CONDITIONS OP THE LABOURS. 337 



thrown up, ready for filling the carts), was not more than 10 feet 

 of perpendicular height, to the highest summit ; after which, the 

 routes to all the different places of deposit pass over slight and 

 gradual undulations of surface, as much descefiding as ascending, 

 and which variations of level, in their extremes, scarcely exceed 6 

 feet. So level a way is of course a great advantage, and enables 

 me to carry much heavier loads than on the high and hilly lands 

 which I formerly marled elsewhere. But, on the other hand, this 

 almost level surface requires the land everywhere to be ridged ; 

 and the water furrows (or deep alleys), and the many deeper 

 cross "grips" (or very narrow and shallow ditches), together pre- 

 sent greater obstacles to the passage of carts over the fields, than 

 would be found with much more of ascent and inequality of sur- 

 face, but with smooth tillage. Another disadvantage, suffered then, 

 and generally for some years after on nearly all my land, was, that 

 as it had not been recently grazed and trodden by cattle, the soil 

 was not firm, but puffy and soft; and therefore, even when dry, and 

 still more when wet, this soft soil greatly increased the labour of 

 carting on the fields. 



The marl contains, on the average, 38 to 40 per cent, of carbo- 

 nate of lime. It was applied at about 350 bushels to the acre in 

 heaps, 11 yards each way, of the whole load of a single mule, or 

 half the load of two mules, or two oxen. 



After all these matters of preliminary explanation, I will now 

 present the particular statement designed, showing for an entire 

 job of 64 consecutive working days, the daily travel, and number 

 and amount of loads of a single mule ; and also the total quantity 

 of marl dug for and carried out by other and less regular teams, 

 whose work, though noted separately, it is not necessary to give 

 more particularly in this abstract from the fuller record in my 

 farm journal. The work stated in the following table comprised 

 all the marl of the ranges A and B, and a large part of the next 

 and wider range G. 



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