Farming of Lancashire. 51 



and position of the plants ; but one layer will do for two ordinaiily quick 

 planters, though my bailiff, whom you saw, can transplant a statute acre 

 in the day. 1 usually transplant from 15 to 30 acres per annum, and have 

 raised, according to the examination of the Inspector of the Liverpool 

 Agricultural Society, 26 tons 4 cwt. per acre ; but the land must be 

 " muTcked heavily, ploughed deep, and weeded clean," which I consider 

 now, more than ever, the iarmer's motto. 



You allude in your Report to my invention of a portable railway, which, 

 I assure you, is a most valuable implement. I sent a model the other day 

 to His Grace the Duke of Richmond, for .the Entailed Estate Improvement 

 Committee of the House of Lords, and the railway may be got at a very 

 reasonable cost from Mr. Crosskill of Beverly. By it I remove the whole 

 of my green crops without the least injury to the land : and last autumn I 

 put 127 tons of manure on 3 acres of land, lying from 220 to 400 yards 

 from the manure-heap, at a cost in labour of 235-. 



I can only repeat my regret that I did not see you on your visit to my 

 farm, when I would have shown you the modus operandi of these different 

 implements, and which I shall be happy to do on any future occasion. 



Yours, &c., 



Halewood, June 2, 1849. Robert Neilson, 



II. — On a Dress for Drainers. From the Marquis of 

 Westminster. 



To Mr, Pusey, M.P. 



Dear Mr. Pusey, — I mentioned to you last summer a plan 

 we adopt to protect our drainers, when working in a narrow 

 trench to the depth of 3 or 4 feet, from the moisture with which 

 their clothes are saturated and their skin soaked for the day, 

 while exposed to cold and damp, by which rheumatism and its 

 attendant evils are entailed. 



The plan being one which the labourers readily take to, and 

 from which they derive obvious comfort, I wish to recall your 

 attention to the subject, giving you the result of what I have 

 tried for some years with success, and of which others may per- 

 haps approve. 



We supply our labourers with a sort of leathern trowsers, which 

 protect the hips and legs from coming in contact with the wet 

 clay. These leggings are used only by the man who digs the 

 last, narrow spit and scoops out the lowest soil from the trench 

 before fixing the pipe. In bending forwards, his shoulders also 

 are brought into contact with the upper sides of the wet trench, to 

 guard them from which a pair of leathern armlets are most use- 

 ful. These armlets, as well as the leggings, are put on and 

 taken off with perfect facility, are so far pliable as to create no 

 impediment to the action of the labourer, fit sufficiently close not 

 to rub against the sides of the trench, or make it crumble, and 

 effeciually keep out the wet for the entire day. They are easily 

 rolled up and carried to and from the place of work. 



E 2 



