The Winter of 1885-86. 
433 
time, and he is convinced that, without reclvoning the waste for giving hay 
whole, there is a saving of quite 20 per cent. He believes that a larger pro- 
portion is assimilated by the animal wlien put in the crib in a convenient form, 
while he is certain that there is far less waste. The stock also do far better. 
I had many facts given me on these points ; and even the labourers insist on 
it, though the chaffing gives them a little extra trouble. But it must not bo 
supposed that chaffing, under ordinary circumstances, gives no trouble. 
Here, however, the occupier being the owner, the buildings and yards are 
arranged for convenience, and the chaffing is not so very much trouble after 
all. The system of watering stock on this farm deserves a full notice. It 
is done by means of iron troughs placed in the centre of the cribs, one 
trough for each two cattle. These are 2 ft. by 13 in. by 11 in., the trough 
thus taking up 13 in. of the crib. The divisions between the cribs are 
7 ft. 6 in., which gives ample room for two cows. The divisions run 3 ft. 
back. On each side of the trough is a crib. All the troughs are on a level, 
and are supplied from a large cistern on the top of the buildings, which forms 
the source of the water supply for the house, the dairy, and the farm 
generally. The supply goes tirst into a trough in the centre of the buildings, 
which is on a level with all the other troughs, and the supply is shut off 
when the troughs are full by means of a ball-cock. There are two taps just 
where the water is here admitted, and these can be used so as to shut off the 
water entirely, to prevent its going into the centre cistern, or to flush the 
whole of the supply pipes to the shippon. At each end of the shippon are taps 
which allow of this flushing. The troughs are supplied from the ground, and 
a cock in any one of the troughs will cut off the supply to that trough. 
"The labour for the whole of this work is supplied by two lads; one 
receives 4s. Qd. jier week, and the other 12s. There is a 3-h.p. engine 
(one of Hindley's), and one of Tangye's special steam pumps. With these 
the lad, at 4s. %d. per week, crushes all the corn, cuts all the chaff, and pumps 
all the water (from a well 20 ft. deep to a tank holding 1000 gallons on the 
top of the buildings) for the house, farm, and dairy, besides helping in the 
feeding and in cleaning the cribs. This is *'cr the 50 dairy cows ; but very 
little help is given him for the other animals, the chaff for which has to be 
cut. The animals are bedded with sawdust, and it is found that this is a 
good vehicle for absorbing the urine and excreta, and for conveying this 
manure to the fields. So far as the weather piermits, the manure is carried to 
the field daily, and there spread." 
This system of keeping stock in winter bj means of brewers' 
grains is one that is more or less practised in my own neigh- 
bourhood ; but the economy of buying in the summer and 
storing for winter is not nearly so common as it should be. 
Last winter there was a great rush for them at the breweries, and 
I am told that 8rf. per bushel was common, while in the 
summer they are a drug. Several cheese-makers go in for 
small quantities (about 500 bushels) in the summer, but I know 
of no other farm where they form so integral a portion of farm 
economy as here. In the North, and around the Burton 
breweries, I hear that they are a great drug. They ought not 
to be so, for by their use the want which ensilage meets in 
many districts has been successfully met in other districts. 
Skelter for Sheep. — Generally speaking, the reports all tend 
to show that shelter is absolutely needed for sheep in the 
winter. My correspondents are all first-class farmers, and it is 
