my name. You see they have got to coun¬ 
terfeiting my name already, just as they 
have Perry Davis’, the inventor of the pain 
killer, and old Dr. Townsend’s sarsaparilla. 
It was only the other day, that 1 saw a lot 
of my sayings in the Times about bad butter, 
that were never designed for the public at 
all. It was a private talk between me and 
my old friend Jones, and who in the world 
put them things in that paper, is more than 
l can tell. It must be confessed, however, 
that he got the substance of what we said 
across the table, pretty near correct. I sus¬ 
pect Jones, the sly dog, knows more about 
it, than he would like to tell. 
I took my pen in hand, to say a word 
aboui a class of farmers we have up here in 
our neighborhood. You see, in the church, 
they have a kind of members, that the min¬ 
ister calls “ the weaker brethren.” They 
don’t seem to have faith enough in them to 
make their religion of any account. They 
are always at the tail end of the heap, and 
like the stragglers in a flock of sheep, under 
the wall, or stuck fast in the mud. They are 
a disgrace to the cause. 
Now we have some Hookertown farmers, 
that make me think of these weaker brethren 
’fore all the world. They don’t read the 
papers, and don’t believe in good farming 
any more than such disciples believe the 
gospel. You can not get them to take the 
agricultural journals and they laugh at all 
the new tools that have been invented to 
help farmers in their work. Instead of 
cleaning up their fields so as to use a mow 
ing machine, they sweat over the scythe at 
the rate of an acre a day Instead of hav¬ 
ing a barn cellar to save manure, it is most¬ 
ly wasted in the yards and highways. In¬ 
stead of sheltering cattle, in the cold snowy 
weather, they fodder them out at a stack all 
winter. 1 do not know but I am wicked, 
but I wish every one of them could have 
been out chat cold night in January, when 
the mercury froze. 1 think they would have 
learned to pity dumb cattle. I find such 
farmers are always complaining of hard 
times, and are never able to pay their debts. 
They are always running down farming, and 
talking about emigrating to the west, just as 
if a change of place was a going to change 
their characters, and make such shiftless 
farmers, thriving men. 
Now I have been thinking that these weak¬ 
er brethren were living on “ Missionary 
ground” as the saying is, and that the farm¬ 
ers who read the papers ought to come over 
and help them. It is no use for you to ad¬ 
vertise your paper on this account, for such 
people do not take any paper either political 
or religious. If one of your agents were to 
come along, and ask them to subscribe, they 
would feel insulted, if they could get near 
enough to them to make their business 
known. I am going to propose to our Farm 
ers’ Club to go out among these weaker 
brethren and see if we can’t get them to 
take the papers, and mend their ways. You 
see they can’t say Ave are mere book-fann¬ 
ers, and that our notions are all moonshine, 
for they know that our farms look enough 
sight better than theirs, and that our farm 
ing pays, so that we have money to lend 
After all, Mr. Editor, there is nothing like an 
argument with the hard coin at the end on 
It does weigh. They appreciate the farm 
ing that brings the clean cash. That is t lie- 
kind of farming we find your paper recom 
mends, and as it is a poor rule that don't 
work both ways, I send you the clean cash 
for a dozen subscribers gathered among 
these weaker brethren. Consider these as 
the first fruits. 
Yours to command, 
Timothy Bunker, Esq. 
Never subject a plant to a rapid change of tern 
perature. Sudden check or sudden excitement 
are equally injurious. 
Never tie up lettuce or endives, or earth up 
celery, except when perfectly dry. They are 
liable to spoil, if you do. 
