The Mill and the Miller. 149 



been in corn." And, " besides this heavy tax, " adds 

 Dr. Anderson, " the tenants are in general obliged to 

 clear out and repair the mill lead, which is often half-a- 

 mile in length, and the edges of it, for the most part, 

 serve as a road to the miller's cattle."* 



Then he goes on to complain of the little trouble the 

 miller gave himself in the way of attending to his duties. 

 But why should the miller trouble himself about meet- 

 ing the wants or wishes of his customers ! They were 

 bound to come to him ; but he was not bound to put 

 himself to inconvenience or disturb his cherished habits 

 to please them. Neither did he. He was in a position 

 to treat them after the manner of the churl if he was so 

 minded; and occasionally, it seems manifest, he was. 

 But not always, for the miller could at times be sociable 

 as well as other people. It was told of a certain miller 

 in the Garioch, that in doing a " melder " on one occa- 

 sion, he " set on " the mill ; not a very powerful one, 

 in the matter of grinding, it would seem; and then, 

 the alehouse being conveniently near, went away with 

 a crony to " slocken " his drought. There they sat for 

 some considerable time, and there the mill " hottered " 

 away by itself. And not quite by itself either, for the 

 worthies had left a couple of dogs about the place; 

 and, the mill door being open, the two sagacious tykes 

 went in, and, sitting down contentedly by the spout, 

 licked up the meal with their tongues as fast as it was 

 manufactured. 



Of course, the farmer was expected to have his own 

 kiln, or "killogie" as it was termed, and to dry his grain 

 for himself before he troubled the miller about it. Dr. 

 Anderson, in prosecution of his loud complaint, goes on 

 to say that the millers did not give themselves the 

 trouble to get winnowing machines " till of late " (he is 

 writing in 1794), "that the tenants in seme cases have 

 purchased them ; and, for permitting them to be turned 



* For sample of contract between mill superior and suckeners 

 see Appendix (4). 



