126 
Report on the Farming of the 
now being generally made to facilitate this valuable acquisition to 
the poor man. The most independent mode is for the cottager to 
rent a small garth or close, sufficient for summer eatage and for 
hay in winter. These convenient holdings, however, are not every- 
where to be met with. In lieu of this, therefore, it is not uncom- 
mon for either the lord of the manor or surveyor of the highways (to 
whomsoever it appertains) to let to the cottagers the right of eat- 
age of the lanes, or herbage bounding the highways ; and of which, 
on the Wolds especially, there is in every parish a considerable 
quantity. The letting of this is by public competition, and extends 
from Ladyday to Michaelmas. The purchase of a cow is, of 
course, a matter of no small difficulty to most labourers ; not only 
are the savings of the thrifty absorbed by it, but those who have 
no such fund to resort to are fain to venture upon the rash expe- 
dient of borrowing. In either case the loss of the cow is a very 
serious matter ; and therefore by some it is held to be inexpedient 
to encourage the labourer in the possession of stock of so preca- 
rious a nature. There are, however, two modes, at least, of guard- 
ing against such risk, and it is most desirable that village cow- 
keepers should be advised to avail themselves of one or other of 
these. The one is the Village Cow Club — the other, the Farmers' 
Cattle Insurance Company. Of the latter institution, its advan- 
tages having been extensively set before the public, it is unneces- 
sary to speak. Of the former, the Village Cow Club, Mr. Strick- 
land (p. 47) has treated at some length. It appears that efforts 
had been made by himself, and other benevolent individuals, to 
introduce into the East Riding this plan for insuring cows, which 
had been tried for some years in Lincolnshire, and had succeeded 
there. He gives rules for its management; the chief of which 
seem to be, that an ad valorem rate of a halfpenny in the pound 
per month shall be paid by the cowkeeper ; and that when by this 
means a capital shall have accumulated amounting to 3 per cent, 
of the aggregate value of the cows insured, then the payments 
were to cease until the funds should be reduced by losses. There 
are, it is believed, very few instances at present in this Riding of 
the existence of one of the cow-clubs, which can only be accounted 
for on the general principle that institutions, however good in 
themselves, if they are merely local and dependent upon the zeal 
and activity of a few individuals, do not possess the elements of 
vitality. The great prevalence also of late years of pleuro-pneu- 
monia, which, when it attacked the village herd, would go far to 
impair the solvency of the cow-club, may also have tended to their 
discouragement. 
Cottage Allotments. — The benefit accruing to the labouring man 
from having a certain piece of land allotted to him, independent 
