26—1846.] THE 
AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 
435 
wanting in which the abuses and defects of the old 
‘system worked their own eure, and induced parties 
Yoluntarily to abandon it, and place the roads in certain 
districts under a more regular course of management, 
directed by a skilful and experienced surveyor, employ- 
ing able workmen, at proper seasons, to apply the 
necessary materials, and some eareful bands at all 
limes to keep the water-courses clear and the ruts 
filled in, and to see that no pools are allowed to collect 
on the surface ; all piece-work and days’ wages being 
paid from a general rate, but no labour being received 
in lieu of payment from tenants, unless it be to cart 
materials for hire at such prices as would be paid to in- 
different parties for doing the same work. And in 
such cases the result has been a saving of outlay, after 
he first two or three years, of at least one-third, be- 
sides the immense advantage of substituting a road of 
easy draught ana pleasant to travel upon for one cut 
into ruts and full ot les and quagmires, wasteful 
of time, distressing to hors:s, and straining to wheels 
and harness. I have at prese \t under my own charge 
a township road which a fev years ago was barely 
Passable by laden carts or wa gons, having been re- 
Paired, as it is called, with s nd-stones taken from 
the fields, roughly applied, am! soon crushed down, 
Covering the road with a thick coat of mud like mortar, 
O be removed at great cost, that the same unprofit- 
able process might be repeated. I determined on 
taking the appointment of township surveyor, which 
I did eight or nine years ago, and have kept it ever 
since, I then proceeded to put the road into proper 
form, to take means by sewers and eulverts to keep it 
Clear of water, and to give it by degrees a cover of blue 
Whinstone from a quarry which I opened at some dis- 
ance, ` The tenants and oeeupiers at first felt alarm at 
the expense of bringing materials from a greater dis- 
tance, thinking it would be ruinous ; but they are well 
Satisfied now, on finding that, after the first three years, 
the road has been maintained by a smaller rate than 
Used to be collected for it, in which all carting of mate- 
tials is included ; whereas they had previously done all 
the carting with their own draughts, which was equal to 
One-third of the whole, besides paying the rates; and 
We have the satisfaction of a smooth and sound road. 
uch, I doubt not, will be the result, in every instance, 
a the adoption of a better system. And such a system 
he present government measure proposes to make 
Compulsory and universal, by which the whole com- 
munity will be benefited. Allow me, in conclusion, to 
Yelate an anecdote to which I was a party, in proof o 
e manner in which the publie interest in respect of 
iownship roads is attended to. It used to he, and per- 
aps sometimes is still the habit, at times when the 
fu was too wet for ploughing, to send the draughts 
Tom the farms to perform statute work on the roads, 
Eo regarding the fact, that at such times and in such 
Toads they probably did more harm than good. On 
Such an occasion, several years ago, I saw a large num- 
ber of carts standing on a gravel bed by a river side, 
the horses looking cold and disconsolate, and by no 
Means partaking of the enjoyment of their drivers, who 
Were assembled and engaged in a ‘contest at hop-step- 
and-jump. After watching their sports for a short 
time, I asked one of them how they reconciled it to 
themselves thus to waste their master’s time and starve 
is horses, “O” said he, “we are not wasting our 
D EE time, we are at statute work to-day, on the 
DENS highways. Six hours a day is plenty for him ; 
9've been going six hours, and now we're taking a 
game toourselves."—John Grey, Dilston; April 21,1846, 
ON MEASURE WORK. 
ü IL. We now come to the second class of farm opera- 
ee those which are annual, and concerning which 
behoves the farmer to know both their actual cost 
and how to set about them. In estimating the ex- 
ponas, connected with these operations we shall assume 
ay wage of a man to be 2s., and of a woman 10d.; 
3 3075, Ad. to 1s. 4d. The price of horse labour again 
dd exceedingly : a single Farmers? Club, in Suffolk, 
t ind the experience of its members, in this particular, 
REAL as much as 50 per cent. We eannot here enter 
A the lengthened calculations necessary to illustrate 
n assumption (any one wishing to see such calcula- 
s hs will find an admirable specimen in the appendix 
Ne Tofossor Low's work on * Landed Property,") but 
os Shall assume that to plough, ordinarily deep, an 
qum of land of ordinary texture costs 85., that being 
ou cost.of a man and pair of horses per diem ; and 
"Aer operations will cost similarly in p tion to the 
the care of the beasts. The men do not leave their 
work during the day, and the ploughing is paid for at 
the rate of 11d. per aere for all kinds except olland, for 
which ls.3d.is allowed. This account may, perhaps, 
appear incredible, but its truth has been tested by many 
farmers. His land is scarcely ever behind his neighbours’ 
in any of the business of the farm, and he very often 
precedes them in sowing his crops.” This is well-said 
to be almost incredible, and it ean be true only on 
very light land. As regards ploughmen, they should 
work ten hours a day, and take care of their horses 
besides (of course receiving wages accordingly). 
good horse fed well will work each day from six o'elock 
till eleven, A.M., and with an interval of two hours in 
the stable, from one : o'clock till six, P.M., and keep its 
condition, During that tim» it ought to have walked 
16 miles, pulling all the time with an effort on the 
average of about 200 lbs. Thisis what he will do on 
the average in. ploughing, where the pair-horse system 
prevails, and putting out of consideration the time lost 
in turning on the head-land, which, aecording to the 
length of furrow, will vary from 20 to 60 per cent. of 
the whole day, the two horses will, during the course 
of it, have turned a furrow say 9 inches wide and 16 
miles long, equal in extent to rather more than ian 
aere and a quarter, This is quite within the power of 
a good pair of horses ; the draught of the plough being 
about 400 Ibs; And asa curious coincidence, and illus 
trative of Watt’s accuracy in estimating a horse-power 
at 30,000 lbs. raised 1 foot high in a minute, I may just 
point out that this is equal to 200 lbs. raised 150 feet in 
a minute, or to 200 Ibs. raised 90,000 feet in ten hours, 
which is equal to 200 lbs. yaised about 17 miles, or very 
nearly the distance which we assume the horse to walk 
in that time. 
Subsoit Ploughing requires four good horses, accom- 
panied by their two men ; we leave out of consideration 
the ploughing which precedes this operation. ‘This 
i SERQUNTS HL 
> 
ing cheap coal for burning soil. How does burnt clay 
operate? It doubtless improves the texture of the 
soil, making it more porous ; it, perhaps, renders the 
salts more soluble: but, I believe, its chief effect arises 
from the well known property certain porous substances 
have of absorbing gases ; charcoal will absorb many 
times its own volume of carbonic acid, spongy platinum 
condenses hydrogen so rapidly as to make the metal 
red hot, and burat clay absorbs nitrogen as ammonia 
in a very considerable degree ; it has been proved 
highly efficacious on Grass land, while the component 
parts applied in another shape had no effect.—G., 
Avonside, 
Treland.—On referring to the statistics of England 
we find that crime increases or decreases in the several 
counties according as employment is scarce or plentiful. 
Now, what is a fact in one country may fairly be applied 
to a neighbouring island, under the same Queen, laws, 
and government, with this difference only, the [partial] 
exemption of Ireland from taxation. A kind Providence 
has bestowed upon Ireland a fertile soil, a good climate, 
water power, coals, iron, copper, marble, &c. The Irish 
are a generous race, and if their spirits are more volatile 
than John Bulls, it only makes them more cheerful 
under adversity, and more ready to enjoy prosperity 
when it raps.at the doors of their cottages ; but this, 
under the present aspect of affairs, is seldom their lot 5 
its visits are, like angels’, “few and far between.” “To 
illustrate my argument, and prove that Paddy is capable 
of becoming as useful a subject as his brother John, E 
will instance the soldier; let him be enlisted from any 
part of Ireland, north, south, east, or west. Is he less 
tractable, less obedient, less able to bear fa'igue, less 
patient, or less to be depended upon in the hour of 
danger, than an Englishman ? Tf a man, left to his own 
resources, in his own country, becomes a lawless mem- 
ber of society, setting at defiance all 
and divine, how is it that his entry 
almost i iately converts the di 
force will, in average bsoil gh 10 
acres in a forinight. or 12 days, thus costing, at 8s. a day 
per man and pair of. horses, about 19s. 3d. per aere; 
but to this must beadded the cost of the men following 
the plough with the pickaxe, to remove land-fast ob- 
structions, and this will vary according to the nature of 
the ground. 
Ploughing costs, at 8s..a day for a man and pair of 
horses, from 5s. or 6s.; up to as much, in some cases, as 
16s. per acre, according to the nature ond previous cul- 
tivation of the land, and the depth of the ploughing. 
Harrowing, for. each time, will eost from 4d. to 8d. 
per acre, according as a light implement requiring a hoy 
and one horse, or a heavy implement requiring a man 
and pair of horses is employed. 
Scarifying, Cultivating, or Grubbing.—Three acres 
on 
into a trustworthy companion? It strikes me the rea- 
sons for this sudden reformation are obvious. He is 
treated kindly ; he is well fed, paid, and housed ; he is 
clothed and attended in sickness; he is profitably em- 
ployed whilst his health and strength last; and if he 
behaves well, at the expiration of his service, he has 
the pfospect of obtaining a pension ; he is looked upon 
as not a whit inferior to -his fellows, and has an equal 
chance of promotion, and of gaining the esteem of his 
officers, who make no difference between the natives of 
the united kingdom, provided they do their duty. These 
are incontrovertible truths, and are evidence of what 
may be done by pursuing a steady system of improving 
the condition of the poorer classes. It may be urged, 
that the fear of the lash may induce unruly subjects to 
of land may be scarified 4 to 5 inches deep, by the use of| be more circumspect in their conduct: no doubt the 
the proper implements, by two good horses, in the day ; 
it should thus cost about 25. 8d. per acre, and may be 
fairly put at from 2s. 6d.to 3s. Öd., according to the 
state of the land. 
