Economical Management of Materials, 8fc., on the Farm. 357 
is but a truism to state this, yet the lesson it teaches is too apt 
to be overlooked. And it could very easily be proved that in 
very many classes of every-day work the complaints everywhere 
heard of vy^ork badly done, sometimes not done at all, though 
charged and paid for, arise from the neglect of minute details. 
And it may be very fairly presumed that the known mistakes of 
many workmen spring from the contempt, openly expressed, for 
what they call trifles. And the converse of this might as fairly 
be expected if our workmen were educated up in the great 
point in believing in the value of little things. Such practical 
experience as I have had with men and of work leads me to 
hold a very strong opinion on this point. This, at all events, 
may be premised, — that the attention to minute details will bring 
about results not altogether trifling in a paying point of view, 
and this is the point from which nowadays we have come to 
look at all things. Scientific industry is now, at all events, 
clearly on the side of the economy of attending to little things. 
(1.) The Economical Working of Steam Boiler-furnaces, 
AND OF Steam-engines. 
In discussing what may be called the ethics of economy, the 
workman is not seldom blamed severely for being indifferent as 
to waste, whether that be of the time or the materials of his 
master. At the same time it is worthy of some consideration 
that in some departments he may not know in what or how to 
save. And one of the practical outcomings of this position will 
be found at the very threshold of this important department of 
Estate and Farm Economies in considering the 
Ordinary position of Engine-drivers in the Farm on first under- 
taking the dutg. — A young or middle-aged man, as the case may 
be, has the farm engine "told off" to him as his duty, or as 
forming j)art of it, in cases where it is not constantly or, say, 
often working. All that he is asked to do is to " fire up." And 
perhaps by means of lots of coals, shovelled on any way, 
and the abundant use of the fire-irons, one or even two practical 
lessons, so called, may be given him, and possibly also a rough 
lesson as to what the steam-engine is, what works it, and how, 
with the materials at his command, he is to keep up this source 
of working power. This will probably be all in the way of 
education to his work which he will get even under what may 
be considered the most generally favourable circumstances. 
And these lessons will generally end, if indeed they do not 
begin, with the simple decisive dictum, " fire up." But in what 
" firing up " consists of properly, whether it is a thing which 
