Local historian, Colin Reed, has been researching farmers in the post-war period and has submitted and article which we hope to publish in the next Journal. He was so inspired by the subject that he penned a a poem which we have added to Kernow Goth for your enjoyment
Soft light appears around curtains edge
Tired bodies turn to rise from the bed
A new day beckons with promised long toil
Cornish tenant farmer is bereft of smile
A splash of water with carbolic soap
The embers in the range are sharply poked
A hunk of bread with wedge of cheese
Old joints now moving with greater ease
Unlock the door grab cap and coat
Old Nell the dog straining on chain to choke
With wagging tail all keen to please
Cornish tenant farmer bends his knees
Slips the chain & away she steals
With tenant farmer half running at her heels
Up Cornish lane they both traverse
With calls and whistles a familiar verse
Cows in watering field safely lie
With shout & whistle again Nell flies
To top of field to raise the girls
With run and bark their tails a twirl
To opened gate with Shamrock leading
With Ruby following and Buttercup bleating
The morning parade down lane proceeds
With sharp nip from Nell on slow Sheila’s heels
With slow ‘ol waddle down to milking parlour
The girls file into their stalls familiar
Udders bulging milk escaping
Tenant farmer gently chains them
With vacuum strong here comes cluster and churn
Shamrock sways ; rocks for she has learned
As tenant farmer wipes clean her teats
Soon she will have rich cake to eat
With bag of feed tossed into crib
The second cluster to Sheila is fit
Each Cow waits with odd quiet low
Eleven cows, hay & cake; milk freely flows
Time passes by with Red Ruby the last
All milk from the girls through manual cooler is passed
With grunt and strain from Tenant farmer
He’s quietly grateful that there’s been no drama
Churn lids are fitted, onto milk Platt are lifted
Cows unchained into Mowhay have drifted
Tenant farmer gives them rainwater collected
Stored in tin tanks from roof launders directed
With cows thirst quelled yard gate is flung back
Cows move on mass up the well worn track
Figgy Toll distant field of destination
With lush green grass and dragon flies racing
With iron crook & binder twine
Figgy’s gate is tied up tight just fine
A lean on that gate Tenant farmer takes a look
As he hears cow’s stomachs rumble from bites of grass took
With a whistle to Nell He turns round to walk back
His breakfast now calling as he walks down the track
Time to wash churns with splash and deep dunking
Is that the milk lorry already with noisy churns clunking?
With the cleansing all done Tenant shuts all the doors
Any slurry and dung must wait a little more
To the farmhouse he moves putting Nell on her chain
Leaves boots outside washes hands a kiss for wife Jane.
With bacon and eggs and saffron bun
Tenants late breakfast is all about done
Jane reminds him for water from the well
Which in two 3-gallon buckets will make his muscles tell
By 9.25 fresh water has been collected
With a spring in his step yard chores are effected,
By shovel and fork and an old wheelbarrow
The dung is collected for spreading tomorrow
Feed bags are prepared for this evenings milking
Water levels checked for cows which are drinking
Water is carried to the sows in the sty
Fresh straw is chucked in while piglets run by
Grunting and squealing and having great fun
Tomorrow they be cleaned out – and out with more dung
A fine rooster is caught, killed and swiftly plucked
He is for Sunday’s dinner he’s all out of luck
Tenant’s wife shouts out “dinner” as 12 o’clock comes
He scoops up the feathers where they lie in galvanised drum
To put in a sack to take to dung heap
To go back on the land with the worms they will meet
Dinner is served up – today its beef stew
With appetite discovered Tenant’s words will be few
With a big mug of tea while listening to world news
The accumulator powered radio gives a whole different view
Radio goes off now time for 40 winks
In chair by the clock Tenant raises his feet
A welcome break until the clock strikes two
Where more work awaits that has become due.
Hook, bar, pick and shovel into the drop box are fit
A flask of hot tea with fruit cake and a split
It’s off to Lodge field where the hedge has gone out
Nell comes too as he gives her a shout
On inspection the hedge is worse than first thought
The cows have been burrowing how the collapse has been brought
Three rows of stone today he has laid
But it won’t be ‘til tomorrow that completion is made
With Tea drunk & cake ate, back to the Mowhay he goes
Parks Tractor & with resignation his cheeks he do blow
As he makes his way up to where Shamrock is waiting
At first sight of Tenant her head she is shaking
And so begins the afternoon routine
Of hay, bag of feed and udder to clean
Milk swiftly flowing from small churn into cooler passed
Large churns used in cold dairy to help make it last
Its quarter to six & to watering field the cows are now brought
Cows house is tidied and the dairy is locked
In for a strip wash & shave at the sink
At a quarter to seven finally Tenant sits with tea to drink
Supper consists of fresh bread and sweet cake
Along with plum buns that Jane lovingly baked
Hot bubbling milk poured onto Ovaltine
He listens to light music & in quiet snooze he might dream
At ten o’clock his eye lids are heavy
Yet another long day but of course one of many
Cornish Tenant farmer lousting to get by
It’s been many a year now with only five more to try!
Five years before farm sale and pension day comes
Then finally long days & long hours he can shun
Until that day comes, he’ll pray he keeps well
No sickness or illness he hopes, but who can foretell?
Oh what a hard life and Oh what long days
So different to the ease and the comfort today
Cornish Tenant farmer respect to you we give
That our Cornwall was blessed by the life that you lived.