HARVESTING. Harvesting is one of the most important labors of the farm, and must be attended to at the proper time whatever else may be in the way of the farmer. For this reason a diversity of crops, excessive hurry in this labor by extending it over a greater length of time than must otherwise ensue. Thus win ter wheat, rye, spring wheat, barley, oats, and flax may succeed each other, and with the aid of improved haivesting machines, all may be secured in good condition, unless the season be extremely wet. The proper time of harvesting wheat has long been a mooted question, millers still contend that it should he cut when in the dough state, and there is no doubt but it makes more fine flour to the bushel of sixty pounds than does a bushel of perfectly ripe wheat. Nevertheless the yield per acre is less, the straw is harder to cure, and the price given no more per bushel, in our great markets. In harvesting the farmer is guided by the profit to accrue to himself, not to the miller. When the crop is large, the harvest must often necessarily begin early. and continue until the crop is dead ripe
to secure all the crop. Hence the farmer must manage the harvest according to circumstances. The best time to cut wheat, all things considered is when the stalk is yellow half way up the stem, and the grain just out of the dough state and fairly hard. The straw is then valuable if well cured, and the grain in condition to dry out without shriveling. All the other grains, rye, barley, oats and flax should not be harvested before this time. Buckwheat is harvested just at the time of frost, or else when there is a maximum quantity of seed ripe, since this plant continues to grow, blossom, ripen, and drop its seed until killed by frost. Corn may be cut up at any time after the kernels are glazed, or out of the milk, the best time is after the grain is out of the milk and while yet the leaves are green, since the only reason for cutting up corn is to save it from frost or for the value of the fodder.