The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-11-25
Alrifultural department.
CONDUCTED BY ALBERT CHAPMAN.
Scotch agriculture IN the Seventeenth

Scotch Agriculture IN the Seventeenth
Cen;ury.
An Edinburgh paper has an article on
early Scottish agriculture, from which
we condense the following extracts:
10 the central aud more lowland parts
Of the country. blowing was effected by
means Of huge, roughly CONSTRUCTED i'm
plement, mostly of wood, and drawn by
teams of from 4 to 16 oxen and cows in
each. Cumbrous and unweldy such
team must have been. What would the
agrculturists Of the present day think Of
procession of dozen bullocks and
cows, yoked pair and pair abreast to one
rickety pillow, driven by four or five men,
with "hazel rungs' in hand, and turning
furrow only two or three inches deep
The ridges were narrow and crooked. No
lend rigs" we're plowed, there being am.
pie room on the adjoining marshes to turn
even monster team of this sort. The
harness consisted almost entirely Of plait-
cd straw aud rope, leather being com.
parative novelty. The collar was simply
twined straw rope, termed "brechum."
In many cases "hems" were not used,
the traces being fastened to the collar,
The "hems' we're made OF two pieces OF
badly -manulactured wood, tied at each
end by a rope, another portion OF which,
knottcd into halter-form, served as
bride. Traces were manufactured from
hemp. The pillow had long heavy
ii 81 ha
terial. The improved ones had an
iron mould board and stock, neither Of
which was, however, calculated to secure
efficient cultivation The bluntness Of
the pillow, and the tough, wild state Of
most of the land, required greater
draught than blowing a similar depth
would necessitate nowadays. Still,with
so many animals, the work must have
been light. The tackle for one thing
would not have borne heavy draught,
nor indeed VOL, Id the cattle, the animals
being rather small, aud imperlectly fed.
The post Of driver was one which told
very severely on the lungs, the bawling
at the cattle being loud and almost con-
tinuous. When an earth-fast stone-and
of those there were many-happened to
unseat the pillow, catch Of the soil was
regained as soon as possible, but no care
was bestowed to turn over the portion
thus missed, which was termed "bauk,"
and occasioncd a blank in harvest.
The process Of narrowing was almost a
farce, the covering OF the seed being
al i kt,a
ment of good filth. Ia the Highlands
pronged hand article, something akin
to grip, buried the grain, while in the
central districts the, harrows in operation
barely deserved the name The frame
was Of rough wood, clumsily jonted, and
pins Of the same material occasionally Of
ticated as tines Many considered roll
ing unnecessary, or rather never gave it
thought Others by.and.by rolled
their crop almost as punctually as they
sowec it. But with what ? Not finely
finished stone or wooden roller in high
frame, but with short rounded stone in
low.set semi.circuar frame, to which
the traces were attached 1t is stated
that some of the Highlanders at one time
actually fastened the harrows by means
of ropes, to the tails Of their "garrons"
i. e., their hardy untractable ponies,
and in this ludicrous fashion narrowed
the land, leading the horses by the name
in certain instances, while rope halters
were attached in others. 1t is on record
that in Ireland an act of parliament was
passed in 1894, making such hideous
practices penal When horses could not
be got in tackle, men, by means Of ropes
thrown over their shoulders, dragged the
harrous