THE DAILY LIFE OF OUR FARM. 35 



sausages (a food which none but he that fed the porker 

 can be safe of), and an old friend coming to partake. 

 Meanwhile, just one oblivious pipe, and ten minutes' 

 fruitful rumination. 



March, 1866. 



I WAS cantering home after dark the other even- 

 ing, when I had to pull up at a turnpike-gate kept 

 by a lonely, lame, old man. As the door opened, I 

 saw a plough -lad, absorbed in the contents of a slate, 

 at a small round-table in the middle of the room. 

 I was curious, and found on inquiring that the poor 

 fellow came to improve himself after he had done his 

 master's horses up. This anyhow was satisfactory, and 

 a hint to me not ao^ain to abuse the cider-drinkinor 

 inhabitants of our neighbourhood too indiscrimin- 

 ately. I tipped the teacher a shilling, and galloped on 

 delighted. 



An illustration of what mind can do, combined with 

 will and means, you may find recorded by Mr. Caird in 

 his able work on " English Agriculture," as occurring on 

 Lord Hatherton's estate at Teddesley, near Penkridge. 

 I will quote it for the sake of those who may not have 

 access to this valuable volume : — " The ease with which 

 a constant supply of water for driving machinery may 

 be obtained, is well illustrated here. A bog, 30 acres 

 in extent, left unplanted in the middle of a plantation, 

 having been considered irreclaimable, was thoroughly 

 drained. Besides the surface water, some strong land 

 springs were tapped, and the whole conveyed by main 

 drains to a reservoir a few acres in extent, whence the 

 water is carried underground about half-a-mile to the 



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