THRASHING,

THE  thrashers  must  be  kept  constantly  at
work  throughoat  this  month,  that  the  cattle  feed-
ing on  straw  may  have  a  regular  supply.  Many
farmers,  who  keep, large  stocks  of  lean  or  dry  cat-
tle, are  attentive  to  thrashing  out  their  worst  straw
first*  and  the  best  last,  proceeding  upon  the  same
gradation  through  the  winter^  that  every  change  of
straw  may  be  for  the  better.  This  is  a  just  con-
duct|  and  cannot  fail  of  having  good  effects  on  the
cattle,  who,  it  is  well  known,  often  fall  away  in
their  looks  on  a  change  of  straw  that  is  the  least
for  the  worse.  The  wheat  should,  upon  these
principles,  be  thrashed  first,  as  that  makes  the  worst
fodder  ;  .next  the  oats,  then  the  barley,  and  lastly,
the  barley  or  oats  that  had  much  clover  mown  with
them  ;  for,  in  wet  seasons,  the  clovei'  rises  so  high,
that  the  straw  is  almost  as  good  as  hay.  There  is
but  little  trouble  in  attending  at  harvest,  to  lay  the
corn  so  as  you  may  begin  with  what  you  please,  and
the  advantages  to  the  straw-fed  cattle  certainly  are
great.
The  thrasihcfrs  should  always  be  chosen  from  the
labourers  with  some  care  :  they  should  be  honest,
or  the  former  will  suffer  much,  if  he  does  not  watch
them  narrowly,  as  they  may  have  many  opportuni-
ties of  stealing  corn.
?  p  2  A  thrash*


580  DECEMBER.
A  thrashing-machine  is  an  object  of  such  im-
portance to  every  arable  farmer,  that  no  intelligent
one  will  be  without  it.
FARM-YARD.
Attend,  without  ceasing,  to  the  littering  of  the
yards,  stalls,  stables,  cow-houses,  hog-sties,  &c.
