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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



which the work of eight horses may be made 

 availableforautumncultivation, cartage, &c. During 

 the month of November the ploughing for the pulse 

 crop, which will be 50 acres, will be accomphshed. 

 J of an acre will then form a good day's work. It 

 will require four ])loughs with two horses nearly 

 fifteen days to accomplish this. The 80 acres of 

 land for roots not under green crop will now require 

 a deep furrow, and three horses must be used to 

 each plough. | of an acre will still be a day's 

 work, for, although the days are shorter, and eight 

 hours' work are barely obtained, still the deeper 

 stirring requires a broader furrow, and less bouts 

 have to be made. Three ploughs will accomplish 

 this in about 31 days, making a total of 46 days' 

 ploughing during the months of November, 

 December, and January, by which time the winter 

 ploughmgs ought to be accomplished. We have, 

 therefore, 92 days, 26 Sundays, and wet or frosty 

 days, which gives us the work of nine horses for 

 twenty days for purposes of cartage and ploughing 

 up land after the mangolds and turnip sheep. 

 During February the pulse will be drilled, which 

 will occupy 5h days for eight horses. The land 

 prepared for barley, which, if much mangold be 

 grown, a considerable portion may be sown during 

 this month, say 59 acres, will employ eight horses 

 five days in drilling, so that we have but 19 days' 

 work on the land besides ploughing. After the 

 turnip sheep, which will not amount to more than 

 ten acres, or 2^ days' work, making 12^ days' 

 work during the 28 days, allowing eight ditto for 

 Sunday and wet weather, we have the work of 

 eight horses for ?^ days for other purposes. 

 During the month of March and the early part of 

 April the fallows (if necessary to be ploughed) will 

 again require stirring, if the weather be suitable, 

 and the rate of work here will be not less than 1;^ 

 per day, and when the breadth of furrow-slice is 

 taken into consideration, the distance travelled will 

 not be greater than to plough an acre of clover ley 

 for wheat. AVe have then during this period 16 

 days' ploughing for eight horses upon the fallows, 

 five days' ploughing after turnip sheep, and Sj days' 

 drilling barley, or a total of 24| days' work upon 

 the land, 46, or deducting Sundays and wet days, 

 13, which have left during this time the work of 

 eight horses for llA days for other purposes. If 

 the season be favourable mangold planting will 

 now commence, and, perhaps, at no season of the 

 year does this system of long hours and well-fed 

 horses show itself to more advantage than now. 

 It has often occurred to me, when noticing the 

 almost universally successful growth of roots by 

 our north country friends, that much of their suc- 

 cess depends upon the management of their horses. 

 I am presuming that the whole of this 80 acres of 

 fallow will be ridged, and considering how com- 

 paratively few days in the year we find the land in 

 a good state for ridging ; and ridging, unless it be 

 done well, had better be left undone, for it generally 

 ends in half a crop, no matter how well dressed for. 

 I say now is the season that horses up to their 

 work are valuable. Two pairs of good horses will, 

 if well driven, open and shut six acres of ridging 

 per day ; but, except in urgent cases, this is too 

 hard a day's work. Four and a half acres per pair 



per day is, I think, a fair day's work, and the man- 

 gold and swede planting will occupy, at this rate, 

 18 days for nine horses ridging and drawing 

 manure. The turnip land will require three days' 

 ploughing, and one and a half days' driUing for 

 eight horses, so that we have, during the latter part 

 of April and the whole of May, 22^ days' work for 

 eight horses. This, allowing for Sundays and wet 

 days, gives us 34 working days, but as only 22^- 

 days are occupied in the principal operations of the 

 farm, allows llh days with eight horses for 

 pressir^g and horse-hoeing the wheat, barley, extra 

 cultivation in the preparation of late barley, and 

 other miscellaneous operations. Passing on to 

 June, the green crops are folded off, and the land 

 ready to be prepared for turnips, rape, &c. Then 

 with five days' work ploughing the land, and with 

 average weather three days' work for eight horses 

 in preparing the seed bed for drilling, on with the 

 flat artificial manure. We have thus eight days' 

 work in preparing the land, and, allowing for 

 Sundays and wet days, we have 14 days remaining 

 for horse- hoeing root crops, and the cartage of 

 hay, which will be required during this month. 

 In July the work will be light and confined to the 

 cartage of peas, broadsharing the pea stubble, and 

 preparing the land for succeeding green crops. 

 There will be suflficient leisure this month to get 

 the horses into condition for the use of the reaping 

 machine, which is, certainly, at present, rather 

 severe labour. You will perceive, gentlemen, from 

 this statement, that I have been endeavouring to 

 prove that a pair of well-fed horses, per 100 acres 

 of the average soil of this county, are suflficent, with 

 an odd horse to render assistance at certain seasons 

 of the year, and to do the general work of the 

 home-stall. I have not intentionally exaggerated 

 any statement, and I may say, the quantities of 

 work, as given here, are usually performed on my 

 own occupation. You will perceive that I have 

 allowed 52 days in the year as entirely useless, be- 

 sides Sunday, which is certainly above an average, 

 and the intervals of time in each season, beyond 

 what is actually required for the cultivation of the 

 soil, are more than required for the miscellaneous 

 operations of the farm. I have supposed that one- 

 horse carts are to be used for the cartage of the 

 farm as economising horse labour, that each horse 

 be yoked properly to his work, and trace-harness, 

 where possible, dispensed with, and that the fields 

 are of large size. I do not say that land presenting 

 physical difficulties, such as want of drainage, steep 

 inclines, &c., are to be managed with this power. 

 I do believe this, that much of the land in this 

 country requires no more than is stated here. No 

 doubt but a system of breeding colts and working 

 them young, and selling them oflT, may be made to 

 pay well, in certain situations ; but there are ex- 

 ceptions, and cannot be brought into an argument 

 where general principles are sought as a basis. 

 This is a wide subject, gentlemen, and I know it 

 has been loosely treated, but still I hope it will 

 elucidate some light, and that we shall have a good 

 discussion to follow." 



Mr Williams, of Northcourt, having been 

 called on by the President to speak on the subject, 

 said that they were much indebted to Mr. Coggins 



