HARVESTING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15518, 28 January 1914, Page 13

HARVESTING.

':' ~'/., vi V/.8. . ? is the operation of gathering *» jffljSjj and tying up into bundles, (# -the, etooker, so arc stocking and r<W for L operations of gathering toiW^la'saving pain cro l ,s from the P' [heC B mi st(,ri, " ; UP "' l SUP,,,y for futfea' 1 ' 1 ' - jiio former is a very timple tuft tt* o, afld neu< iß but little comment; opera'>> 0 ?' ft feW Iloins upon which a yd t 1 " 1 * a mav bo said, a* much unnecesft* *f ' wide* loss of a valuable crop, through bad staking b'fiSff l acquiring a few of the cr ra« which help to mnko a success ,#img.^" the lirst and most JflSf items in conm-rtmn with •tookW*to awke sure that V ''- V . stook is H 1! lv erected and face, the dirertiJCT/u to ear, the position of the «*T dioald bo - situated that every Sf rtook will get a" equal share faf prevailing wind* and an equal Proposition of the Stocks.

. „«rt« of New Zealand it in best rtffi* to run north and south. fcr'„ the prevailing winds will play H", m either side of the stocks when 'fT l The n'.imber of sheaves in each ■£S varies according to circumstances. I* ita twelve is usually found beat, KSi £««-*• is inclined to be r-A ;» to eight sheaves may be found 1*? . xiio amount of spread required IrZ .heaves varies according to the ? -thesheaves, the length of the staff IZX Tclimax of the dtrtrirt, without or "? • The greater the rainfall the When heavy winds * prevalent ihe sheaves should be given |fliUle ".ore spread- that is to say, the iTw pUced widely apart on the ' b .j Tttv ihould be kept as nearly g radicular a» P<* sible so Mto allow If ™in to run off them without soaking ?? T. Ventre. The usual width, how- * Lb" put down at 12 to 20 inches £'& «t«« and 24 inches for long it the base.

go» to Arrange the Sheaves. The head* of the two sheaves should be brought together, each sheaf being firmly JSfifSfa-t the other at the hands. it the same time hav« them "' an upright Lition, but with sufficient slope at the Jjjes to resist being blown over by a moderate wind. Some stookmen have a had habit of building the stock more from on« end of the Btook tlian the other ~ lhat is to say. A" etook is not built evenly from cither end, as it should be. The cornet «■»?■ "* a iio °k is to res both wind and rain' is to first place two pairs of iheaves to form the centre of the etook ; these, wo-.-", looked at from either side, should stand perpendicularly. Other pairs of sheaves should afterwards be placed at each end of those first set up, care being taken to set up an equal number of pairs on each side of the central pair. Each of thew win should lean only a very little towards the central pair. If there is much unrittpwth such as weeds, as in the rcso of a field that has been sown down t:ith the crop, and there is a largo growth of grasses or clover, it is better that the : itoJitrfi olicnld not be too close after the tinder*; the sheaves should be left lying for /at least * few hours, or. better still, let lit for a day or two, providing the weather : is fine, as this allows the butts to get pith; dried before stooking, which materially helps in the drying of the whole ahtaf, thus hastening the curing, so that tiie stuff may be stacked much sooner than it' this precaution is not taken. If stooked immediately after the binding the sap in the sheaves, together with the moisture in the undergrowth, is opt to turn the lower half of the eheaf mouldy, which may necA'ilata tumbling the stooka over to get them fit for stacking. This, besides in creating the cost of labour, also diminishes the nine of the straw — point worth considering, for it must be borne in mind that insane parts, in the CAge of oats, at least, the straw, when properly saved, is almost at Tillable for feeding purposes as the grain, and it is therefore necessary to take every possible care to preserve the food temtitatents contained therein. \ Points to be Considered. In stocking, a Letter job can be made if the slooker takes notice how he picks tip and afterwards places the sheaves. It may he noticed that every maker of binds leaves the straws a little bit shorter on the one side than the other—namely, the wder side, when looking at a sheaf which is in the A-r previous to being deliv«ed. By taking hold of them in a way foas to have the short side of each sheaf faring towards each other as towards the •looker, the sheaves will sit on the ground mscb. better than if they are placed one Ml the long side and the other with the short side in, or even if both long sides we placed inwards. The reason for this is that the angle on the butt* of the shawl, when placed with the short sides *»™, corresponds with the angle at Mb* the. sheaves are necessarily placed to g<* the right angle on the stock. Difference of Opinion. This is a point on which much diasenft of opinion is often expressed. Some «atend that it does not matter which war 11 S '' eaf * taken so long as it is wo ' "taped on the ground ; others argue that two is loss of time looking for the right Me of each sheaf. This, however, is not .!•». lot if % man is up to his work he will I*B at a glance the right way to pick up "is sheaves, and the advantages are far in ?«»«Js of any extra trouble this may occa"Jl the length of time allowed in stock must vary according to circumstances) to ; to, the state of ' the crop at time of cutm, whether dead ripe or whether cut on '?*,?, m side, the nature of the laud "xi the season, or whether the crop is «> M threshed out of stook or to be •welted. If (or the latter, a day or WQ on ß 'a stook is necessary for fear of S*gK ln , t! >e bag, while if the croo " ™ carting rAn be commenced » o»7. or two sooner. From eight to ten S m ?™ ]] ? aliowpd for stacking, and Km 10 to M days if to be stook-threshed.