114 FIELD AND HEDGEROW,. 
to ‘flawing,’ ze. to harking the oak which is thrown in 
May—the bark is often used now for decoration, like 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 over 
singing, and blew cuckoo back to him in their hollow 
fists. This isa 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 
