THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



499 



THE DEFECTIVE STATE OF FARMHOUSES AND FARM BUILDINGS 

 IN THE COUNTY OF DURHAM. 



During the recent annual fair at Durham, the Council of the 

 County Agricultural Society, and other influential agriculturists 

 of the neighbourhood, dined with Mr. Spearman, at Newton 

 llall. This being the fourth anniversary of these gatherings, 

 they have begun to assume the character of perennial as well 

 as annual, and as the nunibers assembled greatly exceeded that 

 of ordinary parties, we have been anxious to be permitted to 

 advert to them, the more eapecially as the discussions that 

 occur, and which it is one of their chief objects to promote? 

 often have an importaut bearing. Leave has been accordingly 

 given us on the present occasion to take this notice of them, 

 and, at the same time, to give publicity to what fell from Mr. 

 Spearman on the important topic of the general defective state 

 of farm-houses and buildings in this county. 



Mr. Spearman introduced the subject by saying he was 

 afraid gentlemen at the other end of the room had not heard a 

 good story which had just been told by his friend on the left (Mr. 

 Wetherell, of Aldborough) of his having been almost afraid to 

 allude to a great calamity that had befallen au acquaintance of 

 his, in the shape of his having had his homestead burnt down^ 

 until the sufferer put him at ease by saying, with a smiling 

 face, " Why, between ourselves, it is no such aiotZ job to have 

 a set of old buildings burned down, which happen to be pretty 

 well insured." Now (said Mr. S.), I take leave to say I be- 

 lieve in ray conscience it would be a very (joodjoh if half the 

 farm buildings in this county were to be burned down, and 

 that almost whether insured or not. He was satisfied he 

 should be borne out by those he addressed, when he said that 

 nothing could be more deplorably defective in every sense of 

 the term than the great majority of the farm-houses and build- 

 ingi in this county. They heard landowneis constantly ex- 

 pressing their wish to induce men of capital to become their 

 tenants, and nothing coulJ be more rational. But did they 

 really expect that men of capital, of education, and intelligence 

 were to be induced to become the occupants of such habita- 

 tions and buildings as, generally speaking, were those which 

 alone these landowners had to offer? No doubt there were 

 agricultural enthusiasts, like a fox-hunting friend cf his who, 

 having undertaken the hunting of a subscription pack, said, 

 «' Never mind a house; I can live in a loft, but let me have a 

 first-rate kennel and stables !" and who would say, therefore, 

 "Never mind house, as long as the buildings are first rate." 

 But my friend was a jolly bachelor, as I suspect would be the 

 case with the agriculturists I havealluded to, It is otherwise with 

 married men; an 1 he took leave to say of the families of that 

 class of farmers of whom he was speaking, that they required 

 and deserved as good houses as could be obtained for them. 

 As regarded well-constructed and sufllcient farm buildings, 

 they were as absolutely essential towards conducting farm 

 business with credit and success as arc manufsictories and mills 

 towards carrying on the business of our great manufacturers ; 

 and what would any of thera say if they were invited to be- 

 come the tenants of buildings totally unequal to their require- 

 ments ? Why, that the inviter was one of Bedlam's out- 

 pensioners. True it was, that in times past, at least, it might 

 be said by some landlords, that their estates being entailed on 

 their eldest sons, if they laid out money on farm buildings it 

 was enriching them at the expense of their younger children, 

 for whom it was their duty to save a provision. Clergymen 



might say they were but tenants for life, and their children 

 will have nothing to do with their benefices at their deatli . 

 Others, again, might say they had no wives nor children, and 

 did not choose to cripple themselves for the sake of those who 

 are to corae after, who might be well satisfied with the pro- 

 perty being left them at all. But, gcntleraca, times are. 

 changed, and all these objections may now be met. In the 

 case of clerical persons they have been enabled, by Act of Par- 

 liament, to charge upon their benefices the coat of agricultural 

 improvement, to be borne as well by their successors as 

 themselves. As regards the other description of landlords 

 whom I have mentioned, they have been enabled, by the esta- 

 blishment of late years of a very important institution, to 

 obtain pecuniary aid, and this not merely for the purpose of 

 draining, which is afforded by the Government, but for that of 

 agricultural buildings. An annual charge is created upon the 

 property in respect of which the advance is thus made, includ- 

 ing interest and a payment towards extinguishment of the 

 debt, which is thus liquidated in a given time. He alluded to 

 the West of England Land Improvement Society, established 

 by Act of Parliament, under which the advances made by it 

 took priority over other charges, which enable! it to dispense 

 with inquiries into title. He was sorry to have to confess that 

 on his own property the farm-houses and buildings are quite 

 as bad as on that of his neighbours, though he had long con- 

 templated reformation, and was going now to set about it in 

 good earnest. He had, in the first instance, purposed effecting 

 this at his own cost ; but it afterwards occurred to him that as 

 regards one set of buildings he might be doing a service by 

 trying what in this county he believed was an experiment — 

 namely, that of applying to the West of England Land Im- 

 provement Society for aid. This he intended, therefore, to do. 

 With reference to the projected buildings themselves, he 

 begged also to be allowed to say a few words. He had known 

 instances not infrequent, of landowners proceeding to erect 

 farm-houses and buildings under the advice of architects and 

 builders— the result being very pretty things, architecturally 

 speaking, but which, when submitted to the criticism of prac- 

 tical agriculturists, had been found anything but what, had they 

 been consulted in the first instance, they would have sug- 

 gested, though perhaps infinitely more costly. He proposed, 

 therefore, to reverse this order of proceeding, and before he 

 called in architect or builder, to take the advice of some of his 

 experienced agricultural friends — some of them whom he saw 

 present had already promiicd their assistance. When he 

 should have shown them the site he bad selected, which he had 

 chosen as being centrical, but also as being close to the best 

 roads, a matter in his opinion not always sufficiently attended 

 to, and furnished them with the precise quantities and propor- 

 tions of arable and grass land, as determining the number of 

 draughts and consequent amount of stabling, the extent of 

 cattle-sheds, feeding houses, and barn room, he should request 

 thera to say what, under the circumstances, if about to occupy 

 such a farm, they would desire to have as regards extent and 

 arrangement of farm buildings. The farm consisted of about 

 500 acres, and the site of the buildings was close to the bigh- 

 w.^y fiom Durham to Hartlepool, which runs through the farm. 

 When they sat aejain, as he hoped they should do next year, 

 he expected he should be able to report satisfactory progress 



