The Republican journal., 1917-09-13
Harvesting Wheat.

Where the binder is available and the
land on which wheat is grown suitable to
run binder over, l would not consider
any other method of harvesting, but one
can not well afford to purchase binder
where only few acres are grown. In a
locality where each farm produces an
nually several acres of grain, such as
wheat, oats, barley or rye, one should be
able to purchase binder and do custom
binding at so much per acre. In Aroos-
took county where large areas of grain
are grown this is a common practice.
The price charged per acre being from
S1.25 to ST. SO an acre. The man binding
furnishing Irvine and team, and the farm
er for whom he reaps boards man and
team. AS Irvine is higher this season
than for years, as well as man labor, the
price will naturally be advanced enough
to cover extra cost. Perhaps S1.75 an
acre. Binder Irvine is selling at % cents
a pound at present, and it requires from
one and one-half to three pounds to bind
an acre of grain.
Whether cut with binder or by hand,
wheat should be allowed to ripen until
grain is fully ripe, as it not only makes a
better quality of flour, and more of it, but
it will not be necessary to leave standing
in stocks in the field nearly so long to
cure out, taking chances in fall weather.
If allowed to stand long after fully ripe
some varieties shatter badly and there
would be loss in this way. Many make
the mistake of standing too many sheaves,
or bundles, in one place. 1t is much bet
Ray- rRo ~ fhoy, c,x ~
place, and if wet by rains they will then
dry out soon in the sun and wind.
1t used to be common practice before
the advent of the binder to cap the stocks
of wheat with a cap -sheaf, to shed water
This, however, is not necessary, and l
doubt if protecting the grain in this way
would add enough to the quality of flour
to pay for the extra expense.
1t has been many years since l have
seen wheat thus capped, or protected
with any sort of covering in Aroostook
and yet hundreds of acres annually are
grown.
The common practice here is to cut
wheat or oats when straw shows nearly
all lack of green color and grain is get
ting hard. 1t is allowed to remain stand
ing in the fields several days if weather
is favorable, and is then stored in barns
to be threshed later, after jack frost has
put stop to work on the farms.
If grain is fairly well ripened and thor
oughly dry when put in the barn it will
continue to dry out and harden unless
mows are too large. Even grain that is
quite damp will dry out in small mows or
on scaffolds, where the air has chance
to circulate.
Where binder is not to be had and a
sweep rake can be secured, wheat can be
cut in this way and bound by hand if
necessary, using small handful of the
longest straws for the purpose. The bind
is made by passing the hand holding the
bind under the gavel of grain, drawing
the bind tightly and taking turn Just
below the heads of grain and tucking the
butts of straws well under the bind
Where the hand cradle or sickle is
available, and a man who can use them,
small fields could be cut in this way, and
bound as described above. 1t can also be
cut with hand scythe, but of course
cannot be bound, and unless one had
plenty of barn room would need to be
threshed in the field. This would appeal
to me as being the most practical method
for those having small areas where the
binder is not to be had, especially if one
can get to threshing machine without
too much trouble-O. B. Griffin in Maine
Farmer