APRIL 149 



'winter greens.' 1 tried it several times last winter and found 

 it excellent. 



To-day I saw the first swallow ; it looked very cold, and 

 certainly does not make a summer. 



April 15. This morning some rain fell, after which the 

 weather became fine and springlike, causing everything to grow so 

 fast that one can almost see the increase. To-day we are plough- 

 ing and manure-carting on to the eleven-acre at Baker's, No. 44, 

 which is being prepared for mangolds and swedes. The clover 

 layer on half of the All Hallows ten-acre, No. 37, is getting quite 

 thick and high. The wheat on Baker's, No. 42, is also improving 

 very much, as the dressing of artificial manure continues to tell 

 upon it. It is, however, full of docks, which is not greatly to be 

 wondered at, seeing that the ploughman, Whitrup, tells me that 

 my predecessor as tenant of this land, except at haysel and 

 harvest, employed only three men on the 150 acres that he farm-ed, 

 a force which would not leave any spare hands for dock pulling. 

 I think that the most frequent cause of the ruin of tenant-farmers 

 is their wild attempt to work twice as much land as they have 

 capital to stock. It can end only one way, for the land will not 

 grow two crops. Sooner or later the weeds get the mastery, and 

 then the bank forecloses. 



Fairhead is engaged in harrowing the pastures on either side 

 of the Lodge drive which runs beneath the shelter of the Vineyard 

 Hills. The grass here, at least under the slope, is somewhat coarse, 

 owing to the damp and occasional floods from the river, but affords 

 useful feed because, lying so warm, it springs early. It is however, 

 very difficult to cut with the mowing-machine on account of the 

 little stones thrown up by the moles, which frequent this place 

 in great numbers. Let the driver of the machine take what care 

 he will, these stones are apt to get into the teeth of the knife and 

 jag or break them. 



Though he is still a sorry spectacle, Hood's lumbago is a little 

 better; but one of the ewes, I fancy the mother of the lamb that 



