278 
The Afp'iculture of Staffordshire, 
on meal, and producing about 200 scores of bacon each year. 
The breeding-ewes are wintered on the grass-lands, having hay 
supplied to them when the weather is severe, and a moderate 
allowance of swedes when within a month of lambin?. The 
lambs drop about the 1st of April, Wethers run on the upland 
meadows and pastures all the winter without roots ; bei'ore Christ- 
mas they begin to receive 1 lb. of cake a day each, with hay. 
They go off fat in June or July ; the culled ewe teggs go off a little 
later. The ewes are drafted at four years old. The cows calve 
in March and April ; fourteen or fifteen young cows are brought 
into the herd every year, and the same number of cows sold in 
spring or autumn. This is essentially a dairy, not a feeding, farm. 
Cheese of moderate size is made, Aveighing 30 lbs. each ; it is 
slightly coloured with annatto, to suit the wishes of buyers. 
Mr. Archer, of Castle Hays,* near Tutbury, allows me to give 
a detailed description of his management on a dairy farm of 
440 acres, belonging to the Duchy of Lancaster. The soil and 
aspect of this farm are varied. On one side are " the Banks," 
and beneath is the rich valley of the Dove, A steep declivity 
leads down to the boundary of the farm and to pastures beyond, 
worth 60s. an acre. These slopes and several adjoining fields, 
more picturesque than practicable for the plough, are in turf. 
During his twelve years' occupation of the farm, Mr. Archer has 
increased the permanent }>asture by 104 acres, leaving in arable 
only 146 acres. This is a good red marl, on a subsoil of the 
same, and with deep ploughing and liberal feeding it bears a 
severe course of cropping. The usual breadth of roots is about 
ten acres of mangold, four or five of cabbages, and four of swedes. 
Eight acres of tares are also sown in five successional crops, and 
they play an important part in the night-foddering of the cows, 
whenever grass falls short any time between May and the coming 
in of cabbage in September. The best and earliest pastures are on 
the marl, and the gypsum rock which is found in that deposit, and 
is worked in one of the high pastures ; but a considerable portion 
of the grass is on pale clay, comparatively poor, and so close in 
texture that in draining it the regulation depth of 4 feet was less 
successful than shallower drainage at narrower widths would 
have been, 
I shall describe the management on this farm in some detail, 
giving statistics which will show the expenses and returns on a 
dairy farm not uniformly of good quality, but where unceasing 
* "Castle-hay Park, situate -nithin a mile of the Castle (Tuthury), 749 acres, 
whereof meadow \'l acres, the rest good pasture ; I'or the most part shadowed with 
oak-trees, to the number of 550, whereof iu young oaks 40U, the rest, for the most 
part, old dotard oaks : it may •vrell bear 480 deare." (Survey in the first year of 
Queeu Elizabeth.) 
