Reblogged from Jim Webster:

One of the tales my father always told was of back when he was in his teens and farm workers would work for a ‘term’ (summer or winter) and then after the term was up, he’d either sign on again with the chap he was working for or go on to the next fair.

Apparently one of the tales going round at the time was of a young chap who was approached by an old farmer who asked, “And what canst tha do, lad.”
“Owt yer want, Sir.”
The old lad was a bit sceptical about this, so asked. “Canst tha plough?”

“Aye, as well as any, and a good acre a day.”

“Canst tha milk cows?”
“Aye, tha’ll niver get a better cowman?”
The old chap was getting even more sceptical. “What about sheep? Hast tha worked much wi’ sheep.”
“Aye, I’m a grand shepherd an’ all.”

This was too much for the old farmer. “Canst tha’ wheel smoke in a barrow?”

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