The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1846-08-27
English Agriculture.

This day we went in company with gentleman
to view the farm and dairy of Sir John Tobin, IN
Cheshire County This farm contains nearly 400
acres, English measure, and is situated about one
mile from the west bank Of the river Mersey, and
nearly opposite Liverpool. The premises are usu-
ally designated or known, as Sir John Tobms, al
though now owned and carried on by his 5on-in-aw,
1Ir Littledae, Sir John having retired from active
business, being about 81 years CT age. lie was for
some time Mayor Of Liverpool.
The buildings, including houses for the workmen,
Stables, Cow houses, Pigores, Sheds, Poultry hous-
es, &C., are all Of brick The floors of which, and
the yards are all paved with stones considerable
portions of which are square and fiat, and as hand
some as the tiled floors of many cditices. The Cow
houses are three in number, each containing sixteen
stalls COWS to STALL or % COWS to each house, 90
in the whole. These COWS are stabbed through the
year. fed on cut fodder and most Of themfat enough
for saughtering... They are curriod, brushed, and
kept as clean and sleek, any Of our best horses.
They are the Durham breed many Of them the
most beautiful and the largest ever saw, Two
noticed in particular, Of milk white color, which
in the opinion Of those with me, would weigh when
dressed, more than 1900, although they gave large
messes of milk. About 800 lbs of butter are made
weekly. The milk, (Which is sold in LIVERPOOL
yielding much moro profit than butter, is allowed to
stand but short time, and that in room neatly
finished for the purpose, having fountain in the
centre, from which issues a constant stream of wa
ter, that falls like shower into marble basin, from
which it is conducted off by a sewer. The milk
IL. I'D
and that III so cool place, commands the highest
price in market Of any, except new milk, while the
butter is held in the highest repuo its known to
most daryists that the sooner the milk is skinned
after the cream begins to rise the sweeter the butter
will be.
A great deal of cast iron was used about the prem
ises. The separate apartments ofthe Pigery were
nine in number containing swre of all ages and
sizes-about one hundred il the whole, The front
part of the Pigery, tie doors, trcughs, &C.. were
mostly Of cast iron.
There is Steam engine on tile promises by the
power Of which the grain is thrcshed, cleaned and
ground, the fodder cut, the butter churned, grind
stone turned, water pumped, and some other opera
tons not recolected.
a great variety Of fowls some of rare kind, with
a suitable building, and most beautiful artificial
pond, are on the premises All the stables for hors
ss, COWS, and even Tho pigery, have sewer of iron
OF stone running along behind tte animals, so as to
conduct the urine into reservoir from which it is
taken into cask placed upon a cart similar to those
for watering the streets Of our cities, and sprinked
upon the land, which is found to be Of essential SER
vice to the grass and otherrfops.
This tract was purchased many years ago by Sir
John Tobn for trilliIg sum- comparatively, being
covered with kind Of slubbory which indicated
tie lowest degree Of stcrility; but by skifu hus
bandry, it ranks among the first in the celebrated
county of Cheshire or indeed, any other county in
England, was shown a meadow in which the
grass was about foot high, and very thick at the
bottom, the seed Of which brought from Italy.
This field had been moved already this season, three
times, and very heavy crop taken each time. It
would produce when ! sawit Q5th july more than !
q ton to the acre, for the fourth nsoCi@g.
The immense quantity ofhay cut on this farm
was ali put up in stacks, around or near the buildings
described. Indeed, this is the uniform mode Chat
OF stacking OUT throughout England, as l observed !
In travelling some three hundred miles through the
CeuLTdl put Vi LIE Country llleSo SliChS uIc put
up with great care, the tops soped like the roofs of
our barns, and matched with straw, as neatly as
their buildings, most Of which or tenants and work
men, although built OF brick, are covered in the
came way. Some of the stacks saw, were, proba-
bly, 70 or 50 feet long-wcre all smaller at the bot
tom than at the caves, or in addition to this the
ttraw extended some or inches at the caves, the
eida- nd Of Tho md +rro
as the sides of barn. so that they were entirely Sc
cure from the rain. Indeed, examined hay i'll
some Of the stacks put up last year. and found as
bright as if it had been housed.
But the high state of cultivation in England is by
no means to be attributed to tho supposed great
wealth Of the landlords who are able and willing to
lavish money in this way, irrespective Of profit Or
losa. This is by no means the case, as q general
fact. Most Of these lands are cultivated by tenants
in moderate circumstances, who hold by long leases
and whose principal motive is to render their lands
ss productive, IN net profit, as possible.
The land 80 far as saw was all cultivated in drills
FROM perhaps, to Is feet wide, exhibiting the op-
pearance Of beds in a garden, excepting that the
aises Or burrows were exceedingly shallow, so that
It would produce very leimpcdimontt to the scythe
on their moving land. These drills, however, were
distinctly their lands laid downt to pasture
rs in their fields of wheat, barley, beans.
Another popularity noticed, was, that thcrlands
are generally divided into small lots, from, perhaps,
8 to Is acres In these lots you would see from to
90 cows, or from % to 50 sheep, and ALL both cows
and sheep, in the highest order They of course
had fresh pasture all the time, being frequently
changed The small lots, it must be remembered,
were parts of innonac estates in many iasarce4
and not mere separate tencncnts. Which division ;