THE GENESEE FARMER. 



13 



THOMAS BATES, OF KIRKLEAVINGTON, ENGLAND. 



to perfection. When he did exhibit he was emi- 

 nently successful. In 1839, at the show of the 

 Rojal Agricultural Society, at Oxford, he made a 

 most brilliant display, carrying off four prizes, and, 

 in fact, winning everything for which he entered. 

 Some of his animals commanded extraordinary 

 prices, and at the sale of his stock, after his decease, 

 in 1850, a higher average was obtained than at any 

 subsequent sale since the time of the Collinqs. 

 One family — the Duchess — realized, including young 

 calves, £162T 10s. (say $8,135) for fourteen lots, 

 being an average of £116 5s. ($581) per head. 

 This stock was descended from the heifer Duchess, 

 before alluded to, purchased from Mr. Collinqs 40 

 years previous. His entire herd of 68 animals, in- 

 cluding calves, brought an average of £67 ($335) 

 each. 



Mr. Bates' fondness for his animals was remark- 

 able. He would go to the cows, and even young 

 heifers, in the fields, pat them and talk to them, 

 while they would immediately give up their graz- 

 ing, and look intelligently as if listening to and 

 even understanding his remarks; approaching and 



licking his hand or hig coat with every mark of 

 affection. He lived among them and loved them, 

 and they were loving and grateful in return. 



Of his history as a farmer, we have space to say 

 but little. He occupied a cold clay, which, when 

 he took it was "hide-bound with poverty and ex- 

 haustion." He made it by far the best cultivated 

 farm in the neighborhood. Of his early history as 

 a farmer, we can give nothing so interesting as a 

 few extracts from his own writings. He says: 



"I had not been long engaged in farming before 

 I became thoroughly convinced that the atmosphere 

 contained the great ingredients for the amelioration 

 of the soil. This I discovered by seeing the good 

 effects of the same surface being exposed to the 

 atmosphere, as long time as possible, before turnip 

 seed was sown ; and that the fineness and openness 

 of the soil being increased without changing the 

 surface^ was the grand desideratum, A field plowed 

 in October after oats, ribbed across in February, 

 and then only worked with a scuflfler afterward, 

 never again plowed till drilled for turnips, produced 

 the heaviest crop per acre of white turnips Pever 

 saw, and this was in the year 1793. They consid- 

 erably exceeded 50 tons per acre, when they had 

 stood till February. They were sown in June. I 



