NOVEMBER 289 



but speak." On asking him whether the sheep-dogs needed 

 much teaching, " Whyles ay and whyles no. Her kind (Jed's) 

 needs nane. She sooks 't wi' her mither's milk." On asking 

 him if the dogs were ever sold, he said, " Never but at an orra 

 time. Naebody wad sell a gude dowg, and naebody wad buy 

 an ill yin."' 



Jed, being black, would have run no chance of success 

 at a modern dog show, for fashion has decreed that yellow 

 and white is the orthodox colour for collies, probably for 

 the senseless reason that the great majority of working 

 collies are dark coloured black, rich tan, and white. As 

 for her master's admission that language was not one of 

 Jed's accomplishments, perhaps that was no detriment to 

 her qualities as a companion. 



LXXI 



This season of 1905 to which we are just bidding 

 farewell will be remembered by those who passing 

 take note of external things pertaining to Autumn 

 their happiness on account of several peculiarities. In 

 the first place, although foreign imports have deprived 

 the character of the harvest of much of its former import- 

 ance, the harvest of 1905 must be recorded as one of the 

 earliest on record. In many parts of Scotland the corn 

 was safely ' under thack an' rape ' at a date prior to the 

 first reaping during the dismal wet autumn of 1903. 

 Modern manures and high cultivation have altered many 

 conditions in agriculture, else it is probable that the 

 prolonged summer drought in the northern half of the 

 kingdom would have rendered this another ' year o' the 

 short corn,' like 1826, when the straw was so scanty that 

 the corn was pulled by hand. 

 T 



