390 



Farming of Lincolnshire. 



some districts.* The yard beasts generally eat their cake from 

 cribs, placed in different parts of the yard; but where there is an 

 open shed a manger is provided for the purpose. It is now 

 becoming customary to have a framework upon the front of this 

 trough, so that each animal is prevented by a wooden upright on 

 each side his head from jostling his neighbours and getting more 

 than his share of the food. In the premises at Hareby is a neat 

 contrivance for tethering the cattle, appended to the mangers 

 along one side of each yard, each manger being large enough for 

 10 beasts. The subjoined diagram will show its action : — 



B B B are iron levers, which can be %et upright or allowed to fall 

 in a slanting position by mxcans of a chain connecting their upper 

 ends. The cattle put in their heads (in order to eat out of the 

 manger C C) when the levers are in the position shown at B B B, 

 and a sudden pull of the chain by the handle D brings all the 

 levers into the posture shown at A, thus holding the necks 

 of the animals between the irons and the posts E E E E E. 



The Lincolnshire method of feeding horses is to give them cut 

 oat-sheaves nearly all the year round, and sometimes \ a peck of 

 beans each as well ; and when this is not done they have a peck 

 of oats each per day and sometimes a few old beans. They eat 

 clover-hay in the yard during the winter and grass in the fields 

 in summer, tares (or vetches) also forming a part of their spring 

 provender. In the newer farm premises each stable is made to 

 accommodate 4 horses, and has a chaff-house, with cutter, &c., 

 and a gear-house to match, whilst one or 2 loose boxes are pro- 

 vided as a hospital." 



Steaming and boiling food for pigs are universally practised. 



* This is not apparently a modern innovation : at the close of the last century it 

 seems to have been tried in Lincolnshire. Young says, " Mr. Thorpe, at Owersby, 

 has a bullock-house; the beasts may be loose or tied. Deaniess of oil-cake induced 

 him to substitute linseed, boiled and mixed with barley-meal — 2 quarters of barley, 

 4 bushels of linseed, and mixed to give cold in the form of a jelly. This quantity 

 will go as far as half a ton of cakes, costing less. Kali a peck of linseed is boiled in 

 4 gallons of vt'ater." 



