Hi Everyone. Good one, Len. My, you are in good form today! I had a good goggle over it, but hadn't detected the typo at first reading! Jon you are correct about remembering the way cut grain was tied in sheaves and then leaned together to form a stook. This method was very labour intensive and was before combined harvesters produced neat rectangular bales. Even this type of bale has been superceded by the huge round bales now seen on some farms. However none of the modern ways have the picturesque charm of the sheaves that were stooked throughout the field (or paddock) to complete their drying out. They belonged to the era when the horse was still indispensanble on the farm. Now, a memory only! Regards, Muriel

Muriel/Len & Co., I must be getting old. ??? I remember the *Threshing Machine - which came after the stooks had dried.. The sheaves were thrown on the top - then separated with a large knife , and thrown on to a belt contraption.. > the stalks became straw - and the corn came down a shute/pipe into sacks, > hooked on the back ... .Chaff separated from the grain husks....Veerrry dusty. We had sticks to chase the mice.... sounds gruesome .. but life on the farm was just that **Life on the farm..>>> the norm i guess.. Those were the days - we had fun .. betty (again memory lane) ----- Original Message ----- From: "pollyp" <[email protected]> To: "ENG-BANBURY-AREA" <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2007 8:50 PM Subject: [BAN] Sheaves/stooks/ bales or what you will! > Hi Everyone. > Good one, Len. My, you are in good form today! I had a good goggle > over it, > but hadn't detected the typo at first reading! > Jon you are correct about remembering the way cut grain was tied in > sheaves and > then leaned together to form a stook. This method was very labour > intensive and > was before combined harvesters produced neat rectangular bales. > Even this type of bale has been superceded by the huge round bales now > seen > on some farms. > However none of the modern ways have the picturesque charm of the > sheaves > that were stooked throughout the field (or paddock) to complete their > drying out. > They belonged to the era when the horse was still indispensanble on the > farm. > Now, a memory only! > Regards, > Muriel > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > http://www.british-history.ac.uk/ > British History Online > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >