£4 12 3

into rows from its lightened state, after being tedded and turned by the haymaker. This rake is not generally required until the actual moment of carrying: there is also much for it to do towards evening, so that a second rake will be found useful. A rake, if properly worked, will gather two acres per hour.

The English Hay Rake.-Its duties are uncertain, as no raking can will be done until the American rake has been set to work, and obtained a suitable start; as the rake, with a strong lad and active horse, is equal to two acres per hour, and only required to be used once over, it is found equal to the part allotted it. The speed and use of the above implements are so nicely balanced, and their powers of working under such perfect control, that systematic arrangements may be entered upon for their future employment. It

labour, wear and tear of carts, &c.

Horse Power. The price of the different implements for haymaking by horse power will stand thus:

The above prices represent the best implements of their class, but they may be had on a smaller scale, and at a consequent reduction of price, to suit the requirements of different farms,

The Grass Mower.-To form an accurate opinion of its powers it should be seen at work. It is so adjusted that neither wheels nor horses run on the cut grass. The beam being on a hinge, accommodates itself to any inequalities of the surface. Both wheels assist in driving the knife, which is important, as it supplies increased power, and may be depended on to cut crops of any bulk and weight. This machine, in average situations, will cut one acre per hour, or say 10 acres per day. In active seasons, or upon large occupations, the hours of working may be increased to represent 15 acres per day. For a day of 10 hours one man and a pair of horses are required.

The Haymaker or Tedding Machine.-This is more familiarly known. A strong lad with an active horse will go over 20 acres per day. If two machines are used, and properly adjusted to their several stages of labour, set to work at throwing out the grass early in the morning, and a relay of horses supplied during the day, they perform a prodigious quantity of work, and of the best possible quality; in fact, the grass will "hay" in nearly half the time occupied by manual labour. These implements are now so perfect that no hay farmer should be without them, as there will be two days' cutting always on hand.

The American Rake.—This ingenious implement is worked by a boy and one horse, gathering the hay

mower, to get over the work at any pace; nor can hand-power with the utmost pains spread and separate the hay so well as a machine. The horse rake clears the land, that it would be a work of time to equal by manual labour.

Men and Horses employed.-With grass mower, 1 man and 2 horses; with two haymakers, 2 strong lads and 3 horses (these are periodically changed); with two rakes, 2 strong lads and 2 horses (equal to three rakes) for the shorter periods.

£ s. d. 0 11 3 0 17 6

..

This is exclusive of horse labour, for carting, wear and tear of carts, &c.

The two irregularities of morning and evening work remain as in the case of manual labour. These may be met by the surplus time at early morning being employed at the rick, or some work in the hay-field, that cannot be performed by machinery; and the usual push for help in an evening, when the grass-cocks have to be attended to, may be met by a few helpers, or by lightening the other operations.

These calculations are based upon a bold and comprehensive system of haymaking, in the best districts, where the supply and demand of manual labour is materially acted upon by the season. The balance in favour of the "recent improvements in haymaking," viz., horse-power and machinery, is shown to be two shillings per acre. The saving of money is considerable; but the increased quantity of work done, the improved quality of the hay, and the saving of time employed, are subjects of far more importance to the hay-farmer, who has his 100 acres of hay to save, in a changeable climate, in a given space of time.

SIR-Neither Mr, Spooner on the Maynooth Grant, nor Mr. Berkeley sitting astride his Ballot-box, ever showed more persistency in obtruding his crotchety notions on the attention of the House of Commons, than does Mr. Caird with the Agri cultural Statistics Bill under his arm. Division after division has expelled it from Parliament, pelted, soiled, and torn; but session after session finds Mr. Caird with most maternal ten

derness doing the nurse's kindly offices for his adopted bantling, which, by-the-bye, exhibits a tenacity of life unequalled save among the feline tribe. There is no objection, however, to his doing all this, if it pleases him; but he should not bore the House with his specious advocacy of claims which are not generally reckoned to be such, nor by very old arguments which were disposed of long ago, nor by long ranges of figures

