Agriculture of Berlishire. 
41 
more g^cneral for mixing mangold and other roots with chaff for 
neat cattle and cow-stock. 
A few horse-power threshing-machines are to be seen here 
and there, and occasionally a hand-machine is used by those 
who have at times a surplus of labour, but I cannot say 
that they have any other recommendation than that they give 
employment, in some cases, to those who might otherwise 
be discharged. The combined steam threshing-machine has 
become so general as to have nearly silenced the sound of 
the flail in some parts ; however, there are still many practical 
men who prefer threshing out the greater part of their Lent-corn 
with the flail ; first, because the fodder comes out regularly for the 
use of the cattle in the yards, and secondly, because there are on 
most farms some men, with large families, who are glad to do it, as 
they are thereby enabled to eain a few shillings per week more, 
which in the winter season is a great help to them. Machines, 
in some cases, are kept by the farmers for their own use ; the 
engine, when not required for threshing, being used for grinding 
corn, cutting chaff, bruising, &c. ; large farms can employ a 
7 or 8 horse-power engine to great advantage in this way, as I 
have learnt from my own experience. The greater part prefer 
hiring a machine, many of which are kept for letting out in 
different parts of the county. 
Some only winnow the corn l^once ,and sack it ; it is then 
mixed in a heap and winnowed again before it is sent to 
market : others finish it at one operation, but this plan is 
open to objection. A rick is seldom of one uniform quality, 
consequently a sample taken, to sell by, from any one part is 
not a fair sample of the whole, and I have heard dealers say 
they have had more unpleasantness since the introduction of 
this system than they were ever subjected to before ; another 
objection is that this machine, although cleverly constructed and 
quite a masterpiece of skill, is nevertheless very complicated, 
and after it has been in use a considerable time the wear and 
tear becomes very expensive, from the great number of bearings 
— something or other is constantly breaking or getting out of 
order, causing great hindrance from stoppages during the process 
of threshing. This is now generally performed out of doors, by 
taking the machine to the ricks, which consequently are made in 
the fields more frequently than they used to be, by no means to 
the advantage of the general neat appearance of the county. As 
the ricks are threshed, the straw is stacked or rather thrown 
together in a very slovenly way, to be removed again at a con- 
venient season to be made into manure in the yards ; there can 
be no economy in this plan, as straw is never moved so cheaply 
as it is in the harvest, at which time it should always be taken as 
