404 



Farming of Lincolnsliire. 



at dinner hour. Many receive 135. 6^/. ; but in winter the rate is 

 frequently lowered to IO5. or IO5. 6d In harvest, of course, the 

 wages rise ; the cutting is done by the grate," the wheat at 65., Is., 

 and 85. per acre, and barley 55. The wages on the eastern Clay 

 and Marsh district were 12s. to ISs. per week in summer, but iO^. 

 in the winter of 1849-50. In the central district wages are now 

 from IO5. to 125., the labourers at taskwork earning 25. 6c?. per 

 day. The general wage in the north-western district is 125., but 

 during this winter only IO5. 6<i., varying from 95. to 125. The 

 present rates in the Isle of Axholme are IO5. to 155. per week. 

 The wages on the Cliff during the same winter are IO5. ; the winter 

 before the minimum was 125. per week ; on the Heath at the pre- 

 sent time, IO5. ; in the south-western district, IO5. The 2:eneral 

 wages in the Fen and Marsh district are 125. in summer and IO5. 

 in winter, the hours being generally between half-past six and 

 half-past five o'clock, but many farmers have at present dropped 

 to 95. The reaping and mowing in harvest varies from 85. to 145. 

 per acre, all by the piece. The average of the foregoing minutes 

 is about 116". per week, excluding harvest, but the average of the 

 county is probably more. The average of the same number of 

 figures collected by Arthur Young is about 1 15. 6c^. without the 

 harvest; and this cd^mparison, therefore, shows pretty clearly that 

 after the lapse of half a century the agricultural labourers of 

 Lincolnshire are obtaining no better livelihood in exchange for 

 their toil than before. 



In most parts of the county it is customary to pay a shepherd 

 and a waggoner, or head-man," at a higher rate ; a " middle- 

 man," and very frequently 2, 3, or 4 (and on the Wolds often 7 

 or 8) young men-servants are boarded in the farmer's house, or in 

 a cottage on the premises, — their yearly wages being from 4/. to 

 7/., and their fare bread, bacon, milk, and beer. Paying in kind 

 is not a common practice : task-work is very generally done in 

 small matters, but an extension of it is highly desirable both for 

 master and man. Hollow-draining, ditching, corn-hoeing, turnip- 

 hoeing, manure-turning, flail-thrashing (and sometimes also by 

 horse), claying, chalking, hay-mowing, corn-cutting, &c., are 

 commonly executed by the grate," when the workmen (with 

 women and children to assist in several of the operations) gene- 

 rally obtain a small ''reach" in addition to their daily wages. 

 Women and girls are employed in weeding and other operations, 

 though very seldom in harvest work ; gleaning for themselves is 

 then their occupation, and in most parts of the county they are 

 allowed to enter a field directly the crop is carried, the quantity 

 of corn thus gathered in the season being from 4 to 8 bushels, 

 by the best hands 10 to 12. Boys are required at almost all 

 times for weeding and cleaning land, picking off stones, frighten- 



