By the Rev. J. Wilkinson. 35 



During the last ten years agricultural improvement has been 

 largely developed in this district. The application of artificial 

 manures to arable land has much increased. Now, as a general 

 rule, a farmer will drill in superphosphate, or guano, and burnt 

 ashes, with his roots. Such practise was formerly quite exceptional. 

 In the field, new and improved implements have been introduced : 

 no one chooses now to be without Bentall's broad-share, to work his 

 stubbles and clean his land. I have seen the flail displaced by the 

 threshing machine with horse power, which in its turn has given 

 way to the travelling steam engine. The ear misses the tapping 

 on the barn floor, but I do not think the labourer misses the work. 

 He used to destroy the machine ; he has come round to think flou- 

 rishing a big stick round his head to be rather slow. He finds that 

 a saving of labour one way increases production, which provides 

 labour another way. 



As to stock we have some very handsome cows, of the most ap- 

 proved breeds. There is a pack before my windows which will match 

 with any in Wilts. We reckon that a fair cow will give about 

 seven quarts of milk a day, one time with another ; or 475 gallons 

 for (say) 275 days in the year. Our cheese has a very good name. 

 The estimate of produce is 4 cwt. per cow per annum per three 

 acres. Or, a pack of 50 cows on 150 acres will produce 10 tons of 

 cheese in a year. This does not mean that a cow will consume all 

 the grass and hay of three acres, for other things will be main- 

 tained; but cows, and in fact all stock, require change, in order to 

 do well. 



Our live stock in the summer of 1858 may be thus roughly re- 

 turned : — 



Garden allotments were provided for the labouring poor by the 

 Hector in 1852. The results of this system are greatly dependent 

 on the quantity of land held by each occupier. No family should 



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