Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-10-20

1t is most interesting to watch the
quick working of the threshipg ms
chine, which is driven by steam. The
women never seem to cease-sheaf af-
ter sheaf is dropped in from above.
and on one side you see the chaff and
straw coming out, and on the other the
wheat dropping right into the sacLs
awaiting it below. These again are
tied up by the men. l watched the
grain being separated from the chaff
for 40 minutes, and during that time
IL big sacks were tied up, labeled and
ready to put away in the granary.
While this is going on, hundreds of
black and gray crows (the real Rus
sian crow, come flying around to pick
up what wheat they can, and in some
parts the ground is just a patch Of
black and looks most strange.
The only Russian crow 1 have seen
in captivity was miserable specimen
in Dresden. They are much more sim
lister looking than their British broth
ers, and even their "caw" is different.
Their behavior in the wheatfield is eX-
tremely entertaining. The old birds
hop about uttering weird little noises
! and gingerly picking up grains of
wheat with which they feed their prac
tically full-grown offspring. If the
young bird has had enough it drops the
grain in front of another crow, which
generally snaps at it promptly.
The peasants receive pay according
to the proprietor's wealth or generos-
| ity-sometimes 80 kopeks day
| (25 cents), at other times one roubie
go cents) but this varies Sreatly, as
some estates are so much richer than
others. In all and every case, how
ever, the peasants receive collectively
one-tenth of the wheat of every field
they cut,
Won't Work on Feast Days.
Sundays and feast days (and there
are over a hundred Of the latter) they
will not work, but lie about in the
fields and drink tea, etc. But they love
music, and to the tune of the balalaika
Ca kind of mandolin) and the con-
certina they will sing and dance at any
moment of the day. Many of the peas
ants are much richer than they look,
and they still put their money in their
stockings and bury it as of old.
But to return to the harvest. To
wards sunset, when work is at its high
est pitch in the vicinity of the thresh-
ing machine (Which. by the way, the
peasants greatly reverence. as it means
food to them in the coming year), life
is indeed worth living. The throbbing
of the engines, the buzz of many voices
the lowing of the cattle, the glorious
sunset, and, above all, that lovely gold
en- haze (caused by the dust of the
chaff) which rises ever so lightly, and
which seems to put a veil oyer every,
thing, Just makes you long for your
brush and palette.
But, the wheat cut, threshed and
housed, the machine must be put away
till next year. This is quite a cere
mony and always takes place in the
moonlight. First it is thoroughly over
, hauled and cleaned, then decorated
: with flowers, small SheaveS anC
branches of trees. Between twelve
and twenty pairs of oxen draw the
machine, moving as slowly as possible
All those who have taken part in The
harvest work walk beside and behind
: it-generally between one hundred anf
two hundred. Behind these come the
5 villagers, everyone dressed in his best
| and the girls with garlands of flower:
/ on their heads, singing folk songs. Thi
f huge cavalcade moves at foot pace un
. til it arrives at it's destination, whel
I the squire and all his family ant
, guests come out to see the ceremonial
, housing. The peasants then receive
something extra" and return to thei
} houses, generally having a rollickin;
l time. playing and dancing far into tn
night.