grow,' which perhaps they who feel the most are least able to explain. Certain it is, however, that it would be highly desirable, that not only every country labourer, but every artizan in towns, where these are not so large as to prevent the possibility of it, should have a little bit of garden, and should fulfil the duty which devolved on man in a state of innocence, to keep it and to dress it.' It is impossible for any one who has not carefully attended to the subject, to be at all aware how strong the tie is which binds man even to a little spot of his native earth, if so be that he can consider it as his own, and that he himself, and those on whom he loves to bestow it, are to enjoy the fruit. This is the very strongest natural hold which binds a poor man to his country, and to all those institutions established for the wellbeing of society. Shew me the cottage, the roses and the honeysuckles on which are neatly trimmed and trained, and the garden behind is well stocked with culinary herbs and a few choice flowers, and I will speedily find you a cottager who never wastes his time or his money, or debases his mind and learns the broad road which leadeth to destruction,' in the contamination of an alehouse. If the garden is neat, one may rest assured that the cottage, however humble it is, is the abode of contentment and happiness; and that however simple the fare may be, it is wealth and luxury in full store to the inmates, because they are satisfied with it, and grateful for the possession of it."* I believe that the contentment of the lot of the Scottish married ploughmen, and of the attachment to the farm upon which they serve, may be traced to the principles evolved in these remarks. No doubt, much yet remains to be done to inculcate on them and their families the advantages of practising habits of personal and domestic cleanliness. Hinds' houses, in this respect, might be much improved, and which, if they were, an air of tidiness and comfort would attend their dwellings, which at present is generally awanting. A great deal depends on the example of the farmer himself; for while he keeps his garden and shrubbery and little avenue in a slovenly manner, it is not to be expected in servants to evince a desire to excel their master. A farmer's garden gets a trimming twice or thrice a-year, and in the mean season, weeds may riot in it without molestation, and its produce may be plucked as best suits the convenience or caprice of the kitchenmaid. Doubtless, considerable crops of vegetables are raised in these gardens, but more through strength of manure than skill of culture. It is, I am aware, inconvenient to obtain the assistance of the professional

Mudie's Spring, p. 274-5.

gardener in the country when his services may be most wanted; but on a farm on which a hedger is employed, he should be taught as much of gardening as to be able to keep the garden in decent order in the absence of the gardener, whose principal duty should be to crop the ground. A field-worker now and then would keep the weeds in subjection, and allow both the sun and air a freer access to the growing plants,

Towards the end of spring,' the farmer thinks of disposing of his fat cattle; but, should he not be offered the price he considers them to be worth, he keeps them on, and even threatens to put them to grass. The dealer and butcher affect to be shy purchasers at this season, knowing there is plenty of fat stock in the country; but, nevertheless, are unwilling to allow a prime lot to slip through their hands, and therefore keep a sharp look-out on all the best lots for disposal. The ready means of steam conveyance to London for fat stock, gives the farmer a vantage ground in his dealings with the butcher, which the latter now knows well to avail himself of by closing a ready bargain on the best conditions he can make.

This is the season, too, for the letting of grass-parks. These usually belong to landed proprietors, and form a portion of their park and lawn. The ready market which these parks meet with, induces the retention of such ground in permanent grass, while it places their owners beyond the risk of speculation in the purchase of grazing cattle on their own account. It is not customary for farmers to let their grass-parks, except in the neighbourhood of large towns, where cowfeeders and butchers tempt them with high offers, which they accept rather than purchase cattle, whose feeding may not be repaid. Pasture for grass is, in truth, so convenient for the stock of those classes of people, that they will almost give any rent rather than be deprived of the convenience. In regard to the effect which letting of grass-parks by tenants has on the rights of the landlord, I may mention that his "hypothec extends over the crops and live stock of the tenant, including horses, cows, sheep, cattle, and every description of stock raised on the farm, but it does not extend to the cattle of others taken in to graze. On this ground, it has been held an irritancy of the lease, should the tenant, instead of stocking the farm, take in cattle to graze, and thereby give the landlord no security for his rent. (Mackye, December 4. 1780, M. 6214.)" Facility of obtaining grass-parks in the country is at times useful to the farmer who raises grazing stock, in one of which, at least, he may give

*The Farmer's Lawyer, p. 46.

them a better bite or warmer shelter than he can perhaps offer on the division of his farm which happens to be in grass.

The landed proprietor has to seek another market in spring, one for his timber which he annually fells in thinning out his plantations. These sales afford convenient supplies to farmers who may be in want of paling for fencing new hedges, wood for sheep-flakes or stabs, or timber for the erection of shedding for animals, or for implements. They are also serviceable to country joiners and implement-makers, in supplying them with necessary materials nigh at hand. The timber is felled by the owner, and assorted into the sizes and kinds of lots which he knows will best suit the local demand. Prunings and small thinnings are sold as fire-wood, and purchased by villagers who cannot afford to purchase coal, and by farmers who have to supply fuel to bothies. After this resumé of spring-work, let us now particularly consider each operation in its proper order.

46. OF COWS CALVING, AND OF CALVES.

"When she has calved, then set the dam aside,

And for the tender progeny provide."

DRYDEN'S VIRGIL.

