The extract below, is taken from the Book,
"Memories O' The Auld Days" written by James Black who was
born at Auchenfoyle Farm near Kilmacolm in 1915.
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"The lime was carted from Kilmacolm station
with horses and carts, and couped near the burn
or schuch (ditch). We aye used the best of lime
which came from Buxton. It was called shell
lime, and the lumps were the size o’ yer fist. It
had to be slaughened (soaked with water) with
water carried from the burn in pails. When it
was wet it burst and boiled and dissolved into
powder. It was then shovelled into the carts and
spread on the fields, again by shovel. All this
work was needed, because it was a well known
fact that with a wee bit of neglect the land
would soon revert to the wild state it was in
when Donald Black took it over. The dung from
the dairy kye helped to feed the land too.

The cows were all hand milked in those days.
The milk was cooled off in bins which held
about two gallons. They were placed on cement
shelves in a cool milk house. This story is not
for the eyes of today's Environmental Health
Inspectors. The folk who drank this milk are the
folk whose deaths you see in the Glasgow
Herald. Their ages range from seventy to one
hundred years.

Auld Georgie Crawford would be out in
Crescent Street, Greenock, shouting his head
aff if it wasn’t there at six o’clock every morning.
When winter was coming near we would put
new shoes on the horses. We aye made siccar
(sure) that there were plenty cog holes in the
new shoes, about three in each shoe. This precaution
was for frosty mornings. Most dairy
farmers kept a light legged horse for the milk
cart. It was heavier than a pony, but not as
heavy as a Clydesdale. There would be about a
dozen of these carts on the road. Some of the
milk was delivered in wooden butts. "

extracted from chapter eight, "Black O' The Green: Memories O The Auld Days, A Renfrewshire Farmer's Story",
© James Black - New Edition published in 2006 by Accolade Publishing, ISBN 978-0-9536238-1-5
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"Memories O' The Auld Days" traces James Black's life as a farmer over more than ninety years.
It documents many old farming methods which are in danger of being completely forgotten
as well as the huge changes that have taken place in agriculture over the last hundred years.

Over 60 period photographs, with many fascinating personal insights into a unique era in
Scottish farming can be found in Jimmy's book which can be purchased for £6.99,
by contacting Jimmy's agent via the "request the book" link below.

Request the Book
"Memories O The Auld Days"
by James Black, O' The Green Farm, Kilmacolm
If the last print run is anything to go by,
these will sell like hot cakes - Don't be disappointed - Reserve your copy now!
Reserve a copy of "Memories O The Auld Days"
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