THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



271 



2^d, per eight yards, running mc-asure ; pulling and clean- 

 ing swedes, on thirty-inch riilges. Id, for sixty yards ; man- 

 gels, Id. for fifty yards ; turnips, Id. for eighty yards, run- 

 ning measure. This work is mostly performed by women, 

 who earn 2s. 6J. to 3s. a day." Mr. Henry Humphreys, of 

 Beau Manor Park, Loughborough, states that " piece work 

 is not put into practice so much in this neighbourhood as 

 in my opinion it should be, for the mutual advantage of 

 employer and employed. 1 have observed, in other coun- 

 ties I have visited, where the labour is executed by the 

 piece, that the work is much more expeditiously pevformed, 

 and the labourers more active and intelligent; resulting, in 

 a measure, from their ability to earn greater wages. They 

 are better fed and better clad, earning oftentimes from Is- 

 to Is. 6J. per day, by the piece, more than can be afforded 

 to the ordinary farm labourer, owing to the regalar and 

 limited amount of labour executed in the day system. We 

 are progressing slowly and gradually towards piece-work, 

 and, whenever we can, prefer having the labour done in this 

 way. I give you a list of prices paid upon this farm and 

 neighbourhood, the labourer finding his own beer : Mowing 

 grass 4s., clover Ss. Gd, to 8s. per acre; mowing and 

 tying wheat, from Os. to ISs. per acre ; renping wheat, 

 14=!. to 16s. per acre. Mowing barley, Ds. to 3s. 6d. ; 

 reaping and tying barley, 10s. to 129. ; mow-ing oats, 

 2s. 61. to 3s.; reaping and tying ditto, 8s. to 12s.; 

 cutting and tying beans, 9s. to lis. peracre. Hoeing wheat 

 3s. 6d., barley 3s., beans 4s. 6 J., peas 3s. 6d. per acre. 

 Hoeing and singling turnips aud mangolds twice over, 6s. 

 per acre ; raising and dressing swedes, from 7s. 6d. to 9s. ; 

 ditto mangolds, 10s. to 12s. We do not allow the roots of 

 mangolds to be cut with the knife. Forking and raising 

 potatoes, from 6d. to 8d. ; double digging, from 28. to 3s. 

 per 100 square yards. Draining, varying from three and a- 

 half to five feet deep, 7d. to Is. per rod of five and a-half 

 yai-ds. Fencing : cutting down, taking out dead wood, and 

 making strong fence, from 6d, to 8d. per rod of five and a- 

 half yards; tiiinming fences, OJd. per rod," Mr. Hum- 

 phreys concludes by saying there is not any portion of the 

 carting or stacking of grain done in his district by the acre, 

 and expresses an opinion that it would be highly advantage- 

 ous to all parties if such a system were generally adopted. 

 Mr. G. Shackel, of Erleigh Court, Beading, in a very in- 

 teresting letter, but which came too late for me to make full 

 use of, considers the subject of vast importance to tlie 

 farmers. He believes the labourers are not what they used 

 to be, in not taking that interest in their master: hence, 

 the greater necessity for piece work — that it tends to make 

 good labourers. A bad labourer he compares to a bad im- 

 plement — next to nothing. The same maj be said of Mr. 

 S. Druce, of Eynsham, Oxford. From Wiltshire I have been 

 favoured with letters from Mr. J. W. Brown, of Uffcoit, 

 Swindon ; Mr. W. Saiusbury, of West Lavington, Devizes; 

 and Mr. W. J. Brown, of Hazlebury, near Chippenham. 

 From Mr. Brown's letter, of Uflfcott, I learn that the har- 

 vest work is generally done by the piece, at about average 

 rates. He advocates reaping his wheat, as it is carted in 

 less time, and costs less to stack, thrash, and thatch. The 

 stubble he gets cut at from 3s. to 4s. per acre, immediately 

 after harvest, and at 2s, 6d. later in the season, Mr. Brown 

 has tied up wheat after his reaping machine at 7s. per acre, 

 but considers it could be done at .'Js,, if they were generally 

 used in the locality. Mr. Sainsbu'-y states that " at certain 

 seasons, if piece work were not adopted, much of the work 

 of the farm would have to be completed out of season, 

 and contends that it is to the advantage of the country, 

 at well as to the farmer and labourer, that piece work 



should be carried out in all branches of agriculture, as 

 far as it is practicable. The average price of reaping 

 is lOs. peracre; allowance for beer. Is.; tying after the 

 reaping-machine Ss. Gd. ; turnip-hoeing twice, being once 

 previously horse-hoed, 8s. per acre, allowance for beer Is.; 

 mowing oats and barley 2s. to Ss. ; mowing grass 2s. to 3s. 

