12 Farming of Lancashire. 



succeed, their failure being- attributed chiefly to the constant rain 

 in the summer of 1848 ; but they have been grown 25 tons to 

 the statute acre, whilst the wheat sown by drill averages about 4 

 quarters, and beans 40 bushels. The milch cows, in number 25, 

 together with the young stock, is decidedly above the average, 

 and the milk is immediately disposed of in supplying the neigh- 

 bouring villages of the district. 



Near Newton, half-way between Liverpool and Manchester, 

 on the London and North-Western Railway, there is a farm 

 which deserves a passing notice, the property of Mr. Bankes, of 

 W'instanley Hall; it lies immediately to the eastward of the 

 Newton Station, and on both sides of the railway, and is now in 

 the occupation of Mr. Wilson. This gentleman was one of the 

 first to set the example of draining in this part of the country, 

 when living some years ago on a farm of Mr. Greenall's in 

 Winwick. His present farm contains 250 statute acres, with a 

 good house upon it ; but the farm-buildings are old, and quite 

 inadequate to the wants of the present day. When he came to 

 it, about two years ago, he found the land in a wretched state ; 

 his first object was to get it all drained, and this he has nearly 

 accomplished with horseshoe tiles and soles, which he obtains 

 from a tilery close to Newton. The soil being a strong heavy 

 loam, he has cut the drains 3 feet deep and 5 yards apart, but 

 made no air-drain, and, with the help of some Irish workmen, 

 he was enabled to do this at the cost of Ad. a rood of 8 yards, 

 the tiles being laid by the day at 135. per week; he has grubbed 

 up the old irregular fences, and filled up the ditches, so as to 

 divide the farm, where practicable, into fields of about 25 acres 

 each, or more. His plan is to plough up the old rushy sward 

 for oats; 2ndly, turnips, with farm-yard manure and guano; 

 3rdly, wheat or barley, with seeds to remain as pasture for two, 

 three, or more years, according to the price of corn or other 

 circumstances. The land being foul for the turnips, he cleaned 

 them by hand-labour for five or six weeks, and succeeded in 

 getting a crop of swedes, about 30 tons to the acre ; in preparing 

 the land for the turnips, he found the Norwegian harrow a most 

 useful implement : he ploughs with a common iron plough and 

 two horses, and sows for wheat 2 bushels to the statute acre. But 

 he unfortunately lives under the shadow of a large chimney, more 

 than 300 feet high, which is continually vomiting forth its pesti- 

 lential breath from some extensive chemical-works in the neigh- 

 bourhood, to the certain damage of all vegetable life within its 

 range, and that this is not confined to a small extent may be judged 

 from the withering effects visible upon the trees for miles round. 

 The nuisance occasioned by these works has been so grievous 

 and intolerable to the whole neighbourhood, that the farmers, 



