TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT. 17 



and everything except horse tending. They have to 

 do draining, fence-mending, corn sowing in spring, and 

 stacking during harvest times. It is to be noted, too, 

 that the men in charge of cattle are on the large farms 

 called " byremen." In the smaller farms many women 

 look after cattle, and they are named " byre-women/' 



The one position that is usually not mixed up with 

 others is that of shepherd, and this is a race that largely 

 appertains to the northern counties. On the subject 

 of their special allocation to the work of flock-tending, 

 Mr. Wilson Fox has published a very interesting note 

 in one of his reports. He says : 



" There are a great many shepherds in Northumberland, 

 both on the low ground and among the Cheviot Hills, the 

 whole of which are let as sheep farms. The great majority 

 of these men in the border districts are the sons, grandsons, 

 or great-grandsons of shepherds. They are said to ' run 

 in families/ and there are instances where a family has 

 followed the calling of shepherd for many generations. 

 Few men who have not been so bred and trained are to 

 be found working as shepherds in these districts. These 

 men often stay in their places for many years. This, to 

 some extent, may be accounted for by the prevalence of 

 the custom of paying part of their wages by allowing them 

 to feed a certain number of sheep of their own in their 

 employers' pastures, which gives them a personal interest 

 in remaining on the same farm. But the nature of the 

 occupation itself tends to continuous engagements, and it 

 is much to the interest of the employer that changes 

 should be but seldom made. If an employer has a good 

 shepherd he will do much to keep him, because he knows 

 the peculiarity of the ground and the requirements of the 

 flock. Although there are not many flocks exclusively 

 devoted to pure breeding as a specialty, yet there are many 

 where pure breeding is carried on to a certain extent with 

 a view to the production of rams for sale, and even where 

 this is not the case certain flocks have recognised charac- 

 teristics which make them specially suitable for certain 

 purposes. For instance, the lambs "from a certain farm, 

 and also the draft ewes, may have a reputation for turning 

 put well in certain other localities. It is, of course, to the 

 interest of the farmer that such characteristics should be 

 maintained, and therefore continuity of management is 

 of importance. The shepherds make a regular study of 

 their sheep ; they know their pedigrees, and are usually 

 much attached to their flocks. Consequently they do not 



