May 11, 1882. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
395 
may be called piece labour, the economy of which consists prin¬ 
cipally in the supervision of the gang master or his foreman, is 
the quality of the work, for as to celerity the men need little 
urging ; for indeed the men who lag behind would be soon turned 
out of the gang if the gang master or his deputy saw they were 
reducing his profits, and not giving in their work money’s worth. 
The arrangement between the gang master and the farmer is 
made previous to the commencement of the work, whether it con¬ 
sists of hoeing roots and corn, together with various items of farm 
work too many to enumerate here, or the prices of the work 
either, for the cost of the work done by gang labour will vary 
considerably in different districts, and can have no fixed sum 
stated per acre, but they are always paid in coin without perqui¬ 
sites of beer or cider, because overtime does not operate. 
Sheep-clipping is another item of piece work which is common 
to most districts throughout the various counties of the kingdom. 
There are gangs of clippers who travel about the country during 
the shearing season, and are noted for the’r expertness, and also 
their drinking powers. For although the farmers are usually 
liberal in supplying beer to the clippers, yet they are seldom 
satisfied without obtaining on their own account a large supple¬ 
mentary quantity from the nearest public house. As clipping is 
considered an operation requiring great skill to do the work 
quickly, young hands are not admitted into the gang without 
paying an entrance fee. The contract for clipping is generally 
for ewes 3s. 6^. per score, hoggets at 4.?. ; the winding-up of each 
fleece before it is packed away costs about 10s. on thirty-six score 
of sheep. A vacancy seldom occurs in the gang except through 
death or old age, for the employment is lucrative and congenial 
to men not afraid of hard work, and who are accustomed to the 
excitement of moving about from parish to parish in the per¬ 
formance of their contracts. Really good clipping is a difficult 
handicraft, and is maintained only by great experience. Upon 
many farms it is thought advisable to pay the men not by the 
day, even for work which is practically done by the horses and 
machinery, yet to encourage the labourer, and in order to secure 
the utmost labour from him and the horses, &c., work such as 
drilling Wheat is paid for at 4 d. to 6i. per acre ; Barley, Oats, 
and Peas, 4 d. to 5 d. per acre. The more common way of paying 
carters and drillmen is by from 15s. to 18s. per week, with house 
rent free, or at a low rate. 
Sheep-washing is often done by the score, or otherwise 3s. per 
day including four men, but the shepherd receives a gratuity 
beyond his usual weekly pay, and a liberal allowance to find food 
and beer for the washers who stand to the tub, or otherwise it is 
sent by the master from the farm, the work being generally 
overlooked by the farmer ; for when the work is done at a pond 
or running stream his presence is required to prevent accidents 
occurring, by which death or serious injury may succeed the 
washing of sheep if left too long in the water. It is the custom 
upon farms where the farmer is an experienced man to have 
nearly all the manual labour of the farm done by the piece or job, 
whether carried out by men, women, or lads, for women and 
active lads will at some kinds of work earn as much as the men, 
and why should they not ? The farmer, too, should fix the price 
in no grudging spirit, remembering the wise saying of old, “ There 
is that scattereth and yet increaseth.” 
(To be continued.) 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Horse Labour .—During the last week of April, and since this work 
has been somewhat hindered, especially the work on land in pre¬ 
paration for root crops, for in most districts, particularly where the 
four-course rotation of cropping is most continued, the land is very 
foul, especially so upon the sandy loam and mixed soils on the vale 
farms. Drilling Mangold seed has received a serious check by the 
succession of storms, particularly those which occurred on the 29th 
of April. Our often-expressed opinion in these columns still holds 
good, that it is best to avail ourselves of the first season of fair 
weather in April upon all soils. But in order to be ready for the 
April season, unless the land is clean it should be autumn-fallowed 
and allowed to lie high and dry through the winter, so that the 
drilling season may be carried out with scarifying only, or, at any 
rate, by only one ploughing, which can be easily done if artificial 
manures only are used, and which when liberally applied equal a full 
and abundant crop. Public attention has been much called lately to 
the management of clay soils, as to whether they should be retained 
as arable or laid into permanent grass, but this must ever depend 
upon the exact nature and chemical contents of the soil, and its 
density and tenacity, for we know of clay soils in certain districts 
of every county, not only too tenacious for cultivation, but also too 
impervious in texture for useful pasture, especially where not under¬ 
drained. 
