Binding Maize.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 454, 15 March 1890, Page 4

Binding Maize.

The accompanying illustration shows an American plan of tying bundles of mrize re quired to stand in tho field for drying pur_ poses. Take a round piece of hard wood two feet long, and about 1;\ inches in diameter, and shape it to taper to a point at one end. At four inches from tho thick end bore a halfinch hole, into which fix a smooth round

stick of strong wood of a convenient length. Then take three feet of good strong Whipcord, and having wound thin string tightly round the ends to prevent the cord from untwisting tie one end firmly round tho wooden dagger you have made close to the cross piece. Your tool is now complete. When sufficient maize has been collected to form a bundle the dagger is thrust through the top of it as shown in the cut. The free end of the whipcord is then passed round the maize bundle and made fast to the stick where the other end is tied. Now by means of the cross piece the dagger is twisted round until tho tops of the maize have been drawn tightly together by tho tightening of the cord. In this position it may be securely tied with common flax or other ligature, and the tightener released by turning it the reverse way until the cord is loose enough to untie the end of it. Ibis claimed that by this means the maize is bound much more tightly than is possible by hand, and that the muscular exertion is much less.