THE LETTER OF MR. TAUNTON. 255 



I merely observed, that where an advantage could be taken 

 of an unoccupied wall, the cost of the boxes would not exceed 

 30^. each ; an observation which I now unequivocally repeat. 

 I will pass over Mr. Taunton's description of an " economically 

 built and disposed farmstead/' with his anxiety to know how 

 " many poles are required, and what length and thickness," to 

 part one bullock from another, and proceed to touch upon his 

 reiterated complaints. 



"It also appears, to my humble apprehension, that much skill 

 and ingenious mechanism, and considerable expense, must be applied 

 to construct cribs that shall move up and down between the posts. 

 How are they to be suspended ? And what force is to raise them to, 

 and stay them at, any particular elevation at which it may be 

 desired to place them? and what advantage is gained by their 

 moving up and down, above a crib which should simply stand on the 

 ground?" 



No supernatural agency is exercised to regulate the action 

 of the cribs between the posts ; nor has much skill, ingenious 

 mechanism, or expense been employed. The great moving 

 power centres in simplicity, which the carpenter would define 

 by the term rabit. This is made by nailing a spline perpendi- 

 cularly in the centre of the outside ends of the crib, and two 

 others upon each post to receive them, by which means the 

 crib is moved up and down at pleasure ; the suspending power 

 being nothing more than tw0 pins thrust through holes in the 

 sides of the splines upon the posts for the crib to rest upon. 

 The necessity for rendering the cribs movable, arises from the 

 increase of manure in the boxes; a circumstance that Mr. 

 Taunton ought not to have overlooked, and that requires no 

 further explanation. 



" The cribs we use in our farm-yards cannot be built, at least, for 

 less than fifteen or nineteen shillings, which, again, would draw an- 

 other stiff instalment out of the thirty shillings." 



The wood for the cribs, if made of foreign deals, would cost 

 only 3s. 9d. each. 



" You do not mention of what wood, or of what size, the poles 



