|
|
Page 139:-
where he grew barley, oats, flax, and other produce, to meet
the needs of his household. His pigs, fed partly on acorns
or beech mast, yielded good bacon and hams; and his sheep
furnished wool for clothing. Of course he kept cows. The
women spun and wove the wool and flax, and the lads made the
wooden utensils, baskets, fishing tackle, &c. Whatever
else was needed was obtained from the pedlars, who came
their rounds two or three times a-year, dropping in among
the little farms from over the hills. The first great change
was from the opening of carriage roads. There was a
temptation then to carry stock and grain to fairs and
markets. More grain was grown than the household needed, and
offered for sale. In a little while the mountain farmers
were sure to fail in competition in the markets with
dwellers in agricultural districts. The mountaineer had no
agricultural science, and little skill; and the decline of
the fortunes of the "statesmen," as they are locally called,
has been regular, and mournful to witness. They haunt the
fairs and markets, losing in proportion to the advance of
improvement elsewhere. On their first losses, they began to
mortgage their lands. After bearing the burden of these
mortgages till they could bear it no longer, their children
have sold the lands: and among the shopboys, domestic
servants, and labourers of the towns, we find the names of
the former yeomanry of the district, who have parted with
their lands to strangers. Much misery intervened during the
process of transition. The farmer was tempted to lose the
remembrance of his losses in drink when he at-
|
Lakes Guides menu.
