Muck Spreading

This was the way it was In my childhood days With ancient and tried Crop farming ways. Up to the ankles in slurry, Muck fork in hand, Ready to spread manure To fertilise the land. No tractor and spreader Just an old ‘oss and cart Out in the early morning For a good start. Fold yard’s been cleared and Cart filled from manure heap, Fertiliser is expensive ‘Oss and cow muck is cheap. It doesn’t take that long To get used to the smell But Ammonia secretions Make the eyes run like hell. Up and down the furrows, At the end of the day you find You’ve spent a few hours just Watching an old ‘oss’s behind. A nice steady pace as the ‘oss Plodded steadily on and on Until another field’s finished, Another long day’s gone. Sometimes as just a kid I was so tired and dead beat Took all me time to stay awake Long enough for me to eat. It’s all mechanical these days With chemical fertiliser spread Soil crumbly and friable Insects and worms mostly dead. So, the world has reached crisis Caused by the modern ways Organic farming’s coming back With more natural fertilisation ways. Tractors and muck spreaders Nowadays play their part No more standing being pulled Behind an old ‘oss and cart. My world’s changed for better But I really regret the loss That these days you seldom Catch sight of an old shire ‘oss. The way it was for my Dad and all those other Farm Labourers before WW2 nchanged things.