THE DAILY LIFE OF OUR FARM. 125 



pheasant/' was the description given to me by an old 

 breeder of the sort. You direct your butcher to send 

 you wether mutton as a precaution against being 

 served with joints of a tough old matron ewe. The 

 three years old maiden is quite another thing. 



It was a great treat to saunter through the ma- 

 chinery department, having beforehand marked upon 

 my catalogue the articles I desired to inspect ; the 

 consequence of which is that I have already arranged 

 several alterations for the improvement of my imple- 

 ments, which will ensure a considerable saving in time 

 and power. 



I was amused to see the heterogeneous geological 

 specimens that under the attractive name of "copro- 

 lites " were tastefully arranged on the specimen stalls 

 of the artificial-manure makers. It gave me a con- 

 siderably stronger idea of the value of the limestone 

 road mud, which undoubtedly contains very many 

 elements quite as manurial as those crushed materials 

 can furnish. By the way, one more proof of the value 

 that any burnt stuff has, in ensuring a good clover 

 crop. It has been said that, if a building were burnt 

 down and left, white clover will soon spring up and 

 clothe the ruins. Anyhow, this last spring I had the 

 wilderness adjoining our pleasure grounds uprooted of 

 its nettle and rubbish growth, all of which was burnt 

 in a heap upon the outskirt. The surface of the 

 cleared ground was worked fine, and sown with Dutch 

 clover. Scarcely a plant, however, has come up, pro- 

 bably owing to the overhanging shade, except alongside 

 the ash heap of the burnt weeds, where there is an 

 abundant crop. I shall, consequently, redouble my 

 efforts to accumulate ashes to mix with the bone- 



