February/An Gearran

Cha tig fuachd gus an tig 's t-earrach
There is no cold until the spring comes .

The old people divided the spring season into earrach geamhraidh and earrach samhraidh. They believed that the spring season started on the 12th of February. They anticipated 9 days of cold winds (naoi làtha Gearrain) from the 13th of February, followed by 3 days of strong winds (tri latha sguabaig) to dry out the ground. Counting on this logic, we arrive at the 24th of February: ie the landmark for starting the spring work. People made preparations for their tilling in February. It was a welcome sight to notice the days becoming longer. Until ........., the tilling of the earth in Staffin was done with the cas chrom. Thereafter the work was carried out by the spade.

All of the sheep were gathered and taken to the fank where they were dosed. This process served the purpose of controlling liver fluke which was a menace in the wet grazing areas. In their spare moments, people laid manure on the grass, by using a barrow. There was no shortage of manure! If February weather was dry, the moor burning (falaisgearan) would begin. The big, coarse heather would be set alight to enable new soft grass to grow in its place during April and May to provide a welcome bite for the sheep.

Some crofts required draining, and during February, open drains would be cleaned. There was a term called 'leaders' for the drains - big drains and wee drains flowed into the leaders, which were situated between two crofts, and purpose built. By the time the drains reached the shore, there was a lot of water in them. Where drains determined the boundary between crofts, it was especially important to clean these, and this was done on a communal day by the two crofters from either side of the boundary. That particular job was carried out perhaps every five years, though there was an element of draining to be done annually. Within the croft itself, stone drains would be repaired and new ones opened up, according to the needs of the ground. Each season had its own workload and it was so important not to neglect wee repairs in the early stages of damage. Fences were also repaired in February, and where there were visible gaps in the stone or turf dykes, these were infilled.

Dykes and Fences - Fences were most uncommon in the district of Staffin until about 1960. And where there were fences, they were of iron construction. Until perhaps 1960, there were no fences to divide the crofts from one another, but there were dykes to separate the inbye land from the common grazing. Around the year 1950, the dykes were constructed of both turf and drystone. And where the dyke in question was for the purpose of dividing the common grazing from the inbye land, it was mainly turf dykes that were to be seen in the district. Everyone built their own, and the turf dykes were erected to a height of at least 4 feet. The ground with which they were built was dug out from the side on which one wanted one's livestock to remain. This had the added advantage of creating a drain in which water could lie. The drain provided drinking water for the animals, but it also acted as a further deterrent for livestock with a roaming eye who might otherwise take a run at the dyke. Some aspects of nature have not changed! The turf sods were constructed upside down, so that they would root better. The object was to encourage the growth of shrubbery and strengthen the barricade, but deter the growth of grass: Grass would all too easily catch the eye of the ewe with her eye on home. You repaired your dykes on an annual basis, because the natural elements - and notably the ice - caused damage to them. Repair work was carried out in winter and early spring. Home made gates in an appropriate place along the dyke provided an entrance point. The outlet could be made narrow for the animals to pass through, or wide for a horse and cart to enter. Gates were often made of the base of a bed, and even in the 21st century this is not uncommon.

February was the month when most of the cows bore their calves. At this time, a seaweed supplement was added to the corn not least to boost the health of the cows during and after the birth of their calves. People gathered the curly seaweed (feamain chìrean) from the high water mark and took it home on their backs. Then you boiled it in big pots on open fires outdoors. You added handfuls of corn - or some used husks of corn - to the pots to soften the mixture. People in the area who were perhaps a little better off gave linseed oil cake to their cows instead.

Dates for calving were noted. Some preferred to calve outdoors since the cows inside were so close together. People here often put a whole egg down a newly born calf's throat. The newly born calves had a special place of their own - it was called a crò and it wasn't uncommon to tie the calf there. The sooner a calf was accustomed to being handled with a rope around his neck, the easier he would be to handle. If this was delayed and a rope was introduced at several weeks of age, an animal could strangle himself in his resistance of it. Calving was a time when you needed to be sure that feeding was plentiful. Most of the cows would be hand milked, and all the calves were fed by a bucket. Milk was set in basins, and some households had a shed for this purpose where for a day or two the cream was taken off and collected until there was adequate cream for making butter. The milk was used for making crowdie, and this was enjoyed with a dash of cream on scones.

Crònan bleoghain
An old milking song

(The milker - herself a mother - compares the cow's loss of her calf with her own loss of her only son who has presumably drowned.)

The household made sufficient fresh butter and salt butter to last the home throughout the year. It was rare for a family to buy in butter unless someone special was arriving who didn't care for the home made varieties. Some housewives made cheeses. This job was continued throughout the summer until the milk got scarce. Bought milk was still uncommon in the 1970s here. The first calf's milk - colostrum - was boiled by the women for drinking. It didn't have a sour taste. Another favourite was stapag - fresh cream and oatmeal but it had a strong taste.