On  the  Fanning  of  Somerset. 
755 
down  by  an  infamous  system  of  truck  practised  by  small  shop- 
keepers, who  act  as  middlemen,  and  refuse  work  to  all  the  women 
who  will  not  submit  to  it. 
This  is  not  the  place  to  inquire  how  far  emigration  would  be 
the  best  means  of  diminishing  the  pressure  on  the  labour  market. 
The  question  proposed  is— what  means  are  there  of  increasing 
employment  within  the  county? — In  answer  to  this  question  it 
may  be  replied,  that  there  are  thousands  of  acres  in  Somersetshire 
which  require  underground  draining — that  there  are  large  tracts 
of  fen  or  peat  moors,  on  which  clay  or  marl  might  be  spread  with 
advantage — that  good  stone  roads  are  required  throughout  the 
marshes — and  that  in  order  to  make  such  investments  of  capital 
profitable  to  the  fullest  extent,  great  improvement  in  the  whole 
system  of  sewers  and  drains  is  required.  Many  acres  more  of 
turnips  and  mangold-wurzel  might  be  cultivated,  and  except  on  a 
few  of  the  best  farms  the  green  crops  and  stubbles  plainly  show 
how  much  the  farmer  loses  by  not  spending  more  on  labour  to 
keep  down  weeds. 
The  permission  to  break  up  inferior  grass  lands  is  perhaps  one 
of  the  simplest  modes  by  which  the  owner  of  land  in  Somersetshire 
may  benefit  at  once  the  labourers  and  tenants.  The  temptation 
to  abuse  the  permission  by  excessive  grain-cropping  is  not  great 
at  the  present  time,  and  when  the  dairy  farmer  has  learnt  the  value 
of  mangold-wurzel,  he  will  be  as  fond  of  his  roots  as  of  corn. 
As  my  anonymous  friend  on  the  heavy  clay  farm  says,  “ One 
fact  is  worth  a volume  of  theory — On  a small  dairy  farm  of  41 
acres,  on  the  green-sand,  in  the  east  of  the  county,  consisting 
entirely  of  grass,  there  was  a piece  of  4 acres,  worth  about  20s. 
an  acre,  and  yielding  not  more  than  15  cwt.  of  hay  per  acre.  The 
tenant  was  allow'ed  and  encouraged  to  break  up  the  field  six  years 
ago.  He  ploughed  it  in  the  spring,  sowed  it  with  vetches,  by 
which  smothering  crop  the  sward  was  quickly  decomposed.  He 
has  ever  since  tilled  it  in  portions  of  wheat,  swedes,  mangold,  and 
vetches,  and  has  always  had  good  crops:  from  8 to  11  sacks  of 
wheat;  from  16  to  30  tons  of  swedes;  and  from  30  to  35  cwt.  of 
straw  per  acre.  This  account  of  the  crops  comes  from  the  tenant , 
who  describes  the  accommodation  and  advantage  as  very  great. 
There  is  a great  deal  of  grass-land  on  the  borders  of  the  lias 
hills,  which  scours  cattle.  It  is  said  to  be  “ teart ;”  that  is,  tart 
or  sour.  Some  persons  attribute  this  to  a plant  called  Linum 
Catharticum,  others  to  the  water;  but  whatever  be  the  cause,  the 
effect  is  very  ruinous  to  the  fanner,  and  of  course  the  value  of  the 
land  is  lowered.  The  grass  which  scours  most  is  the  quick  grow- 
ing grass,  after  the  hay  has  been  cut.  No  remedy  has  yet  been 
found  for  the  evil,  and  it  varies  much  with  the  season ; but  it  is 
observed  that  cattle  put  on  the  grass  in  good  condition  are  least 
