1851 Great Exhibition: Official Catalogue: Class IX.: Edward Jones

52. JONES, EDWARD, 138 Leadenhall Street — Inventor.

"Airish mow," adapted to the preservation of corn in the harvest-time of rainy seasons.

In Cornwall and Devonshire the farmers, when cutting their crops in unfavourable weather, commence early in the morning and have the produce of whole fields stacked on the spot, in airish mows," before the evening, where it remains for months, free from heat and injury, until it suits the grower to house or otherwise dispose of it. Each mow contains generally about 400 sheaves.

[In wet harvests it is desirable to adopt some method for keeping the cut corn as dry as possible, in order to avoid sprouting and other injury. In the north of Europe light frames are erected in the field, on which the sheaves are placed with their heads downwards, and the top ridge is then lightly thatched; or hurdles may be set up, inclined towards each other at any desired angle, and the sheaves placed on them in layers and then thatched. In many counties in England the practice is to set up a certain number of sheaves to form a stack, which is "capped" or "headed" by other sheaves placed on it with their heads downwards. In Northumberland a practice still exists called "gaiting."— A single sheaf is taken; the band is tied higher up than usual; the butt, by a peculiar movement of the workman, is spread out, and the sheaf is then set up by itself. By thus separating the straw the wet does not lodge so much as it otherwise would do. The practice of making "airish mows" has generally declined, even in Cornwall and Devon:— smaller mows are now made in the form of a conical heap, and containing about a load of sheaves. The object in all, is to protect the corn from wet, and at the same to secure a good ventilation.— J. W.]

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