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wages vary from week to week; changing in the course ofharvest from ninepence or a shilling, up to three shillings, orperhaps higher for one or two weeks. Most farms have somereapers who live within their bounds, as every cottager isobliged to produce one ; but these are by no means sufficient,and the necessary number must be engaged at the markets.Where there are considerable villages near, these generallysupply the surrounding farms ; but where farms are at a dis-tance from such villages, the husbandman must have recourseto hiring markets for a supply. In some districts, particular-ly.in East Lothian and Berwickshire, there are weekly hiringmarkets during harvest, while in others these are held onlyonce in the season. Various other circumstances respectingreapers will occur in discussing the subject of their food orvictuals, and their hours of work.
It might be tedious to trace the various modes of feedingreapers in harvest through different districts in Scotland , andit appears quite sufficient to mention the usual plan in Ber-wickshire. The reapers who live upon the farm, and tliosohired from the near neighbourhood, who all go to theirhomes every night, are supplied with two meals every fullreaping day. They enter to their work at sun-rise, and getfor breakfast as much porridge, or oatmeal boiled in water tothe consistence of a firm pudding, as they can eat, averagedat a Scotch pint, or nearly two English quarts. Along withthis, they have a quart of sweet skimmed milk to each person.After an hour’s rest at breakfast, they resume work at teno’clock, and at half past eleven are allowed a rest of half anhour. At one they have for dinner a loaf of good vvheatenbread, from a pound to eighteen ounces in weight, and aquaitof table beer for drink. Having rested an hour for dinner,they begin work again at two, have half an hour’s rest atfour, and they give over work at sun-set. They receive nosupper at the time, but after harvest is over, they usually re-ceive an allowance of half a for pit of barley, about one twen-ty-fourth part of a Winchester bushel, for each day’s work