Pitchill, Tilesford, and the Grove. 
477 
lord, by which he pays for the labour and charges the tenant 51. 
per cent, per annum on the outlay. 
Fences. ' 
At Pitchill the fields ranged originally from six to twenty 
acres in extent, yielding an average, probably, of about ten acres. 
But now, on the arable land, nearly the whole of the internal 
fences have been taken up to admit of steam-tackle being more 
easily and conveniently employed. Eventually the few fences 
that still remain will be taken out, and the farm will then be 
intersected by steam-roads a quarter of a mile apart, that being 
the length of the rope. Indeed, it may as well be mentioned, 
once for all, that facilities for steam-cultivation are at Pitchill 
held to be of the greatest possible importance. It is essentially 
a steam-farm. 
Practically we may regard the boundary-fence as the only one 
on the Pitchill Farm, and as that is comparatively new, it may 
be described as a good example of the fences of the district. 
Quicks from four to five years old are planted on the flat in a 
single row, about 9 inches apart ; they are then allowed to grow 
about five or six years, and are then " platted " and trimmed in 
what is known as the Warwickshire fashion. Afterwards they 
are trimmed twice a year at a cost of one halfpenny per perch 
each time for trimming both sides, and they are gradually trained 
to a stack-shape, measuring 3 feet across at the base, being a 
little wider at the eaves, and. coming to a ridge at a height of 
about 4^ feet from the base. 
The old fences at Tilesford and the Grove are on banks, but 
they are gradually being swept away, and eventually the arable 
land on each of these farms will be simply an enormous field 
like that at Pitchill. 
Gkass Land. 
The meadow land, consisting of something more than 100 acres 
at Tilesford and the Grove, lies alongside of the river, and is 
liable to be flooded. Hay-making is done once a year at a cost 
of about 3s. per acre and 5 quarts of cider, the practice being to 
break the swath by machine and to finish the work by hand as 
day-work. The aftermath is grazed with cattle and sheep ; but 
neither roots nor artificial food is given on it. 
The pastures, at Pitchill, are old, and measure about 200 acres, 
the fields having an average size of from 10 to 15 acres. The 
usual practice is to fold off the first bite with ewes and lambs, 
and afterwards to graze with cattle and sheep. A portion of the 
pasture land is manured every year with | cwt. of guano, | cwt. 
