Book II. 



LAYING OUT THE' FARM ^LANDS. 



680 



4203. The drainage and waler-cotifses, if any, on farm lands, require to be attended, to 

 in laying out the fences, so as if possible to make the ditches of the latter serve as open 

 drains; also, when opportunity offers, for conveying streams to be used in irrigation, or 

 for driT^ing macliinery, Thfe fences and roa^s wiH, to. a.cettain, extent, be guided by the 

 course of such stream or streams. . , - - '"-.,<; -;- 



4204. Js an example of laying out farin lei rids fr&ni tt newlf/ enclosed commojl, We 

 submit the case of a flat surface, a strong retentive clay soil, a moist climate, a situation 

 distant from markets, with no other object in view than that of making as much of the 

 lands as possible. ''^ '' 



20^;. A public road (Jg.GSS. a) passes the farm, and the fernoery is approadhed by a private road (i). 



The size of the farm deemed 

 proper is 350 acres; the most 

 profitable mode of occupation 

 is, 180 in arable, And the re- 

 mainder in pasture. The arable 

 subjected to a rotation of 1st, 

 beans drilled, or naked fallow 

 dunged ; 2d, wheat ; 3d, clover 

 and rye-grass, fed off or mown 

 for soiling cattle; 4th, wheat 

 or oats, if the clover was mown, 

 dunged. l"he grass-lands are 

 supposed to be wholly fed off, 

 chielly with cattle, but also 

 with ten cows, for butter and 

 breeding, and a few sheep. 



4206. T/ie buildings (e) are 

 placed in the centre of the farm, 

 and contain stabling for four 

 work-horses, and open sheds for 

 eight oxen ; 130 feet of sheds 

 for thirty fatting cattle; a barn, 

 witJi threshing-machine im- 

 j>elled by wind; houses for ten 

 cows, and other conveniences 

 in proportion. There isi a 

 kitchen-garden, orchard, rick- 

 yard, and two paddocks (d,<^,) 

 adjoining the farmery. 



4207. The grass.Jields{g), cqn- 

 tain only ten acres each, to 

 admit of the great advantage of 

 shifting the stock from one to 

 another. They are most distant 

 from the farmery, because re- 

 quiring least cartage : and, sorne 

 of them being in the lowest part 

 of the farm, they may be irri- 

 gated. Trees are avoided .in 

 the fences, as injurious in flat 

 surfaces and adhesive soils. For 

 the purposes of shading cattle, 

 one or two might be planted In 

 the angles of the field; but a 

 temporary shed of the rudest 

 and slightest materials, and 

 easiest taken down, removed. 



: CciMtUtL LatkCli viuwii, jicinurcu, 



J a*w reconstructed, is preferable, as calculated to distribute the manure produced by the cattle when at 



4208. The arable lands (,h) are preserved in the centre, to save carting to and from the farmery ; aiid 

 the enclosures are four times the size of the grass-fields, each shift forming one large enclosure, containing 

 four fields, divided only by open ditches for carrying off the surface water. The two small central fields 

 shown under aration, are supposed alternately in turnips, potatoes, cabbages, &c. for cows, &c. and wheat. 

 The paddocks and closes are for calves or colts. . 



4209. The chief, and almost sole, products of this farm will be wheat and beefr the 

 former best worth sending to a distant market ; the latter easily transported to any dig^ 

 tance ; and both staple commodities. 



4210. With respect to roads, sometimes a farm is situated on both sides of a highway^^ 

 in vvhich case all the fields may be made to open into it, either directly or through an intet 



, veiling field. Hence no private road is wanting, excepting a few yards to reach the farraei^i: 

 But when, as is most generally the case, the lands are situated at a distance from a gret 

 road, and approached by a lane or by-road, then from that by-road a private road is rei^ 

 quired to the farmery, and a lane or lanes from it so contrived as to touch at most of the 

 .fields of the farm. In wet and clayey soils, these lanes must be formed of durable mate- 

 rials ; but in dry soils, provided attention be paid to fill in the cart ruts as they are formed 

 (by the leading out of dung, or home of corn), with small stones, gravel or even earth, the 

 lane may remain green ; and, being depastured by sheep or cattle, will not be altogether 

 lost. It is essentially necessary to make a piece of road at the gate of every enclosure, 

 that being ihe spot which is most frequently in use. Without this precaution, it oft^i 

 becomes a mire where corn is thrown down and spoiled in harvest, or, if it is attempted 

 '*ii ^\/H.^8(W*^^ the gate-post& and neighbouring feii<4Hre.oft^4aBiaged. ^ ^C^inmii- 

 mcations to the Board of Agriculture) vol. ii. p. 25L)ui >... m 'n shifts ^fiJ * 'irtw ii*f * 'ttu-' 



Yy 



