104 



farming, ' Go ye,' and ' Let us go.' The more young 

 farmers, who have only their business to depend on for 

 their living, bear in mind the latter way, the better; for it 

 will be found as much more effective as il must be in 

 a regiment of soldiers, when the commanding officer, in 

 battle, says, ' Go along, boys,' instead of ' Come along, 

 boys.' In saying thus much, I do not mean that it is 

 necessary the young farmer should be constantly working 

 with his men : il is his eyes, not his hands, that are so 

 requisite where his men are employed." 



With the present corn-laws retained, corn might ad- 

 vantageously be produced on bogs, either in this country 

 or in Ireland (after having been properly drained), by the 

 application of large quantities of lime, which has the 

 power of so decomposing a soil formed of decayed vege- 

 table matter, as to make it capable of producing good 

 green crops, and afterwards fair crops of corn and clover : 

 but to continue its yielding this produce, such land needs 

 all the straw brought back, converted into good manure, 

 and also to be frequently invigorated with lime. 



Many improvements, of late years, have been made in 

 agricultural implements, and in this age of invention, many 

 others may be expected. I confess that formerly, with the 

 old system of Poor Laws, when we, who were living in 

 populous parishes, were plagued beyond measure to find 

 employment for the labourers, 1 felt reluctant to use 

 machinery, to lessen the demand for manual labour. It is 

 however quite necessary farmers should raise their produce 

 at as little expense as possible. 



The printer (much to my mortification), having been 

 obliged, for three months, to stop in his progress of this 

 work, I am enabled to give some further account of the. 

 manual thrashing-machine, spoken of in page 33. It is 

 the invention of John Corby, of Castle Ash by, in this 

 county. The price, to thrash corn only, 10, corn and 

 clover, 13. Mr. William Walton, bailiff to the Marquis 

 of Northampton, was the first person to make use of them, 

 from whom I. got the following particulars. It is necessary 

 to have three men, two to turn and one to feed it, occa- 

 sionally changing their situations ; and two boys, one to 

 untie the sheaves, the other to take away the straw. Thus 