which have no direct bearing upon it, but which may be made to prove anything or everything, but nothing so well as the weakness of a bad cause or the want of ability on the part of the speaker. Really, it is difficult to find an excuse for this conduct of Mr. Caird's. He must be either a very conceited person or suffering from serious monomania. His voice is so seldom heard in the House, as to make one believe that he finds the subject in question the only one in which he can engage the attention of the members; and we all know how men will ride when they get on their favourite hobbies, helterskelter "o'er bank, brae, and scar," until a roll in the bog or a yawning piece of water brings them to grief. Perhaps he is only bidding for popularity amongst the consuming classes, hoping for a mount on a heap of granite some day, and to hold out for ever with an iron hand a roll of agricultural statistics for the digestion of a hungry mob. But let that be. It is not my purpose to trace out his motives, which may be very unselfish, generous, patriotic, and all that sort of thing, for aught I know; so may be those of the enlightened Mr. Bass: but we have to deal with the fundamental points of the measure itself, and not with individual opinions of it, whether in or out of Parliament-with the manner in which it was introduced to the country, and what we may naturally expect as its results in the event of its adoption. The way in which the Bill was referred to the magistracy at a late Quarter Sessions must be familiar to every one. It will be remembered that the merits of the Bill itself were not to be canvassed, but simply the manner of its execution-a crafty policy which I cannot but condemn. Machiavelli himself could not have devised a more masterly scheme for accomplishing his purpose. The constabulary are regarded with much distrust and dislike, perhaps not unworthily. Advantage seems to have been taken of this, by drawing away public attention from the Bill itself, and of fixing it on the mode of its execution. "Make a stalking-horse of the constabulary," says the Government, "and we may probably get the measure safe into the statutebook." Look a little further, and see why it was referred to the magistrates, and not to the farmers, through their representatives. The "great unpaid," as representing the landed interest, would, amongst shallow thinkers, be counted as the agricultural interest; and this would lead to the inference that the farmers were favourable to the collection of statistics. Now, if the magistracy were an elected body, this objection would be a trifling one; but as they are not so, and only a body of executives chosen by the chief executive of the land, irresponsible to any class or interest in the kingdom, it was a most unconstitutional and arbitrary act on the part of the Government to refer the question to them. Beyond this point lies another which must not be overlooked; and that is, how would the magistrates be likely to meet the question? How, but as landlords who have rent-rolls to revise and to be made conformable to the information which statistical returns may supply? Thirty counties were in favour of collecting them, twenty-seven stood on neutral ground, with a "do as you like" sort of air, and two only were found on the opposition. Can it be that the British farmer will submit to the ignoring of his interests in this way, and subject himself to the injustice which may follow? I hope not. Will he not ask of the Government why the question was put in this form? Why does it assume that the Statistics Bill is to become a law of the land? Is it because in its present form it is in direct opposition to the feelings and wishes of those whom it most peculiarly affects? Where is the pressure from without, which is frequently urged in justification of pitiable attempts at legislation, and the consequent care and expense in the rearing and maintaining its miserable abortions? Where is the expediency-that scapegoat for the sins of modern parliaments? In short, what is the excuse for taking such an unconstitutional proceeding? Do you show the necessity for the Bill? No. Do you prove that the collection of returns will benefit the community without inflicting an injury on the agricultural body? No. Do you plead the claims of the statist, the statesman, the historian, and the farmer of future times to be satisfied with the knowledge of the amount of corn and meat produced within a given year or period of years? No, nothing of the kind. You take a more imperious course, and, like the present Emperor of the French, will it, and the fiat goes forth, "Let it be." You say to the magistracy, though not quite in the same words, "Agricultural statistics must be obtained: shall I employ my police machinery in their collection?" If the opinions of the magistracy had been ex

pressed in a rather less equivocal manner, the Government, perhaps, may have been induced to commit themselves to the measure, and we may have had Mr. Caird's system imposed upon us at once, or at least a modification of it.

