286 AN AMERICAN FARMER IN ENGLAND. 



crops are carrots, mangel-wurzel, ruta-baga, potatoes and clover. 

 Of the latter, forty acres ; of the roots, mangel-wurzel occupied 

 the largest space. Mr. Morton told me that he had, of late, 

 much preferred it to turnips ; thought he could get thirty tons 

 from an acre that would only yield twenty of ruta-baga, with 

 similar expense. A few acres were devoted to vegetables and 

 fruit for the family, and to the raising of seeds for the root-crops. 

 I do not recollect to have seen a weed on the farm, except among 

 the potatoes, which were being hoed by laborers, with very large 

 hoes made for the purpose. 



Of course the expense of such improvement as I have de- 

 scribed was very great ; but the proprietor considers it to have 

 been a good investment. It is now leased by Mr. Morton and 

 his son. 



It is called "Example Farm;" how appropriately, may be 

 judged by the following description of an ordinary farm of the 

 county, by the "Times' Commissioner:" * 



" An inconvenient road conducted us to the entrance-gate of a dilapidated 

 farm-yard, one side of which was occupied by a huge barn and wagon-shed, 

 and the other by the farm-house, dairy and piggeries. The farm-yard was 

 divided by a wall, and two lots of milch-cows were accommodated in the 

 separate divisions. On one side was a temporary shed, covered with bushes 

 and straw. Beneath this shed there was a comparatively dry lair for the 

 stock ; the yard itself was wet, dirty and uncomfortable. The other yard 

 was exactly the counterpart of this, except that it wanted even the shelter- 

 shed. In these two yards are confined the dairy-stock of the farm during 

 the winter months ; they are supplied with hay in antique, square hay- 

 racks, ingeniously capped over, to protect the hay, with a thatched roof, 

 very much resembling the pictures of Robinson Crusoe's hut. In each yard 

 two of them are placed, round which the shivering animals station them- 

 selves as soon as the feeder gives them their diurnal ration, and then pa- 

 tiently ruminate the scanty contents. A dripping rain fell as we looked at 



* Mr. Caird, a special traveling correspondent upon agriculture, of the Times. 



