62 BRITISH RURAL LIFE AND LABOUR. 



in England as in Scotland and Ireland. Some farmers 

 object to their men who have charge of food for animals 

 keeping fowls and pigs, on account of the temptation to 

 take grain and meal. In some districts there is very little 

 poultry-keeping, and this is frequently due to lack of 

 accommodation and of a suitable run. If a labourer under- 

 stands keeping fowls he might make a profit of about 53. 

 a year on each fowl. The keeping of pigs also depends 

 largely on the facilities for accommodation, and whether 

 there are fair-sized gardens or allotments from which food 

 can be provided for them. Correspondents in some dis- 

 tricts state that the labourers do not keep as many pigs 

 as formerly, owing to the requirements of the sanitary 

 authorities. Where pigs are kept, it is the more usual 

 practice to buy one for between IDS. and i, and fatten 

 it for home consumption, though some sell it. In some 

 districts, such as in parts of Cheshire, where labourers 

 have the opportunity of renting several acres of land, two 

 pigs are fattened, one for home consumption and one for 

 sale, and it is not uncommon in those localities for breeding 

 sows to be kept. Some of the men there are able to keep 

 cows and a good deal of poultry, and to grow fruit, in addi- 

 tion to vegetables and potatoes. The profit derived from 

 buying a pig and fattening it is not large, and no doubt the 

 labourers could often buy bacon cheaper than they could 

 feed it, but generally it would not be so good as home-fed 

 bacon, and they would miss the manure for their gardens or 

 allotments. A pig costing (say) 153. can be fed to a value 

 of about $ on about 3, IDS. worth of meal, if helped out 

 with 'wash' and vegetables, thus leaving 153. profit for 

 feeding. The price of pigs, however, varies a good deal, 

 and if store pigs are bought when the price is up, and fat 

 hogs are sold when the price is down, the profit vanishes." 



On the interesting subject of clothing, the report 

 says : 



" Inquiries have been made with regard to the amount 

 spent on clothing in a year by a man, his wife, and four 

 children, and correspondents usually put the expenditure 

 at sums varying between 6 and 10, but higher estimates 

 are given from some of the northern counties. No doubt 

 the clothing, boot, and blanket clubs which exist in many 

 parishes are an assistance in this respect. Some corre- 

 spondents state that in their parishes a good many clothes 

 are given to the children from one source or another. Fuel 

 and lights cost about is. 6d. to 2S. 6d. a week. In a good 

 many parishes there are coal clubs." 



" The expenditure on tobacco and beer can only be 

 roughly estimated. In low- wage districts, about i to 2 oz. 

 of tobacco a week at 3d. an ounce is a common allowance, 



