Sonthcru District. 
271 
moutli, on tho condition of brinj^ing: back artificial manuros or 
stablo-dunj^ of equal value. One wagfi'oii-load of dunfj (weij^hing 
3 tons and costing 12.s'., besides carriage, with 4 horses, a man 
and a boy), is held to be equivalent to a ton of straw, which 
sells for 11. This permission does not extend to the two last 
years of a lease. 
The produce per acre is : wheat 25 bushels ; barley 30 ; oats 
44 ; beans and peas (not much grown) 20 ; turnips and swedes 
16 tons ; mangold 20 tons ; clover and rye-grass IJ tons. The 
live stock are a few cows lor butter and the wants of the house, 
either " Foresters " or " Channel Islands," or a cross between 
the two. The fine river-side meadows south of Bishopstoke 
facilitate the keeping of good short-horn dairy cows, for whose 
produce there is a ready demand at Southampton ; the milkman, 
if the farm be within reasonable distance, coming out twice a 
day, and carrying off the milk without any trouble to the farmer. 
Where beasts are grazed, they are short-horns. Of cattle, '07 
are kept per acre ; of horses (the usual nondescript breed), "04 ; 
of pigs (Sussex and Berks mixed), "15 ; of sheep, 1. The sheep 
are, a few horned ewes for early lambs; Hampshire ewes, put to 
a Sussex ram ; Hampshire downs, or, among the fancy men, the 
pure Sussex. Some buy in and sell out ; some breed their own 
stock. The implements are either the usual county 2-wheel 
plough, Tasker's of Andover, or Howard's, which two last are 
gradually superseding the native machine. Broadshares are not 
much used. 
The buildings are better than in the north. 
Though Hants is not a cheese-making county, it has a cheese 
market at Bishopstoke Station, held on the third Thursday in 
each month. The original intention was to have a Cattle market 
alsq, it being thought that the west country would supply beef, 
and the neighbourhood mutton. As, however, the western coun- 
ties (Dorset and Somerset) did not send their beef, a portion of 
the first design failed, yet they do, especially Somerset, send their 
cheese. On the great markets, in September and October, as 
much as 300 tons are pitched ; during the summer months not 
above half the quantity ; but, taking one month with another, 
from 200 to 225 tons are sold at each market. Romsey, South- 
ampton, and Botley are the chief general markets. At Romsey 
there is an association for the encouragement of labourers, well 
known from its connection with Lord Palmerston, who presides 
at its annual meetings, and distributes the prizes. There is also 
at Romsey a Christmas fat show, with eight prizes for fat cattle, 
four for fat sheep, four for fat pigs, and the usual prizes for store 
animals ; 37 prizes in all. 
