Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1891-02-21
Nar#t xHtrtstts,
Threshing and Straw Stacking How
to Manage the Grain Bins.

MT. >. MchamSey, the most sue
cessful wheat grower in Warren
County, in sending the following clip.
ping for our Agricultural Departs
ment, writes the STANDARD the fol-
lowing explanatory note:
To the STANDARD.
Mr.. Stahl's communication may
appear little out ofseason. My OBJ
ject in having it published now is in
order that threshermen's attention
may be called to the Importance of
attaching stackers to their machines
in time for the coming harvest.
Wheat culture in our county has
reached point demanding the best
equipped outfits for threshing. l am
willing (all else being equaD to give
the party who will bring a stacker
and automatic grain measure with
his machine to my place the coming
harvest, the preference over others in
future harvests, Doubtless others
will do the same. S. MCRAMsEY,
Cor. Country Gentleman.
1t is a rare sight now in Illinois, or
in the States similar to it in agricult-
ural conditions to see grain thresher
driven by horse power. The large
threshers operated by steam, and cap.
able of a large amount Of work COM
pared with the horse power outfits,
are generally used. Yet we are push
ed as hard for time and labor in
threshing season as we ever were.
For time we were pushed even
harder; for the steam threshers re.
quired an increased force, and at the
same time they popularized thresh-
ing from the shock. The pressure
has been reduced to about the old
gauge by the circular straw stacker
very long straw carrier that is re-
volved in a semi-circle, thus deposit
ing the straw on all parts of the
stack. Only stackers are employed;
the long row of pitchers formerly
seen, whose hard task it was to pitch
the straw from one to another to
bring it within reach of the stackers,
is no longer needed. This is a great
saving indeed-of almost one-hall
the force required; and the straw
stack formerly offered the hardest
positions, so much disliked that even
extra wages failed to secure sufficient
hands. l would not employ thresh,
ing outfit that did not include a straw
stacker. The straw is handled better
and with less waste. The semi-circu,
lar form of the stack is no objections
it can be so situated as to make 8
splendid protection from winter
winds and storms, and the demand
is yet greater than the supply of sta.
bles. The chaff is distributed through
out the stack, and not a large part O
it left in heap, as it was formerly.
Threshing from the stack grows
steadily in popularity. 1t is by Ions
odds the most economical when i
can be done in good season. The ust
of steam power in threshing, leaving
the horses available for drawing thu
grain from the field to the machine
and the use of straw stackers and au
tomato grain measures, which re
duce the amount of human labor re
quired, have made it possible #
thresh much more grain from tn
shock in good season. Half the labo
of handling the grain is saved; tn
possibilities of the grain being dam
aged in stack are avoided, the thresh
ing does not continually confront on
while he is preparing ground 70
wheat or cutting Iensilage or fodder
Not so very long ago we supposed
that small grain had to "sweat," anC
that if we threshed before the grail
passed through sweat in the stacl
we must spread it out on floors, ant
shovel it around to prevents it
damaging. We know better now
If the grain is dry when threshed
may be stored as usual, no moving
about is necessary, and it will go O
the market in as good condition an
sell as readily and for as high pric
as grain that has been stacked G
moved.
Grain should never be threshe
while damp. OF course the owner
of the threshing outfit will grumbl
at the idleness of the machine, an
urge that there will be no loss fro1
beginning operations. Very lik
neighbors, who are waiting for tn
outfit, will also urge that the thresl
ing proceed. But in justice to hin
solf tbn roo 1or cI,o,,IJ eoo Abok Az,