THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



233 



drainage waters, the sea. But, going a step further, 

 he is still more surprised to find that, even if all these 

 mills, weirs, and confined bridges were removed, 

 the river is so tortuous in its course, so imperfectly 

 cleansed, and so obstructed at its outfall into the sea, 

 that he becomes confounded and almost in despair, re- 

 turns declaiming against such injustice, and repenting 

 that he had spent so much of his capital in vain. Now, 

 this is the simplest case that can be brought forward, 

 but it is a common one, a very common one, and as 

 farmers desirous of improving our holdings, we ought 

 one and all of us to exert ourselves to the utmost to 

 have it done away with, to have the evil remedied. 



Farmers are of all men the soonest reconciled to things 

 as they are. We have had so little rainfall for the past 

 five years, that we are inclined to think our climate has 

 changed, and that St. Swithin has lost all his influence. 

 Depend upon it, this is not the case, and I trust nur 

 farmers at least will not be found napping when floods 

 do fall, but let every farm-drain be in order, however 

 poorly the prospect of an outlet may be. It will ulti- 

 mately find its way "somewhere," most probably to 

 the injury of many ere it passes finally away. I repeat, 

 that it does seem strange that our little island should 

 have its rivers, all its rivers and water-courses so im- 

 peded. I can imagine the rivers of a vast continent 

 causing impediments to drainage in the many districts 

 through which they flow, in the immensity of their length ; 

 but that our tiny rivers, rivers whose length is scarcely 

 perceived in the comparative mass, should thus be so 

 obstructive, is totally at variance with good order and a 

 nation's wealth. It might have been urged with some 

 plausibility some years since, that this water as a driving 

 power for mill machinery was very valuable ; but what 

 is it now ? Why steam-power everywhere supersedes 

 it. Rivers are no longer required as " forces" for mill 

 machinery. Steam is better, more certain, and cheaper 

 consequently. But the impediments thrown in the 

 way by these mills and other obstructions cause the 

 periodical flooding of immense tracts of very valuable 

 land, and thus the commonwealth is injured. This 

 probably calls more loudly for a remedy that the under- 

 drainer is entitled to. I will state a few facts. In 

 1845, Cumberland and Westmoreland were visited by a 

 tremendous flood, and again in 1852, doing immense 

 damage. la 1853, South Wales was wofully damaged 

 by the overflowing of its rivers. In 1852, the districts 

 of the Severn and Wye sufi'ered amazingly : in one small 

 parish alone 2,000 sheep were washed away, from 

 the impetuosity of the floods. All the vale of 

 Gloucester was one wide-spreading sea, the 

 tops of the trees alone being visible. In the same year 

 (1852) the whole country suftered extremely. The cen- 

 tral basin of Somersetshii-e — i. e., the district included 

 between Glastonbury, Wells, and Bridgwater — was un- 

 der water. Sedgmoor was deeply flooded, and great 

 damage done. The Valley of the Thames suffered wo- 

 fully. " All the low lands for miles above and below 

 Windsor Bridge were flooded several feet in depth." 

 Oxford was standing in a sea of water, and all the lower 

 country was under water from September, 1852, to Feb- 

 ruary, 1853 ; the losses most disastrous, great numbers of 

 families ruined. The Thame had 17 floods in 12 months 

 from its choked condition. Hay harvests and corn har- 

 vests were washed away. In 1849, from the source of 

 the Trent to its junction with the Humber it was one vast 

 inland :sea for the length of 150 miles, and occasionally 

 stretching for miles on either side. In 1848 the mid- 

 land^.counties suffered very much ; and in 1849, 1852, 

 and 1853 the valley of the Nene suffered from extraor- 

 dinary floods. In 1853 the Essex valleys were in a most 

 deplorable state ; the hay all spoilt. I might go on 

 enumerating, page after page indefinitely, all chiefly the 



result from river obstructions. The waters could not 

 pass off with sufficient freedom. The consequence was 

 a vast destruction of property ; and as the same state of 

 things now exist, it is most likely to occur again ; in- 

 deed, it is perpetually recurring in a less degree. Now, 

 what are the obstructions ? Take the Nene ; it has 33 

 mills in a length of 60 miles. A case is named in Dor- 

 setshire where five mills stand as obstructions within 

 the space of four miles. Other like instances are pretty 

 general. Now, it has been fully proved that much of 

 this damage may be prevented, if not all. The rivers, 

 streams, brooks, and every watercourse of any moment, 

 require to be placed under Government inspection, and 

 a power given by one comprehensive Act of Parliament 

 to deal with any manifest injury or obnoxious impedi- 

 ment. I like much both local government and local 

 management ; but I have seen so much of it with regard 

 to drainage as connected with the Fens, that I would 

 have something compulsory in the Act, provided a good 

 case was made out, and the managers of a district re- 

 fused to act or complete the improvement. Our rivers 

 require deepening and straightening. I have not seen 

 one that does not need this much, and I have seen most 

 of them. The outfalls require improving no doubt, but 

 if a more rapid and powerful stream is turned thiough 

 them they will improve much by scouring. 



I say, then, as a practical farmer, our improvements 

 can never be consummated, or come to approach con- 

 summation, while such grievances and hindrances exist. 

 Why is my occupation to be comparatively worthless 

 because the waters are held up for my neighbours' ad- 

 vantage ? Why, in these days of the wondrous railroad 

 conveniences, are our rivers to be held up for navigable 

 purposes ? We live in stirring times, and we must keep 

 pace with them. " All private interests must give way 

 for the public good." Compensation is, however, 

 generally, if not always, accorded to the suS"erers ; it is 

 altogether contrary to British justice and British custom 

 to do otherwise. I stay not to point out any course of 

 procedure. We have numerous, 1 had almost said in- 

 numerable. Boards of one kind or another, any of which 

 might be taken as a type for the formation of a com- 

 mission for the improvement of the arterial drainage of 

 the country. I heartily wish the noblemen, gentlemen, 

 yeomen, and others comprising that body known as the 

 "agricultural community," would at once take this 

 question up, and deal with it as quickly and as justly as 

 its importance demands. 



BEEF V. MILK, BUTTER, AND CHEESE, 

 alias THE CATTLE-FEEDER v. MILK 

 AND DAIRYMEN. 



Sir, — Common sense for profit has begun to call out far 

 aloud, and wide, and wisely says the immense quantity o 

 milk, butter, and cheese used in the metropolis and othe 

 great towns yearly in the kingdom, ought to he forthwith 

 taken into consideration, and not to be thrown upon the 

 shelf for fat-fleshed beef, as if we entirely fed upon beef. 

 Greater attention ought to have been, and ought in future, 

 to be paid by the judges of breeding cattle in the quantity 

 and value of the milk. The great milkmen in London have 

 proved to their satisfaction that many of our close and high- 

 est bred animals are profitless in their hands, and when dis- 

 covered, are sent to the fat market and sold as beef; the same 

 has been done by dairymen of the greatest eminence. The 

 never-to-be-forgotten in Smithfield, in the breed of cattle 

 (I mean the real old English gentleman. Sir Charles Knight- 

 ley ), proved that like produced like. In his Durhams his 

 great aim was a fine, firm, silky, grained marblea flesh. 

 Sir Charles, undaunted, persevered until he obtaiued flesh 

 equal to the best Scots upon short-horned cattle, which was 

 said by his opponents never could be done. 



~ ierhoroii'jh, Samukl Arn.sby. 



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