Agriculture of Shropshire. 29 



growth, and an aptitude for fattening-, and will probably be as 

 well formed as the boar. Such stock should be fattened and not 

 reserved for breeding purposes. I do not consider that it would 

 be practicable for the pigs bred on these dairy farms to be fattened 

 there, but I should rather advise the old-fashioned plan of keeping 

 them until they are worth 1/. each and then letting them be sold. 

 Pio-s bred in this manner would meet with an immediate demand. 

 The number bred should not be limited to as many as the whey 

 will keep : it will be found more remunerative to purchase or 

 grow other food for them, and keep a larger stock. 



Horses. — These are strong and active, and, generally speaking, 

 well built. Many are bred here, and sold when four or five years 

 old in the manufacturing district. This explains, in a great mea- 

 sure, the unusual horse-strength observed on most farms. Four 

 horses all at length in a plough ; five horses in a cart, with per- 

 haps 2 cubic yards of dung ; and long useless teams in the 

 waggons, are of frequent occurrence. But this apparent waste of 

 labour is simply to exercise their horses during times when work 

 is not pressing ; at other times, when despatch is necessary, we 

 find the teams divided and accelerating the work on the farm 

 to an unusual degree. This is of immense advantage in the 

 early summer and autumn, when there is an excessive pressure 

 of work to be done. The breeding of horses is, therefore, well 

 suited to the district ; and when they allow the colts to be four 

 3'ears old before breaking them in for regular work, they always 

 pay the most money. They may, with advantage, be brought 

 into work when three years old, but the labour should be light ; 

 and after the colt has been worked three or four months it will 

 be desirable to let it run for eight or nine months more, which 

 will add considerably to the value. Good four-year old horses 

 sell for 40/. to 50/. each, according to quality. 



Implements. — These are generally cumbersome and anti- 

 quated; but few modern implements have come into general use. 

 Howard's iron ploughs, Sanders' and Williams' harrows, together 

 with turnip and corn drills, are met with, and are daily becoming 

 more general. Many use the old wooden ploughs, more from 

 having them and not wishing to purchase new ones than irom any 

 other cause. The cases are very rare of new implements being 

 made on the old plans. New ploughs are generally iron ploughs, 

 which answer uncommonly well and are general favourites. 

 Portable steam threshing-machines are frequent, and most of the 

 corn is threshed in this manner. Carts are seldom used except 

 for such work as drawing dung. They are never used lor harvest 

 work, this being entirely done by waggons. 



Farm Buildings are generally well and substantially Iniilt. 

 The general plan is a square, with the sheds and other buildings 



