Farming of Devonshire. 
493 
tions, according to the character of the former. Thus, the lime 
of Sandford does not require any mixture of sand, and forms the 
hardest floors of the kind ; if the lime forms a good mortar, or 
what masons term a " brittle mixture," it maybe employed for 
those floors. The proportion of sand should be such as will 
form with the lime a good mortar for plastering walls ; this mix- 
ture is poured on a layer of stones (of the size of good road 
metal) to the depth of 4 or 5 inches, and remains until moderately 
hard, when it is occasionally beaten by heavy pieces of wood 
with large flat bottoms. In about three months from the time of 
laying it has the hardness and durability of stone, and forms a 
very perinanent floor: but until it has attained this firmness it 
must not be used. The usual price for this floor when complete 
is \s. a square yard. The kitchen and dairy floors of farm-houses 
are generally formed in this manner, and for tl)ese it is certainly 
much superior to any other material. 
The roof is, with few exceptions, made of thatch, which, like 
the cob-earth wall, tends to maintain an equable temperature 
within the building, however severe the changes without. The 
use of reed (instead of straw) diminishes many of the objections 
raised against these roofs, and if their durability could be in- 
creased and their liability to fire diminished by any available 
process it would form the best covering for a labourer's cottage. 
The cost of a substantial cottage with good cob-earth walls, 
slate or tile roof, and containing four rooms of convenient size, 
with the requisite out-buildings, is 50Z. If several are built 
together they can be raised at less expense ; thus six cottages might 
be built for 250/. Supposing the capital thus expended to pay 
6 per cent., the labourer may be supplied with a comfortable 
cottage for Is. a week, which is the sum he now pays for a dwell- 
ing as inconvenient as it is unhealthy. To each cottage a quar- 
ter of an acre of land (adjoining) should be allotted as garden 
ground, for which a moderate rental may be charged. 
General Observations. 
Many of the peculiarities of Devonshire farming may be traced 
to the climate, which has been shown to be very favourable for 
the cultivation of roots and gieen crops but detrimental to the 
growth of corn. Hence the cause that so much attention and 
capital are devoted to the rearing of cattle, for which the abund- 
ance of grass and other green food offers singular inducements. 
The tillage of the land is chiefly attended to in those parts in 
which the soil is naturally dry, thereby counteracting the unusual 
.imount of moisture with which the county is supplied. The 
relative value of different breeds of cattle is also dependent (in 
some degree) on local climate. Thus, the north Devon breed 
