172 
Farming  of  Gloucestershire. 
tlieir  farm-houses  and  outbuildings,  and  which,  generally  speak- 
ing, are  very  well  arranged,  the  cattle-stalls  having  a passage 
along  the  building  at  the  head  of  the  stock  for  the  purpose  of 
supplying  them  with  food,  and  troughs  of  water  placed  in  every 
stall,  with  stone  guttering  to  connect  each  trough,  by  which  means 
a constant  supply  of  fresh  water  is  maintained.  Some  of  those 
stalls  are  now  converted  into  boxes,  and  have  the  beasts  loose  in 
them,  treading  their  litter  into  manure  and  mingling  it  with  their 
dung  and  urine,  which  remains  thus  consolidated  under  them  for 
months,  in  some  instances  until  the  stock  is  removed  to  the 
slaughter-house.  It  would  be  doing  great  injustice  to  many  of 
our  excellent  tenant-farmers  not  to  acknowledge  that  they  as 
well  as  the  landowners  have  done  as  much  towards  improving 
the  buildings  and  draining  the  soil  as  the  position  in  which  they 
are  placed  will  warrant;  whilst  others  with  whom  we  have  to 
come  in  contact  are  excessively  careless,  and,  as  it  would  appear 
to  us,  would  not  drive  a nail  if  a hammer  were  placed  in  their 
hands,  nor  lift  a stone  on  to  a tumbling-down  wall,  or  place  a 
handful  of  thatch  on  to  the  naked  rafters  of  a shed,  even  if  it 
were  of  more  benefit  to  themselves  to  do  so  than  to  their  land- 
owners. 
Water  is  generally  plentiful  in  the  vale,  and  is  retained  by 
pools,  either  natural  or  made  by  removal  of  clay;  and  in  places 
on  the  sides  of  the  hills  the  lands  and  farmyards  are  plentifully 
supplied  with  springs ; but  on  the  Cotswolds  there  are  many 
farms  whose  only  supply  for  the  house  and  yards  is  from  a very 
deep  and  uncertain  well,  and  for  the  fields  by  artificial  pools 
made  at  the  union  of  two,  three,  or  four  fields.  These  pools  are 
clayed  and  pitched,  as  in  the  time  of  Rudge ; but  about  eight  or 
ten  years  ago  a self-acting  engine  was  constructed  and  brought 
into  use  on  several  farms  with  which  we  are  well  acquainted,  and 
is  found  to  be  of  great  use.  The  engine  consists  of  an  overshot, 
undershot,  or  breast-wheel,  as  circumstances  may  require,  but 
slightly  made.  When  complete  and  in  motion  this  wheel  works 
a beam  vertically,  to  which  are  attached  by  rods  one  or  two  pistons  ; 
and  valves  are  placed  in  pipes  similar  to  those  in  force-pumps, 
through  which  pipes  the  water  is  driven  to  the  place  of  delivery, 
which  is  a large  cistern  placed  usually  on  the  top  of  the  house. 
When  the  cistern  is  nearly  full  a means  of  escape  is  provided,  and 
the  water  passes  into  troughs,  ponds,  or  the  yards,  for  the  use  of 
stock.  This  machine  is  continually  at  work,  and  never  ceases 
until  something  is  out  of  order,  or  the  water  by  which  it  is  driven 
becomes  short.  At  Ivnole  Park,  near  Bristol,  there  is  one  with 
an  overshot  wheel  12  feet  in  diameter  and  18  inches  wide.  It  is 
placed  just  below  the  head  of  the  fish-pond,  and  the  water  that 
drives  the  wheel  is  supplied  from  the  pond  above,  and  is  con- 
