72 



Farming of Northamjotonsliire, 



the keeping up of his team. There has been a great improve- 

 ment in the kind of horses used for the purposes of agriculture. 

 The old, heavy, slow-moving, hairy-legged animals have been 

 replaced by more light, active, and useful ones. 



The light soils are ploughed with two horses abreast, but the 

 treading of the land by the near horse is found injurious on the 

 mixed and heavy land, and three horses in length are used on 

 these farms. On the more tenacious soils, when receiving its 

 first furrow, four are often used, and you may sometimes see five 

 horses in length attached to a plough. I should think one at 

 least is sent out to exercise. When more than three are employed 

 a great amount of power is lost by the animals being at so great 

 a distance from the plough. Scarifying is generally done with 

 four or six horses, placed two abreast ; harrowing is done with 

 one, two, or three horses, according to the state of the land and 

 weight of the harrows. 



The soiling of cart-horses during die summer is very general ; 

 for this purpose a regular supply of rye, clover, winter and spring 

 tares is provided and taken into the yard : by this system a large 

 quantity of good manure is made, and the team kept off the 

 pasture-land. During the winter and spring months they are 

 kept in the stable or yard on clover, hay, cut chaff, and straw ; 

 receiving, when at constant work, a daily supply of corn. About 

 four horses to the occupation of 100 acres is the proportion 

 usually kept ; where the land requires extra labour, and a con- 

 siderable part of it to be done quickly, extra horses will be 

 needed. 



Few blood horses and nags are bred, and good useful hackneys 

 are scarce and command high prices. 



The principal fairs for the sale of horses are Fotheringay, 

 Oundle, Rowell, and Boughton Green fairs. 



Implements. 



They are very numerous, and it will only be necessary to refer 

 to the principal ones, beginning with the plough, as the primary 

 one in agricultural occupations. There are various patterns used 

 in different localities, most of them made of cast and wrought- 

 iron, and with wheels. 



The principal makers in this county are Ball, of Rowell, who 

 took the prize for the two last years in succession at the Royal 

 Agricultural Society's Show ; Adams, of Cotton End ; Cooch, 

 of Harleston ; Kembell, of Wellingborough ; Stanley, of Peter- 

 borough ; and many are made up by wheelwrights and black- 

 smiths in different localities, varying in their castings. 



The old swing wooden ploughs, without wheels, are still manu- 

 factured at Woodford, near Thrapstone, a village long noted for 



