3 



1851.] 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



Cotswold Hills, running through Gloucestershire, on 

 the table land of which it feeds. Tfiese hills are called 

 Cotswold nmi the sheen cots built upon them by the 

 Romans. Wold means wild, or height, so that the 

 whole word means the wild or height of the sheep cots. 

 Above the representation of this sheep is a plao or one 

 of these cots, J mm which you will see that they were 

 long houses, wirh several floors, reached by a-* many very 



gradually inclined approaches or walks from the out- 

 side. This hheep, though a ranker of the hills, belongs 

 to the lowland class; and, furthermore, it is the first of 

 the Ion j- wooded breed we have noticed. The Cots- 

 wold is rather an important animal in history, I assure 

 you, although such a mean inelegant-looking si eep. 

 His fleece was exported, to be wrought up with gold 

 by the people of Italy, and France, and Spain to 

 sparkle upon the persons of their kings. For a length 

 of time after the Romans left us, it was valued and 

 bred solely for its wool ; not on account of its fineness, 

 but for its long staple, a property that rendered it 

 better suited for the manufacture of light fabrics than 

 the short wool. Mutton becoming an object to the 

 sheep farmer, he looked about for means to improvt 

 this breed by increasing its fattening properties. About 

 50 years ago it was Hrst crossed with the Leicester with 

 very good effect. The bulk of the sheep was reduced, 

 and its wool became of shorter staple ; but all loss that 

 has occured to the farmer in these ways, has been 

 amply made up to him by the early age at which these 



animals cine to perfection, and the quick return ot 

 his money. 



The Devonshire Long-woolled Sheep resemble those 

 of Romi.ey Marsh, except in the colour of their head 

 and legs, which are brown. The pure breed is remark- 

 able for nothing save an ungainly, rambling body, and 

 a long coarse fleece. The Leicester cross has, how- 

 ever, been very serviceable to them. 



The Sheep of the Devon Moors, like the Devon 

 Moors themselves, are wild, ranging, dark, and stunted 

 as the stunted jheibage upon which they endeavour to 

 subsist. The wethers are left to weather the winter as 

 they best may upon those bleak barren moors, but the 

 ewes are protected during that season by stone enclo- 

 sures. ~ "' * 



learn to know of things beneath, by those you see above 

 Then what would you think of a blind man going to look 



over a farm? Yet by judicious questions, and by learning 

 the names of the # very weeds upon the land, he might 

 kuow as much about the nature aud condition of the soil 

 as you will. 





Home Correspondence. 



The Drainage Act. — In complance with your call to 

 "speak out" to "any one who has had a more favour- 

 able experience of the administration of the Government 

 loan for drainage," than one of your correspondents 

 would seem to have had, I have very great pleasure 

 in stating that my experience of it has been most satis- 

 factory in every respect. I have lately had 250 acres 

 of my glebe drained under the Act. The total charge 

 of the Inclosure Commissioners for their expenses, 

 amounted to the sum of 21'. lis. ; and this very mode- 

 rate sum was allowed to form a part of the amount to 

 be charged on the estate. The Inclosure Commissioners, 

 who were very far from raising any obstacles, or need 

 less delays, sent one of their inspectors for a final in- 

 spection, as soon as it was announced to them that the 

 work was finished ; and very soon after, I cannot easily 

 refer to dates, but so soon, I think, as it was possible, 

 allowing a reasonable time for necessary explanations, 

 and a due consideration of his report, the money was 

 advanced, and the charge completed. As your corre- 

 spondent has alluded to the " West of England Land 

 Drainage Company," I will add that I also entrusted 

 the whole contract of the business to them, and that I 

 have had no reason to regret it. Their charges are 

 moderate. The attention of their directors and engi- 

 neers was unremitting from first to last. The work was 

 executed most rapidly — a very important consideration 

 — and in so perfect a manner, as to command the admi- 

 ration of all who saw it. T. A. Strickland, Bredon Rec- 

 tory, Tewkesbury. Your correspondent "J. T." of 



allowance should also be made for a few repairs or 

 alterations made in concert with the landlord. J. fi. Jf % 

 —[We think your criticism is premature : wait till we 

 see how w F.'s" plan developes itself.] 



