298 
Farminp of Hampshire. 
ewes, and one of rams. At Appleshaw many Dorset and Bridge- 
water horned ewes, heavy in lamb, are sold, besides Wilts and 
southdowns. 100,000 are here penned, of which, at a rough 
estimate, about half are Dorsets, one-fourth Somersets, and the 
remaining Wiltshire. The first day at Weyhill is appropriated 
to sheep, the two next to horses and stock, the fourth to hops 
and cheese. 125,000 may be given as the average of sheep and 
lambs penned, which are divided between two fairs, the Wilts 
keeping on their side of the turnpike, the Hants on the other. 
The hops are similarly separated into a Farnham row and a 
country row, the number of pockets being about 2500, of which 
the Farnham jieople bring more than half. 
There is an Andover and Weyhill Agricultural Society, with 
prizes for stock of all kinds. 
The ordinary labourer in this district has lOs. per week, the 
carter and shepherd Is. extra. The carter has perhaps 30s. addi- 
tional at Christmas or Michaelmas. The shepherd has extra pay 
in different ways. I have heard of this practice — Id. for every 
lamb, and Gd. for every one above the number of ewes, to be paid 
in July. Ploughboys have 6s. or 7s. ; boys to lead, 4s. or 5s. 
a-week. The carter, shepherd, and boys are hired by the year ; 
and generally a man's pay is 2d. or 3c?. an hour for extra work ; 
the carter probably also receiving Is. on going with a load of 
corn, or otherwise to a distance. Throughout the county no 
beer or food is provided, except at harvest-time, when beer is 
given, often without stint where work presses. Giving food, 
and no extra money, used to be the practice, but it has died 
out. The manual labour in the middle district is "06. The 
tithe and parochial burdens are not heavy. The rent of land 
is 13s., 15s., or 20s. an acre. Leases are general on these large 
farms. 
On Mr. Melville Portal's home farm, at Laverstoke, a sort of 
double four-course system is pursued, extending over eight years, 
thus : wheat, barley or oats, swedes, forward turnips (red-rounds 
or stone) and rape (first Ibur-course) ; wheat, barley, grass, roots 
(second four-course). This is, in fact, the Wiltshire rotation 
twice repeated, with the substitution of grass for swedes in the 
second round. 
The Laverstoke farm buildings are kept well together, easily 
accessible in every part, and supplied with all requisites for the 
conduct of the farm, and for the despatch of the general business 
of the estate. One excellent feature is the position of the steam- 
engine, which is fixed, where the heart of the system should be, 
in the centre, dispensing food, and litter, through the arteries 
and veins of feeding-alleys, boxes, and yards. The ingenious 
arrangement for getting at the eggs, without entering the poultry- 
