24 Farming of Bedf or dsliire. 



an eyesore, while Ijy fetching home the straw, a load or two at 

 a time, repeated litterins^s are made when one might have 

 sufficed. In addition to this it is not at all uncommon to see 

 the straw blowing over the fences and fields in all directions. 

 Meanwhile we have said nothing of getting home the corn and 

 chaff, the latter being generally wasted. I am happy to say 

 that, although steam-thrashing is getting much into use, there 

 are but few of our farmers disposed to follow a system which 

 we have thought it right thus to reprobate. 



Our more judicious men either previously move the stack 

 into the barn, where it is safe from bad weather, or, setting the 

 machine pretty close to the barn, move the stack at the time of 

 thrashing, and so put the thrashed corn into barn, the offal into 

 the farmyard (the proper place for it), and stack the straw most 

 conveniently for future use. 



That portable engines are very convenient there can be no 

 question, particularly until farmers avail themselves of a fixed 

 engine on their own occupation, but I am strongly of opinion 

 that on all moderately sized farms it is far the most convenient 

 plan to have a smaller fixed steam power to do the grinding, 

 chafF-cuttIng, cake-breaking, &c,, in addition to the thrashing. 

 I repeat, that in the present emergency it may be good policy to 

 use these hired steamers, but the object of the owner must be 

 always to earn money ; there is consequently far more lumbered 

 out in a day than at all comports with the convenience of a 

 moderate sized farm. 



St/stem of makinfi the Manure. — The practice varies so greatly 

 even among good farmers, that it is no easy task to state the 

 best. All real business men are, however, agreed, that herein 

 lies the great secret of farming, that is, not how to make 

 manure at the greatest profit, for profit is out of the question, 

 but how to make the best manure at the least loss. This 

 question embraces so many points that it is highly difficult to 

 know where to begin. There are first the light sort of animals, 

 and the right position in which to keep them during the tim.e 

 of fattening ; whether in the farmyard, and if so, should the yard 

 be covered? or whether in the stall, or in boxes? These are 

 all, in themselves, important questions ; and then add to these, 

 What is the least expensive food? at the same time keeping 

 up the quality of the manure. 



The late Mr. Samuel Bennett, of Bickerings Park, was among 

 the first to adopt rather largely the system of box-feeding in 

 this county, and he made some very fine beasts, but how far 

 it paid him to erect his boxes, which he did himself at con- 

 siderable expense, we have no means of ascertaining. The 

 manure, it was said, always produced great effect. 



