Northnmberlmid and Durham in 1887 ; Classes 4 and 5. 235 
2. Tlie Seaton Delaval Coal Company, Seatou Delaval 
Colliery, Northumberland. 
3. The Cramliugton Coal Company, Cramlington, North- 
umberland. 
4. Tlie Earl of Durham, Lambton Castle, Fence Houses, 
Durham. 
The occupation of Messrs. StraJcers & Love consisted of four 
holdings, two of which were their own freehold property — The 
Burn Farm, 202 acres, 1 rood, 17 perches, and the Rough Lea 
Farm, 144 acres, 3 roods, 27 perches. The other two were the 
property of Lord Boyne — Oakenshaw, 164 acres, 3 roods, 3 
perches, and Brandon Farm, 75 acres, 38 perches — and of these 
they were yearly tenants. Total — 587 acres, 1 rood, 5 perches. 
The nature of the soil on all the farms was of medium 
character, the subsoil being boulder-clay. There were good, 
substantial buildinsfs on the first-named holdings, suitable for 
feeding beasts and for breeding mares. There was a tine hay- 
shed, 50 yards long by 20 feet wide, with a slated roof fixed on 
larch poles, 13 on each side, and 20 feet high. The floor was 
laid with 3-inch planks, 2 inches asunder. There was also a 
shed for lambing ewes, containing 30 pens, convertible into 
loose boxes and shippons; this was 60 feet long by 15 feet 
wide. An implement-house, a turnip-house, a hen-house, and a 
large collection of poultiy were notable. 
The grass lands near the house were fairly good, but wet in 
places through the sinking of the surface, caused by getting 
coal from under it. The clover and gi'ass seeds for mowing were 
full average crops ; part of them were cut green, for consump- 
tion by the horses and ponies used in the collieries under the 
land. The oat and turnip crops were of average quality, as 
were the meadows mowed for hay. No wheat was grown. 
The Rough Lea Farm adjoining had been lately purchased 
in a poor, rough state, and was being improved. Since obtain- 
ing possession, a year ago, the firm had drained about 100 
acres, applied 240 tons of gas lime to com and turnip crops, had 
eradicated 800 yards of old hedges, cut down much useless 
timber, and were fixing wire fences to divide all the land into 
fields of uniform size. 
Oakenshaw Farm had been held for 2 1 years ; the soil was 
lighter, and was cultivated under the 4 and 5 years' rotation of 
cropping — about 60 acres had been drained. This farm lay in 
an exposed situation, and was 650 feet above sea-level. Both 
the grass land and the crops were poor, and the surface gene- 
rally was much affected by sinking. The coals in this district 
lie near the surface, are of a soft nature, not suitable for house 
