Practical AgiHculture. 
(331 = 365 
)rses hay in racks, as well as the Lincolnshire practice of feeding 
I oat-sheaves cut into chaff, has gone out of favour ; and the 
•st managers cut up hay and straw, and give their horses ground 
rn, or crushed oats, sometimes bran or pollard, with a portion 
, pulped roots or green tares added to the dry food. In some 
istricts the farm-horses are grazed on the pastures in summer ; 
It the practice of keeping them in stables or yards the whole 
;ir round prevails in most tillage districts, and is extending. 
The cost of horse-power, depending upon the assumed value Costofhorse- 
the fodder and forage which, commonly, are not allowed to power. 
sold off, is a matter of varying estimates. Some years ago 
r. John Chalmers Morton deduced averages from statistics of 
considerable number of cases, — making the annual outlay per 
•ad 22)1. for food, and 5/. 10s. for blacksmith's, saddler's, and 
■Trier's bills, and for depreciation (or replacing and maintain- 
g the value of the horse unimpaired), or 28/. 10s. per horse, 
dding 3/. 25. for wear and replacement of implements, and 
\i. 8s. for part wages of the team-men necessary to drive and 
•com the horse, the total yearly cost came out 46Z. A deduc- 
)n should be made from this sum for the value of the horse's 
anure. But, on the other hand, the great rise in the price 
. horses, in the value of hay and straw, in the price of all 
'tides concerned in the application of horse-power, and in 
e cost of manual labour, has certainly increased the estimate. 
fact, authorities at the present time would not be inclined to 
lue the day's work of a horse, without the share of manual 
ibour connected with it, at less than 3s., considering the 
imber of days in a year on which horses are at rest. Hence, 
e ploughing of three roods of stiff land per day by a team of 
iur horses, attended by a man and boy, may easily reach 21s. 
more per acre ; and turning over a full acre of light land per 
i-y by a pair of horses and one man, may cost the farmer as 
uch as 9s. per acre ; the average cost of ploughing in England 
ing between these amounts. 
Mules and Asses. — Recently there have been some successful Mules and 
tempts to introduce into farm-labour mules and asses, which 
e economical from their endurance and thriftiness of feeding ; 
id lor this purpose high-standing active French and Spanish 
ses, and mules from Poitou, have been imported. 
Water Power. — On some few estates in England water-wheels Water power, 
e employed for driving fixed threshing-machinery ; and there 
e many cases — some of them on holdings of moderate or small 
tent — in which a small wheel, sometimes urged by an artificial 
ream consisting of the collected waters of the farm under- 
I'ains, is made to drive the farmer's mill, crusher, chafT- 
