

A nil P0M0»TBy vuN. 



• < n~*A*A*A from i>< 74.) 



sine 



( 



Turnip* 





are 



to I 



wl . o, *u™«r-;-« t lu ,7,i m \ wet climate 



iJ«»iuav »««r>"«»" , , rl n in 



tiiic 



iW* 



taken 



w u,ek'i suitable condition for -irui; 

 ,X r whil^ "' K—uir drains ha, not been 



. J-T,«rt> Bv uafa" -2-'" yards of Crosskill s 

 ^ ."CiaJS ■ whirl «fc • » P ie« -ith trucks and 

 SSSl^S?^ whole 120 acrL were removed hy 



I Ubour— advantage „ 



teA e ground. Mr. Gnrturn »u metoataman 



ZS Lb the truck from 13 to 15 cvvt. ot roots. 



S. cJTif pulling, topping, tailing, and k r ovxng to 



STnWt headlands, is about fo. to ,#. P*' *<f ' 



*■" large supply in each held well 



1 believe, about 4U yards 



I 





I 



gratified 



*~*S~a a various clamps „ nf 



rSTSuiioe cleared, two each Bide of the rails O 

 ■ ti^ railway itself is remo d on a long light 



•ourse, t* ^^JC ^ availed of to cart home 



the roots m dry or frosty .weather ; or at otter tin* 

 by dAjimi panniers, each one bringing 1 1 1 lbs. A 

 nLbcr of these Wul animals are kept at a U ting 



ILord I.jitceenfi^ home farm consists of 73 acres, 

 liable,* Grass (perk, &c.). The live s^kconsi -of 

 50 com, and heifers in calf, 2 bulls, 31* aheep, f pige, 

 38 fat cattle, I working oxen, 1 1 three- d steers, 



twlyear^d stern, 118 cahrc* Told I 1. H 

 hreedii aniniala partially occw | the old farmery, but 

 new useful, and extenV.vr building* hav been ewete* 1 , 

 at a cost of about 3. W. The arraagenu is simpi 

 asad ecoswmical, the whole being under one slate. I r- 

 having a wide span and considerable length. An open- 



lodbarn, 4> nay and i «>rn shed, is atone end, tiien 



idea Uie stem engine, teething i ne, chaff cutter, 

 oooUag aa>paratu*, with a ready tec sit in direct lines to 

 ttefaediag antoai* ; at the other eud it the dang house 

 md The roof is span, slated, and the 



tt inhere light, owte te the nuflMTone supports it has 

 on tbr ;hte of th various departments. 



The bullocks are mostl} u hoarded floors ; DO straw 



Is need ittef ; a 



plan, 

 atet 



P Theurof straw, as food, is evidently and principally 

 to J ve bulk and mechanical fitness to richer food, 

 StlK h we must not decide too hastily that it -to* > no 

 contain the carbonaceous elements of tat. On anotlm 

 part of the same farm an old store barn has been 

 cheaply converted into a calf-house, where 80 calves, on 

 ooards, tied up to stakes and fed on cooked food, pre- 

 sented all the necessary 

 comfort and economy both of food and manure. 



To me the most interesting operation was the manage- 

 ment of a small oft-hand farm of 52 acres. It is an 

 example worthy to be followed, where there are smaU 

 holdings and limited means. It may be readily imagined 

 that in its primitive state it produced neither much 



The fields being enlarged and the land 



and meal, altnougn j. snouiu strongly recommend 

 boarded floors and more warmth for them also. 



The Earl of Fortescue's rental is, I believe, about 



1 6s. per acre for arable land, and 27s. for Grass, tithe 



included. His lordship appears to me to be meeting 



the times with a just and liberal spirit. Although he 



pays 6i per cent, to the drainage committee for drain. 



age, he only charges his tenantry 5 per cent., and this 



, <• j ■ i- h f«nrt nrp- does not commence till Lady-day twelvemonths after 



"d it of ro^es^w X the completion of the work. He is willing to put n 



evidence of progression, mm | ^^^ and threshing-machines at 6 per cent. 



from the time of their completion, the tenants keeping 

 them in repair, but being allowed rough timber for the 

 purpose. He is also ready to consider favourably the 

 case of any of his tenants who wish for more extensive 

 and additional machinery. 



