Agricultural and other newspapers sometimes publish accounts of changes that took place in agricultural practices, sometimes over a long period of time. The Buchan observer and East Aberdeenshire advertiser of 27 January 1948 published one such account. It looked at the changes that took place in the threshing mill and its use in the Buchan district. There were changes as a result of technical changes to the mills, but an even more important one was the motive power to work the mill. Rather that set out these changes, I’ll let the correspondent to that newspaper do that:
“On farm and croft.
Somewhere in Buchan a new threshing mill is being installed on a small farm of some sixty acres at a cost of over £260. The old mill being replaced is over 80 years old, and was still in use up to the date the new machine was erected. It was originally a two-horse lever mill, and had no fan, but just drum and tumbling shakers. It meant a lot of work with the hand “winnister”. But labour was plentiful and cheap then, and barn work provided a job for a rainy day. On a change of tenants a fan was put under the mill and travelling shakers were put in place of the old tumblers. Then an oil engine was got to drive the mill, and the old mill course and its levers were put aside. Over sixty years ago horse mills were by far the most numerous, though water power was always preferable where available.
At one time 80 per cent of the farm mills were driven by horse power, that meant a good deal of horse work, say a whole yoking at least once a week. On the two horse farm just mentioned a whole day was usually spent at threshing once a week, and dressing the corn, which had to be carried upstairs to a loft. Saturday was generally threshing day, because the schoolboys could be had to help with the work, such as “trampin’ the stae”, and handing sheaves to the person loosening the bands and throwing the untied sheaves upon the feeding bench. The feeding of a horse mill was done somewhat differently from that of a water mill. You had to study the fact that if you let the rollers get emptied, the levers would “come tee on the heels” of the horses. So the feeding had to be most carefully done. After an hour’s work the mill was stopped to breathe the horses. That afforded time for the sheaves to be carried nearer the mill from the far corner of the barn. Sometimes when hands were numerous, two or three men would make the straw into windlings or wisps, as it fell from the mill. That was usually hot work, especially at a big farm where a big water mill was at work. According to a bothy ballad of the period, “It’s sax o’clock the mull gangs on tae gie us a strett wark, an’ fewer o’s dae mak” tull her tull ye cud vring oor sark!”
Why did the straw be thus bundles, or make into windings? You may well ask that since scarcely any of the workers of to-day on a farm have learnt to “mak strae”, In the old days the farm steadings were not planned on labour-saving lines, but often there were several small detached byres and stables, and the straw had to be carried from the barn to these separate buildings. Now in days of wind the loose straw could not be carried. So the plan was to wisp or bundle the straw. A winding was of a size to meet the wants of a cow or horse, or perhaps two stirks. So common was the windling of straw that often when straw was bought or sold it was in windings, 60 to 70 per qr of oats. Straw at Fiars’ price was generally from 7/6 to 9/ per quarter. In seasons of scarcity straw was sometimes 6d a wisp. Over a considerable stretch of countryside you might see the tall stalks or chimneys when there was a fixed steam mill, and you would consider a wind mill as even a greater ferlie. Such stalks may still here and there be seen, but the steam mill has given way to the oil-power thresher, just as the old horse mill has made way for the up-to-date threshing and dressing machine driven by petrol, paraffin, or crude oil. One or two farm mills, obtain their power from the electric grid, which also supplies light for the buildings.
Before the oil engine came to the farm there was a period when travelling steam mills driven by traction engines were all the rage. Still, the majority of farms, if not also of crofts possessed a threshing mill of some kind. In Central Buchan were the “lam glums” of three fixed steam mills, and the sails of one wind mill. Sometimes a water mill was to be found at some distance from the farm steading, and that involved much carting of sheaves and straw. A straw shed in close proximity to byres and stable was large enough to hold a two or three days’ supply at a time.
In one case there was a steel rope run on upright pulleys, for over 200 yards from bucket wheel to the mill. Many of the water power mills have been supplanted by oil-power. But where there is “gang water”, or a plentiful supply from burn or dam, the water mill seems hard to beat, from point of view of economy. In very few cases may the tractor, be found driving the fixed threshing mill. Most of the mills since oil power became common were fixed up before the tractor arrived. A few farmers sold their engines when they got a tractor, but the greater number left the plant as it was, particularly if the engine was a good reliable one. In hauling and operating a portable mill the tractor has proved itself more efficient than the old lumbering traction engine of 6 to 8hp.
The traction and its train of two road waggons is now but a memory. The steam traction plant was hard on the roads, no tarmac then but often pot-holed, and half a foot deep in mud or dust. Large rakes of mud were piled upon the roadsides, where the foot paths ought to be, and often the cross-country roads were preferable to the turnpike or high way. The steam portable engine and mill which had to be moved from farm to farm by horses or oxen, was never very popular, though once got into position in a cornyard it gave a good day’s threshing. Fifty years ago the old portable mill had almost disappeared. Its engine might sometimes be seen in a wood being cut down to drive the sawmill. It served its day. Fancy a traction engine and its two waggons seated with people bent on a holiday jaunt, as to games or show, less than forty years ago.”
