38 



to keep off rain ; and then he made a low heap of straw like a 

 wall, perhaps three feet high, but between the straw and the 

 rick cloth was a space of perhaps two feet all round, so that 

 the wind blew through in every direction. This was in one of 

 the bleakest fields on the whole estate. The result was that at 

 the end of six weeks, out of twenty that had fallen ill, only 

 three had died, though some had been so ill that they did not 

 seem able to stand, and as J. Farrow himself expressed it, were 

 worse than those which died. The last time I saw him was 

 after the bitter cold of the llth and 12th of this month,* when 

 the frost, and snow, and wind that came suddenly was enough 

 to try anything that was easily damaged by a low temperature. 

 I asked him particularly, how they had borne it ? and he said, 

 they were not a bit the worse and were getting well without 

 any check." 



I have been told that some diseased beasts be- 

 longing- to Lord Petre in Essex were tied to trees in 

 the open field, and that they all recovered. 



Last December a farmer near Malton employed a 

 man to kill and bury two beasts that seemed in the 

 very last and worst stage. But the work was hard, 

 and the day was wet, so when half the task was done 

 the man went into a neighbouring- public house to 

 refresh himself. By a most happy chance he got 

 very drunk, and remained so for four-and-twenty 

 hours ; then when he returned to his work he found 

 the remaining beast quietly grazing by the grave of 

 its companion, and the next day it was quite well. 

 The fact is, the two animals had all but been killed in 

 the orthodox manner by heat and darkness, and the 

 cold pure air of a frosty December night acted like 

 a charm. 



* January. 