And now a word on the measure itself, as first propounded by Milner Gibson in 1847, and subsequently almost year by year by other apostles of demagogueism, and the results which would probably follow its adoption. The great object of the measure is said to be the prevention of those fluctuations in the price of corn which are continually occurring, and which are supposed to operate injuriously against the consumer, as well as to affect the trade and commerce of the country generally. I must say, with all due respect to many of the advocates of this Bill, that they, like many other persons of a temper which need not be described, go a great deal out of their way to find a grievance. It cannot be said with any degree of truth that fluctuations in the price of corn are an ultimate evil to the consumer, who, though he may suffer from extremely high rates for a time, yet, when the balance turns, is benefited in a proportionate manner by the low prices which invariably succeed. Let me endeavour to make this matter clearer, by using the pendulum as an illustration, the vibrations of which will serve to mark the ebb and flow of prices. Now the line of repose in the pendulum's course will represent the medium betwixt the highest and lowest price of corn during a year or any other period. That medium price may or may not be the average value for the same time. In the former case the consumer has not suffered from a fluctuation in prices; whereas in the latter he is either benefited or injured, according as the medium price has ranged below or above the average. This benefit or injury, however, is lost in the course of years, as will appear by the fact that during the last thirty years the total difference between the medium price and the average value has not exceeded 6d. a quarter. So, if the average price of a commodity for any year or period of years be the real value of it, then it is obvious, with regard to the corn trade, that, whether the supplies come equably to hand or otherwise, if the mean point be the average value for the same period, and the law of supply and demand operates with the same force in the one case as in the other, the effect would be the same. Of what use, then, can it be to interfere with the operation of laws which, imposed by Eternal Wisdom, work so beautifully and so unerringly to such equitable results? With the audacity of a Canute, our Government may attempt perhaps to set bounds to the roll of prices, saying, as he said to the mighty ocean, "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no farther, and here shall thy proud waves be stayed," but it wil most assuredly find the decrees of Omnipotence are not to be overruled in the one case more than in the other. I trust that the same lesson of wisdom and humility may be learned now as then, and that our Legislators may find better work to do than attempting to remove the fluctuations in the corn trade and making its prices constant. Before they do anything of the kind, they should be required to guarantee to the farmer an equality of produce also; and not only so, but get the good will of the clerk of the weather-office, that he may never suffer from adverse seasons; moreover, that rent, taxes, rates, labour-in short, every claim upon his pocket shall be constant also. These should be the conditions of the bargain; and I do not really see how, in the spirit of fairness, they can be refused. But, enough of this. The idea is too preposterous to admit of a serious refutation; but I would most humbly and respectfully entreat all whom it may concern to study the state of trade for a time-to watch its fluctuations, its ebbs and flows, its reaction, or to refer to the returns which have been made under governmental direction, and they will be convinced that fixity of price is a chimera, and that trade, like life, must have its pulsations: more than this, they will find that it is periodically revolving in an established cycle which will for ever exist, in spite of statistical returns and Government control. Is it not often said, when prices are stationary, "Oh, there is no life in the trade ?" Stagnation is said to be death; and motion, life. Take away the motion, the elasticity of the corn trade, and you rob it of its vitality. Reduce its inequalities, and it presents a dreary uniformity, which will destroy the aspirations after remuneration and the laudable ambition of the farmer.

Another reason urged by the promoters and friends of the bill is, that the trade and commerce of the country would be benefited if it came into operation. That is so far true that the traders and manufacturers may be enabled