With regard to grubbing up coppices and useless fences. 

 meat nor corn, me nems oeing s»»f^ i^TS making drains or water-meadows, or erecting additional 

 drained, I was most agreeably Bussed to tod 27 b ' m ive one _half of their reasonable cost, 



bullocks fattening, tied up on^d^^^m^ | buU Jj ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Lordship , s ^^ 



within the last seven years ; or one quarter, if within the 

 first seven of the term of 14 years. These allowances are 

 made, not in money, but in guano or superphosphate 



of lime. . 



His Lordship advances to any of his tenants guano for 



grain crops, or superphosphate for Turnip crops, with- 



out requiring repayment till the Lady-day following, and 



then only at three-fourths of their cost. The same ad- 



vantages extend to the purchase of lime. 



barn 



necessary 



accompaniment of a copper for cooking, a corn bruiser, 

 a Turnip cutter, a chaff cutter, and a threshing machine ! 

 Do not be alarmed, gentle reader ; a real threshing 

 machine on a 52 acre poor farm. WeU there it was a 

 hand threshing-machine by Barrett, Exall, and Co., but 

 hi, lonWiip would not suffer such a barbarism as to 

 make a beast or steam engine of mind and ™ at ^com- 

 bined. No— a * *""' '" 



from the hill, gave power and velocity to all the machines 

 I have described ; and at what cost, think you! about 

 /. for the whole. 1 buttoned up my coat and felt 

 resolved that Old England could and should feed her 

 own population ; aye, and employ them too. But where 



is 



In conclusion, I have been thus minute in the descrip- 

 tion of an improving entailed estate on public grounds, 

 as an example to others. I consider the arrangements 

 generally as insuring a greatly-improved condition of 



the food for *7 bullocks ? Au"^d^rnow md j the land, the labourer, the tenant and the proprietor; 



Mu^^ot^JlM^Qt Tares on the and, as a necessary consequence to society at large, by 



?£ 1~ ? iLlnw available at almost any period of I nufactures. *- ™ —ess resnectfullv but earnestlv 



IBiiiiuer. Plenty of manure in the manure-house^ to 

 gro the next root crops. No guano— bought. Nothing 

 but 2 cwt. of superphosphate of lime, and the home- 

 made manure. Oh ! it was a delightful sight, and a 

 btmtiful landscape. The abrupt and winding and 

 shaded road, the primitive buildings, standing out in 

 a few are in boxee, on Mr. W 



boards are cooeid* : I moet 



it 1 1 1 1 



are consmereu m t; convc- 



p ttini: free the straw for feeding 



Th* floors between the bullocks being ot 

 aad perfect smooth, offer a sort of railway 

 fiiHij in teeding, and in removing the solid excrement ; 

 the iu'iiud lii'W, i a gutter to its destination. 



Tlw whole arrangeiucnta of the feedmg i parunent 

 a v tti ine regular and economical. Tlie il hay, 

 tUraw, and Turnip are all mixed; the meal k and 

 Linseed, boiled by steam, is poured o\r and 

 mixed with them, and given to the animals quite 

 wlUTU. The piggeries and t ernal cahts* places 

 wen not, in my opinion, warm enough, but in 

 ,11 n r re-[ :s tin* general bi.dy of the building wasi will make some 

 eH lighted, and perfectly veutiiatt i. Thesteam-»imine 

 workt*d m , Wittiout mnohoj hav in nlycostl..^. r 



repair* in three years ; tiie only detect being in a pair 



articularly that the 

 drejaght and Hues were mil arranged for the economy 

 of fuel and avoidance of amuke. The engine wae by 



"" '* Gi*ft£ "t I mingham; tlie ehaff-cuttei by 



me; and Turnip bruiser by Moody, Th 



Turnips were washed and elevated by machinery ; the 

 Oate, for food, were tlvreshed daily; the straw was 

 recei\ I from tl shaker I passed at once through 



the chaff-cutters, tin haft' being carried up bj elevators 

 to its proper deposit. In fact, the interval between each 



meal 



rushing water and simple wheel, the shaded vale oeneatn, 

 all carried back the mind's eye to our choicest old 



landscapes. 



But let us leave the enthusiastic for the practical. 



Here were the elements, of compound fertility and re- 

 production. The produce of the farm is to be beef, 

 pork, and Wheat. Depend upon it if animals do not 

 pay (which I do not admit) they leave us a legacy 

 without which we cannot, as farmers, succeed. 



