ON THE PRICES OF FARM PRODUCE. 397 



for the operation needed, in order that they might be available 

 for the general economy of the establishment. 



On the other hand, there are certain kinds of produce 

 invariably, or almost so, derived from every estate, and repre- 

 senting a very important element in medieval husbandry. 

 There were very few estates on which cheese and butter were 

 not produced, and were it not for two accidents in the economy 

 of farming, the evidence which could be supplied as to the 

 price of these commodities would be as copious as that ob- 

 tained for' corn and cattle. These are, the fact that, com- 

 paratively speaking, cheese is generally sold by tale and not 

 by weight. For one case in which the practice of selling by 

 weight is adopted there are five sales by tale. Cheese was 

 manufactured into three shapes, great, middle, and small, and 

 it is very rarely the case that any weight of the aggregate has 

 been found ; though, had the evidence been abundant, it would 

 still have been insufficient to determine that the same weight 

 is to be regularly recognised in these shapes. Occasionally a 

 similar practice prevails about butter, and the article is sold in 

 pats, or disci. 



Another reason why information on the price of these 

 articles is imperfect is the existence of a custom, commenced 

 in very early times, of letting out the produce of cows, and 

 even ewes, (for ewe-milk cheese was not unknown,) at annual 

 rents. It was a common practice for the daye to bargain for 

 the produce of these animals, to take the calves, (frequently 

 repurchased for stock from this farm servant,) and to undertake 

 the risks of loss or death, by pledging to restore the animals in 

 equal number and condition at the conclusion of the term. 

 The rate at which cows were let was from 5*. to 6s. 8d. a-year, 

 the rate at which ewes were let was about u., the owner of 

 the animal supplying food. It is to be observed that such a 

 custom implies a considerable amount of private resources on 

 the part of the contractor, generally a farm servant ; and the 

 firma vaecarum is evidence that the condition and means of the 

 persons who entered into hired service at annual wages and 



