The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1878-11-27
The VraIc Harvest.


Every child who lives in the country
knows something about "haying and
harvesting"
The sweet-scented hay, the golden
grain and corn, and the red-cheeked
apples, oil in their turn, as they are
"gathered in," make nice times for
children, but want TO tell you of an
other kind of harvest that 1 used to en-
Joy wonderfully we'll when 1 was little
girl.
A big crop it was too, although it was
raised and ripened without the labor
men, or horses, or oxen. No blowing,
or narrowing, or sowing seed.
On the bare rocks, away down under
the deep blue sea, with yhe waves dash
ing over it by day and night, this Won
derful crop, thatneverfails from drought,
grows and ripens, and yields such great
crops that there are two "cuttings !"
every year; the first begins in February,
and lasts five weeks; the second lasts
from June until the last day of August.
After that day not bit more Urdic
must be cut until the next February;
but that which is washed ashore by the
storms, and is called vraic venant, may
be gathered by anybody at all times,
My it must be gathered between sun
rise and sunset, and these old laws or
customs are very strictly enforced in
Jersey.
The first month of the summer Vraic,
or seaweed harvest, all the poor people
of the island, and only they, have the
privilege of cutting it from the rocks,
but then they must not take more than
they can carry in their arms beyond the
line of the highest tides.
They have, of course, to cut it while
the tide is out, and hurrying, driving
time it is Men and women with akind
of sickle, crowding round the rocks and
cutting off the heavy mats of black
looking, Shiny seaweed that so thickly
covers them, throwing it down in heaps
until the tide turns. And then, how we
who sat on the beach Watching them en-
ioyed the fun All was hurry and hustle,
men and women, big boys and girls, and
little boys and girls, down to the mites
of toddlers that could only just run
alone, all gathering the wet seaweed up
in their arms, rushing up the beach
with their precious crop to put it down
again in heaps beyond the reach of the
waves that were flready chasing them
then came the harvest for we lazy little
folks, who had been only looking on
We used to run and turn over the heaps
as they were brought up, in search OIL
shells and tiny pebbles, and what beau
ties we used to find OF all shapes anG
colors for these channel islands are
noted for the handsome shells and sea
weeds that are found on their shores.
Then it was pretty sight to see tn
poor people carrying off their Uraic crol
to their homes, some to spread on thei
small fields for manure, and some to b,
used as fuel on their kitchen hearths
and even the ashes of this sea-coal afte
it has boiled their tea-kettle and soup
pot, are valuable, for they are either soil
or put on their own little gardens O
fields to make their tall cabbages an,
rich lucern grow still taller and richer
but as l said, it is pretty sight to Sc
this curious but valuable harvest carries
off the great sandy or pebbly beach.
Those who do not own horse or don
key can generally borrow one, and
they can't get cart, they pack up th
waic on the donkey's back, and h
trudges along under his pile of we
blankets, while his mistress walks alon
at his side, the clicking of her brigh
knitting-needles making music that dor
keys long ears have often heard, for tn
Jersey women are great knitters, an
often knit q mans stocking in a dayl
The first day of the vraic harvest is
general holiday throughout the islant
closing at some house of refreshmer
with dance and drinking of cider
abundance Youths Companion.