494 Horse Labour in France. 



2790 acres. The force employed consists of 97 working horses 

 and 18 young horses, the property of the tenant, and 24 hired horses 

 nearly all the year, besides 16 horses hired during spring and 

 summer. In all it is estimated at 64 pair-horse teams. The 

 rotation of crops, in accordance with the best practice of Belgian 

 agriculture, includes a series of no less than 20 years, as fol- 

 lows : — 1. Fallow (manured) ; 2. Rape (for seed) ; 3. Wheat ; 

 4. Roots ; 5. Beans or Peas ; 6. Wheat ; 7. Oats (sown with 

 red clover); 8. Clover; 9. Fallow; 10. Winter Barley; 11. 

 ?»'Iadder (manured) ; 12. Madder ; 13. Madder ; 14. Peas or 

 Flax ; 15. Wheat ; 16. Roots (manured) ; 17. Summer Barley 

 (with clover and grass-seeds) ; 18. Clover or grass ; 19. Pasture ; 

 20. Pasture. 



One-fifth only of tlie land is thus in clover or grass each year, 

 and the remainder (2230 acres) is cultivated, being only 35 acres 

 per pair, a much less extent than is commonly cultivated per pair 

 in England, It should be added that, in addition to the above- 

 named extent of arable-land, there are 225 acres of permanent 

 pasture-land on the farm ; and when comparing English experi- 

 ence with that of South Beveland, it should also be borne in mind 

 that the character of the winter season there is such that 300 

 days of work per annum, whicli is possible in England, is 

 impossible in Holland. Winter is usually much more severe 

 there, and horse-work is stopped for 2g or 3 months, during 

 which time horses only get "different kinds of straw as fodder 

 uncut." As soon as work beijins asrain in March or the end of 

 February they receive some hay and rather more than a bushel 

 of oats and a bushel of beans each weekly till the month of 

 May, when spring work is over, and then they are put to pasture 

 when not at work, though a little hay is still given. During 

 June, July, August, and till the middle of September, they are 

 thus at pasture in the night, while in the day cut clover is given 

 to them in yards. During the latter end of September cut 

 carrots are gradually substituted for the clover, and half the spring 

 ({uantity of oats without beans is given. This continues till 

 December, when the work is finished for the season, and no 

 more corn is given. 



The quantities consumed by the 97 home-fed horses are stated 

 as follows : — 



2300 bushels of oats (24 bushels each), 

 1000 bushels of beans (10 bushels eacli) ; 



besides 6 acres of oats, 6j acres of beans, 18 acres of carrots, i 

 an acre of mangel, and hay, clover, and pasture unspecified. 

 The valuation according to the prices of the locality is stated 

 thus : — 