Brewing.— In. March last, in your journal, " Barley- 

 corn" furnished a capital process of brewing. If he be 

 -till in a kind vein, I trust he will satisfy my enquiry. 

 I have sometimes difficulty in procuring sound y st! 

 Has " Barleycorn " ever tried German yeast ? an article 

 which finds its way to London twice a week from Ham- 

 burgh, and a most capital one it is for baking bread, 

 but 1 desire to know if it be equally applicable to the 

 production of Barley- wine. Is rain water objectionable, 

 which has stood for some time in cask, and become 

 rather sewery or Londonised in its character ? " Barley- 



corn" advises in brewing that 



the temperature in 



for above 



size, 





So great is the wear and tear of body these 



sheep are obliged to sustain in obtaining a scanty living, 



that they are frequently shorn nine times before they 



are brought, to market. The Leicester has likewise im- 

 proved mis breed. 



The Old Lincoln Long Woolled are not the handsomest 

 Sheep m the world. The mountain life would make 

 them like b0 many bags of bones. They could never 

 support the fatigue occasioned by the long walks and 

 fearful jumps thac the mountain sheep are compelled to 

 make, m Mtrdi of food, and for which God has fitted 

 them, by the gift of agile limbs and light frames. But 

 for his native marshes, where the pastures are rich, 

 and he has not many steps to move before his appetite 

 is satisfied, the Lincoln is very well suited. The 

 mountain breed, by reason of the great quantities ot 

 food they would damage by their restlessness, would be 

 as much out of place in the marshes of Lincolnshire, as 

 would the Lincoln amongst the uplands of Scotland, 

 lbe Leicester and Cotswold have both been crossed 

 with this ..beep, much to its advantage. Their fleeces 

 are heavier than the Cotswold, and the staple is longer. 



I he Dorset is a small and rather pretty sheep. Its ! 

 nead is homed. It is hardier, although rather coarser 

 tnan the Southdown. Being quiet it is found very use- 

 HU as a folding sheep— thus manuring the high lands 

 wnen it would be impossible to cart yard dung. The 

 ewes are remarkable for their forwardness in lambing. 

 ineir Jambs are usually ready for the Christmas market, 

 wnen lamb appears only upon the tables of the rich, who 

 are made to pay a high price for their good taste. To 

 lengthen the wool ot the Dorset, and increas- its 

 Crosses were tried with the Leicester, but to no purpose 

 S nee more good qualities were displaced than imparted! 

 lhe fltece only weighs from 3 to 4 lbs. 



The HVjrAM^^orthosenowfeedinguithatcountrv 

 have been principally introduced from England. The 

 natives of those mountains resemble the goats a^ nearly 

 as we said the Asiatic argali did, and are exce^s.vely 

 Wild. Ihey vary in colour from black to white. Their 

 wool diftWe in quality, and is fine and coarse according 

 to their pasture— they fatten very slowly, but their 

 muttou is much esteemed. We have, i think, looked 

 at all the principal varieties of British Sheep, and 

 noticed the points wherein they differ from one another 

 We tee how they all take their character from the soil. 



Uie climate, and the situation, and how dependent they 



are for their form and constitution, and properties, 

 upon circumstances over which they can have no i 

 control, even as we are ourselves. The 

 ^aveller may obtain much real knowledge of the a«u 

 cultural condition ot a country, by a quiet observation 



could l V * a8 he P as * es h y u P on the hi S h ™* d - You 

 Sulird?r- a \ Weii the ch *»«« of the.oiloiapar. 



t£\ouZu°*& >0U Were t0 turn il "*> wlth a ***** 

 Quick T. WehhaU have V** «»W«8 abouc wi.h 



Norh i L ? \i a, ' d When > ou detect a sheep like the Old 

 W^t w r * a> £*"*** *** iand sadly runs to 



folk! y " u DOt diaiUed and P*°I*rly done by ; the 



anou:;L mUCh * , bW ? » * wo,,d rful how" much , 



a bk o, , T* Wl " 8aVC M WheU P r ^ er, y "»* d Take 



kini L I J° *V m * Wen * and lh <7 wall tell you what 



underneath it for hundreds 



intelligent 



i 



Of fe 



et. 



ttuek a weed aud send it with »ta 



roots to I 



pfcr"!!'^^ way > aLd the >' vvil1 tdl »*« *» awtb; ! 



