THE HARVEST.

Otago Witness, Issue 1838, 11 February 1887, Page 6

THE HARVEST.

Harvesting in, according to all accounts, pretty general in all the districts on the coast, aud it will not be long before it, is; al«o in full swing in the interior and upland districts. It is several weeks earlier than usual, and seems to be very satisfactory as regards the estimated yield, aud when the yield -is good ihe sample is geuerally not very far behind m quality. It does not always follow, however, that because a sample of grain is good when ripe that it is equally good when it goes into the sack.' It is undoubtedly, the farmers'-, business to see that it -is , so, but ' farmers do not always know their * business, or knowing it, are careless about attending to it. The weather has a good- . deal to ,do ; with the ce&sful gathering of a etop,' but ;the farmer has to &cneuie"ami iuauage so as to cheat the" weather as much as poo&ible. In ; thie connection a few. seasonable bints and buggebtiuns respecti g harvest operations may be of sonic little service. - ' ■ beapino. Every /preparation being made in good time the farmer is in a pusiiiou to commence reaping as soon as there is any corn ripe enough to couie down Now thbt-e ' two bimple words " ripe enough" mean a.good deal, and have been the cause of a very great amount of argument as opinions difft r a 6 to the proper degree of riocr. ness. It has been pretty well established oj late years by experiment and. careful examination of result*, that wheat should- not be" allowed to standstill. it is is when the grain is as hard as shot ana all the sap has Itft the - straw, which curls over as it dries, leaving it in the condition known as ' " goose-necke<l." A better sample is obtained by cutting wheat a little mi the green bide before the grain {Mb hardjami dry, (>ut not until after the milk has dried out. An experienced hand can Ml with hies eyes that wtien the crnp is fit for the reaper simply by feeling the kernels between his finger and thumb. It 6hou d feel tough but firm ; i<ot so sott that it will Blirivel aud wrinkle in flrjmg, nor yet hard enougbtobecrackediutwobetweeiJ the teeth. As boon as the farmer biu> made up hib mind to begin cutting he should stiain every nerve to get it down as rapidly as jiofchible. The - available strength should be in proportion to the area tob* cut, or the first day or two's cutting only will be done at the proper time, and the remainder of the crop become rotttn ripe bet ore it is down. But though a good crop may be cut judiciously it may be damaged in the drying before it can be stacked. At this point a good deal depends upon how.and when the " ' ' _- :.'--

STOOKINO

is performed ; for this is an operation -that is of tt n times uegleoted by the grower, and consequently done iv a very blip bhod way by the contract hands. Stooking, like harrowing, appears to the casual observer to be a very bimple and unimportant operation, 1 bat an experienced eye can tell, at a glance whether the grain is being stooked- properly or not. Each pair of sheaves should stand up in* dependent of the other sheaves, thus enabling the air to pass through the crevices between each pair, and also assisting to balance the stook, whereas if each pair is carelessly tumbled against the others " the whole Brook leans towards one end, which end grnerally comes to the 'ground ; and all the sheaves lean closely together ho that'no air can get- in bidenays, nor can any pass through the funnel if one end of the titook is down on thubtubble. A badly built stook is certain to lean one way or another, and when in that state it cannot shoot any rain, and when once wetted through cannot dry without thing shifted and «:t up again. A careful stooker will build on both ends of the stook and make make each pair touch, bat not lean agalust the otto, "Itfcmfc ftiflnoceßaryalflOtokaVQ tbe

stoobs pointing doe. north and eoutb, co that one - side gets the ran in the tnormi g and Jibe other side in the afternoon; otherwise; one side lies in the shade all "day long, »nd fhe"de«rdofß not d>y (iff it until. 1« te ,in the morning. Snino farmers adopt' the plan of letting the stocking at co myth pt-r acre, t>n condition ..that the -gtooks are-kept up tiil-cart*oV s 'l^objecf "to this because the ~ men tumble the stook"> together an} how, in tbe fist place trusting to chance to keep them up the Bpecifi^' r t!tne ? and if 'many 'fall down', and a good, njjn cotat-8 the hheaVfft get wet to the centre ; J .whtr*-a8 \t' I were get up as* they should, be "in* the' ~firat instance they would sbont most of the rain,' wino-mow's. •'• ' -'* " " '■'- About thin time iant year ther^appeared a letter in the Witness on the Old Couijn-y fashion of putting -the sheaves • into ■iwhat i are* 'called wind-mows instead of iv the form of the ordinary stook." The writer enumerateH the vafioujs' advautages dieriyed, from the. practice «»4 thowed pretty conclusively that in -A barveßtit.WQiild.be well worth: while to spend a few pence more per acre in putting the grain into wind-mows.. .: It requires an experienced hand, however, to do it in the orthodox way, hut wlien done the grain iv as 6afe from the weather as iv the stack. stacking. "Ex-faimer" has It ft little or nothing to be Vaidhy me.ou this.fcubject. HiVdWciinns i»r» verj practical aud if followed will doubtless rehult iv a Bafe stack, but I do not see any reason for proppiig the stack an he advises A properly built stack should not require supports because it is «o thoroughly bouml togetherV:by all the successive rows and layets overlapping • each other that it will not sl'p unless tbe sheaves be 'exceptionally short and cannot overlap more than a few inches; in that case I hnve seen a stack bulge out and sometimes slip a load or two if not propped in time. But "Ex-farmer "hays four props bhould be used an tbe stack goes np— ' two on each hide. Ido not quite gee bow the drays can draw alongside a stack while. two 16ft po\e»* are projecting therefrom. _A great 'm»«ny good BtaekbuiMers build forward and kneel upon each sheaf as it is placed before them. They are uuabte to reach to put th** second or binding row as they proceed with the outer row, and I think this alwiio is apt to cause tbe stack to spring a goo(i deal on a dry, hot day. I prefer to build on my feet aud by working backward I can place thre«t rows into position conveni> nt ly, nud the outer ru-gb- ing bound by the. two iutier rings seldom Klips outward, unless, as I say, tho sheaves are very short. I know perfectly well that safe ami iandsomo stack* can be built by anjone who knows his b'usinesh no' matter' what method be employs, but I must say it always seems to me to be a very needless waste of time aud trousers to jump along upon one'n kneta when h can be done as efficiently aud more speedily on one's feet.