The bee., 1883-03-03
Old Harvest Customs.

ISciy duCISuG- IQ9 O1u OIOChS dH'
Romans had their rural deities, ant
with the returning close of every har
vest they brought offerings OF tn
fruits of the soil and sacrifices of th,
fattest Of their flocks, that the offerin:
OF the one and the blood Of the othe
might testify their gratitude to Ceres
and to Pan.
Much ceremony has generally at
tended the departure from the Englisl
fields of the last wagon-load of grain
in many places known as the "hock
or hockey-cart." 1t was often sur
mounted by clown dressed in woman'E
clothes, with his face grotesquely
painted and his head decorated with
ears of corn, while tabor and pipe
Went merrily sounding in front, and
the reapers, carrying boughs in their
hands, enlivened the scene by singing
appropriate songs. Sometimes, in the
place of the clown, pretty young
girl, crowned with green meadow flow
ers, was enthroned in the cart, and
hailed as queen of the harvest ;" often,
too, troops of village children Joined
the thro1g, remunerated for their SER
! vice 10y plum-cake and sweetmeats, an
llusion to which we find in "Poor
Robins Almanack" for August, 1876 :
Hockey is brought home with hallowing;
! Boys with plum cake the cart following" !"
/ In Lincolnshire hand-bells were car.
/ rjed by those riding on the last load
and the following rhyme was sung:
THE boughs do shake, and the bells dc
ring,
So merrlly comes our harvest in,
Our harvest In, our harvest in,
so merrIly comes our harvest in Hur-
rah ~
In some districts it is customary to
.ay an ambuscade for the hock-cart,
when no small merriment was caused
oy the riders being drenched with
water, which, however unpleasant it
might be, was nevertheless taken in
good humor.
A custom observed in many parts of
England was called crying the
mare" This consisted of large
handful of corn, tied up and erected
under the name OF mare. The reap
ers then assembled, and commenced
throwing their sticks at it, and the
one who succeeded in cutting it down
cried out:
II have her p
"What have you?" cried the others.
ga mare-a mare p he replied.
"Wnat will you do with her % was
then asked.
"We'll send her to John Snooks,"
referring to some other farmer who
had not yet gathered in all his corn.
In Devonshire and Cornwall a
similar custom, known as "crying the
neck" is still observed, the object, il
is said, being to give notice to the sur.
rounding country of the end of har.
vest. A bundle of the best ears OF
corn, selected from the various sheaves
is tied up and tastefully decorated with
festoons of flowers. This is designated !
"the neck of wheat" AS soon as the
corn is all cut, the reapers stand in {
circle, the person with the neck taking
up his position in the center. This
done, he next stoops and holds the
neck near the ground, which is the
signal for the men forming the ring tt
stoop also. who, at the same time
taking off their hats, in one harmoni
Gus tone begin to cry, "Tne neck r
This ceremony having been performed
three times, they change their cry tt
1--WE gen! we gen! !' which they
sound in the same prolonged and slow
as before, with singular har
mony and effect, three times. After
ward they return home, dancing ant
singing. In the meantime one of the
party secures 1.-THE neck" with which
he runs as fast as he can to the farm
house, where the dairy-maid stands al
the door with pail of water. If ht
can manage to gain an entrance into
the house unseen, or by any other door
than that at which the dairy-mai6
stands, he is entitled to kiss; but il
he fails, she souses him with pail OF
water.
The "neck is generally hung up in
the farmhouse, where it very often
remains two or three years. The
of the words 1--WE gen, we
gen." is supposed to be, 1--WE have
ended, we have ended" In Devon.
shire, instead of meek" the term
arnack " is used, which some anti
luarians consider to be equivalent tc
our nay" an idea very nearly CORE
spending to 1.-the mare" In Shrop
shire the custom was observed with I;
slight variation. The last few stalk
IF the wheat were left standing, a.
which all the reapers threw thei
'ickleS, and the one who succeeded il
cutting stalk off cried, as loudly a
le could, 81 have her l have her
[ have her p
Upon similar occasion, in othe |
places, the reapers had their Harves
Dance, and Jack and Jill. Elsewhere {
n days gone by, as soon as farme 4
lad completed his harvest, the las !
handful was sent to the next farme
who was still at work upon his crops c
lnder the name of the cripple-goat.' :
This was considered as brag or af !
ront to the farmer for being more re t
Mss or later than his neighbors il C
Gaping the harvest. on which account v
he bearer generally took care, in de c
ivering it, to take to his heels a.
quickly as possible, in order to escape J
he punishment that otherwise was t
ure to befall him. t
In some parts of Yorkshire. durino
Iarvest time, prize sheaf was run for n
nd as soon as all the corn was safely .
tackled an entertainment was pivoT l.