New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-02-26
THE ENGLISH FARMER.
RICHARD JEFFERIES'S REMAINS.

13fnO, u. 32s. LOngmans, Green a 70.
Now that he has gone all that Richard JeIeres
wrote is priced, though while he was In the lana
NJ the living years passed without bringing hiln
tho, recos milton which the best reward OF MS
good and faithful work. The present volume
contains probably tho last words we shall hear
from him Most of the papers. and Of those de-
cidcdly the most interesting, were contributed 10
FINGERS Magazine" some twenty years ago
They may, therefore. to all practical intents. be
regarded as new to Je1crics's readers; for he dd
not acquire ever a small measure Of fame until
long after the period referred to. These earliest
Of his papers, moreover, possess very speciai
Interest of their own. They are devoted 10 IL
minute and most painstaking and realistic ac-
count Of the English farmer and the Enshsh
agricultural laboier. The writer writes from
knowledge so full and thorough that an historian
might from these pages reconstruct history o'
English agricultural life. manners and morals III
the nineteenth century from these statements
elouo were all other evidence DESTROYED oH soi'c
cataclysm.
The rcador is brought TO know and understand
the classes discussed as classes are seldom Known
ra ,rdors,ood Ralzac in the Coincide HUI
maine never analyzcd society with greater pre-
cision. skill or Completeness. IN The Farmer
NJ Uom,. The laborers Daily Life, ficio,
farine Women" AN English Homestead an"
A Tru, Tale of the Wiltshire LaboIer, such ii
,;otpro If the real English farming life Is given
a. Il IL safe 10 saw can be paralelcd in no other
work. and such IS could probably have nr'h
drawn only by m observer Of Jeneriess peculiar
temperament Would you like to know how the
average small farmer begins his day MI
Jeflerics is ready to inform YOU
."The daily life of the middle-class dairy farmer
heoins If five in the morning. Rising about
iS fO $40
mon have all appeared, and that they are eisased
i, n,;Il,;nc the COWS lie breakfasts at six, or
half mast and the whole family have finished
hreal,fas, before seven BY this time the day
I,borers have come 1.-THE mixers are usually hlred
nv tho vearl and the master has to 90 out ana
nut them on to their Jobs. Meantime the carry
IL scene of work and hustle che'se-'hahin3
being in full swing. This is at least superintendent
If not partly performed, by the mistress OF 'he
house. At larger farms it is the bailih who rises
ea,ly and sees that the laborers are properly em-
ployed and the cheese-nlakine is lntrusted 10
dairy-maid hired at high wages, who often coii-
hines with that duty the Office OF general houS"-
kcener. It WAS once the practice to ris" even
earlier than FIVE but there are not many Farmers
who do so new In the arabic farm. which Is
generally much larger, the master has almost
always got baif, or head-carter whom he can
,rust IN set the men at work. The fresh morning
air and the exercise give the farmer a tremendous
annette for brealfas The usual staple food
consists of thick lashers of bacon only Just done'
SO as to retain most Of the fat, the surplus VI
which is carefully caught upon slices OF Dread
The town rasher is crisp, curled and brown With
ont a symptom Of fat or grease. Inc farmer
early rasher is to town eye but half DONE Dub
bling with grease and laid on thick slices OF bIeai,
also saturated with the gravy. Sometimes cola
bacon is preferred, but il is almost always very
fat. With this he drinks pint so of fairly
strong beer, and afterward has bunch Of
bread and butter and cup or two Of
tea. He is then well fortified for the labor
of the morning This is the common breakfast
of the working farmer, who is as much a laborEg
man as any cottagcr on his farm, and requires
. a quantity of solid food. Some. however, who
are pretty we'll of and have a better idea OF
the luxuIies OF the table, regale themselves on
collared head OF rolled beef OF ham at break
fast These hams are usually preserved after a
family receipt, and some of them are exquisite
After breakfast the farmer walks around the
place, watches the men at work for a few min
utes and gives them instructions, and then set
ties himself down to some job that requires his
immediate surArintendencc.'
Here is another picture, this time of the agri-
cultural laborers: The agricultural laborers both
men and women, slow set, never IN a
hurry: there is none OF that hustle character
istc of their townspeope, even of the lowest
class. They take every opportunity: OF leaning
upon the prong-handles. standing in the shade
they seem to have idea of time. Women are
a sore trial TO the patience of the agriculturalis
in busy time. If you want 10 understand
why 20 and ensconce yourself behind hedge,
out of sight, but in view of a field where ten
or twelve women are hocing. BY and by a ped
Lar Slo
road which runs past the field. At the first
sound OF footsteps or wheels all the bent backs
are straight in an instant. and all the work Is
at a standstill. They stand staring at the van
or tramp for five six minutes, till the object
of attention has passed out of sight. Then there
is little hoeng for three or four consecu-
tive minutes BY that time Of them has
remembered some little bit of gossip and stops
10 tell her nearest fcllow-workwoman and
the rest at once pause to listen" 49,.
The men are not so bad the women, Mr..
.Teneres SAYS. but they never let slip an oppor
tunity for pausing in their work, and even when
at work they do it in a Slow dawdlng, lack
energy way that is positively irritating to watch"
When lunch time arrives the farmer has more
trouble at hand All his laborcrs take much
time as possible in going TO and returning from
lunch, and most OF them go to sleep and have
to be walked up, after which they are as stupid
as owls for quarter Of an hour. One or two.
il will be found have strolcd down to the adjacent
alchouse, and are missing. These will come on the
field about an hour later" Then there are the
mowers. who work very well for the first week. >
But at the end of the week they draw THEM
money, quite lump for them, and away they
go to the aehouse. Saturday night them as
drunk as men can be. They lie about the fields
under the hedges all day Sunday, drinking when
The public house is OMEN Monday morning they
20 on TO work for half an hour, but the fever
engcndercd by so much liquor and the disordered
state of their st0macs cause burning thirst