This photograph was taken on the Trotternish peninsula on Skye in the 1930s.
A cas chrom, or crooked foot, was a farming tool well suited to use on broken rocky ground. The tool consisted of a strong piece of wood about 6ft long, which was bent near to the lower end. It had a flat wooden head and a sharp piece of iron at the cutting edge. A piece of wood protruded from the shaft on the right hand side. This was so that the person using the cas chrom could use his foot to force the blade into the ground.
Click to enlarge the image, read the text then answer the following questions.
Questions
- What might today's crofter use in place of the cas chrom and why?