The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-08-26
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THRAsHINe WHEAT.


The Popularity of Thrashing from the
Shock Rather Than from the Stack.
The advantages claimed by some for
stacking wheat are: /. Thrashing can
be done from the stack at much less cost
In season when help is plentiful and
easily obtained 3. The wheat can be
thrashed cleaner from the straw. Some
claim enough is thus saved to pay the
thrashers' bill. 8. By going through a
sweat in the stack the grain is Of better
quality, plumper and brighter in color,
and by reason of going through a sweat
in the stack is absolutely safe to store
in bulk of any desired amount. An
Ohio farmer correspondent, while admit
ting that there are some grounds for
these claims, thinks that thrashing from
the shock is becoming generally popular
of late years, especially in sections where
considerable areas are grown, and he
gives the following reasons for this:
Perhaps the decline in stacking re.
suits from the liability of farmers to get
their wheat stacked in manner to in
sure it keeping properly in case much
rain follows the stacking, as good wheat
stackers are about as scarce as hens
teeth. Farmers generally have learned
by bitter experience that it is safer &c
leave their wheat in the shock q consid.
cradle time If necessary, and incur some
additional expense in thrashing from the
shock, rather than run the risk of hay.
ing their wheat stacked in bungling
unskillful manner. II we are lucky
enough TO have favorable weather and
can exchange team work with neighboi
which can usually be done-thrashine
from the shock need not be attended
with much if any greater cost thar
thrashing from the stack, as the extTf
number of teams required is the onl,
item of additional cost. And if bal
ance be struck between the two method!
of thrashing we actually find saving
lin favor of thrashing from the shock) o.
the labor of stacker, of the person hand
ing sheaves to stacker and of the laboI
necessary to deliver the sheaves from
the rick to .he machine, which labor, al
told, will require four men to perform.
The man who strikes wet time il
his first experience in thrashing from
the shock will not be very enthusiastic
in his praise of the practice, while if thu
weather proves favorable it will remain
for some future season to apprise him o
its many possible disadvantages. Sine,
by experience 1 have become thoroughly
initiated in this manner of thrashing,
find it best when wet spell comes oil
to postpone operations indefinitely an,
discharge all hands until the weathe
shows signs of being settled and tn
wheat thoroughly dries out
! Bear in mind that wheat thrashed we
or damp can never be properly dried
even with a very great expenditure o
labor, and if stored in bulk in this con
\ dition the efforts of nature to get rid o
] the dampness result in q rise of tempera
ture in the grain, according to tn
amount of dampness it contains. If tn
/ heat is excessive the grain cakes an,
molds, producing musty smell not onl,
on the outside of the grain, but also ex
tends to the interior, resulting in seriou
deterioration of both quality and value o
the flour manufactured from it. Tn,
quickest, best and only place to dry whea
| is while yet in the straw. A light shove
or heavy dew will quickly dry, but ii
case of continued damp weather, thougl
little rain falls, renders wheat unfit 70
thrashing from the shock.
The length of time wheat shout
stand in the field before being thrcshe,
depends on the state of ripeness whei
cut and the weather following. 1t vii
need to stand longer than if the whea
is to be put in stack, and here is wher
stacking sometimes has an advantag
over thrashing from the shock, as tn
wheat can be taken off the fields befor
the grass is killed under the shock,
which will be from six TO ten days wit
clover and fifteen to twenty days wit
timothy.