The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1912-08-01


GUS business. There is no telling
when the late summer rains will set
in. They are generally due about the
middle of August, but sometimes, no,
often, they come about the first of
August. 4--s
The thing to do with the oats that
are now being put in the shock is to
put them in the stack and put some
wild grass on the top of the stack
to keep out the rains ''.
One farmer, near Cedar Rapids,
stated yesterday that he could not
stack himself, being half city farmer
and he had been making inquiries for
man who could stack and he had
been told by experienced farmers
that there was no one who knew the
principles of grain stacking in these
parts. We cannot believe that, for
grain stacking is one of the simplest
things on the farm-if you know how.
The editor of this paper feels com.
petent to give instructions on the
matter for he learned the art of
stacking grain from his father, who
stacked grain in Iowa before the
state had been admitted to the Union
and who never had sheaf of wheat
or oats that was spoiled because of
imperfect stacking.
But as the editor of this paper can
not go to all the farms of this mag
nificent commonwealth, he is willing
to give his advice through these co
umns and We advise every farmer
who reads it to follow the advics and
get his oats in the stack for the rains
may be coming.
The whole theory of stacking grains
in the sheaf is to keep the center
firm and high. We have seen stack.
ers who laid the outside sheaves first.
That sort of a stack makes a rain
barrel instead of a rain shed.
Begin your stack at the center. Set
up your first sheaves, almost straight
up, or at an angle of As degrees.
Then build out from the center to the
outside alyer of sheaves, binding
them together, so they will not slip
ou;,
Keep the center firm and high, so
that when the stack settles, the
sheaves will not be tilted head down
ward The only thing to be guarded
against is that the outside sheaves
by no extent Of settling in the stack
will tilt inward. They must tilt
downward and outward, so that water
will run off the butts.
Stacking graih when we were on
the farm, was like going on a merry
go-round. In those days all the boys
learned the grain saving and money
making art. There is nothing to it
except what we have stated, to keep
outside bundles tilted at a consider
able angle, and the stack inside so
firm that when, lit settles it will not
mean that the outside bundles will
tilt inward. and downward.
Just try this recipe on your grain.
1t will be the best money maker for
you of the year-especially If it
should happen to rain. Oats that are
threshed after while out of the stack
have the color that the buyers like
to see. They will be golden oats and
they will bring the top price, while
oats that are threshed after they have
weathered for weeks in the shock
may be worth nothing except for
feed.
BY all means stack your grain and
do it right away Don't wait day.
In conclusion, we want to beg the
pardon of the practical and actual
farmers for giving them advice as to
stacking-but we honestly and really
know what we are talking about in
tbs case and it would be criminal if
we did not tell what we know on so
important a subject.