6 It Happened in Iona

sight to behold.

Standing the sheaves in stocks was an art that worked nicely with two people. Stooks were supposed to run north and south to enable the sun to do its best at drying. We were often told that a full stook should have twelve sheaves, but ours seemed habitually to have only ten. Stooking was a leisurely task in temperatum that were ideal for such activity. Young- sters were expected to do their share in this clean labor and their lack of finesse was often evident when some stocks fell under the pressure of wind and rain.

After perhaps a week in good drying weather, the sheaves were loaded on a truckwagon for transport by team to the barrack beside the barn. With perseverance and attention a builder could construct a tidy load of grain, but he had to work fast as the sheaves were thrown up in quick clusters.

The barrack was a farmer’s delight, a masterpiece of prac- tical simplicity. Of sturdy construction centered around four mighty posts that extended higher than the barn eaves, its four-sided roof of narrow, thin boards moved easily up and down resting on moveable metal pins in the posts. The roof, though not completely tight, did a remarkable job at keeping the grain free of precipitation. Stowing the sheaves in a barrack required considerable skill. Dad or Jimmy, with the aid of a youngster, usually reserved that chore to themselves. It was an enjoyable outdoor event each fall. A barrack full cf sheaves neatly ar- ranged was a rewarding picture only to be destroyed by the jaws of the thresher a few short months away.