The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1922-02-23
THRESHING FROM THE STACK
BETTER THAN FROM SHOCK
Good Farm Practice to Stack Because
in a We Season Quality Of
Wheat Is Protected.

Wheat generally is threshed from
the shock to avoid the labor and ex-
pense Of stacking. Proper stacking
of wheat is good practice, however,
and will pay. 1t is better protection
from the weather and the quality Of
the grain is usually improved by the
curing process taking place in the
stack. Nearly every farmer will
testify that the quality IF the wheat
is improved enough TO pay for stack
ing.
One of the main difficulties nowadays
is to secure competent stackers.
The ground selected for the stack
should be well drained. High ground
Is generally the best but not essential.
The stacks should be located where
most convenient for threshing or feed
ing or upon thin or poor spots in the
field.
1t is good practice to build a plat
form Of old rails, boards. etc, in order
to keep the bottom courses off the
ground. Begin in the middle and
set up the bundles just the same as
if you were making a shock. Stand
the first bundlcs with the butts down
and as they are added to round and
round, they will begin TO lie more
nearly fat. Lay them like shingles
so that all water may be shed TO the
outside. Add to your circle until the
stack bottom is about ten feet across.
Larger than this will be too big after
tho hu1pp iG mr. on Affar a fauy
layers. start the bulge gradually. The
bulge will probably make the stack
about 16 feet across which is wide
enough for ordinary pitching.
While the bulge is being built and
until the stacker begins to draw in, the
middle Of the stack may be kept on a
level with the outer bundles or even
below their level. The outer bundles
should be laid without tramping but
the lex row inside the outer row,
should be laid tightly and tramped
as the bundles are laid.
After the stack has reached the
height Of ten or II feet, it should be
drawn in with each round of bundles.
Keep the center higher from now on.
The bundles should be laid with a
good deal Of pitch to them with the
butt end u and down. The pitch
Of these bundles will depend a good
deal upon the condition of the grain.
Grain that is very dry is hard to
stack as 1t slips badly, but ordinarily
there is nc such trouble. Build the
center higher and higher so it will top
ont Dinplv Ar no tinn Shnn1l tho
butts of the bundles be turned in. as
this will cause a low place where
the heads lie and will give a chance
for spelling.
Making a rain-proof top that will not
blow off, is the fine art. Sharpen a
pole, push it well down into the top
Of the stack and anchor the top. Some
stackers use as many as four of these
poles. Others anchor the stack by
hanging weights by a wire over he
top.
Unless a very smooth job of stack
ing has been done, poles or logs should
be used for weights rather thar stones
as the stones might sink into the
sides of the stack and have little
anchorage. 1t is best to stack all in
the same place so that the thresher
will not have to be moved.
The round stack affords a greater
storage space for the amount OF sur
face exposed and is easier to get out
In threshing.
1t must be remembered that II takes
no more labor to bring the shocks to
the stack than 1t would to bring them
from the field to the thresller. al
though. of course, there Is another
handling. The threshing crew. how
ever, and the number Of teams en-
ployed will be greatly reduced.
The pitcher from the load Is nm i'm
portant factor as he can make II
either easy or hard for the stacker
A good fork hand can place his bundles
accurately at the side of the stacker
and in the position desired by him
The stacker usually goes around from
left to right and the pitcher should
place the bundles between the stacker
and The center of the stack, generally
with the butts forward and where the
least effort will be made TO Mace the
bundle In place. Good pitching will
speed up the work and a good pitcher
q his side partner. the stacker. can
build almost w stacks TO the clumsy
hands one.