The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-02-12
For the VIRGINIAN.
MEMORIALS OF NATURE AND ART.
Rambling "reminiscences of Foreign Lands,
ETC., etc.
BY
j. LEWIS PEYToN,
Author of "Tte american CRISIS, &c." "0UeT the
Ateghan5eS, &c." ETC.. ETC.,
CHAPTER VI.

| The SHAW FARM OF PRINCE ALBERT-OB-
| sERvATIoNs ON ENGLISH AGRICULTURE
| APPLICATION OF MANURES-ST OCK
BREEDING, ETC.-POLITICALINF INFLUENCE
| OF THE LANDLORDs-DUKE OF soMER-
sET-HIS TENANTS.
The sudden death of Prince Albert short
~ after our arrival in England, investing
everything with which he was particularly
connected with more than ordinary interest,
we aVaied ourselves of being at Windsor,
to visit the Royal farms-more particularly
| the Shaw farm.of which the Prince was ten
ant from 1910 until his death in 1861.
This farm consists of 800 acres, and is
cultivated extensively for the supply of the
| castle. Since 1S40, it has been conducted
under minute instructions from Prince AL
bert, who sought to make it model farm,
and who here engaged in many scientific
experiments, 1t was here that he under
took and carried through successfully his
plan for perfecting, by judicious crosses,
the short-horn breed Of ca tile. The Prince,
in this line, was worthy disciple of the
celebrated Jones Webb, who acquired world
wide fame for his improve ment of stock at
his estate of Babraham.
OF the Shaw farm only one hundred and
twenty acres are arabic land, the rest lying
out in grass for permanent pasture or being
woodland. Thirty laborers and six pair
of horses are ordinarily employed, but
during hay making and harvest an addition
al ic Tho
ity with which the land is cultivated and
every farming operation conducted may be
inferred from the employment of this large
force. And they were constantly at labor.
The Prince, an energetic working man
himself, allowed no idlers on the estate.
The farm horse in use is Of the Clydesdale
breed, cross of the thor ough- bred with the
Flanders mare. The ordinary size of this ami
NAL is 165 hands high, wittl.a weight, when in
good condition, oftwo thousand pounds. They
have clean, straight limbs, a light step and
powerful muscular development, are hardy,
good tempered, Intelligent, and, notwith-
standing their size, quick and active. Many
of Prince Albert's have taken prizes at the
the stables, we observed that the premium
cards were attached to the stalls OF the sue
cessful horses. They were pointed out with
much pride by our guide, Mr.. Tate, the
| overseer Of the farm.
| The Prince was likewise successful in rails
ing coach horses, type of which is pro-
duced by crossing the Cleveland bay mare
with the thoroughbred horse. The points
of the coach horse are a deep and we'll pro-
portioned body, short and clean bone under
| the knee, open feet, sound and tough. He
possesses a fine knee action, lifts his feet
high, which gives an elegance to his PAGES
and action. He carries his head well and
has fine elevated crest. The@breeding and
rearing of horses are carried on profession
ally in England, chiefly in Yorkshire, but
many private gentlemen and farmers ad-
dress themselves to it as means of pecu-
mary profit, and the improvement of their
stock. None have been more successful
than Prince Albert.
While traversing the farm-yard, we were
attracted by some good specimens of the
white Windsor pig,a type ofthe swine family
obtained by the Prince after series Of judi
cous crosses, and which is supposed to COM
bine more good points than any other. We
saw them in immediate contrast with a num-
Der of those celebrated black Berkshire pigs
bred on the farm with view to ascertaining,
by actual experiment, which was the more
valuable. Without entering into an exam
ination of the question, or the points deter~
mined by the Princes experiments, we gave
an instant preference to the compactly built
black Berkshire pig. with his short snout,
thick jowls and erect ears.
Prince Albert paid particular attention to
the breeding of every kind of live stock,
made many experiments and demonstrated
by his success in this, as i'm every other de-
partment of agriculture, the value of science
to the farmer. He made it point before
commencing operations to analyze the soil
he purposed cultivating, and with knowl-
edge of its composition, qualities and de-
ficiencies, what crops it best suited and how
it's absent properties could be most econom-
caly supplied, he went to work with
reasonable assurance of success.
The Shaw farm is cultivated on what is called
the four course or five field system, and two
grain crops are taken in succession. The
use of these terms indicate to what an exact
and rigid science agriculture is reduced in
England. The system or course of cultiva-
ton is designated in the lease and no cove
nants are more strictly enforced. The we'll
to do may find no peculiar difficulty in exc
cutting them, for he has plenty Of cheap labor
and all the requisite implements and ma
chnery. But the number of these is small
if the accounts, had in 1879, from England
are reiable-accounts which represent the
tenant farmers as throwing up their leases
by the score in order to emigrate to America.
The four course system means simply that
the whole arabic extent of the estate, what
ever this may be, is equally divided between