OF SCOTLAND.

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in that way, sometimes threshing a few threaves of the vari-ous crops as proofs or trials.

Frequently half-stooks only are set up, especially when thecrop is light or thin on the ground, by which the binder issaved a good deal of trouble, as he has not to travel so far forsheaves to make up the half-stooks. These, in oats or bar-ley, contain two upright rows of three sheaves each, and onehead-sheaf; while in wheat and rye, they consist of two up-right rows of four sheaves in each, and a head-sheaf. Some-times the head-sheaves are omitted, either in the whole orhalf-stooks, which answers well in steady good weather, whenalone it is advisable, as it considerably forwards the dryingor winning process.

In late harvests, or when it may be necessary to cut downthe corn in damp raw weather, or even dining rain, andin the mornings before the dew or hoar-frost is dried up,it is customary to set up the sheaves singly on their butts,which are spread out circularly to give them a firm standing.In this case, the bands are slightly tied near the ear-ends ofthe straw ; and sheaves treated in this manner are called yets ,gettings av gaits. Immediately before being carted to the rick-yard, these gaits must all be bound over again, in the ordinaryway of sheaves, nearer their butt ends, and firmly tied. Wheatand rye are seldom, perhaps never, set up in the gaitivg way,because they are seldom cut down when the weather is wet.

When it is necessary to cut grain in a green, or damp state,it is sometimes allowed to lie on the ground till it has becomedry, before being tied ; but it ought to be tied up if possible be-fore the damps of the evening come on, for it is dangerous toallow it to remain long in what is called the broad-band state.If much clover be in the butts of the sheaves, these ought tobe laid down, and exposed to the sun and air in dry weather,but not opened out. Or, when wet weather occurs after cornhas been put up into stooks, so that the sheaves ere soaked,they have all to be untied in the first good weather, andspread out to dry. It even happens that this broad-banded