The Lambertville press. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1858-1???, 1859-07-14
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Hints on Harvesting.

before fully ripe. The principal reasons adoueeu
are-1. The grain and straw contain starch
and sugar, a portion. of which, when the wheat
is allowed to get fully ripe is converted INTO
woody fibre or bran and that, consequently
fully ripe wheat yields more bran and less hour
than that cut green 2. The Straw, when cut
green, is of more value as food for stock 3.
There is less loss by shelling 4 1t gives longer
time for harvest operations.
That there is some loss of starch by allowing
grain to get fully ripe, is quite probable; but
that it is as much as has been frequently stated,
there is no evidence. One thing is certain-that
if wheat is cut too green, it shrinks and yields
an inferior sample. On the other hand, when
fully ripe the quality is somewhat deteriorated,
and there is frequently much loss from shelling.-
We know of no better general rule, than to cut
wheat as soon as the grain becomes solid
Press a grain betaoeen the thumb and finger; If
there is no naalk IN the berry, the acheat is ready
to cut. Then, with our rapid working harvest
all the wheat can be cut down before it has
time to become fully ripe.
The same remarks will apply to barley As
soon as the sap in the grain disappears, though
the berry is still quite soft, it will do to cut
The general rule is to cut as soon as the reddish
color of the ear has disappeared. When fully
ripe, the ear bends down to the straw, and is apt
to break off in moving and subsequent opera
sions, causing much loss. STILL for mailing pur-
poses, barley cut when fully ripe is preferred -
The same is true of wheat when used for seed
1t should be allowed to grow till quite ripe
It is better to run the risk of little loss than
to cut too early
Oats are generally cut when rather green
On the whole, taking into consideration the
increased value of the straw as fodder, this is
good plan; though to obtain the best sample of
oats, it is advisable to let them get fully ripe,
even till few of the lowest berries in the ear shell
out
Bindngi is too often done carelessly 1t is
hard and unpleasant work, and is performed in
hurried manner. To bind well and rapidly
requires skillful hand and considerable prac-
tice. Some binders leave more wheat on the
ground than would pay the wages of better men,
and their sheaves so often tumble to pieces as
greatly to impede the future operations Of pitch
ing, unloading, and threshing. The sheaves
should not be too large, as the straw is longer
in curing. We have seen wheat bound too
tight--so tight that the straw under the band
remained damp for several days after loosely
bound sheayes were quite fit to stack But it is
not often that an error is committed in this d.
rection
Shocking should be performed with care
How often do we see half the shocks blown, in
volEing much unnecessary labor, and, in unset
tied weather, much loss. Such harvest as
1855 should teach us to be more careful in this
respect. Wheat properly shocked, with two
sheaEes placed on the top, with the ears down
ward, as is common in England, passed through
the wet weather comparatively uninjured; while
other wheat, carlessly shocked, was one-half
sprouted
Barley is sometimes bound up like wheat and
many good farmers think this best as it certainly
is the neatest plan When moved by hand, it
should be turned in the swaths, if necessary, and
then put up into cocks and the land raked bv
hand.
The same is true of oats, except that they are
more easily bound up and the practice is much
more general than with barley
Hltching and Loading are among the plea
santest ofharyest labors We ike to see the
work performed with energy and spirit; but in
this case as inmany others, the old adage, "the
more haste the less speed" is verified The
loader should be careful to lay the sheayes SO
that they Will ride safely home It is upnlea-
SAINT and Improbable to have load upset: and
when sheaf tumbles off, and is driven over bv
the returning wagon, it dampens somewhat our
enthusiastic admiration Of Young America ),
The pitcher should always throw the sbeavas
with the ears toward the loades and he if ba
pitches off his own load, will soon learn to nlace
them in regular order and to keep the middle Of
the load well up
Stacking should be done by an experienced
hand. To build stack that will shed rain is
quite an art. As the top is approached the
middle of the stack should be kept full; and in
making the root, the outside should be gradually
lower than the center at each successive layer
With straw or loose grain to top off with, such
stack will not be materially damaged by ordi-
nary showers till it can be threshed But most
farmers in this section have sufficient barn room
to hold all their wheat and in this case, nothing
more is required than to stow away the sheayes
as compactly possible. There is, however,