their use in the common drainage of marsh and ground springs then practised. The duty raised the price asked for tiles at least double the amount of the duty itself beyond the natural cost, and none were made in this quarter. As I was burning clay at the time for a manure, I tried to devise some plan of avoiding this most injudicious tax, but could not contrive any form of burned clay which the excise official would not denominate drain tile, so I could only anathematize all stupid legislators, and employ my carts to drive stones from a distance of several miles. Having an outfall of about ten feet at the side of the fields, which were flat as a bowling-green, and being conscious of the utility of deep drains, that, in case of water near the sur face, in proportion to the depth would be the force to press out the water at the bottom, while the weight of the atmos phere would press down air in its place so as to aërate the soil, or the greater weight of the incumbent earth press the water more out, I commenced the drains about eight feet deep at the outfall, diminishing the depth fully one foot per hundred yards to the upper end, about four feet deep. The bottom of these drains (soft blue clay) was made a common spade width, increasing as little as possible in width for sixteen inches upward (the depth of the stones), so as to economize the stones, and render their top more easily covered. Two thin slaty stones were placed on edge, coupled in the bottom; stones broken to two or three inches diameter were laid above these, the smallest uppermost, to a depth of about a foot, and the top covered up with gravel and cinders, the sand and small particles riddled out, or by old slates, all without straw, so that no clay could crumble through or moles penetrate from above. These drains are still efficient where tree-roots do not obstruct. In examining some of these, I, however, observed that moles or rats had, in dry weather, made their way down to the drain, and, not being able to penetrate the top, had dug down in the earth along the sides of the stones, so as to reach the bottom moisture and to force earth into the drain amongst the stones. This demonstrates the superiority of tile pipes. One thing regarding tile requires strictly looking after-to have them all sufficiently burned, as one defective tile ruins the whole drain. A number of years ago, upon the first removal of the duty, I was supplied with some drain tile, which I objected to, as many of them were not sufficiently burned to have the proper ring. From natural pliancy of disposition, my better judgment yielded, and I had the tile put in. The drains, however, completely gave way in two or three years, and, upon opening them up, many of the tiles had gone to shivers or melted down, though much below the access of frost.

I have noticed it repeatedly stated, I think in the Mark Lane Express, that the upper ends of drains should communicate with the surface air-that such had an effect in aërating the ground from the drain upwards, so as to render the soil more permeable by, and more nutritive to the roots of plants. No doubt exists of air in the soil, and especially aërated earth, being necessary to the health of most land plants. This is a subject of importance, and ought to meet the attention of every drainer, especially as such communication with the air must render the flow of the drains much more speedy. Every one is aware that a teapot or barrel does not flow out readily from the mouth or spigot unless there is access to air from above. So must it te with drains. Another advantage of an opening to the surface at the upper end, would be that the position of each drain could thus be known, and even its efficiency proven, by pouring in water at the top. As such an opening in the field itself would be much in the way of the labour, the pipe communication with the surface would therefore require, if possible, to be at the upper end or extremity of the field, clear of the ploughed space, and protected by a close grating, or cover pierced with small holes, so that nothing but air might enter. In laying the drain tile pipes it is often the practice to cover any defect or opening with a small portion of broken tile. This is not safe, as a rat or mole in pursuit of worms, nails, or water (worms and snails seek down in search of moisture in time of drought, and to escape from cold in time of severe frost) will often penetrate down to the tile, and if the broken piece covering any aperture be not of considerble size and weight, and firmly placed, they force it aside, or scraping the earth away loosen it, so as to make entry themselves into the drain, or force earth into it sufficient to obstruct it. Another important necessity is that such drains have no

standing water in the bottom, in consequence of any slight mistake of level; but have a gentle descent throughout from the top, the tiles level to each other, joining closely, and the drain junctions carefully fitted. Few men hired by the piece can be entrusted with this. Much attention and judgment is required in our various soils and subsoils to determine of the best depth of drains and width betwixt them; also if a few reeds, broom, &c., be required above the tile to conduct the water in the soil to the tile joinings. It is only in the poorest most plastic clays that such can be necessary. I have sometimes heard complaints of the drains in poor plastic clays not being efficient-not drawing to any distance, and not even draining the surface immediately above the drain. I have always answered such complaints by telling the farmer to blame himself for such-that it was owing to the poverty of his land; that by high farming, working his land in seasonable dry weather, and enriching it by plenty of large manures, his drains would become effective; that plenty of rich organic manures would generate a sufficiency of red earthworms, and their boring render his land honeycombed like a piece of old sea timber. This was scarcely fair towards the trammelled farmer, as his landlord was, in the poverty of the soil, more to

blame than he.

