In and out of Florence; a new introduction to a well-known city . hen the women and children take thewisps in hand and go on with the beating; or put-ting them down on the floor, strike them with sticksuntil every least seed is garnered. Or at the begin-ning the wisps are untied and the grain stems spreadin a loose layer five or six inches thick over the 272 Harvest Times center of the stone floor, and then the men andwomen, standing side by side, beat rhythmically withflails for hours together, chatting or singing a stor-nello as they work. After the grain is thus beatenout the straw is gathe
In and out of Florence; a new introduction to a well-known city . hen the women and children take thewisps in hand and go on with the beating; or put-ting them down on the floor, strike them with sticksuntil every least seed is garnered. Or at the begin-ning the wisps are untied and the grain stems spreadin a loose layer five or six inches thick over the 272 Harvest Times center of the stone floor, and then the men andwomen, standing side by side, beat rhythmically withflails for hours together, chatting or singing a stor-nello as they work. After the grain is thus beatenout the straw is gathered up and piled in neat cocksabout central standing poles, while the grain andrefuse on the aja are swept up into a pile and then sieved and win-nowed by hand, andthe grain and chaffheaped up in sepa-rate little days and daysunder the blue skyand bright sun thesetoiling, singing, happy groups workon the ajas. Andthen, after theirlabors here aredone, the men go toplowing the fieldsfor sake of the vinesand trees with roughwooden plows(boinbero), drawn. The men seize the wisps one at atime and beat their grain-filledends violently against the ajafloor or against a stone bench or block, until most of the grains by great sleek whitehave flown out. ^^^^^ ^^j^j^ ^.^j ^^g. sels and ribbons on their faces; while the women,especially in all the Val dArno below Florence, beginto plait the straw into hats. These are the hatsthat cover the floor and stalls of the New Market in Harvest Times 273 Florence, and find their way by thousands to Americaas useful souvenirs. Besides the wheat {grano)^ a small-eared maize(gran-tiirco), and a kind of millet (saggina), aregrown in the poderi about Florence, as are alsocrimson and red clover for forage. The vividpatches of long-headed crimson clover, flowing andrippling In the soft breezes of May and June, areof singular beauty in their setting under the vinesand trees. A tall, stiff-stemmed, purple-floweredbean Is grown In large quantities,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidinoutofflore, bookyear1910
