Barsi Ernő: Sály : egy bükkalji falu a hagyományos gazdálkodás idején (A miskolci Herman Ottó Múzeum néprajzi kiadványai 17. Miskolc, 1965)

oeople insisted on black. After World War II. mostly the young generation at Sály took over the cityfashion. Weaving and spinning was women's bussiness. They adorned handwovens with red stripes and flowerlike patterns, as well as cross and plain stitch embroidery was used for decoration of feast textiles, fancy towels, bridesmanshawls. Front of girls' blouse, rim of its sleeve were adorned with cross-stitch embroidery, for that mostly red thread was used. Beside red colour alsó blue was prefered. At choice of pattern almosty solely floral or natural (e.g. star) ornaments were taken into account. Until the fifties of past century the village was surrounded with woods having larger extension than the plough land. From subsistence point of view this large area of woods was for the population of Sály of great significance, even if it was in property of large estates. Until World War II. woodland work was performed in conventional way. Woodworkers carried out the labour using their own tools. They were engaged by recruiters. There were also regular woodsmen, but beside them a lot of others were engaged lo woodland work in winter when work in the fields was stopped. Works were performed in groups with 8-10 fellers in a group. Their clothes consisted of velvet knee-breeches, undervest, thick shirt, lambfur bodice of Hungarian cut, top boots, bonnet. Not all of them had gloves, whose hand was cold, washed it in snow. They used blacksmith-forgedaxe, long, straight frame-saw and a smaller so called barking saw. this latter was used for cutting up thinner logs. Woodsmen, who lived not far off, went home weekly, who lived afar, left for home fortnightly by foot. For meals they brought bacon, polatos, fat, flour, onion, corn flour, pastry, salt, red pepper and bread putting into a haversack called ,£00se". It weighed around 62 pound. Besides they were heaped with a three leg stew pot and a rag blanket to cover themselves. For purpose of lodgings they built a circular hut with a hole of one meter diameter on the top in order to let smoke of fire evacuate. The fire was sat around. Facing the fire it was scorching hot, while from the back they became almost frozen. After they had fallen asleep, the fire ceased burning. By next morning it was so cold that bread and potatoes froze. Felling of trees was carried out as follows: two woodsmen with reverse strokes notched the tree into oncthird of its diameter then took the frame saw putting it into the notch and pulled it until the tree knocked over. Then the tree was trimmed and branches were piled up. Later the wood was sorted out into groups of lumber, carpentry timber and firewood. Lumber was cut up on 3-5 meters long, and was so heavy that woodsmen had it drawn to the loading-dock by means of horses. Carpentry timber was at first disbarked. What could not be used neither for carpentry timber nor lumber, was cut up for firewood. From loading-dock to railway station or furniture factory the wood was transported by country-carters, until the World War II. a significant part of pupulation at Sály subsisted on carting. There were at least 100 carting-teams in the village. Transport of lumber was particularly a hard job. The drayman could not sit up on the cart but holding the rein in hand had to walk down beside the cart feeling cold and dry. Getting to an inn he was given eats and drink, there he had a nice time, no wonder he wasted often all his money there, it was his only amusement. The wood supplied excellent material to people at Sály to make their own tools and other personal belongings. E.g. stems were all home made. Coopers made casks and tubs of cak, carpenters made use of boards cut up at Sály sawmill to make furniture. Of maple wooden spoon was made. Wood was used up to make bush-harrow and pastry-board for women, cot for children. For winter amusement children made skates of wood for themselves. Even musical intruments, mostly cither and flute was made of wood. The wood was preserved by smoke-curing. Wood-ash played significant part in producing strong caustic, it was namely the washing ingredient in old days. The ash of cak was most suitable for this end. People at Sály used only wood for firing. Also charcoal was made of wood, since forge-men and women with charcoal iron needed it. The forest abounded in raw comestibles like mushroom and fruits. Wild pear, wild apple, cornel, blackthorn, thornapple, wild cherry, rowan-berry, rose-hips, strawberry and field strawberry yielded there. Besides wild honey and bird eggs were gathered in the woods. The forest was abundant in medicinal herbs as well. Crop of mast was significant, it was gathered for feeding the own animals while surplus was sold. Pigs were driven out for masting into the woods at the beginning of October. People at Sály considered the wood „there is soul in it, it feels being injured, however they were not quite sure whether it had brain". Keeping of livestock played important but not primary part in the life of people at Sály. Until end of the last century the hauling power for farming was served by the animals. Manure of animals ensured supplying productiveness of cropland, their milk and meat played significant part in nourishment. First of all cattle, pig and barndoor-fowls were kept at Sály. Importance of horses increased only between the two World Wars. Sheep was kept only on manorial estates. There were three herds of cow, one herd of cattle and one herd of swine in the village. Young and older catties were driven out to herd for they were not milked, thus it was nos need to drive them home. Milking stocks were driven