In Hackstoun's landscape, a small figure ploughs a rich brown field on the edge of an unidentified village. Other figures look on as the ploughman battles against both the elements and the steep terrain. Here, Hackstoun's figures are faceless, anonymous peasants who blend with the land that they work. In this watercolour, he concentrated on the effects of weather on the landscape and its inhabitants. Wind strips the slender birch of its leaves, scattering them among the flocks of birds. In the distant valley rain falls heavily upon the land. Hackstoun rendered certain areas in great detail, picking out individual leaves or roadside pebbles. In other parts, such as the muddy embankment, he left large blocks of colour without texture or detail.