Scenes of harvesting and threshing under the blazing summer sun in the barren Castilian plain, painted from nature, were among the favourite subjects of this artist from Burgos. In this piece, from his late production period, warm ochre and yellow tones dominate the composition, although in the horizon, as is often the case in his work, there are orange and mauve bands, and the sky features his characteristic light pink and blue hues.

The title alludes to the grain laid that is being separated on the threshing floor. In fact, the composition shows different parts of the process: the pair of oxen that drag the threshing board, the man that gathers the hay, and the cart that is already loaded with sheaves.