Cow-Keeping by Farm Labourers. 
537 
plenty of milk. It tends greatly to keep the labourers on the farm. They 
never like to lose a place where they have a cow." 
On one estate of the Earl of Powis, near Montford Bridge, 
Shropshire, I saw the system carried out with great success. In 
the course of a long walk with Mr. Bowen Jones, of Ensdon 
House, who farms 800 acres on this estate, and with Mr. 
Davison, the estate bailiff, we visited many of the cottagers, 
walked over their pastures, and looked into their cow-sheds. 
There are 57 small cow-takings on the estate. Several of the 
labourers on each farm are provided with a cow. The butter is 
collected and carried to market by certain members of the com- 
munity, who act as dealers or agents. We called, for example, 
at the house of a widow, and found it locked ; the son had not 
returned from work, and the woman was away with her donkey 
and cart, selling butter in Shrewsbury. 
A certain amount of inconvenience arises from the occasional 
absence of the men. A cow or calf has sometimes to be sold, 
and the hay must be gathered once a year. There are some 
mowing pastures at a distance, on the banks of the Severn. The 
hay is secured in large cocks, according to the custom of this 
district ; but it must be carted home by loan of the employer's 
horses. Mr. Bowen Jones admitted that favours must be some- 
times asked and granted, and the " commercial system " set at 
naught to some extent. He and his uncle had supplied litter 
gratis, for example, to their farm-bailiff during his forty-five 
years' service, and he does the same for the bailiff's widow and 
her son (the stockman), who keep 2 cows, and hold 5 acres of 
grass. A man will sometimes be away at Shrewsbury on his 
own affairs, which would not happen if he had no cows, 
nor other property ; no damsons, which pay the cottage-rent 
hereabouts sometimes ; no money, hope, satisfaction, nor 
responsibility, except what he might derive from the 20 small 
rods of garden ground which, with a mean cottage, has too 
often been the hard-and-fast boundary of a labourer's home. 
A farm labourer without a cow or anything particular belong- 
ing to him or attainable except a large and badly dieted family, 
will soon acquire an ill-conditioned mind. Mr. Bowen Jones 
is aware of this. I looked in at the village school, and saw 
a roomful of children who have not been deprived of their bread 
and milk I I saw some of them driving the cows home to the 
byres, and learning early useful lessons of care and kindness 
to stock. I saw the meal-tubs filled with ground corn. I 
observed the admirable condition of the pastures and fences, 
and, in some cases, the permanent improvements which have 
been effected by the cow-keepers. I observed the store of 
