184 OLD WEST SURREY 



places. No one has given me a satisfactory answer. Trying 

 to think what the reason may have been — for I know that 

 the old-time farmers were shrewd folk, not given to wasting 

 labour even when it was much more plentiful — I can only 

 come to the conclusion that the slower and more careful 

 method allowed the corn to stand and ripen a few days 

 loDger before being cut, and that with the rougher methods 

 of the fag-hook it has to be cut a little greener. 



Fagging cuts closer, leaving less stubble, but there is no 

 gain in the end. ' It isn't picked up so close.' Some of the 

 older people say that in fagging a ' man leaves his wages on 

 the ground.' 



In the older days of reaping, when every straw on the 

 field was taken in the hand, it was a good day's work for a 

 man to reap an acre, though I have also heard of a woman 

 reaping an acre ; even in this neighbourhood, where the acre is 

 reckoned at 'eight score,' that is to say, 160 rods. Down in 

 Sussex, Chichester way, they reckon it at only ' six score,' 

 equal to 120 rods. 



This old abuse of different measures, and also of various 

 measures of capacity, within districts by no means distant 

 from each other, still largely exists. It seems almost in- 

 credible that there should not be standard measures of 

 capacity throughout the country, but so it is ; for instance, 

 there is or was the Winchester bushel, of a different capacity 

 to the ordinary bushel, and so on. 



The distinction of ' strike measure ' and ' heaped measure ' 

 is of course reasonable, whatever the standard may be ; ' strike 

 measure,' level with the lip of the bushel, being used for grain, 

 or peas, or anything that will lie close, and heaped measure 

 for potatoes, or apples, or anything of a size or shape that 

 leaves cavities between. 



