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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



FARM LABOURERS. 



The notice that has been made of the hind sys- 

 tem, that prevails in the border counties of England 

 and Scotland, in fixing the engagements and re- 

 munerating the services of the farm labourers, has 

 brought forward the following statement and re- 

 flections on the system there adopted, and that of 

 other districts, that pursue a different course. The 

 writer has had a very ample experience of the 

 various modes of arrangement and payment, having 

 served for three years in the border counties of 

 Roxburgh and Northumberland as a learner in 

 farming, and lived seven years in the latter county 

 as a resident practitioner, and engaged and paid 

 the labourers under the hind system : he has also 

 farmed and paid labourers in the midland and 

 southern counties of England, and used the cus- 

 toms of those districts. 



In the Border counties, the married ploughmen 

 and all the labourers required are lodged in cot- 

 tages closely adjoining the farmery, and to the 

 field of employment. This is a vast advantage 

 over the custom of the midland counties ; where, 

 more than in the south of England, the labourers 

 live in villages, and travel one to two miles twice 

 a day, betwixt the labour and their home. Even 

 the farmers of these counties, with the farmeries, 

 are huddled into villages ; while the land of the 

 farm lies a good way off. This is a remnant of 

 feudal villainage ; which, from the word " villa, " 

 meaning a hamlet or village, gave the name of vil- 

 lains to the inhabitants, who were congregated into 

 hamlets for the sake of protection. The vast ad- 

 vantage, in the presence of the labourers on the 

 scene of action, is vmdeniable, and needs no de- 

 monstration whatever. The hind may have an 

 adult son to be a ploughman, who lodges with the 

 father ; or the house accommodates a stranger, on 

 an agreed allowance for cooking and lodging. The 

 cottage dwellings for labourers are a very essential 

 part of the furniture of a farm of land, which are 

 provided by the landowner, with which the farmer 

 has to use his capital with advantage : the value is 

 fully equal to the general farmery, and to the dwell- 

 ing house of the farmer himself. An imperfect 

 provision on any point is a drawback to the de- 

 velopment of his capital. 



The following arrangement pays the married 

 ploughman, in the county of Roxburgh : A house 

 and garden, in 300 to 400 square yards of ground j 

 ten bolls of oatmeal ; three bolls of barley ; one 

 boll of peas; three pounds in money ; 1000 yards 

 of potato ground in the drilled field ; a cow kept 



during summer and winter; a woman or stout lad, 

 at 8d. per day, throughout the }Tar ; coals carried ; 

 flax land in three cupfuls of seed, about 500 square 

 yards; a sufficient reaper for 24 days of harvest- 

 work, who gets board, and quarter-boll of barlej', 

 in lieu of supper. The hind gets 24 days' board. 

 The keeping of poultry is restricted to five hens 

 and a cock ; and pays the farmer four March chick- 

 ens in November. 



The shepherds get, in addition to the above con- 

 ditions, six breeding ewes kept ; all the lambs sold 

 in June, except two females, which supply the place 

 of two drafts, that are fed on turnips to the first 

 of January. 



Cottages in villages are often held in tenancy 

 from the neighbouring farmers, on the following 

 conditions : A house and garden ; 8d. a day for 

 summer and winter in woman's work ; potatoes, 

 llax, and reaping in harvest, same as the hinds ; 

 coals carried ; alternate loosening of the unthrashed 

 grain for the thrashing machine. 



In North Northumberland, the following con- 

 ditions have prevailed : A house and garden ; three 

 pounds in money; six bolls of oats, of six bushels ; 

 four bolls of barley ; nine bushels of peas; three 

 bushels of wheat; a cow kept during summer and 

 winter ; 10 two-horse cart-loads of turnips in Feb- 

 ruary for the cow, or one ton of hay ; 800 yards 

 of drilled potato ground ; to spin 3lbs. of flax ; 

 pay one hen, and allowed to keep nine and a cock. 

 The farmer gets the calf at .30s. in January, at 25s. 

 in Feljruary, at 20s. in March, and so on, as no 

 charge is made for the bull serving the cow. A 

 stone of refuse wool, as clippings and coatings of 

 fleeces; coals carried. When the labourers get the 

 use of a cow from the farmer, the calf is fed for 

 nine days by the hind. 



In South Northumberland, the following con- 

 ditions have been arranged : A house and a piece 

 of garden ground ; £3 in money ; ten bushels of 

 best wheat, three bushels of second quality, and 

 one bushel in lieu of poultry ; nine bushels of bar- 

 ley; ten bushels of oats; three bushels of peas; 

 six stones of pork, in lieu of keeping a pig; a cow 

 kept during summer and winter, with one ton of 

 hay and straw; coals carried; 800 yards of drilled 

 potato ground. The woman worker to get 8d. a 

 day at all other times, and Is. per day in harvest. 

 When the hind does not keep a cow, 4s. a week in 

 money is paid him, in lieu of the value of the keep, 

 including the £3 in money, thus estimating the 

 cow at about £7. 



