LABOURERS AND SMALL HOLDINGS 41 



farms who started his career by gathering bits of 

 wool off the common as he went backwards and 

 forwards to school, and selling sixpennyworth in 

 course of time. 



Another man, a mason in a small way, had 

 bought a piece of very poor moorland. He dug 

 several acres by hand, and hacked out enough stones 

 to build 5-feet boundary walls for two fields. The 

 first year he sowed oats, and the second year laid 

 it down to grass. At the time of my visit the 

 fields showed most excellent pasture, which stood 

 out in two bright green patches in the surrounding 

 moorland. 



A TYPICAL FREEHOLD FARM. 



The farm had been in the present owner's family 

 for some time. There were 40 acres of pasture in 

 fields of 3 to 8 acres, divided by high stone walls, 

 and a moor run for sheep. Twelve head of cattle 

 besides the sheep could be wintered on this amount 

 of land in a fair season, 20 acres being mown for 

 hay. Cheese was made from May to November. 

 The calves were reared and the young stock sold, 

 or kept according to the amount of winter keep. 

 There were two stone barns in the fields, with 

 accommodation for six to eight head of cattle. The 

 liquid manure from these was carefully collected in 

 stone tanks, and taken out on the grass land 

 periodically. The man worked it himself with the 

 help of a son. 



The money on such a farm was practically made 



