1164 



STATISTICS OF AGRICULTURE. 



Part IV. 



Dontbl of a cow-house (30), double cow-h.-usc (31 

 cow.hou i» 33 , cow-house {34 . 



threshing, floor 56), < -rii- , 17), 

 (3*'). threshing floor (40)j oora-Dag (11), cart-boi 

 grviar^ above it i,VZ), stable (13), stable or caif-COt | ; 

 cot ^5). 



1112 



l much the same as in other counties; improving 

 with the aye. All the intelligent persons whom Dr- Holland 

 conver^-d with have invariably found, that the attachment of 

 a sma'l portion of land to the cottage of the labourer has been 

 the direct means of rendering his situation in life more comfort- 

 able .-.nil easy, and of inducim: those habits of honest independ- 

 ence, of tem|>era!ice, and of industry, which are most eflica- 

 dous in promoting the happiness of individuals, and, conse- 

 quently, the L-enerai interests ofsociety. 



/-or,/ I*f>trf,y„'s poitltr^-hutufM, a* \\ innington, are supposed 

 the most masn lieent thai have ever l«vn built. They are 

 united in a building, which consists of a handsome regular 

 front, extending about 140 feet : at each extremity is a' neat 

 pavilion, with a large arched window. Thtse pavilions are 

 united to the centre of the design by a colonnade of small cast- 

 lars, painted white, which support a cornice and a 

 f, coveting a paved walk and a variety of different < on- 

 es for the poultry, for keeping eggsj corn, &c. The 

 do-.rs ;iun th.-H are alt of lattice-work, also painted white, and 

 the framing preen. In the middle of the front are four hand- 

 one toumns, and four pilasters, supporting likewise a 

 cornice and i B are reof, under which and between the columns 

 . LUttful mosaic iron yate ; on one side of this gate is an 



little parlour, beautifully papered and furnished; 

 and .it the other end of the colonnade a verv neat kitchen, so 

 n.and n such hi«h order, that it is delightful to 

 view it. i'lu front -.s the diameter or chord of a large semi- 

 I court behind, round which there is also a colonnade, 

 and a great \ \\ , , for the poultry : this court 



ltd pump i'n the middle 



o* it. 1 ■ rl fronti towards a rich litue field or ps 

 called ihepoultn paddock, in which the poultry hive iberty 

 to walk about l« tween meals. It happened while tin- rep o rter. 



,•■ to be their dinner- time, at one o'c'ock. At tl 



a U-li rings, snd the beautiful gat« in the centre is opened* 



Itry being then mostly walking in the paddock, and 



« -'I of the bell that ther repast is readv for 



thun, ll> and run from allcomers, and rush in at the gate, 



striving who can get the nrsl thare In the m ramble. 



At that lime therewere about f>O0 poultry of ditlerent [] 



the p .ire, and although so large a number, the semicircular 



eat and clean, that not a speck of dung is 



i ti place ' Iratlt of brick, excepting the 



pi Ian and c. unices, and the hnte's and jambs of the door- and 

 windows, but the bricks are not seen, l-cine al! covered with a 

 remarkably line kind of slate from his lordship's estate in 

 Hales. These slates are closely jointed and fastened with screw 



nail>, oil small spars fixed to (he brick ; they are afterwards 



snd tine wh te sand thrown on while "the paint s wet*, 



which gives the whole an appearance of the most beautiful 



■ ;ie. 



4. Occupation. 



Farms reri stnall ; a L*reat many under ten acre* ; only on* 

 or two at ."''lor KM) acres. ; excluding all those under ten acres, 

 the average of the county maj it seventy acres. Large and 

 small formers complete y different characters;— different in 

 t> c;t habits, snd, bj consequence, In their ideas. Industry and 

 excel'ert nvina^emem of the dairy-women of this county much 

 to I* commended ; leases generally for seven years. 



5. Imj>lt mt'nts. 

 Rotherham plough and other good implements. A short 



strong scythe, with a blade twenty inches in length, and con- 

 cave in the middle, is used for scooping out the crowns of rush 

 stools. 



ri. Arabic Lands. 



In small proportion to the pastures. abbages a good deal 

 cultivate! fur cattle. Carrots near Altringham for the Man- 

 chester ma-ket, and also seed for the London seedsmen. 

 Onions also for the Lancashire markets. The soil about 

 Altringharn dry and loamy ; the carrots large, coarse, and tit 

 only for horses and cattle. 



