THE ISLE OF MAN — ITS AGRICULTURE, CLIMATE, ETC. 3G1 



As a rule, they are in the stable by sharp six o'clock in the 

 morning, when they feed and clean their horses, and return 

 home to breakfast ; the horses are turned out to work about 

 half-past seven o'clock, returning at twelve noon, when the men 

 go to dinner, and turn out again at half-past one, when they go 

 on until six in the evening. Manx ploughmen are, in general, 

 adepts at the plough, and will make good work, ploughing lea 

 across a hill that Scotch ploughmen would not think of attempt- 

 inn;. During harvest they commence to work the same as 

 throughout the year, and when drawing home corn, whatever the 

 weather may be, they unyoke their horses and put them in the 

 stable for an hour and a half, and drop the day's work at six 

 P.M. We cannot blame the men for this, but the masters. Were 

 they to be allowed a drink and a little extra food during harvest, 

 there is no doubt they would work from early morning until 

 gloaming grey. Take Manx ploughmen from their horses and 

 place them at any other farm work, two ordinary Scotchmen 

 will work more than any three of them, as they are not fed to 

 stand the roughing of a Scotchman ; at scythe-work, in parti- 

 cular, they fall far short. As regards quantity, an imperial 

 acre of oats is a good day's work. 



Young men are engaged by the year. Their average wage is 

 about L.13 sterling, with their meat in the farmer's kitchen, 

 sleeping either in the farmhouse or some one adjacent. They 

 thus sit at the kitchen fire along with the family and female 

 servants, and as one-fourth of them can neither read nor write, 

 it may easily be imagined what their conversation will be. These 

 young men get oatmeal porridge and milk in the morning, with 

 herrings and bread after, or bread, butter, and cheese. On three 

 days in the week, during winter, they have broth and meat ; the 

 alternate days they have herrings and potatoes for dinner ; in 

 the evening, the supper varies. Married men live mostly upon 

 tea, barley bread, and herrings. It is quite the exception to see 

 a married man feed a pig, consequently butcher meat is seldom 

 at his table. Receiving his wages every Saturday evening, he 

 deals at some small grocer's shop in the village, where he receives 

 an inferior article, and for which he pays the highest price. 

 With oats at 20s. per boll, barley at 30s., and wheat verging 

 upon 40s. per boll, the wonder is how a man with a small family 

 can live upon 10s. per week ; it therefore does not surprise us 

 that he is not fit to perforin a good day's labour. Manxmen, 

 in general, are bad grooms of their horses ; they do not take 

 sufficient time in the morning, and in the evening they are 

 in too great a hurry to get home. Their state of morality is 

 much worse than that of Scotland. The cottage consists of 

 one cooking and one sleeping apartment ; there is thus no 

 separation of the sexes. Few of their children go to school; 



