Expensive Culture of Potatoes. 213 



tion to a payment as rent, after the rate of five 

 pounds per acre, these poor folks have above a 

 mile to lead their manure, and take back their 

 produce. As the potatoes are cultivated in lazy 

 beds, the expense of the crop cannot be under 

 ten pounds an acre ; while the weight of it does 

 not exceed twelve or fifteen hundred stone; 

 taking the average at one thousand three 

 hundred and fifty stone> the potatoes will 

 cost about three pence per stone, although 

 they were then selling in the market at two 

 pence per stone under that value. As a proof 

 of the little estimation in which time and 

 labor are held, we found three young women 

 who had been occupied the greater part of 

 the morning in digging up about six stone of 

 potatoes ; two were conveying them home; the 

 third had charge of the shovel. We inquired 

 if it would not be cheaper to purchase than 

 to have so much trouble in raising their 

 potatoes ? To which they replied, " It certainly 

 would in the present year, but what might be 

 the consequence in the next ?" 



We understood that at spinning they could 

 not earn more than four pence a day. Even 

 at the doors of the poorest cabins great atten- 

 tion appeared to be paid to the increase of the 

 muck heap, by the accumulation of weeds, 