Face from whence you took 



Swansea must have omitted some circumstances which 

 would fairly account for the delay in payment of his 

 400/. from the Drainage Commissioners, and also for the 

 amount of charge made by them for inspection, &c. 

 Perhaps the absence of railways, or difficulty of access 

 to the ground, may have raised the expenses of the 

 inspector, and, no doubt, the per-centage upon a small 

 sum will be greater than upon a large amount. From 

 the middle of 1847 to the present time, I have been 

 engaged in draining under the loan of 1846-7, and have 

 never found any difficulty in obtaining any periodical 

 advances within a month of the time I wished for them, 

 while even that trifling delay has been occasioned by the 

 unavoidable engagements of the inspector. Within a 

 fortnight of the time, * hen he sends in his report, the 

 treasury cheque invariably arrives. The total of my 

 deductions are now under 3 per cent, upon the sum 

 advanced, and at the last advance they will barely 

 exceed 2 per cent, upon the whole. The amount of 

 letter writing complained of, is entirely in the hands of 

 € * J. T. ;" one letter to the commissioners asking for a 

 form of application, and the return of that form pro- 

 perly filled up, is quite sufficient, but the neglect of the 

 instructions in that form will, of course, entail addi- 

 tional correspondence. L. 



Far,, i Capital. — In an article on Ci Farm Accounts,'' 

 in the Agricultural Gazette of the 4thinst., I observed 

 the following paragraph with regard to the amount of 

 capital required for the cultivation of a farm of 100 

 acres in extent: — " It may be right ere we close this 

 somewhat lengthened introduction, to enter upon, &c. ,J 

 Row, may I first ask the question, why does " P.* hx 

 on \0l per acre, as the amount of capital with which 

 he is to meet the first year's expenses ? The opinion of 

 one farmer or another would be nothing with me in a 

 case of this kind, unless the one or the other had seen 

 the farm and valued the first year s expenses with the 

 utmost scrutiny. If * F." takes the trouble to vn)uc 

 every expense which it is necessary to incur during the 

 first year, and which must be paid by drawing on his 

 capital, he need not fear the criticism of anyone, as he 

 may at all times reply, *' Value my first year's expenses, 

 and if they can be got through for less, I shall be glad 

 to spare the money." Very few would, I think, under- 

 take to make a calculation, and many of them would 

 probably find themselves very much out if they did 

 provided " F." has exercised that strict economy which 

 is necessary. It is no uncommon custom amongst some 

 of our best farmers to guess at the amount of capital 

 required for entering a farm, and even though they have 

 never seen the farm or been within 30 or 40 miles of it, 

 they do not scruple to practise such a blind policy. Of 

 course nothing can be so vain as to suppose they can 

 tell within a great deal the actual amount required, 

 more especially as the expenses of the first year are so 

 very various and numerous. The number of small 

 items which run away with small sums, like eigh teen- 

 pen ces half-crowns,crowns,and half-sovereigns, are almost 

 incalculable, whilst many of these small items are as 

 important as some of the larger ones. If " F.," in some 

 of his next articles, would lay down a concise method of 

 valuing one's first year's expenses, and give a few argu- 

 ments in favour of such a practice, he would confer a 

 great favour on your readers. I subjoin a list of 

 expenses which appear to me to require consideration 

 upon entering a faim, viz.: — rent, rat' , tithe, taxes, 

 interest of money, valuation of covenants, one year's 

 labour, whole amount of dead stock, whole amount of 

 live stock, furniture of Ik use, all expend connected 



a few household repairs to 



mashing be not allowed to rise above 170 p 

 170°, you get gum, and not sugar, and if the mash fall 

 below 140*, you run risk of acidity. Will he be pleased 

 to give me the rationale of this ! A . B. 



