Economics

However, I continued, after this comes reaping, I fancy. So give me any information you can with regard to that too. Yes—unless I find that you know just what I do about that subject too. You know, then, that the corn must be cut. I know that, naturally. Are you for standing with your back to the wind when you cut corn, or facing it? Not facing it, no! I think it is irritating both to the eyes and to the hands to reap with cornstalks and spikes blowing in your face.

And would you cut near the top or close to the ground?If the stalk is short, I should cut low down, so that the straw may be more useful; but if it is long, I think it would be right to cut in the middle, in order that the threshers and winnowers may not spend needless trouble on what they don’t want. I imagine that the stubble may be burnt with advantage to the land, or thrown on the manure heap to increase its bulk.

Do you notice, Socrates, that you stand convicted of knowing just what I know about reaping too?Yes, it seems so; and I want to know besides whether I understand threshing as well.Then you know this much, that draught animals are used in threshing?

Yes, of course I do; and that the term draught animals includes oxen, mules and horses.Then do you not think that all the beasts know is how to trample on the corn as they are driven?Why, what more should draught animals know?

And who sees that they tread out the right corn, and that the threshing is level, Socrates?The threshers, clearly. By continually turning the untrodden corn and throwing it under the animal’s feet they will, of course, keep it level on the floor and take least time over the work.So far, then, your knowledge is quite as good as mine.