7. Grass. 

 Natural meadows numerous, rich, and fertile. Thev are 



situated on rivers, which, from the frequencv of heavv fains, 

 overflow and enrich them. Extent of upland pasture very 

 considerable ; that on a to'erably stiff clay soil, especially with 

 a substratum of marl, is reckoned the best for the dairy ; more 

 milk may be bad from cows pastured on a rich loamy "soil, but 

 it is esteemed inferior in point of quality. Manv farmers com- 

 plain that their land is too rich for the dairv, by which the ad- 

 hesive properties of the chtese is diminished : feeding of cattle 

 little practised. 



8. Gardens and Orchards. 

 Good gardens to most of the farm-houses. "All the varieties 



of raspberries, currants, sti aw berries, and gooseberries are 

 to be met with in the farm and cottage girdem in Cheshire. 

 The culture of the latter fruit h.us been particularly attended 

 to of late years ; and there are several meetings in different 

 p irts of the county, where small premiums are adjudged to 

 those who produ-e, out of their own gardens, gooseberries of 

 the tireatest weight- The common fruit trees, such as the 

 apple, pear, cherry, and plum, are likewise irrown in almost 

 every garden. Of the latter kind, the damascene p'um is by 

 much the most common; and is an article of considerable 

 proiit to the cottager. 

 Orchards not numerous, and rather on tbe decline. 



9. Woods and Plantations. 

 Few of large extent, yet the quantity of timber verv greatly 



exceeds what would be a fair average for the kingdom at 

 large. In the northern and midd'e parts the numt-er of trees 

 in the hedt;e-rows and coppices is so considerable, that, from 

 some points of view, the whole county has the appearance of 

 an extensive forest. The most considerable ancient woods in 

 the Karl of Stamford's park at Durham Masse-.. Few spots 

 can boast such an assemblage of stately oaks, elms, and beeches. 

 During a storm of wind, on tbe 21st of January, 1802, several 

 humhed trees were torn up b> the roots. < me of these, when 

 'irked, contained 403 feet of timber, and was sold at six 

 shillings and sixpence per foot, to the extent of 375£ feet- An 

 elm blown down at the same time measured 116 feet. A colo- 

 ny of herons had for ages fixed their residence on the summits 

 of these trees ; but on one of them being torn up, Ihey retreated 

 to a neighbouring jp-ove of beeches, where they have ever since 

 enjoyed a secure abode. 



A plantation of 1000 acres at Taxall, F. Jodrell, Esq. ; it was 

 planted by White, the landscape gardener of Woodlands, 

 Durham, at five pounds per acre, halt the tre< s to be firs. Ex- 

 tensive plantations by Ashton, on Delamore forest. 



Whiteiy, an ingenious tanner, at Ashley, near Knutsford, 

 made some experiments a few years ago with the twigs and 

 ends of the houghs of oak, as a substitute for tbe bark. These 

 ground down, and used in the same way as the hark, mani- 

 fested strongly as rin^ent properties: but the necessity there 

 was found to be for their immediate application took away 

 verv greatly from their value; and iheir use is now almost en- 

 tiiely discontinutd, though the plan at that time was adopted 

 by several other tanners. 



10. Improvements. 



Draining a good deal practised, especially with bricks and 

 stones. Paring and burning, marling, sanding, claying, and 

 liming, also practised to different degrees of extent. Sand of 

 advantage, chiefly by altering the texture of the soil, as that 

 used contains no calcareous matter. 



11. Live Stock. 



Present stock of dairy cows a mixture of the long and short 

 horned, the Derbyshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Welsh, 

 Irish, Scotch, and New Leicestershire cattle. Those cows 

 reckoned best which are bred on the farm. Calves reared from 

 the l>est milkers, and at two years old put to the bull. Cows 

 housed about the middle of November ; permitted to go dry ten 

 weeks before their time of calving : usual drv foods, wheat, 

 barley, and oat straw, hay, and crushed oats. The two form- r 

 kinds of straw are found to make cows go dry much sooner 

 than tbe latter; and another generally allowed effect attri- 

 buted to such straw is, that more than the usual time will be 

 required to churn the cream of cows when so fed ; but wheat 

 str-iw is esteemed much more wholesome than barley straw, 

 as having less of those effects attending it. Three or four 

 we< ks before calving, hay given ; and from calving to turning 

 to grass, some ground or ciushed oats twice a day. The cows 

 are turned into an outlet (a bare pasture field near the build- 

 ings), about ten o'clock in the morning, and housed again about 

 four in the afternoon the winter through, or earber if they 

 showed an inclination to return; but have no fodder in the 

 outlet. Turning the cows out to grass in good condition is a 

 matter much attended to, in order that thev may, as the term 

 is, " start well ;" fin if a cow is not in good condition when 

 turned out to grass, or has been too much dried with barley 

 straw, it is a long time before she gets into full milk. 



The ox-cabbage and Swedish turnip are the kinds of green 

 food most esteemed and cultivated in Cheshire. The former is 



