716 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 12 



ference to any other person ; it being always un- 

 derstood, tliat, lot their labor, payuiem is to be 

 made according to the rates aiven in the neigh- 

 borhood. Tiiis roiruiaiion is so lair and reasonable, 

 thai no servant can object to it. 



January 10.— A heavy snow storm came on a 

 few days ajTo, and occasioned the ewes to be pnt 

 upon i"urni(is wiihoul delay. As the storm was 

 preceded by a week of frosty weather, due warn- 

 ing was theref'y given to draw a quantity o/' tur- 

 nips, suliirient lor a month's consumption, and to 

 drive them to the gate ol"the park where the ewes 

 were depastured. From the depot thus provided, 

 my herd drives three curt-loads of turnips every 

 day, which I find, !rom trial, to be nearly the 

 quantity the ewes can consume. The cattle now 

 get two cart-loads per day, from a similar depot in 

 the stack-yard : and, as such storms rarely last 

 longer than a month, I hope the quantity stored 

 will answer till a change of weather ensues. I 

 have provided two pairs of broad cylindrical wheels 

 for driving turnips from the field alterwards, as the 

 ground must be in :i wet condition when the storm 

 goes away. 



To give employment to the horses, I am prepa- 

 ring to empty the straw-yards, when the whole 

 materials therein accumulated will be regularly 

 mixed and prepared as dung for next year's turnip 

 crop. 1 do not mean to pile up those materials in 

 the way recommemled by some people; but to 

 drive carts u|»on the site ofihe middenstead, taking 

 care to spread the whole in the most minute man- 

 ner. Haii the materials been rotted, or even iin- 

 perlectiy rotted, a difit^rent course would be the 

 preferable one ; but most of them are Mothing but 

 Btraw, hardly in a wet states therefore could not l»e 

 manufactured into dung in the liushionable way. 

 The small nuantity ofdung gathered li'om the sta- 

 bles and byres shall, however, be carelully inter- 

 spersed with the layers ofsiraw, so as Itirmentation 

 may follow. To hasten the process, it is proposed to 

 cover every layer Irom the couriine one loot thick 

 with enow which is understood to be an excellent 

 expedient. 



Most of my neighbors are complaining grievous- 

 ly of the state of corn-markets. They allege, and 

 probably with some justice, that, while jarmers 

 have heavy war-taxes to pay, which of course 

 cannot be done unless increased prices are received 

 for their [troduce, importation of grain from every 

 quarter ofihe world, even trom those nations with 

 whom we are at deadly variance, is countenanced 

 and encouraged by the government of the country. 

 Bein<T at this lime little interested in such discus- 

 sions, I cannot say my mind has been turned to 

 them; but 1 shall communicate the substance ol 

 what a friend of mine urged upon the subject the 

 other day in a public company. His antagonist, 

 a gentleman who seemed to lavor the manulac- 

 lactnrinu' interest, contended, that farmers could 

 not be justified in complaining against the im|)or- 

 tations tromfoieign couniries, or of the encourage- 

 ment civen by government to sucli importations, 

 eo long as importation rates were beluvv the aver- 

 age of our corn-markets ; because it was to be 

 presumed every farmer held these rates in view 

 when agreeing lor his firm, and li-amed hie offer 

 accordingly. In opposition to this doctrine, my 

 Iriend maintained, that the importation-rates were 

 framed lor peaceable, not lor warlike times ; and 

 that, if the fiirmer was to be subjected to war-tax- 



es, he undoubtedly was entitled to partake of one ad 

 vantage hitherto enjoyed by the growers ofhome 

 grain during war, nanu'ly, a more limited importa- 

 tion from lisreign countries; vvherea?,under the new- 

 limiflt'd and modern system of granting licenses for 

 imporiinii irrain fiom our inveterate Ibes, the home 

 market was inundaied with foreign giain much 

 more than in former rimes, when Britain was at 

 peace with all the world. He likewise maintained, 

 that the distresses ofihe farmer were much increas- 

 ed by the particular specialities of the season. 

 The calamities ofa bad harvest must be submit- 

 ted to. .This he cheerfully allowed ; but, though 

 submission is due to the dispensation of an allwise 

 and overruling Providence, lie contended, that 

 it was neither wise nor just in the government of 

 the country to adopt measures calculated to in- 

 crease the calamities which had beliillen the ag- 

 ricultural interest in consequence ol the adversities 

 of the season. He admitted, that it was prudent 

 to import foreign grain to a certain extent, so as 

 the deficiencies of the home crop might be supplied; 

 but decidedly contended, that, to encourage foreign 

 importation to such an unprecedented extent, was 

 a measure, under the circumstances of the case, 

 calculated to beggar the majority of Eritish far- 

 mers ; — depriving them, in numberless instances, 

 of a market, and causing their grain to remain 

 either as a dead stock in hand, or to meet with a 

 sale upon the most disadvanfatreous terms. The 

 truth of these observations shall be left for your 

 determination. 



February 8. — The storm of fi-ost and snow ceas- 

 ed last week ; and is succeeded by fine genial 

 weather. This favorable chaiiije allows the clover 

 leas to be ploughed ; and we are busy with them ; 

 though, till the end of the month, I do not mean 

 to no more than one journey per day. 1 intend, 

 as soon as possible, to ridge up the turnip land 

 that is cleared, and have it seeded with wheat. 

 Since the storm went away, two cart-loads of 

 turnips have only been given to the ewes per day; 

 which seems to be sufficient, there being a consi- 

 derable quantity of old fog still upon the pasture- 

 field. The cattle receive the same number of 

 loads; and are evidently on the improving hand. 

 The straw-yards were completely emptied of their 

 contents durinix the storm ; and two large middens 

 were nuide, both of which seem to be in a forward 

 sia'e, throwing out a great smoke every morning, 

 and compressing in a gradual manner. A large 

 quantity of snow was mixed with the materials, 

 which,! have not the least doubt, will produce an 

 important benefit. 



The prohibition against the use of corn in (he 

 distilleries, has occasioned, of late, several meet- 

 ings of this county ; and I have paid some atten- 

 tion to the arguments used for withdrawing the 

 prohibition. It is right to state, that the adversa- 

 ries ofihe prohibition admit, in the fullest manner, 

 the propriety of prohibiting distillation from corn, 

 when there is a scarcity of that article in thecoun- 

 tr\'. They contend, however, in the first place, 

 that barley and oats, the articles used in distille- 

 ries instead of being scarce, have been fully as 

 plentifiil in Britain, during the two last years, as 

 alany former period ; therelbre, that the prohibition 

 was not only an unnecessary, but a dangerous 

 measure, if it was solely meant to prevent an evil, 

 of which there was no reason to entertain any 

 apprehension. In the second place, these gentle- 



