Flails are still in use today, on smallholdings throughout the world, to dislodge wheat grain (corn) from their husks. The flail in this image is manufactured in France, but the principle is the same as it has been for centuries: two stout sticks, ideally cedar, one longer than the other, joined with a leather strap, so that the flick of the shorter stick, the beater, is accentuated and accelerated.
After flailing, the separated wheat and husks (chaff) are gathered up in a winnowing basket, as in the image below, and offered into the air, where a slight breeze can whisk the chaff away and the heavier grain can fall onto the ground to be collected for storage.
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