New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-04-16

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| sumed on il: and the cottager living close by VINO
wants n botting" to bed his pig, or bait his
donkey with cannot get il there. but must olteh go
! miles for the commodity, to some other farmer WHO
chances TO be a freebooter This Withholding the
| right to DISPOSE of his straw as he pleases-the
reason. to prevent impoyerishment OF the lands
one of the English farmers grievances; no sllghs
one either and may often be the straw which
breaks the camcrs back" forcing him into bank
ruptcy
In the midst OF the farm bindings or little to
one side of them Is the dwelling itself inconspicu
Gus and generally of mean appearance. Enter It,
| and il stranger yoI will be ushered into the
rarlor small and fairly well furnished, though with
q somewhat cold uncomfortable aspect, fires being
only kept up in it when there is guest. But inc
real abode and common s'ttingroom OF the family
| Is the kitchen q more ample apartment WIFI 'ilou
or tagged floor covered by spread OF cocoa-hDre
| mating A higl-backed settle" slightly curVeu
| in shape occupies side of the fireplace ana
possibly stout, heavy armchair the Other. Inc
common culinary utensils will not be seen here but
in scullery OF smaller kitchen at back, where most
OF the cooking is also done. Meals arc served IN
the cOcoa-carpeted stting-room. on table neither
| spJendidly appoIn. ed nor luXuriously spread Inc
| American who has read Harriet Martneau ana the
| Howitts William and Mary will no doubt imagine
| that the English farmer fares of the best-od yeo
| manrv switzerland Joints of roast beef, venSon
pasties plum puddings and the like All fanclful-
| authors fancies. Never was their description OF
life more unlike its reality; or If 1t ever was real
can cmphatically affirm it is not so now. Inc
| farmers fare NAV be penteous. but it is aught but
nice and barely palatabe. Plain roasting and
boiling are all of the culinary art known TO his wife
| and her one-there is usually only One-female do
| nestle Among the country people OF England
| there is absolutely nothing that deserves TO DE
called cuisine The Scotch and Irish have their
Dishes some Of them appetizing and excellent;
but with the English it is roast or boiled. chop,
steak and rasher of Accommodating besides
As already said the farmer ordinarily keeps only
one female servant, rongh country girl, little
trained and having slight knowledge Of household
duties in the genteel" way. Where there is a
large family of children there may be second.
half house half nurse-maid OF men-servants, who
eat and sleep on tie premises, there are none save
sometimes a lout o. boy who has his bed in the
toilet or some such roost over barn stable or
granary. All man service about the place IS per
formed by the farm laborers, who being on board
wages have no residential footing III the establish
merit They come 10 it at n III. ana 90 away at
G p m: these being their hours III most districts
And a. the greater part of the work is done by
horses the men latorers are few; three or four,
with a WAGNER boy being thought sufficient for
farm of 200 acres, even with half dozen mich
COWS and flock of sheep on if. III England men
do the milking and though the dairy or butter
maid nav still exist, the poetical milkmad,
| pretty or plain. Is obsolete.
Among English farmers there is no social dlstinc-
ton. save that brought about 10y wealth and ! may
| add little sociabilty between their families 1T Is
rarely that they put on "best bib and thicker TO
visit one another IN a friendly way; this occurring
ONLY among the near Of kin, even then with remark
| ,4o1i+ TO tl,nua yx-ho ara
not relations if extended Mt all seems to lack that
hearty cheerfulness might expect after reading
Harriet Martineau and the Howitts. Nor does the
English farmer greatly indulge in amusements ofany
kind: his wife still less. They have three or four
outings" perhapsin the year, TO attend ths district
races or tea meetings aud fetcs connected with the
| parish school. where they may witness the usual
| round of rural sports. Once year, too TIE circus
spreads its canvas somewhere conveniently near,
and nothing like they better than this-especlaHy
| the children.
Frequently the farmer is n sportsman, takes ont
game license. and shoots. SOue hunt also, nota ly
! the Younger ones many of whom may be seen at
every meet of hounds, in top-boots and breeches,
! riding excellent horses, their hunting naGs as
they call them Combined with the sport there is
another motive underying-dsposal OF the aiore-
said naes to gentlemen, who NAV have been pleased
with their performance in the field. But though The
! hunting farmer" may occasionally profit in this
way il often ends in his contracting idle even dis
sipated habits and at length coming to grief
The English farmer TO find his chief rclaxa-
tion in attendance at market. which he does once
week or exceptionally fortnight. Every
district has its market town with a weekly market
! the alternate ones being stock markets. where
PIGS sheep. cattle and even horses are bought and
sold An auctionecr is generally employed to dis
pose Of Them this being deemed the readest way
When the sale is over most of the farmers adjourn
20 the inn or inns where 4 toble dhofe dinner IS
ready for theu-the ordinary usually at
eighteen pence per head drink Of course extra
| The time was when at these Ordnares" cham
payne flowed freely. 1t would be rare now to hear
| tho popping of "A silycrcoated cork.
Politically the English farmer is, as n rulc. Con-
sentative. often of the rank Tory type, his otics
of course taking their hue from those of his land
lord If the latter be a Liberal il will almost GER
tainly he of the Wing speciality. Then the tenant
NAV think as he likes. long as on election day he
| casts in his vote according to command. And 50
ha, he been casting it for than two centuries
ever since the death Of Oliver Cromwell, not only
to his own detrment but that of his fellow citizen
| in short to the obstruction of every measure for
} freedom and reform just now his eyes arc being
opancd and good may come OF il but their opening
| is not from any innate sense OF right or wrong IL
stead is due to his own present adversely and so
| little creditable to him.
Rich or poor, the English farmer has no position
| in what is termed society least of all in th
called county society" Were / to meet farmer
at garden party county ball, archery gathering or
| other fashionable assemblage, | should wonder at
seeing him there. lie never s--neyer being invited
and vet is he the of I'll Englands people who
| has worked and voted for that which keeps up this
social excusiveness-the man who does most. as If
were TO forge his own fetters. / sorry to say
such unamidbe things about him, but the truth