To render clay land dark in colour, light in weight, friable, crumbly-what we term sterny, in little particles like stars, so as not to bind in a dense hard body in drought with large surface cracks, nor its clods to melt down in winter into sticky pulp-is the excellence of clay farming. This condition of clay soil can only be attained by the continued application of large quantities of organic manures, aeration, exposure to the winter frost and summer drought, with lenient cropping, and particularly by well-laid-down pasturage. This last gives a turfy character to the soil, the opposite of agglutinated; a sterny, slightly adhesive consistency, bound together by the grass rooting, and not melting into pulp under rain. Large manures give a different crumbliness, but both are opposed to the plastic or gluey, both favourable to vegetable growth, and both render the plant more able to withstand excess of rain or drought, or the throwing out by winter frost. It is rather a curious fact that vegetable matter in the soil, in the condition of peat, is much disposed to throw out the plant in frost, and does so, from the wet, spongy, peaty soil, by the crystallization of the water heaving up in honeycomb or basaltic fashion. It clasps the plant stem at the surface of the ground, and as it expands underneath, tears up the plant from its rooting.

Need I mention that, as drains come to be made deeper. attention is the more required to have the tiles well burned, free of twist, and without flaw, and to be carefully laid, with gradual fall-at least, without stagnating water in any drains, more difficult to be found and the stoppage removed? part, the place of any stoppage afterwards being, in deep In all cases, a free outfall must be got, not subject to be occasionally flooded, otherwise the pipes may get mudded up. Draining is clearly a farmer's business-can be judiciously planned, executed, and kept efficient only by a farmer. An intimate knowledge of the ground, the condition of the soil and subsoil under the aspect of different seasons, can only be attained by the farmer; and, without this knowledge, much capital and labour may be thrown away.

But protection to property is necessary to this-is not only necessary to this, but for calling out the mental energy and power and industry of the farmer in every direction of utility. The farmer's business is at least, under a right regulation of land-tenure would be-a constant school of natural science (this I know by myself), and his power of reason, judgment, and intellectual advancement likely to exceed that of other classes. All he wants is freedomliberty to employ his faculties aright, the improvement he makes in the soil of his country secured to him-the most rightful and best-earned of all property-right. Under the present system the farmer can only make improvement of his land by stealth. Should the improvement be discovered, a rise of rent will most likely be imposed, and if he does not submit to this, he is expelled; or should the factor, or any minion of the landlord, fancy the improved farm, he may be expelled at once without ceremony. The improvement of our British land struggles, suffocates, under this horrible incubus. Want of protection to the property the husbandman generates, by converting bad soil into good, is

the great national evil, which, by preventing the improvement | of the British land last season, lost to the country fully forty millions sterling, sent out of the country for food. We hear nothing of this at our great agricultural shows, in the published proceedings of our royal agricultural societies (the farmer dare not mention it), or at the Social Science meeting. A few weeks ago the writer attended this meeting, and, finding no notice of "protection to property" in their list of subjects, he forwarded a note to Lord Brougham, sometimes officiating as chairman, stating that he wished to bring this want of protection under the notice of the association. His lordship did not reply.

This is the manner that the most important question in regard to the progress of the British empire is ignored through aristocratic influence-a subject incomparably more important than all their societies and shows put to gether. Such is the wretched condition to which the social structure has been reduced that aristocratical supremacy may be upheld, that this estate may lord it over the two

others, and in whose estimation the well-being of the British people is light when put in the balance with any reduction of their own unwholesome paramount power. Under the present system we see the farmer struggling to improve his stock, implements, and machinery, and to procure good crops upon his exhausted land by very costly small manures of transient effect, but he does so with the chain and ball at his feet. At their agricultural meetings we hear much of stock, &c., but very little of the gradual enrichment of the soil, the thickening of the vegetable mould-the true parent of fine stock, and plenty of them. This, the true means of obtaining such, is a taboo ed subject. This can only be obtained by protection to farmermade property. Is the present unwholesome state of British and Irish agriculture to go on, to be tolerated by the British people? The farmer must have lawful right to his own improvements, I am, &c., PATRICK MATTHEW.

Gourdie Hill, Errol, July 14.