(2058.) The first great event in spring, on a farm of mixed husbandry, is the calving of the cows; not that this event should not occur till spring -though most breeders of farm-stock are anxious to have calves early, particularly bull calves (1458.), and on that account calves are born as early as December and January-but by far the greater proportion of the stock of cows are not desired to begin to calve till February, and the season of calving continues in good time till the middle of April; after which, as in May, the calves are accounted late, and then seldom retained as a part of the breeding-stock, namely, that portion which is specially set aside to propagate its kind. Reluctance to late calves. arises from no objection to their purity of breeding, for earliness or lateness of birth can have no effect in that respect; but chiefly because an early calf possesses the advantage of having passed through its period of milking in time to be supported on grass, as soon as it affords a plentiful supply of food. From 8 to 10 weeks at this season is a period of great anxiety for the state of the cows; and, indeed, till her calving is safely over, the life of the most valuable cow is in jeo

pardy. Every solicitude, therefore, that can conduce to her passing in safety over this critical period, ought to be cheerfully bestowed.

(2059.) You may remember the treatment which I recommended some time ago for cows in winter, in reference to food and exercise, in (1435.) and (1438.). When the cow first shews heavy in calf, which is usually after her 6th month, the litter in the court should not be allowed to become too deep, as over-exertion in walking over soft loose litter and dung, may cause such an excited action of the animal's system, and most probably of the womb, as to make her slip calf, -or to slink the calf, as it is usually termed. The litter in a court which is constantly trampled by cattle at freedom, becomes so firm as to afford a good footing; but the case is different in a cows'-court, which is usually filled with loose litter wheeled from the byre; and as it is walked upon only for a short time every day by cows, which, when in calf, are not disposed to roam much about, it never becomes firm. To render the litter as firm as may be under the circumstances, the cattle-man should spread each barrowful as he wheels it out, taking care to mix a due proportion of straw with the dung.

(2060.) Cows, as they calve, and after it is considered safe for them to go out in the air again, should not be allowed to go into the court at the same time with those yet to calve; because calved cows soon come into season, as the phrase has it, that is, soon become desirous of the bull; and when they approach this condition, there is a very prevalent desire on the part of the other cows to ride upon them, and, what is remarkable, especially of those yet uncalved. As may be supposed, such violent exertions, made on soft litter, are likely to produce injurious results on the uncalved cows, by even causing inversion of the calf in the womb, by bringing on febrile action, or by causing the slipping of the calf. The time of the day at which cows in these different conditions should go out, may be left to the discretion of the cattle-man, who should, however, keep this consideration in view, that as cows, after having calved, become more tender in their habit than before, they should enjoy the best part of the day; for instance, from 12 to 2 o'clock.

(2061.) Cons may be ascertained to be in calf between the 5th and 6th months of their gestation. The calf quickens at between 4 and 5 months; and up to that period, no disagreeable change has been caused in the constitution of the cow; but from this period she becomes subject to several diseases. The calf may be felt by thrusting the points of the fingers against the flank of the cow, when a hard lump will bound against the abdomen, and the feeling will be communicated to the fingers. Or when a pailful or two of cold water is drank by the cow,

the calf kicks, when a convulsive sort of motion may be observed in the flank, by looking at it from behind, and, if the open hand is then laid upon the space between the flank and udder, this motion may be most distinctly felt. But it is not in every circumstance that the calf can be felt at so early a period of its existence; for when it is lying in a natural position in the interior of the womb, it cannot be felt at all; and when it lies near the off or right side of the cow, it is not so easily felt as on the opposite side. So that, although the calf cannot be felt at that early stage, it is no proof that the cow is not in calf. Some cow-dealers shew great acuteness in ascertaining whether a cow is in calf. One, whom I knew, that was bred a tailor, told me that when a resinous-looking substance could be drawn from the teats by stripping them firmly, the cow is sure to be pregnant. After this period the flank in the near side fills up, and the general enlargement of the under part of the abdomen affords an unequivocal symptom of pregnancy.

(2062.) The womb of the cow is a bag of irregular form, having a chamber or division attached to each side called the horns of the womb, and so called, perhaps, because of the form they present in an unimpregnated state, of the large curved horns of a black-faced tup. The womb consists almost entirely of muscular fibres, with a large proportion of blood vessels, and of cellular matter, which admits of contraction and extension. Its ordinary size in a large cow is about 2 feet in length, but when containing a full-grown foetus it is 7 feet in length. This is an extraordinary adaptation to circumstances which the womb possesses, to bear an expansion of 7 feet, from about of that length, and yet be capable of performing all its functions. The use of the horns seems to be to form a lair for the calf, and each is occupied by the calf according to its sex. The quey-calf occupies the near, and the bull-calf the off-side horn. So that a quey-calf is more easily felt in the younger stage than a bull-calf; and indeed the latter is frequently not felt at all until the 7th month, when other symptoms afford proofs of pregnancy.

(3063.) The exact time of a cow's calving should be known to the cattle-man as well as by the farmer himself, for the time when she was served by the bull should have been marked down. Although this last circumstance is not a certain proof that the cow is in calf, yet if she passes the period when she should take the bull again without shewing symptoms of season, it may be safely inferred that she became in calf at the last serving, from which date should then be calculated the period of gestation, or of reckoning, as it is called. A cow generally goes 9 months, or 273 days, with calf, although the calving is not certain to a