114 FIELD AND HEDGEROW. 



to * flawing,' i.e. to barking the oak which is thrown in 

 May — the bark is often used now for decoration, Hke the 

 Spanish cork bark. Some were talking already of the 

 'grit' work and looking forward to it, that is, to mowing 

 and haymaking, which mean better wages. The farmers 

 were grumbling that their oats were cuckoo oats, not 

 sown till the cuckoo cried, and not likely to come to 

 much. So, indeed, it fell out, for the oats looked very 

 thin and spindly when the nuts turned rosy again. At 

 work hoeing among the ' kelk ' or ' kilk,' the bright yellow 

 charlock, the labourers stood up as the cuckoo flew ove 

 singing, and blew cuckoo back to him in their hollow 

 fists. This is a trick they have, something like whistling 

 in the fist, and so naturally done as to deceive any one. 

 The children had been round with the May garland, 

 which takes the place of the May-pole, and is carried 

 slung on a stick, and covered with a white cloth, between 

 two little girls. The cloth is to keep the dust and sun 

 from spoiling the flowers — the rich golden kingcups and 

 the pale anemones trained about two hoops, one within 

 the other. They take the cloth off to show you the 

 garland, and surely you must pay them a penny for 

 thought of old England. Yet there are some who would 

 like to spoil this innocent festival. I have heard of some 

 wealthy people living in a village who do their utmost 

 to break up the old custom by giving presents of money 

 to all the poor children who will go to school on that 

 day instead of a-Maying. A very pitiful thing truly ! 

 Give them the money, and let them go a-Maying as well. 

 The same bribe they repeat at Christmas to stay the 

 boys from going round mumming. It is in spring that 

 the folk make most use of herbs, such as herb tea of 

 gorse bloom. One cottage wife exclaimed that she had 

 no patience with women so ignorant they did not know 



