GRASS SEED HARVESTING.

Mataura Ensign, 20 March 1909, Page 3

GRASS SEED HARVESTING.

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Describing l|„. operations i., |„. •1..V11..1K.,, Times' ol grass . 5( ,.,|1„.",, practice at Hanks IVniiisula. \h- j;„,.„ I horn, ~l labor r iim ,.. r <-itisn-Uh: ■•('.:!- tillg usually Commences ill patches. C'l senile spur <i|- fnre whieli i.s specially layered with the sun and drvitf wind's the. yollow-ivhiio appearance of :!,.• seed I'hi.vs the tell-tiile. There (he s,, ,| is ripe. To-morrow in sumo jess l.n.nvd place ill,. see.l will he reiiilv lor the hook. The rip,} patch is enl/lirsr p,oeat.'.v in ji slKirr. <lav of live or M \ li'HHs 111 allotlier dav nr so e.it tinis lii lull .swing. Tin- ii.--i,il wnrkmHours per day are ten, or thereabouts' with a morning an,l ali<rn,ioji lunch and iniil-ilay meal, hut on many oeca-.-roiis twelve and Ihirteen hours are expected Ironi the men. Those 1.e..

l.oi.rs are necessarv when tin, seed ripens oil' in all jilaces siniullaneoiislv. In tins condition the slightest" wind will blow the standing seed out, and. ih.i"lore, every nerve is strained to 'get il down.'

When cutting the gang works in a line, each man taking a strip ol eight or ten yards, and working sidewavs until lie reaches his mate'on the oii«. side when he works hack lo his other hand mate. The method not onlv enables a good strip of country to 'be taken each time, but if .makes elinihiue; up and downhill unnecessary, as wTI as taking the strain of an 'upward climb oil' the men.

11l working (he hook—an ordinarv reap rook—is thrown loosely round the stalks, and then turned oyer bv a twist of the wrist. The purpose of this twist i.s to force the stalks in a hunch into the hollow of the hook. This bunch is twisted into an casilv-graspod |p|j by the sweep of the leit hand down the right arm. and is gripped In- the thumb and lirst finger. The hook is then pulled out towards the shoulder and the grass in the left is thrown on lo Ihe right arm. Croat care litis to be taken when actually cutting. fuhss candidly handle:] the hook will slid,' up the stalks and cut a slice oil the side of the hand or little lineer. The nevt hookfitl is grasped heiween the first and second lingers, and is then placed as usual on the upper (tart of the righi arm, where the thumb and firs), fiinfer fake full possession. This process 'is continued until the hand can hold no more and the sheaf is (hen laid on the overturned stubble. The laying of the sheaf is most important. Unless i! rests right across the bent stubble—if any stalks are sticking through lithe tug when lift in?, for threshing wiil shake out a porti ,1 the s I. ' In a day a good man can cut an acre of se^l .sometimes more—and when lie has done ihis he is aboul ai the end of his physical resources. The men are put on bv cntraoiors ••r by the proprietors under contrac-tors-for the contract system eenerallv prevails—at wages varving Iran Is .'ill to Is (id per working hour and found. The conlraeior., are paid I'd i..-r lb l,„ 'he s I harvested, anil "on! of (his :hev pay the wages of the men and their a,conn,s |„ r stores: the bnlnm-c' tll-v keen themselves. I