Series 1 > Miscellany of the Scottish History Society (First volume)

ADWISE AND MEMORANDUM
487
sett them, fox’ that will discover ye rent, and always keep thm
in good order. Having always milnstons lying besyd thra a
year or they be needed, also wheels, axtrees, and other necessars
provyd thm always in tyme as ye miliars will show you either
to buy thm or get thm fra any gentleman as often I have done.
In ye summer cause always ye damheads, milnleads, brigs, and
ways to ye miln be mended, for if neglected a year they will
ruine, and ten tyme ye price will not mend thm.
4. Keep ye land in thrids as it is now, it is all limmed,
except ye floors;1 keep always 2 work horse and 2 mares for
ye plough, and a better on for yor self, and when ye wood is
for pastorage keep 6 milk cows w1 thr followers, if you gett
grass fra my Lord, if not you must keep but 3 or four, wcb
w1 ye 5 horses will eat all our own grass, wth labour as pre¬
sently it is, two wards in grass and on Labored three years.
Look to ye planting and be ay setting on qr it needs, for ye arn
above the dam head, sell them to any who will give ye pryce you
sett upon thm by ye advyce of any who knows best, when they
are ye bigness of axletrees and trams, for cutt wood young and
it grows ye better, ye calfward and ducathauch timber will
serve yor self, as for ye ash and oak, cut thm when needed,
and hen ye stocks throf by a bitt vyce dyk. For yor middens,
delve always a rig in ye spring, weil mucket on evry peece qr
ye beans will be, and sow thm w* ye rest so you loss nothing.
Buy always muck in Alloway for ye Cumla bank, and lay it
down qr we lay it presently 16d ye load, and lead it to ye
Sandyholl in summer, and evry summer if you can carry on
ye head dyk w . . .2 I have begun and let it not fall down.
Lead home ye coals in summer befor harvest, and mend
any houses th4 needs, you must always keep a good plough¬
man 20lib and his bunteth yearly; a barnman 16Iib, and a
goadman 10lib. It is but some more flail, for a litle boy will
eat als mutch as any of these and not work ye half, yor
women servts what yor wyfe thinks fitt, weh w‘ 6 days Shearing
of evry house will timeously cut down yor cornes. Iff non
of yor servts can big ye stacks on in ye town built always mine.
. . ,2 be not over hasty but by advice of yor friends marry in
1 The Nether Jloris, see p. 460 n. 1.
2 Worn away in original.