Covered Farm- Steadings. 



339 



60/. to 75/. — thus the 2 do not exceed, or even amount to the 

 expense of 1 large one. I am confirmed in this opinion from 

 hearing- that, in a large factory, the owner has adopted the system 

 of having several small engines instead of 1 or 2 large ones, 

 saying thereby in erecting the machinery a great amount of heavy 

 shafting, and also considerable expense in the daily working. 

 A farmer would only require to work his 2 engines when thrash- 

 ing grain, while 1 of them would do all he need on other days, 

 and be kept constantly going. I find that a small engine in 

 daily use consumes only 2i cwt. of Scotch coals per day, which 

 can be procured, here at about 8^. per ton ; so that, including oil 

 and repairs, the cost may be taken at Is. ^d. per day. The man 

 in charge attends also at the same time to the follov\/ing 

 machines : — 



1st. A turnip-washer, from which the turnips are taken by 

 elevators to the cutters, falling, when cut, into the tabs and wag- 

 gons ready, when mixed with the chaff, &c., to be conveyed away 

 to the stock. 



2nd. Chaff-cutter. 



3rd. Corn-bruising machine. 



4th. Cake-crusher. 



5th. Pair of mill-stones. 



The prepared food from the 3 last machines falls into a store, 

 the key of which is kept by the farmer ; the steam from the 

 engine is employed to heat a kiln for drying grain, heating 

 water, and steaming food for horses and pigs. The only assist- 

 ance the man who attends to the engine has is that of a w^oman, 

 who supplies the turnip-washer with turnips, and who besides 

 feeds and has the charge of a hundred sheep on boards. This 

 peculiar system of feeding is very profitable, particularly in such 

 a season as the last, when I have been able since November to 

 feed and sell off 3 different lots of sheep, leaving an amount of 

 manure ready for my turnip crop equal to a good cargo of guano. 

 The cattleman, having the food thus prepared to his hand, has 

 nothing to do but to put it into the Avaggon, which, by means of 

 a railway, is easily conveyed to all parts of the building, and 

 thus enables him (as I before stated) to feed and superintend a 

 hundred cattle, being saved the cleaning out of the stalls, which 

 is required when cattle are tied by the head. Economy of 

 labour is by this means effected, in addition to the advantage 

 derived by the animals, as the less disturbed cattle are when 

 feeding the better. 



The boxes or courts are divided by round spars, or young 

 larch trees, w^hich I find answer best, being made to shift up and 

 down by falling into cast-iron sockets. The boxes are sunk 

 about 2J or 3 feet below the passage, and by means of the open- 



VOL. XIV. 2 A 