Oh ! but says some lynx-eyed critic, where are your 

 how , Mr. Mechi \ Aye, where are the horses \ Why, 

 I am happy to say nowhere, on this 52 acre farm ; but 

 I saw a pair of new Devon bullocks (capital beef they 



on our noble legislators the necessity and justice and 

 advantage of extending the provisions of the Drainage 

 Act to buildings and other necessary permanent im- 

 provement. If the individual instance before us is con- 

 sidered proper by the heir to the estate (whom I assume 

 to have concurred in it), and if such provisions are found 

 to work beneficially in a sister kingdom, let them no 

 longer be delayed in England, so that our aristocracy 

 may participate in the honours and advantages of a 

 general national progression. 



RS. The absence of railway communication is a sad 



to this portion of North Devon. When larger 



I heard there 



vertical nail-stom^. 



Kan 



employed in uuresnjng and preparing corn, 

 ehaff, and roots, for the succeeding ont . The bullocks 

 appeared to be doing well ; their hind quarters would 

 bave been cleaner, had the openings between the boards 

 been wider. The most interesting objects were 60 fat- 

 tening cheep, tied up to stakes, in pairs, like bullocks. 

 These occupied the vacant space in the roof, over the 

 bullocks ; their excrements following the same direction 



upper fl r. I never saw any stock progress 



nay) ploughing deep and well — an acre 

 per day. These are the horses— they take their place 

 and food beside the other bullocks. In fact, one of the 

 most pleasing symptoms of my visit was not to find a 

 horse (excepting three or four condemned ones) on his 



loi ship's great farm. 



The whole management is simplicity itself. The 

 father ploughs in the morning, the son in the afternoon. 

 The intermediate periods are occupied in threshing Oats, 

 crushing them, cutting Turnips and chaff, and cooking, 

 with the assistance of another man. By simply turning 

 on the water, away goes all the machinery like mad — 

 one fancies there must be a steam engine. 



Now, I do say that we must turn our barns into 

 bullock-sheds — fill them .with meat instead of corn. 



drawback to this portion of North Devon 

 quantities of food are produced by improved farmin 

 will become an indispensable requisite, 

 was some good farming in the neighbourhood oi uam- 

 staple, but had not time to visit there. Much farm pro- 

 duce is shipped from Barnstaple to the Welch iron dis- 

 tricts, but I heard great complaint of extravagant freights. 

 A good deal of land had been formerly leased for lives, 

 and exhibits the usual evil consequences. The want of 

 root crops and suitable buildings for winter-housing, 

 compels the sale of much stock before winter sets ifl, 

 although the winters are mild compared with those of 



our eastern counties. 



Lord Fortescue has improved much land by catch and 

 water-meadowdng. /. /. Mechi, Tiptree Hall, Jan. 27. 



The question is settled in my mind. Some years ago 

 Earl Ducie (I w r as told) writing to a friend said, u I 

 agree with Mr. Mechi in nearly all his principles except 

 his ' great barn.' " Hereafter I shall call it a bullock- 

 house. 



Altogether I 



this 52 acre farm 



Fortescue's is a most edifying and pleasurable fact, and 



ON SHED-FEEDING SHEEP. 

 It has occurred to me, during the late wet weather, 

 that the fattening of sheep might be carried on in a 

 much better way than by letting them have their Turnips 

 in the usual manner. At present they are exposed to 

 all weathers, the cutting frost, cold winds, and rain ot 

 winter, sometimes in their muddy folds scarce able w 

 move about, much less lie down and rest. Now every 

 one knows that these circumstances are very motf 

 opposed to the fattening of the animals, and any ]p® 

 that could be adopted whereby they might be m^ 

 quickly got ready for the butcher, a greater number tea 

 on the same quantity of Turnips, and thus a saving ot 

 food made, and which at the same time would not d 

 attended with too great an expense, appears to mej $ 



fksfpr hoi™ novfao+K* mn ti A «~a * * -t" V ", — stands in strange contrast and comparison with others , «.,«^v^ ^tn w b *^«l «*u o AF ^ du , a¥V ^^ .. 



