298 Farming of Leicestershire. 



dairy farms, which they put to a Down ram, selling off fat during 

 the ensuing summer both ewe and lamb. 



Besides the cattle and sheep, a iew young horses are also 

 grazed, the practice being to buy foals in autumn and sell again 

 the autumn following. Others buy yearlings at the same time, 

 and also sell at the same time as those who keep foals. Two 

 colts to a fair-sized field is about the number grazed ; from 

 six to twelve, according to the predilection of the occupier, being 

 run on a 300 acre farm. 



We are favoured with a communication from a first-class 

 grazier in the Market Harbro' district as to his own practice, a 

 brief quotation from which will further illustrate the management 

 of this class of farm : — 



" This farm consists of 570 acres : 300 acres being ricli grazing laud, 180 

 acres useful store land, and 92 acres strong arable laud. 



" 80 acres of the store laud are used for meadow, 40 acres being mown eacli 

 alternate year. A portion of the land so mown is manured with the dung 

 collected from the j^astures, and mixed Avith a little soil ; lime compost being 

 also occasionally applied. 



" As soon as the hay is carted from the fields, the store stock is turned in 

 for a few days, to pick up any stray piece of grass or hay that may have escaped 

 the scythe or rake, and then they are shut up for an ' eddish ' to fodder, with 

 cake, the fat cattle in the autumn. 



" The best size for a grazing pasture is about 24 acres, which, when full 

 stocked about the middle of May, carries about 20 head of cattle and 30 sheep ; 

 the former weighing from 80 to 100 stones (8 lbs. per stone), the latter from 

 10 to 12 stones each. 



" It is an advantage to have the sheep partly one and partly two shear, as 

 the latter come out earlier than the other, and a regular draft is maintained 

 the season through. 



" About 250 fat beasts are fed off during the summer, and 40 young beasts 

 are grazed with the store sheep, to be wintered, and fattened the following 

 summer ; 30 more are bought in the autumn, making in all 70 head to winter. 



" From March to May, 180 are bought for summer grazing, and in Aj^ril, 

 May, and June, the 40 young beasts are bought to run on as stores, to winter 

 fatten as above. 



" The stock wintered are taken to the yards at night, but turned out daily 

 for a few hours to the fields. 



" Forward animals generally pay well for 5 lbs. of cake given in June and 

 July ; and when eating cake they are best in small fields, not more than 

 8 together. 



" 20 tons of cake are annually used on the farm, and in the end the best 

 linseed cake is found the cheapest. 



" All the oats grown on the farm are consumed by the sheep and horses. 



" The winter flock of sheep are about three to two acres. 



" The best land has been drained at various depths, and the great benefit 

 derived from drainage is, that in winter the land bears the feet of the stock, 

 which clean up the grass, and the sheep do so much better with a dry lair. 



" The land when wet is ' hassocked ' every year in December, the hassocks 

 being cut with a square-edged spade, turned ovei', and fitted into the place 

 whence taken out. 



" Thistles have been nearly eradicated by a system of constant spudding 

 whenever they show above the ground. 



