Woolshed1

Goat Glossary

Angora: The fibre from an Angora or mohair goat. Age: Billy goat: Entire male goat. Breeds (milking): Breeds (Fibre): Browse: Feeding habits of goat. They appear to be grazing casually here and there as they walk along. Also the name of feed offered. Buck: Entire male goat of any age. Cashmere: Fine downy fibre from … Read more

Pasture Glossary

Aerobic: Chemical process that needs oxygen. Anaerobic: Chemical process that does not need oxygen. Annual ryegrass: Fast-establishing, winter-active ryegrass which generally persists for 9-12 months. Argentine stem weevil (ASW): Insect which attacks ryegrass, cereals, maize. Auricles: Claw-like projections a blade base, varying in size and hairiness. Used in identifcation. Autumn flush: Fresh growth of pasture … Read more

Pig Glossary

Baconer: Pig slaughtered at about 80 kg liveweight (60kg carcass) to produce bacon and ham. Barrow: A castrated male pig. Boar: Usually a male kept for serving females in the herd. Can be used to describe entire male of any age. Breeds: Farrowing: The process of giving birth to a litter. Farrowing crate: A structure … Read more

Poultry Glossary

Albumen: Protein that makes up the white of an egg. Is made up of four different layers. Australorp: Dual purpose (eggs and meat) breed of fowl develop in Australia from Black Orpington. Bantam: Small type of fowl. Battery cage: Cage to hold laying hens. Can hold single or multiple birds. Beak trimming: Cutting and cauterising … Read more

Horse Glossary

Bloodstock: Thoroughbred horses used for racing.Brood mare: Mare kept for breeding.Bronc (bronco): Wild or half tamed horse used for bucking in rodeos.Brumby: General term for wild or feral horse.Bucking horse: Horse guaranteed to buck when ridden in rodeos.Collar shy: Horse that does not like a collar put over its head.Colt: Young entire male usually less than three years old.Draught: Horse breed or type … Read more

Soil and Fertiliser Glossary

Acidulated: Fertiliser manufacturing process where acids are used. Aeration: Process where air gets into the soil pores. Aggregate: Cluster of soil particles (sand, silt and clay). Allophanic soils: Soils containing aluminium and silicon formed from volcanic ash. Alluvial soils: Soils deposited on land by water. Ammonium nitrate: Inorganic fertiliser with 33% or rapidly available N. … Read more

Northumberland: Changes in agricultural dialect. Part 1.

By Alison Johnson From a paper prepared when a final honours student at the School of English, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Printed in Northumbriana, No 19, Spring 1980. ISSN 0308-4809 PART 1 Interest in Northumbrian dialect stretches back through many centuries – the characteristic burr for instance was made famous by Hotspur in the thirteen hundreds, … Read more

Northumberland: Changes in agricultural dialect. Part 2

By Alison JohnsonFrom a paper prepared when a final honours student at the School of English, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Printed in Northumbriana, No 20, Summer/Autumn 1980. ISSN 0308-4809 PART 2Although there has been a number of national dialect surveys undertaken in Europe before the turn of the century, it was not until the 1950s that … Read more

Northumberland: The Greet Northumbrian burr

By Roland Bibby Northumbriana, No 37. Spring 1989 ISSN 0306-4809 The famous burr of Northumberland, the choking, rendering “r” sound, or rather its origin is an interesting subject. Most of Northumberland and a slice of North Durham were within the burr’s boundary in an 1890 survey. The burr has long been the Northumbrian’s trademark. Traditional … Read more

Northumbrian Dialect Scholarship

By Clive Dalton The late Harold Orton was a Professor in the English Department at the University of Leeds where his students used to go out during the summer vacation into rural areas to interview and record folk such as farm workers, game keepers and other rural workers. The English Department was near the Agriculture … Read more

Northumbrian Farm Glossary – from Aad to Yowens

As a daft laddie in the 1950s (see the editor 2nd from right above at Demesne Farm in Bellingham, with l to r Jack & Bob Beattie; the local Sergeant; Willie Potts with Jock; and Ante Dagg), you could count on a fine schooling in the art of the proper farm talk required in the … Read more

Meat Glossary

Accelerated conditioining (AC): Electrical stimulation of a carcass after dressing to stimulate rigor mortis which reduces toughness when frozen.Ageing: Same as conditioning.Blast freezing: Rapid freezing of meat in a strong current of air.Boner: Animal slaughtered for manufacturing meat.Cannon bone: Long bone in foot of animal (metacarpals and metatarsals).Carcass weight (CW): These vary according to definition: Casings: Material stripped from intestines used for … Read more