84 
The Farming of Cheshire. 
" That the number of horses kept by the farmers in that district is in 
the proportion of three to eighty acres of land." 
In the Hundred of Eddisbury: — 
" It has been estimated that there is one horse kept for use in husbandly 
to every thirty acres." 
A gentleman in the Hundred of Broxton has recently fitted up 
an apparatus for steaming food for horses. He says — 
" The steam range cost 14Z. 7«. 5^(Z. ; to this must be added the charges 
for bricks and mortar, fixing the boiler, and the bricklayers' time, which 
will make the total expense about 15/. 10«. I had great difficulty at first 
in getting the men to use the steamed food. I steam both the cut hay and 
straw and potatoes ; 16 lbs. of cut hay and straw, 8 lbs. of steamed potatoes, 
7 lbs. of crushed oats, and a few white Belgian carrots, making about 30 lbs. 
of food, are divided into three servings, which are the allowance for each 
horse for 24 hours. My horses never looked better." 
Tenures oj Farms. 
With very few exceptions the farms in Cheshire are let from 
year to year, terminable, as to the land, on February 2, and as to 
the house, buildings, garden, and an outlet for the cattle (which is 
generally contiguous to, or most convenient for, the buildings), on 
May 1. Where leases are granted they are seldom for longer 
terms than 7, 11, or 14 years; some at a fixed rent, others regu- 
lated by the price of grain, at what is called a corn-rent, and 
others by that of wheat and cheese. However desirable it may be 
to secure to the landowner a fair annual rent for his estate, and its 
surrender to him in as good condition at the expiration of the 
occupancy as at its commencement, it is equally desirable that a 
tenant, who possesses skill, industry, principle, and capital, should 
have secured to him, as far as the nature of the case will admit, a 
fair return for the labour and money employed ; and, to ensure 
these results to both parties, probably a lease of 14 or 21 years, 
on equitable terms, and with proper restrictions, the amount of 
rental to fluctuate according to the prices of agricultural produce, 
would be most likely to answer the purpose. But here a question 
arises, would the average price of grain, or of cheese, or of both, 
extendinc over a given period, be a sufficient guide to regulate the 
rent of a dairy farm? It is the opinion of some intelligent men 
that, as the article of cheese varies so much in quality, and conse- 
quently in price, and as there are no means of obtaining a fair 
return of the averages, it could not be satisfactorily taken into the 
account ; but as there are no similar difficulties w ith regard to 
grain, wheat may be safely taken as a guide even on a dairy farm, 
Sf the estimates be not calculated from too long a period, as it 
seldom happens that any description of farm produce continues 
high for any length of time, while other produce is low, and vice 
versa; although it is very possible that, from some particular 