It sometimes happens that draining upon an extended scale is a 
very serious question as regards expense, and especially so upon 
some entailed estates, where the owner has not sufficient interest in 
or sufficient means to encounter a heavy outlay. In such cases it is 
an important question as to how the barren soils can be turned to 
account. Upon such soils the attention of the home farmer should 
be given to planting Larch Firs. To prepare the land properly it 
requires a long fallow, so that, notwithstanding its natural tenacity, 
it may be thoroughly pulverised and cleaned ready for planting in 
October, and such land, especially when lying very flat, should be 
made up into small lands with deep furrows to carry off; any excess 
of water, either five-turn ridges or three-turn will suffice. Plant 
the Larches at 2 feet apart in the lines and 3 feet between the 
lines, and at every third line instead of the Larch plants Sweet 
Chestnuts may be set in order that when the Larches are cut for 
use the Chestnut will form a future coppice of underwood*for the 
growth of hop poles. The Larch Firs at the end of twelve or fourteen 
years, if properly attended to by keeping the land hoed and clean 
during the first year or two, will be ready for cutting by taking the 
strongest at nine years’ growth, and continue to take some annually 
in the same way, clearing the whole crop at the end of fourteen years ; 
it is sometimes done, however, at the end of twelve years in the 
better soils. In this way the land will secure a rental varying from 
35s. to 42s. per acre, and afterwards the Sweet Chestnut plantation 
will yield nearly as much for a permanent successional growth of 
hop poles. We, therefore, call the attention of the home farmer to 
this system, seeing that so much poor soil is now on hand upon many 
estates, and so many different opinions being advanced as to what 
should be done with it. 
Hand Labour .—At the time we are writing, and for several weeks 
past, the weather has been very unfavourable for what we call the 
bark harvest, and upon some estates in the forest districts where oak 
timber prevails, it is as important as the corn harvest in some re 
spects, and according to an old saying—“ A bad or good bark harvest 
foretells the weather in Wheat harvest.” It is, however, very diffi¬ 
cult in our experience to look at the matter in that way, as the very 
fickle climate in which we live in England can never be forecasted 
with any prospect of advantage. Men may be employed in filling 
and spreading farmyard manure upon land lately cleared of green 
crops, such as Rye and Trifolium, or stubble Turnips fed off late. 
All these crops may be succeeded bj r Mangolds and Carrots if the 
land is cleaned by only one ploughing and pressing. In fact, this is 
almost the only work even on dry soils which can be done with 
benefit at present during wet weather by either men or horses. 
Women may be employed in weeding in the meadows and parklands, 
taking up Docks. This work is best done by a small and light pick¬ 
axe, with one end pointed, the other having a cutting edge about 
2 inches wide. On all soils and in all crops this plan we have found 
best for removing strong and deep-rooted weeds. 
Live Stock .—The Channel Island cows which are sent over to this 
country are said to be not so hardy, but are much more delicate in 
constitution and more difficult to maintain in good condition than 
those which are bred in the different counties of England, although 
they may be the result of breeding from the imported animals. There 
is no doubt that soil and climate of some of the districts in England 
would influence the constitution of the stock in various ways ; but, 
at the same time, we must remember that the system of management 
and the peculiar care and treatment of the animals in the Channel 
Islands, is of the highest consequence, and should as much as possible 
be imitated in the management of this stock after arrival in this 
country. One of the principal points is their being used to the tether, 
or being, as it is called, stumped out, and this should be continued at 
their new home, as they will never feed like other stock in the open 
pastures, at any rate until they become accustomed to it, nor do they 
do well to mix with Shorthorns in a herd ; being the weaker animals, 
generally speaking they do not get fair usage here. 
POULTRY NOTES. 
A Poultry Show has for some time been advertised to be held 
in the Corn Exchange, Warwick, on the 10th and 11th of this month 
under the rules of the Poultry Club. The entries closed on April 
29th, and under a rule of the schedule labels were to be sent on 
Friday 5th inst. to all exhibitors; and great was the astonishment of 
some to receive on Saturday morning, instead of the expected labels, 
an announcement that the Show was “ unavoidably postponed for a 
few days.” For the credit of its promoters we trust that some very 
good reason will be forthcoming for this strange postponement, 
which may be seriously inconvenient to some exhibitors.. We 
should imagine that an exhibitor in such a case might claim and 
have his entry fees returned and entries cancelled. 
[We believe the Secretary of the Show referred to is in the hands 
of the police, and that the whole affair has fallen through.] 
The time of year does not seem to us an unfavourable one. for 
a Poultry Show. Breeding birds in general are no longer required 
for breeding, and those which have good runs and are well cared for 
