Domestic Industries and Out-door Labour. 



such as turnips, to care for, and nothing in the shape 

 of improvement to carry out, once the "fauld dyke" 

 had been erected, which was done by the joint labour 

 of the tenants of the plough-gate or hamlet, there was 

 little to do except to see to the drying and carrying 

 home of the peats and turves for winter fuel ; and that 

 in many cases occupied a large portion of the farmer's 

 time during summer. When shearing came, of course 

 all were busy enough, and really hard work it was. 

 The period of harvest was much more protracted then 

 than now, and it was no unusual thing for the shearing to 

 extend over six weeks or so. As was right and proper, 

 they made harvest a time of cheerfulness and mirth ; 

 and we read of a farmer in the Mearns who, to make 

 his " hyeucks" go on lightly and pleasantly, " kept a 

 piper to play to them all the time of harvest, and gave 

 him his harvest fee." It was no doubt done on the 

 same principle that the "gaudman" was expected to 

 whistle a voluntary, or psalm tune, to the oxen he 

 drove in the plough, as well as to give them sharper 

 admonition as required with his " gaud" leading us to 

 the origin of a pithy variation of the proverb, Much cry 

 for little wool " Muckle whistlin for little red Ian'."* 

 A graphic and realistic sketch of the scene about the 

 farmer's fireside of a winter evening, when the young 

 women of the neighbouring farm houses had met, as the 

 custom was to meet in the several houses in turn, to 

 pursue their knitting in friendly rivalry, while the 

 goodwife ordered the house or "span a thread," and 

 tha men, in addition to caring for their cattle, took up 

 such odd jobs of a light sort as could be fitly done for 

 personal use or the benefit of the establishment, is given 

 by a local rhymer who nourished early in the present 

 century. He speaks presumably of his own time, but 

 even then " the old order," had not been materially 

 changed.* We have first the farmer plunging round 



* Fruits of Time Parings, by W. Beattie, Aberdeen, 1813 ; re- 

 published 1873. 