 6d., with an allowance of one bushel of malt to each man ; 

 at the time of harvesting the corn, the men are paid about 

 43. per week extra, with beer." Mr. W. J. Brown states 

 that "he regards the subject for discussion of the greatest 

 importance to farmers in general. The largest quarry- 

 master in England told him the other day he always noticed 

 his men, when working by the day, get fat, but quite the re- 

 verse when by the piece. Beer is done away nith in many 

 places, but not to the satisfaction of the men." Mr. Brown's 

 practice is to send to each of his labourers one nine-gallon 

 cask every three weeks in summer, and every si.^ weeks in 

 winter. If any short time is made, he deducts 2d. per day : 

 he contends this is one of the means of keeping the labourer 

 from where he states every evil is concocted — the beer shop ; 

 and he thinks nothing will improve the labouring class like 

 this, and giving him a three-bed-room cottage to live in- 

 Mr. Brown does his reaping with a Burgess and Key's ma- 

 chine. In 1859 he cut 133 acres in nine days ; last year he 

 cut 122 acres at about the same rate. His labourers now 

 look upon the machine as a friend instead of an enemy. 

 For tying up after it he gifea 5s. an acre, without beer; 

 winnowing and dressing after the machine, 3d. per quar- 

 ter — a custom he finds answers his purpose. He also thinks 

 there are two things upon a farm you can do too much of in 

 a day, viz , drilling and thrashing, and condemns a finishing 

 thrashing-machine. Mr. J. T. Twynam, of Winchester, has 

 very kindly forwarded me the following list of prices paid 

 for labour in Hampshire : — Mowing and binding wheat 7s. 

 to 8s. 6d,, mowing and forking barley and oats 38. to 4s. 6d., 

 mowing and binding ditto 5g. to Gs. Gd. per acre, without 

 beer; mowing mixed upland grass Is. lOd., clover 2s. 6d.» 

 sainfoin 2s. Gd., pastures and water-meadows 3s. Gd. per 

 acre ; hoeing turnips or swedes once 6s., twice 8s. to lOs. 

 per acre ; dung spreading, where about 12 tons per acre is 

 put, 2s. per acre ; cutting and laying quickset hedges 6d. per 

 rod of 5^ yards ; making faggots 6d. per score ; banking for 

 the reception of quicksets, when planted 9d. per rod ; making 

 dead hedges with coppice wood, two feet high 3d., three 

 feet high 4d. per rod ; moving earth per cubic yard 3d , 

 chalk or gravel per cubic yard Gd., with Id. per rod in 

 addition for every fifteen yards in length over which it may- 

 be wheeled. Chalking 30s. to 403. per acre, according to the 

 depth at which it is found, and wheeling on in barrows from 

 1,200 to 1,500 bushels (55 to 68 tons) per acre; this chalk 

 is immediately spread, cost included in the price stated, and 

 left to be acted on by the frost. Trussing hay 23. Gd., ditto 

 straw Ss. Gd. per ton ; thatching corn ricks 8d. per square of 

 100 feet, including all work attached to it, but not materials ; 

 grubbing up strong hedge-rows or coppices, and thoroughly 

 cleansing the ground, Is. 3d. to Is. Gd. per square rod; 

 burning ashes round the borders of farm roads 33. Gd. per 

 100 bushels, including paring the turf; breast-ploughing Gs- 

 to 83. per acre, according to nature of soil ; flooding water- 

 meadows, and keeping the water-courses clean throughout 

 the year, Gs. per acre. Stacking hay and corn is done 

 by the day, the men being paid one-third for the former, and 

 double in the latter case, over the usual wages, with one gal- 

 lon of beer each per day ; this mode is considered preferable 

 to task work, as the men are immediately under the control 

 of the employer, which is of great importance while such 

 work is in progress, Thrsshing is nearly all done by ma^ 



