198 ' Wealden Clay of Sussex. 



box has to be considered, and it is obvious that the tread of a 

 ]<eavy beast will pack more manure into the same space, and that 

 there is more value kept on the 10 feet square. There is another 

 great advantage in box-feeding, namel}^ that you can at any 

 lime take a beast out and put another in iiis place, which cannot 

 be done in a yard common to all. 



Cattle-boxes, each about 10 feet square, and 2^ deep for the 

 cistern part, thoroughly vv^ell made with O-inch brickwork and the 

 rest of timber, with a good slated roof, may cost about lOZ. each, 

 ;md I believe that the more rapid growth of the beast and the gain 

 in the quality of manure will pay fully 1/. a-year for each box. 



In hot weather I have found it an excellent plan to whitewash 

 the outside of the slate roof, for by so doing the boxes are kept 

 cool, and the comfort of the beasts is much increased at very 

 small expense. 



As far as my own experience goes, I believe sheep to be the 

 only stock fit to stand on wooden floors ; they cannot be kept on 

 clay in the winter or during long-continued wet seasons without 

 danger of foot-rot ; but in pens raised two or three feet above the 

 ground, their feet will always be dry, they will fatten faster than on 

 any land in the open air, and the manure will be kept under cover. 



Pens of about 10 feet square will contain fi'om 6 to 10 

 sheep, according to tlieir size. If the floors be made with slats 

 or stout laths, two inches in width and three-quarters of an inch 

 asunder, they will always be clean and dry. I have used sawn 

 oak-laths for the flooring of my sheep-pens, and found them 

 answer the purpose admirably, being very strong and tough. 

 The ground under them should be covered a foot thick with 

 burnt earth or ashes, which must be added to from time to time, 

 and the manure thus made is excellent for all purposes. 



I must not conclude my remarks on Wealden farming without 

 taking notice of the excellent fowls which are so prevalent 

 in this district. The Dorking fowls are almost the only ones 

 to be seen in the farmyards, and as great pains are taken in 

 their selection, and much care is bestowed on their breeding and 

 treatment, they have been brought to great perfection. Seven 

 or eight pounds is not an uncommon weight for a capon, and 

 they sometimes reach as much as ten or eleven pounds. The 

 Dorkings are good layers, are peaceable in disposition, and very 

 tame—so that they fatten easily. Turkeys are hardly ever kept 

 in this part of the Weald, from an erroneous idea that they will 

 not do well here, 1)ut, though probably a light soil may suit 

 them better when quite young, I have had no difficulty in rearing 

 them, and have found them do quite as well as in Norfolk. 



Hwjes, near Horsliam, Sussex. 