Rolling will cost, according to the number of horses 
employed ; a 6 feet roller, drawn by a pair of horses 
should get over about 8 acres a day, and the operation 
will thus eost about 1s, per aere.— M. S. 
Home Correspondence. 
« Sepe etiam steriles: incendere. profuit agros." —YIn 
the Gazette of the 13th, the Hon. and Rev. L. Vernon 
Harcourt, after speaking of manuring; say :—* The 
only other great expenditure, by which it is expected 
fertility can be materially increased, is that which is 
incurred by draining.” Has he ever tried burning 
«stiff soils”? For: this process, the ground should be 
ina rough state, full of clods ; the coal of a description 
called “slack”: the price of this at the pit's mouth is 
about 2s. 6d., short weight, per ton, and railways charge 
ld. per mile carriage. The quantity required per acre 
is about 4 tons. The price of labour in burning aud 
spreading about 27. Having drawn some coal a-field, 
and shot it down, commence by sifting it with a rather 
fine cinder sieve, and make a blazing fire of knobs of 
coal; then clear a space of ground, about 2 yards over, 
by shovelling away the soil ; make therein, with clods, 
three 9-inch circles, placed relatively triangular, about 
18 inches apart ; in each of these circles or nests, strew 
a little fine coal, then with-a shovel place therein some 
of the blazing coals from the fire ; pile each little fire 
up with knobs of coal not larger than a hen’s egg ; form 
acone of clods over the whole, cover it with fine soil ; 
strew some coal dust over this, and then more soil, 
Ee and horse labour they require. Professor Low, I 
du mention, puts the cost of ploughing at only 6s. 6d., 
do ANE tear and wear (for whieh we think he charges 
i itle) and interest on cost price of animals aud 
mplements, 
il Tillage Operations.—These are all, we think, 
Bor T performed at day's wages by the regular farm 
vants. The industry of these men must be preserved 
m the farmer’s superintendence ; in fact, we know of 
ae one instance where this sort of work is paid for by 
ot NUS and this is referred to in Mr. Bacon’s Report 
" Wee as one RE 
r. Cyrus Gillet, of Markshall, an agriculturist in 
ioni Norfolk, both as an owner and oceupier, ploughs all 
min dd on one farm of 400 acres, throughout the year, 
ENS qus oxen and two ploughs. The Turnip land is 
CR SN for Barley twice, olland for Wheat once, and 
shift es for Turnips five times. The farm is in 100-acre 
S. The oxen are changed four times in the course 
of the day, and each set is brought up by a boy who has 
dread of punishment operates as a wholesome restraint 
in curbing vice, but the discipline of a regiment is not 
more stringent than the common law, nor is it more 
likely to restrain bad passions if there was nothing else 
to encourage the growth of dormant worth. Now, this 
“something else," in the case of the soldier —this 
* something else," so wanting among the labouring- 
classes of Ireland, is a knowledge that those plaeed over 
them are interested in their welfare, and will see that 
they have everything to make them comfortable—com- 
patible with their position ; further, that in time: of 
danger, want, or severe work, their officers undergo the 
same hardships as the privates. Now, this fellow 
feeling, this relying on each other for support in all 
difficulties, is the magician’s wand that turns a reckless 
Irishman into a respectable soldier, and the world can- 
not produce better. [hopeand believe that had the lower 
classes in Ireland the advantages of superi d 
kindness, and employment, from those on whose estates 
they reside, the country would rapidly improve, British 
capital flow, and the Emerald Isle become happy and 
flourishing. It.is useless expatiating upon the lawless 
state of the south and south-west ; it is wasting both 
time and patience in saying what ought to be done. 
Let an attempt be made to accomplish what all persons 
agree as most desirable, and most likely to pacify the 
property, 
ture more in character with the soil, and they will soon 
gain the affections of their brethren. Take an Irish- 
man out of his own country and he is docile, attached, 
and evincing, when treated with common humanity, 
the finest traits of feeling. The fault must, therefore, 
lie at home ; it is the want of the proteetion, support, 
and 1 of the land who are, I believe, 
at present but slightly sprinkled over the face of the 
disturbed districts, With a money-market overflowing 
100 cubic yards, which is a sufficient dressing for an 
acre; the price for labour in purning, filling, and 
with gold and with enterprise not exceeded at any period 
of Great Britain’s history, it is lamentable to witness 
capital leaving our own shores to enrich our foreign 
neighbours when we have within our grasp an inex- 
haustible field for the profitable expenditure. of surplus- 
cash in Ireland, Railroads may do a great deal so far 
as encouraging the exportation of food, but this wilk 
never render the lower orders contented and happy ; 
i rket-—a circulation of 
Vast quantities of grain are sent to England, 