- treated much in the same wav. Ir. boarded floors, more stock, and ample drainage. 



open question in 



Grabnm told me it does not answer so well for lambs 

 aa for full-grown sheep The undisturbed manner in 

 which each annual gets its own share of food, and their 

 perfect quiescence, almost lead me to prefer the tvimp 

 up to tlie loose system. But it is Btill i 



my mind. 



The bullocks consume, daily, about 9 lbs. of hay, <j lbs* 

 of ccsgi and Linseed, 6 lbs. of straw , lbs. of Turnij 

 t. oz. sMl 40 Ibi nf w»f^ • »iven warm in three meals. 



about S3 lbs Jay—The sheep : 12 lb* of Turnips, 1 Jib. 

 of Oats, 1 lb. h^ t .}iaff. Not cooked— no water. The 

 -water in the food aw 10 lbs. a day.— Calves eat about 



i v. Hie working ojten eat about 



30 per cent, more tlian^s- fattening oxen.— A barren 

 fattening cow ease in mimmc*i u0 lbs of Grass daily.— 

 a milking cow eats 150 lbs. S&W ur milk to be a 

 costly affair There is a singular Incidence between 

 we mode oi fattening here, at Mr. 

 Auchness, and at .Mr. Wames's, in N 

 One fact is interesting, viz., that the i 



other manure, free from straw litter, wi 



nor subside. This I have proved practically on my ow^ 



Mr, Graburn showed me a targe accumulated 

 mass, the produce of a twelvemonth, unaltered and un- 

 diminished. Its density excludes air, consequently it 



" * >porate. It is on this prin- 



sidered to come within these conditions, but should J'° 

 Passing from this little farm, we examined the tilery ! deem them worthy a nlace in vour valuable Pape r >* 



. , ._,. sha 



The earth makes excellent pipes : the clay is prepared 

 by Clayton's machine, and the pipes passed through 

 Spraggs'e. I lis lordship finds wood-ftie! (of which there 



fifth as much as a 



is an abundance on the estate) and pays 8s. 6rf. for the 

 manufacturing, up to 4 inches in size. 



The drying was going on by flues, but the sheds were 

 not considered so advantageous for winter drying, as 

 those kilns now in connection with the heat of the 

 burning kilns at AinshVs tilery. 



We now enter upon Lord Ebrington's farm of 126 

 acres, on which there were formerly 76 enclosures ! 

 now reduced to 12. 



your numerous and able correspondents upon thent 



The plan I propose then is this. On the hea« 

 or perhaps along the middle of the Turnips would 

 better, a space should be cleared sufficiently wide for 

 moveable shed to be built, which shed is to be tog 

 enough to contain, in one long row, side by side, «* 

 sheep to be fattened. The shed, I think, would b« ^ 

 made of hurdles, but of course of a different ^^ {or 

 those now in use ; they should be about 6 J feet bigb ■ 

 one side, and 5 feet for the other, and 6 feet in len j£j 

 this would be the most convenient size for # oV ^ r 



about ; they could be made of three stoutish up^ 

 posts, with a cross piece at bottom, top, &* 

 the middle, the top piece having holes bored in it W 



U 



Culloch's, at 



and 



farm 



Here are the same improvements 

 as at his father's, Earl Fortescue's ; drainage, root 

 growing, excellent new buildings, and abundance of 



stock-house fed-in fact the same elements of in- j the roof to ; there'would require to be some ^^ 

 creasing fertility: say, 62 fattening oxen on boards and pieces nailed about 4 inches apart, each side offJJ 

 in boxes ; 8 working ditto ditto ; 2 horses ; 64 fatten- uprights, and then have straw stuffed tightly betjj 

 ing sheep (tied up) ; 30 fattening hogs ; 2 sows ; them ; this would exclude the air. The roofing cod* J 

 manure house, liquid tank, &c. Some quiet practical made of hurdles in the same manner, or, instead of strjj 



asphalted felt might be used ; the whole to be sec 







uitural 



**de on comparing tlie stock with the acresJ 



th^j 



i na^jjeep were shorn early 

 instantly>b%nsumed 2 to 3 lbs 



can 



ture. The 



*W 



tps per day 



append 



gainst wind by being tied to stakes in the same ^ *»J 

 iiurdles now are, and the roof would be fixed ■ ^^g e 

 fitting in the holes on the top of the side walls. 

 light might be admitted either from the r0 ^ 1 °* J^aJj 

 I do not know what the expense of such hurdles 







