The New Forest (1904) (14773682662)

Identifier: newforest00rawnrich (find matches)
Title: The New Forest
Year: 1904 (1900s)
Authors: Rawnsley, Alice Julia Argles
Subjects: New Forest (England : Forest)
Publisher: London, A. and C. Black
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN



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t now we may meet many a Forest cart, itswheels sinking deep into the soft, peaty soil, andmaking larger ruts in the already deeply-scoredtracks, moving slowly and with difficulty across theheath to gain the roads, with its burden of glowing,warm-tinted bracken. This, too, is the pannage month (really coveringsix weeks, viz., the whole of October and the firstfortnight in November), during which time mostdwellers in the forest have the right of turning outtheir pigs to run loose where they will during thedaytime, for they generally return to rest in the samespot for the night. This is a iiappy time indeedfor many a huge black sow, followed by her train often, twelve, or even more, little glossy black piggies,the whole party snuffling, grunting, and squeaking,running races round their unwieldy parent as shewaddles along, calhng her offspring to her sidewhenever she comes upon an especially rich storeof scattered beech-nuts, sweet chestnuts, or an oak ON THE BEAULIEU ROAD.A WET OCTOBER.
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OCTOBER 103 whose acorns are fine and well flavoured; and,while pigs may consume as many acorns in the dayas they have a mind to, and only thrive and getfatter on them, the more they can eat, it seems hardthat the poor cows and heifers, who equally love asimilar diet, cannot so indulge with impunity, andhave to be carefully guarded from access to toomany acorns. Many a favourite heifer have weknown to have died from the ill effects of a surfeitof acorns ; and one may often see, in a field skirtingthe forest, where oak-trees let fall their ripenedacorns and cups into the grass, women and girlsgathering them up into baskets, or into their aprons,and this has to be done each morning, before thecows can with safety be turned into the field,so long as the plenteous supply of acorns lasts.Sometimes, by ill luck, the animals will breakthrough a weak place in the fence, and, runningloose amongst the trees, have a feast under theoaks before their escapade is found out; and then,very frequently