The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1883-04-26
ENGLISH FARMING.
Interesting ana Suggestive Facts and
Figures About 1t.

weave
Figures About 1t.
A writer in Harper's Magazine for
April gives some interesting sketches Of
English farming. One of these is that Of
a 800 acre hill farm in Sussex, among
the South Downs, devoted chiefly to
sheep raising and to milk. On this
farm are kept fifty COWS in beautiful Or
der, not only fed, but groomed. They
never come ont the stable except when
dry, when they are turned into the yard
orinto rough pasture. The owner white
washes the slated roofs of the COW sheds
to keep the COWS COOL He says that it
makes wonderful difference as to the
heat absorbed. 1t was in early August,
says the writer that | visited this farm.
They were then feeding the cows with
green vetches, among which enough oats
had been sowed to hold up these climb
ing lcguminous plants. Besides
this green fodder, each COW receives
daily about bushel Of brewers grains,
or matted barley sent to this region
from London, about 40 miles by rail and
brought by wagon several more. The
COWS average two and half gallons Of
milk daily, which is carted several
miles, and sold at about % cents the gal
lon. Alangel-wurzel is the principal
root crop raised on the farm and is fed
to the COWS in winter. A COW gets daily
one busllel of sliced mangel one bushel
of the grains and as much oat straw as
she wants, and not unfreQuently they
give twenty four quarts day. They keep
Durhams which they consider the best
mixers. The ,nangel-wurZcl makes a
milk rich enough 20 come up to the !e-
gal standard required.
This hill farm, which is not enclosed,
feeds about 800 sheep, in three tiocks,
each flock having Il shepherd and dog.
At night the sheep are folded, the fold
being made of wattles or hurdles Of
wood, winch can be moved from spot to
spot, "a fresh bedroom every night"
says the owner, and thus one spot after
another is manureu. AS to food, the
plan on the South Downs is to try to
have some green food started by lamb
ing time, which begins about March 10.
The ewes are brought into the yard and
kept until they have fOaled. but are Oft
Ell sent out almost immediately on to
rye grass or young rye. All this is the
anx lous time of it, rising in the night to
sec if all is right Many lambs are lost,
but the shepherd endeavors to make
this up by parting twins. He takes the
skin off the dead lamb and puts it upon
a living one, which induces the fond pa
rent to take to it. Upon rye grass sheep
pasture at large. but are foldedsson the
rye, especially at night. In June the
hill pasture is good enough to turn them
out upon the Downs
TWenty-eight bushels Of wheat to the
acre is here considered moderate crop,
and not unfrequently 40 bushels are
grown. The English farmer does not
understand how farming can pay in
America, with an average wheat crop of
only II or Is bushels to the acre. We
have not, however, says the writer, the
expenses that find in newspaper es-
innate which I see for an adjoining
county to this English one, some Of
which, turned into dollars and cents,
run about thus "a shilling being put at "a
cents): Rent, per acre, over 81; tithes,
81, rates or taxes, over 81. Other items
are blowing, pressing, drilling, four har-
rowings. spring rolling, lloeing, wedding,
and rocking, or employing boy to drive
away the rocks. This last is put down
at eight cents per acre.
The foreman of this farm was de-
scribed by lis employer as man of
high principle who had been with him
2S years. -Four generations of his fam
lily have worked for the same employer,
beginning with grandfather, and it is
his great grandson who is driving the
horses in the reaper. The foreman is
paid roundabout s. week, and has
an extra ponnd every quarter, but is not
boarded. Ordinary plowmen got about
1915 weekly, or - shillinys, and their
rent and the shepherd about II shilings
"a trjtle over 81 but he has to work
every day in the week. The hours of
labor are moderate, men going out to
work about seven, even in summer, and
coming in about half-past five. But dur
morning as long as they can see, stop
ping only for breakfast. dinner, and af-
ternoon "bait' or lunch. During the
harvest month, August, they receive
double wages, or sometimes the farmer
simply pays two pounds extra for the
month";