The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-01-22
The Vra1c Harvest.

Every child who lives in the country
knows something about "haying" and
.'harvesting."
The sweet-scented nay, the golden
grain and corn, and the red checked ap-
pies, all in their turn, as they are s'gath-
cred in" make nice times for children, but
| want to tell you ofanother kind of har-
vest that I used to enjoy wonderfully we'll
when I was little girl
A big crop it was too although it was
raised and ripened without the labor of
men, or horses, or oxen. No blowing, or
= lgoMipg, or sowing seed.
On tffs Uare rocks. away down under
the deep blue sea, with the waves dash
ing over it by day and by night, this
wonderful crop, that never fails from
drought, grows and ripens, and yields
such great crops that there are two 'cut-
tings" every year; the first begins in Feb
ruary, and lasts five weeks; the second
lasts from June until the last day of Au-
gust.
After that day not a bit more vraic
must be cut until the next February; but
that which is washed ashore by the
storms, and is called vroic venant, NAV
be gathered by anybody at all times,
only it must be gathered between sunrise
and sunset, and these old laws or Gus
toms are very strictly enforced in jersey.
The first month of the summer vruSc,
or seaweed harvest, all the poor people of
the island, and only they have the priv
lege Of cutting it from the rocks, but
then they mast not takep more then they
n THAR ouar1 fho
of the highest tides. .....
They have, Of course, to cut it while
the tide is driving out. and a hurrying,
driving time it is! Men and women with
a kind of sickle, crowding the rocks and
cutting off the heavy mats of black look
ing, Shiny seaweed that so thicklv Govern
them, throwing ii down in heaps until the
tide turns. And then. how we who sat
on the beach watching them enjoyed the
fun! All was hurry and hustle,
men and women, big boys and girls, and
little boys and girls, down to the mites of
oddlers that could only just run alone,
all gathering the wet seaweed' up in their
arms, rushing up the beach with their
heaps beyond the reach Of the waves that
were already chasing them; then came
the harvest for we lazy little folks, who
had only been looking On. We used to
run and turn over the heaps as they were
brought up, in search Of shells and tiny
pebbles, and what beauties we used to
find of all shapes and coIors! for these
channel islands are noted for the hand
some shells and seaweeds that are found
on their shores.
Then it was a pretty sight to see the
poor people carrying off their Urnic crop
to their homes, some to spread on their
small fields for manure, and some to be
used as fuel on their kitchen hearths;
and even the ashes Of this sea- coal, after
it has boiled their tea-kettle and soup
pot, are valuable, for they are either sold
or put on their own little gardens or
fields to make their tall cabbages and
rich lucern grow still taller and richer;
but as said, it is pretty sight to see
this curious but valuable harvest carried
off the great sandy or pebbly beach.
Those who do not own horse or don
key can generally borrow one, and if they
can't get a cart, they pack up the vraic
on, the donkey's back, and he trudges
along under the pile of wet blankets,
while his mistress walks along at his side,
the clicking of her bright kni ting-nee-
dies making Inuslc that donkey's long
ears have often beard, for the jersey
women are great k1itters, and often knit
mans stocking in a'dayl
The first day Of the vratc harvest is q