In Class 19, stallions for coach horses, four were entered. Inkerman Hero was quite the old stamp of coach horse, with two magnificent ends, and is a fine goer; but out of condition would be very unlevel, and the taste for coach horses being now to have them with more blood, and not so big as in former days, he only got a second prize. Ebor is about all that is wanted in a coach horse; he goes well, and is very level and true made; he took first prize. The two horses have met, and besten each other several times, and Ebor has now the advantage by once or twice; the colt by General Williams will see a better day. Eight stallions were entered as roadsters. Sportsman is just the stamp of a roadster, and the judges lingered for some time over him and Conservative, as to which was to have second honours, but the latter had so much more freedom of action from the shoulder in the trot, that they excused his not walking quite so well as could have been wished, and so gave him the second prize, and commended Sportsman. St. Giles very soon asserted his right to the premiership in his class, and a very clever four-year-old he is; and it was good to see that they had given his dam the prize in her class; she looks like breeding a good one, and she has done it in St. Giles. All-Fours has taken several prizes, but not in the company he had to keep here. Stallions for agricultural purposes, seven entries: The first prize horse is a level, long and low good-looking heavy horse; the second prize a wonderful fresh-looking one for his age: his legs are still cleaner and better than several younger ones in the class, and he is very active: one or two of them had hair enough on their legs to stuff an easy chair. Ten coaching mares with foals came up for the next prize, the winner of which was a long, low and wide mare with famous hind-quarters, and a nice neat foal by Maroon. The mare standing next her was a real good sort, and has taken many prizes, and it was regretted there was not here a second to give her: she also had a fine foal by her side, by Maroon. This was a very good class. There was a fine mare, but with a poor small foal by D. O., and another grand mare with one eye. Class 28-Coaching mares, without foals-9 entries. A good class. The first prize a rare good sort, and such a bred one! there was no leaving her, although she, too, had but one eye. Number 3 gets commended. She has fine shoulders, but rather light in her thighs.-Three-year-old coaching geldings: Both prizes go to colts by "Maroon," and two very goodlooking horses they must make. One by "Galaor" is good

looking, and gets commended, but has not the action of the others. Class 30-two-year-old coaching geldings-were a moderate lot. One by "Maroon" takes the prize. Yearling geldings or fillies: The first is far away the best of a lot not requiring any particular remark. 7 fillies are shown for the next prize. The one taking the prize is a very clever one by "Iron Duke," and at once asserted her right to the honours. The commended one by " Baylock" is also a fine filly. Eight roadsters then came up for judgment, and "Drury Lasa" got the prize. She is 19 years old, but of a real good old sort, and the dam of the roadster stallion who takes the first prize. There were several good mares in this class. Class 34Roadster nag or mare-21 entries: 17 gets the first prize, and is a very fine mover, with great freedom of action, and a very clever hack. No. 9 gets second prize; is a good stamp of roadster, with fine shoulders, and goes well; whilst No. 11 is a showy nag, and gets commended. In class 35 is a neat three-year-old mare, which gets the prize, having two bad ones only to beat. Class 36, mare and foal for agricultural purposes: Two very middling ones only were shown. Neither of them deserved a prize. No. 2 has a strong foal, and gets the £5; and mium, which was to No. 3, a great strong wide grey mare. geldings and fillies (three-year-olds) come for the next preNo. 5, getting second prize, is a cheenut, and a pretty good mare; and No. 7 is a neat black one. Class 38 has eight entries. The prize gelding is a smart strong horse, and No. 2, a chesnut filly, will make a good strong mare; but where pion, a bay Clydesdale, dam by Black Douglas, also a she gets her colour cannot be guessed, as she is by Cham Clydesdale in blood, they say. Only two came in Class 39; the prize gelding a decent one; the other was far too light. Claes 40 only one pair of mares were shown for the prize, both got by Black Douglas, and one of them a very good one. And now comes the last class, and a most curious one it is, consisting of "ladies" ponies" under fourteen hands, and from that height they varied down to 8 very small Shetland. There were several very nice blood-like hacks amongst them, but which had no pretensions to be called ponies. The prize went to a very clever pony, with beautiful shoulders, and a nice level back and quarters; No. 11 was commended, and is a very nice one by "Croton Oil," with a sweet head and good colour. I scarcely got to see any of the other classes, as the wind blew almost a hurricane all day, and as soon as the judges had been over them they were clothed up. The classes then got mixed up together, so we could not make out what was what. I never saw the thoroughbred stallions, or mares for breeding hunters, åt all.