“Barley Harvest ” barley and distance out of focus,“  ⎯ P.H. Emerson, Sept., 1889,  To The Student 

From Chapter X: Harvesting

“LONG since have passed the days of the barley-sele; long since the barley-bird, as the nightingale is locally called, has ceased to sing its pure song in the night-watches; the young blades have escaped the inroads of the nibbling rabbits, and now the full-grown plants stand loaded with ears yellow and ripe, while the pheasants strut amid the rich crop and steal the grain, the rabbits sit in the shades of the long stalks, and the hares and rats suck the life juices. In the early morning-for it is but five o’clock–comes the farmer with his men, all armed with scythes, to cut the crop. The farmer has his gun and dog ready for shooting rabbits, while the landlord’s keeper stands by to see none of the thieving birds are mistaken for the four-footed rodents. The men go along, two abreast, sweeping down the bearded grain in good six-foot strokes, stopping every now and then to sharpen their scythes. Bang! goes the farmer’s gun, followed by a squeak as a “bunny” rolls over, sending a deathbed message to his surviving relatives in the form of a few hairs borne away on the breeze. The work goes on until half-past seven, when the men go off to breakfast, for which half an hour is allowed.

Eight o’clock finds them all at work again, and by noon long runs of barley lie on the field. The labourers now go to the hedge-side or seek the shade of the elm trees near by, and enjoy their well-earned hour of rest, during which they eat their mid-day meal, while we go with the farmer back to the farm for our meal of home-brewed ale and bread and cheese.

Our host now discourses on the value of scythes versus machines for cutting his barley. He pronounces for scythes, for he says they “lay” it better in runs, and lay the “earrings” all one way, and so laid it takes the “dewings” better. By this is meant exposure to the dew, which causes the awns to come off easier in the threshing. If the barley is cut by a machine, it falls either too thick or too thin, and does not take the dew evenly, and when it comes to threshing, the awn is tough and will not come off easily. Besides “laying” it better, the scythe “takes” six feet at a time, whereas the machine “takes” only four. In his opinion no machine will ever be invented which will do the work as well as the scythe.

On our return to the barley-field we determined to take a plate during one of the short rests so frequent in this hard labour. Here one man is honing his scythe, while another, his face streaming with perspiration, has taken off his hat with which to fan himself, and now stretches forth his hand to his mate, who, leaving his rake in the field, has brought the bottle of “home-brewed” from which they will all quench their thirst.

Through the hot day they will work under the broiling summer sun until 4.30 P.M., when they rest and have tea, or “fourses,” as it is now locally called, its name formerly being ” beavers.” After half an hour’s grace they again fall to, and work hard till seven in the evening, when it is a common sight to meet gangs of these tired labourers going home with scythes and rakes, empty bottles and baskets, and probably a few rabbits killed that day in the fields.” p. 77