STOCK VERSUS STACK THRSEHING.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 14003, 11 September 1909, Page 6

STOCK VERSUS STACK THRSEHING.

To the Editor of tlic Tiinaru Herald. Sir, —I see in your-issue of Bth inst. that a meeting of farmers is called by Messrs Jno. Talbot and A. Cleland, to be held in the Assembly Itooms, Tim am, at 1.30 on Saturday next, t«v discuss the recently, announced South Canterbury Threshing Award, speeiajly, I presume, to deal with the abolition of .stook threshing in South Canterbury for the 'next tu-~ harvests. 1 hope they .will have a good harvest-' ing. ' I maintain that- stoolc threshing; under proper circumstances is most advantageous to all farmers, 'being far cheaper' and speedier than stack tnresiiing. Suppose a , farmer decides to stook thresh, and the job takes him four days. His grain will usually 'bo ready for threshing as soon as for stacking; /lie " will require '3 men, 4 horses and 4 dray?, and at the end of the period all his grain is in sack. ' On the- -other hand, ' if ' he stacks, he will lia ve to pay and feed (3 meals and 2 lunches per day) live men. for about 9 days, and he only requires 2 drays, 2 horses (many use 4), and at thfe end of. the' period lie must (unless he immediately threshes) wait for- live or six' weeks until' His r.talf . is tit to thresh. .Meanwhile his stacks, if not Well built, may get not to the ground or blown all over the paddock, and , some stacks, however well bliiit, will require .thatching and if there is no stook-threshedstrau-in the neighbourhood it will be difficult "to get suitable-, thatch; \\hile the stacks are getting fiit. to thresh, the days are .drawing in, iieavy rain may set in, and the threshing plant will cut np the paddocks badly; in' fact in some -cases it may not be possible to get on the land, before Spring. If the crop is stook-thrcshed the ground is usually hard for travelling on, and the straw is-the sooner available for chaff" or baling. .Stook threshing being permitted the threshing andebaffing season is .lengthened, and. that too at the' right end of harvest,when the days are longish and usually dry, - and if - chaffcutting is done before rain sets in it is infinitely easier to burn up the straw and, rubbish left. It is true stook threshing is risky, hut siack threshing is equally or more so. There . is no need for a farmer to .leave his crop in -stook . if the mill is delayed. He can stack as soon as the. crop, is fit, and start on his stooks immediately the mill turns up,

leaving the stacks .to the last-, or to pull into if rain comes. The crops on .in . a growthy year often lie . down flat before cutting. This stuff is difficult, to cut and to tie properly, makes a bad sheaf, very .'fuzzy, often with ' many heads of grain in the butt. The stooks' take rain badly, much worse than stboks of good straight straw, and .they; take, longtoo, dry f especially if they are weedy. Often it is impossible to make '.a sound dry stack of them. In this case stook threshing is best, otherwise the crop, if stacked must boithreshed,out at once or else the; stocks must he all thatched. ■

i. have threshed. thousands 'of bushcls :of wheat; and . oats out of stook, and never .had a. bag of stook-tlireshccl grain - rejected • for r being - out -of condition. Other farmers have done, the same for 30 'years or more. If stook threshed, grain is soft .when offered to the .-buyer,:-it is the stooks were ■ prematurely threshed,' or else ' the - grain , should' have - been ..left longer in the bag in . the paddock'. Also if stacks 'are. threshed /.at; the wrong time —in the sweat- as. we say—the grain - will-'he soft, and just as troublesome . all, round.,-as improperly stpok-threshed grain. It' we may riot stook-'thresh, many farmers, to secure their -wheat cheques to meet pressing engagements, will thresh too soon, and have: soft wheat to offer. Farmers will also all .be . rushing lor _ mills .at the same time, and it is obvious that South Canterbury wilL require next harvest many more mills than we have at present, or else some farmers will bo very late in the . market with their grain, especialy as the prospects are that their will be; more grain to deal with next harvest; Then how about grass-seed ? Personally I have little experience, but old hands tell me stook threshing is far and away the best method, of dealing with this crop.' Anyway farmers should havp a say in the matter, and so I trust Messrs Talbot and Cleland will have a big muster. —I' am etc., \ STOOK TIIRESHER.