Poultry . — Your correspondent (Mr. Kidd, Hammer- 

 smith), must be wrong in giving Sir John Sebright as 

 the author of the tale about the wild ducks ; the late 

 worthy baronet well knew how to perform the operation 

 of pinioning, so that the feat hen could not reappear; 

 out of respect to whose memory I take this opportunity 

 of correcting Mr. Kidd, and to tell him that in pinioning 

 a bird, that part of the wing called the pinion, and con- 

 taming the 10 flight feathers, is cut off. H Hottimon, 



Flux.— -There appeared in a recent Number of your 

 Paper a notice of an invention by M Ctawsson by which 

 the tedious process of steeping was avoided in the pre- 

 paration of Flax for the market. Have any particulars 

 of this valuable discovery transpired \ and is it of so> 

 cheap a nature as to be of any advantage to limited 

 growers ? Many publications and some names of high 

 agricultural authority, have of late rung the praises of 

 this plant. A statement of Mr. Warnes's, which 

 appeared in the Morning Chronicle some time since, was 

 particularly cheering to fanners whose lands are favour- 

 able for its cultivation. According to him (Mr. Warnes) 

 a profit of 1 7 A an acre is realised ; a profit it is needless 

 to say no one, under the most favourable circumstances, 

 could expect from Wheat. But as Mr. Warnes may be 

 so happily situated with respect to the growth, manu- 

 facture, and sale of Flax that a large per centage will 

 have to be deducted to suit less favoured districts, still 

 I think it is a crop from which the farmer may reason- 

 ably expect a "fair remuneration, because he shall not 

 have to depend on the fibre alone to pay him, he will 

 also have the seed, so valuable as a fatteuer and enricher 

 of manure. Anon. 



Agricultural Improvement. — To point out all the nu- 

 merous errors in agriculture would indeed be an 

 onerous and almost an endless task ; and having alluded 

 to a few of the most flagrant, I will now attempt the 

 I more agreeable duty of endeavouring to suggest some 

 ; means of improvement. In my last paper I alluded 

 to the importance of agricultural education, as a 

 means of promoting improvement. The want of such 

 education has been one of the greatest impediments 

 to agricultural progress ; for if we examine the various 

 improvements which have been made within the 

 last century, we shall find that hardly any of them 

 have originated with uneducated men. On the con- 

 trary, nearly all of them have been the suggestion of 

 I educated persons, though many of them had not been 

 brought up as farmers. And here I beg to correct a 

 misprinted word in my last letter. At page 7 7 9, for 

 * crime " read " curse." It should be, u but in alL 

 education, moral and religious principles should be in- 

 culcated ; without these it will prove a curse instead of 



We must not consider it criminal to pro- 

 mote education, though the want of right principle may 

 cause it to be perverted to criminal purposes, and thus it 

 may prove a curse instead of a blessing. Now since it 

 is evident we cannot go on in the old way, let us consider 

 what improvements may probably be made. First then, 

 with regard to the size of farms and their arrangement ; 

 I would suggest that when the nature of the land is 

 suitable for alternate tillage, and the house-feeding of 

 live stock, the farm should not exceed one or two 

 hundred acres, with the farm-stead nearly in the 

 centre. If larger the distance from the homestead is 

 too great for the carting of green crops, and solid and 

 liquid manure. Indeed it is astonishing how much 

 stock and crop may be raised on even a much smaller 

 farm, when the land and manure, liquid as well as solid, 

 are made the most of. Instead of only half managing 

 200 or 300 acres let the farmer try if he cannot, by 

 deep and perfect cultivation, raise as much or more 

 produce on half that quantity. To do this is frequently 

 quite practicable, as it has been proved to be in numerous 

 instances. But then there must be no neglect, no loss 



a blessing/' 







I 



with housekeeping, and for 

 And why may not you | be done on entrance (that are to be done inside) ; some 



of time, or waste of anything, as we so commonly see 

 there is, even on farms above the average state of culti- 

 vation. But there is other land which is unsuitable for 

 cultivation that ought to be kept in pasture or meadow, 

 and if the farmer has capital enough, he may very 

 properly occupy a portion of such lying at the outside of 

 his little ring-fence farm. Such land would be very 

 desirable for breeding stock, which should ^e kept out 

 of doors as much as may be, as the animals would 

 become tender by being much housed. There is a greet 

 deal of pasture and meadow land that is capable of being 

 profitably improved without ploughing. For instance, 

 there is a stream of water which a large proprietor, or 

 a number of smaller oik b, or even well secured tenants 

 might turn into higher ground, so as to irrigate some 

 hundreds or thousands of acres. And even it the water 



