NOTES ON HARVESTING AND THRESHING GRAIN.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1074, 22 February 1883, Page 1

NOTES ON HARVESTING AND THRESHING GRAIN.

I The work of the hurveA field may be siid l to consist of three principal operations, viz., cutting, gathering in, and threshing. The introduclion of automat c harvesters has rendered the first-numed operation well-nigh perfect. The influence which thee niachin-s have exercised on (he development of the country is much greater than might appear at first tight to a ca u d observer. The growt.ti of corn lias been extended fa* in advance of what it could have been had the ohl system of cutting prevailed. Tears ago, in England, when machinery begin to be large'y used in manufactures, a great portion < f the people declared that the working classes would be starved out. And so it was with ourselves two or three year ago on the introduction of reapers and binders, when the 90 me cry that the working men would be ruined was raised, and threats wen rife in some districts that the machines would ho smashed up. Happily good con sel p era led The applies.'ion of machinery in England and Ameii:a on a large scale, instead of eur'uiing the demand of manual labor increa ed it more than OMohtmdrcd fold. Ands-' it will ha in New Zealand. The extend cl culture of corn necessitate 1 increased fencing and road and railway making. The large increase in the yield of corn will bring more shipping to our ports, and our railways will produce more. The quantity of excellent grain sent Home will be sure to attract the attention of British agriculturists, and may have the effect of inducing some of them to turn their steps towards New Zealand rather than to Canada and the Western States of America, We have before stated that New Zealan d n ay be likened to a noble s' ip, well found in every department, and having all the comdi tiona for a prosperous voyage, but lacking one essential element, and that is a want of hands to work (he ship. This is exactly the state of the colony at the pr sent time. Our industries a''e being stunted in the growth for the want of more labor to hevelope them pro perly. The farming community c m testify to tho correctness of this assertion, for it has been no uncommon circumstance to have to pay lifteenpence per hour for hands, and these of tlie most indifferent quality. As illustrating what farmers have to contend with in this particular way, we may mention tint we saw t wo men, working at a machine d >ing one man’s work. In poi• ting it out to the employer we were met with the reply that he was aware of it, but if he were to suggest that one could do the work they would probably put on their coats, pick up their swags, and bo off, leaving him in a worse plight. Harvest hands bavo never been so scarce as has been the case this present season. But for the aid of the ma hines and the glorious weather which has pro vailed throughout much of oursph nUd cro| s must hive been Ist. It is not long sin e that the working classes cried out against the introduction of more labor, but the experience of the present season has amply demonstrated that, instead of the labor market being overdone, we want a much larger number of hands, if farmi- g and other industries are to flourish. Wo have every sympathy with the working man, sa tar as getting a ‘ fair day’s wags for a fair day’s labor,’ but these conditions do not exist, as we have pointed out. Were labor of a better quality, and at ‘ I ve and lot live rates.’ available all tho year round, a much larger amount of work would be carried on, and working men would fi d that under such a system they would be the large gainers in the end. The present creed of the orthodox swagger seems to bo to extort the largest possible amount of wages from the farmer(who may be considered bis victim for the time being) during harvest time, and to do tho least possible amount of work for the same. And as soon us the harvest i-* over where do we find him (the swagger) ? Invariably in some wayside public house, talking loudly of his big earnings, and knocking them down as easily as be earned them. (MrOlHver, who presiled on Me Bench at tho R.M. Court, Christchurch, men (i med that he had aeen at the Hakaia, a few days ago, about twenty men idling awav their time. Th-y had refused £3 per week and found for harvest work. The wages they wanted was £0 per week and ‘ tucker.’) And now tho farmer’s turn has come- h s corn all cut, harvested and threshed, he naturally

f.-els r. senifu 1 , and resolves not to tp-nd a in labor that can possibly be avoided. Ihe picture will be completed when we see the former over-independent harvester again sw the country, footsore and without any money, traveling day after day in search of employment, si-ephg in straw stacks, snl indulging in all kinds of execrations against a corn-try whore no employment is t> be found, fagoting that he has only hicD-clf to ba me lor IPs n ijfoi tunes. This is, shortly, a picture o t'digi is meyexir. to a large ex ent in ,’n .te.-tju--/ m I of dime ilie ear lit- of g ->d ho ies ; - to b) found, hut ih y oa i a.w y < fin i employment. The system of ’htvshing th< gran, ns practised this season, demmds soms iitt’e att n ion at our hands. We refer to the threshing from the st 'ok, which we are aware th t man of our best farmers a>o doing th ■ season. Nevertheless, we are of opinion that it is not good farming to do s•, for the reus ms whch we shall briefly enumeirfce. Km wing the ehangeab!en j s■ of onr climate, w- w uld a->k, i- it prud ni to leave the corn tvir.i ah ut the ,-a Mocks aft r it is lit for .-ta -king, to 1 ecu ltd to tie machines? So lung ns idle wea-h-r is fine, -1 m.y go well ; but let us impoose a very os b e con ing ney viz., u two or tbree days’ peeing sou’-wes cr. We need not follow up the thought, eliminating in ‘prouting stooks, damaged grain, and const qumt heavy lossts ; the like baa happened before, and wdl assuredly happen again. Tnis is not the only evil which may attend the growing custom of threshing from the stock. It remains to bo seen how grain thus threshed will stand the voyage to England. Threshing begins early in the morni g when thegiain is often very damp with dew, ]his damp giain is run through the rare’ine and into the bags, where it is sura to sweat more or lea l . It woull be unfertile te if our character as pro lucers of good smnd wheats should be injured by a few shipments of damaged grain. It is not mmy years-ii e > the p issibil ty of shipping wheat from New Zealand was larnestly discussed. It was ihoigh’ that tlieg-ain would cerainly ha‘ - e to be kilo lied, but happily such a

measure i-t nor necessary. Howeve', wa would advocate cami n in the mattm of threshing from the stook, for the various rca-ons we have indicated. We would cer'amly advis- s'ac l ir-g evi rytl-i ig as so -n as fit The diff renco i i cost L very trifling, and we (0 1 sure t at the farmer w’m stacks wdl be Ihe ruin r in the end —Weekly Preja,