Spring seed saain on Aiberdeenshire fairms then and noo.

Introduction
Well fit like its Don Carney again wee anither blether aboot oor past Scottish heritage deen in the Doric o Aiberdeenshire the aria far I wis broucht up n still bide in the day. The blether the day is aboot the spring saain o the grain crap on Aiberdeenshire fairms lookin at the changes fae 1940s t 2020
A past y o fairmin in Aiberdeenshire 1940s style
Fairmin in Aberdeenshire his seen an affa lot o changes in my lifetime. Fin I wis born a lang time ago the saain o the corn wid hae been deen by Dreelin machine. Some fairmers wir still saain their corn craps using the happer.

Clydesdale horse
The Clydesdale ploughing

The power source in 1947 wid hae been some early Fordson and Fergie tractirs bit a lot o placies wid still hae hid the Clydesdale horses as the power source.
The ploughing
The ploughing o the park that wis t be saain oot wid either hae been deen afore new eer or after new eer dipen’in on the weather. The plood parks wid hae been left exposed t the winter frosts n snaa, that hilpit brake doon the grun. The steens wid hae been caed away t rouch grun or used t sort dykes that hid fain doon. The steens wid hae been teen aff by hand using a widdin steen sledge caed a puddick ruggit b twa Clydesdales. Aa the little steens hid t be picked up be han n thrown in over a kert. This wis jist a giy job t dee.
Getting the grun ready
In late Mairch, weather permitting, the grun wide have been cultivated, diskit n harrit.
Ence the grun wis ready t be saain the fairmer n his famila wid get ready for this job. The seed corn wid be made ready in hunerweight bags n the bags o manure wid be loaded on t the kert.
The dreelin machine or the happer wid be runkit oot n made ready. On the day the saain wis t b deen the bags wid be spread oot alang the tap o the park or at different places in the park t fill up the saing machine or the happer.
I mine filling the pail o corn ready t fill the happer for mi father. It wis a fine feelin is a loon hilpin yir father at this busy time. Bit that wis the y o things on a famila fairm.
Saain the grass seed

Broadcast for sawin grass seed
Sum o the parks wir sawn oot wee grass seed inaa, so that aiftir the grain crap wis hairstit that park wid hae new grass growin inaa. S wis pairt o the 7 ear crap rotation. Fin I wis a loon the grass seed wis sawn on a fine nae winnie day b the broadcast. This wis a horse converted implimint wee twaa boxes that delivered the grass seed out the boddim. Maist o these boxes wir green n colour n the mechanism wis driven fae the land wheel. Bit the happer could be used inaa t saa the grass seed. An ithir y o saain the grass seed wis b usin a hand pushed grass seed barrow fit a lot o crafters hid. This wis the same as the horse powered een bit a bitty lichtir n it wis hand pushed. The mechanism wis driven fae the big land wheel.
The grun is rollt
Ence the saain wis deen the grun hid t be harrit t cover up the grain n grass seed. If aa the steens were aff the grun then the grun wid be rollt. Some rollin wis still deen b the Clydesdales on fairms in Aiberdeenshire up the late 50s. I min fine the stew that the rollin casd, the stew stuck t the swet on yir brue.
The park fences wid hae aa been sorted n the pailin wire n posts aa tichint n secured afore han so that nae nowt or sheep wid get int the corn park. The gate wid be shut n the grun left t produce the crap for next year.
Modern spring saain methods
The day n 2020 a 155 HP Massey Ferguson 7720 tractor n its one pass seed saain machine is the y things are deen noo. The price o this rig new wid be Tractir £200K the Accord one pass machine £7K.
One pass machine
The getting the grun ready for saain n the saain n haarrin is deen aa the githir wee the one pass machine. The grain, be that corn or mair-n likely barley is hingin in a big bag fae een o the tines o the Tele hoist loader- noo an essential implement on ivery fairm. N on the ither tine hings a big bag o minure.
The seed n the minure are loadit inti the box on the front o the tractir. The grain n minure fae there it is then blawn be compressed air alang the side o the tractir in the spoots and the individual seed n the minure is then funnelled inti each o the bunnel o pipes at the back o the tractir n blawn int the grun.
The front wheels on the box it the front o the tractir n the tractir wheels brak doon onny lumps in the grun.
There is a rotary cultivator itt the back o the tractir that braks up the grun n makes a fine seed bed for the grain n the minure. The last job deen be massive and expensive machines is the tines ahin jist smoothin oot the seedbed.
Grass seed saain
The grass seed wid be saain b a less horse powered Massey Ferguson tractir wee an implement on the back. This his the seed in the hopper on tap and the seeds are directed int the grun doon the bunnel o pipes. The seed is harrit in wee the tines ahin. The loader on the front carries the bags o grass seed.
Fin the grun is being rollt, the tractor will hae its front loader ready t pick up onny steens. Aifter its rollt, that’s the job o saain throw.
Carney Heritage Productions heritage film archive
T fin oot mair aboot a past Y o life in Scotland n Aiberdeenshire ging t mi website www.scottishheritage.co.uk. Yi can find some fine films aboot the past t doonload n watch fin yi are in Lockdoon. I am sure yir parents n grandparents wid be interested in watchin the films that relate t their past inaa.
Don Carney
Dr Doric