Page:Once a Week Jul - Dec 1859.pdf/49

38 boon to  a class  of  society  which  sorely  needs  such aid;—the class  of  gentlewomen  who  have  not enough to  do. We hear  a great  deal  of  the penalties of  an  unnatural  mode  of  life  endured  by single  and  widowed  women  in  confined  circumstances, who  pine  away  their  lives  in  towns; and we see  many  who  do  not  suffer  from  poverty, losing health  and  energy  for  want  of  interesting occupation. If this  book  should  induce  only  one in a hundred  of  these  languid  women  to  try  a country  life,  with  the  amusement of a little  farming in  a safe  way,  it  will  have  been  a blessing  to our  generation.

John Sillett’s  experiment  was  one  of  fork  and spade husbandry  exclusively. That of  the  ladies on their  Four  Acres  was  an  experiment  of  grazing, almost exclusively. Mine is  one  of  an  intermediate order. I do not  derive  the  subsistence  of  a household  from  my  two  acres; nor  do  I keep  cows and pigs  on  the  easy  conditions  of  a plentiful allowance of  grass  and  arable  land,  with  the  resource of  a Right  of  Common,  to  serve  at  every pinch. I am obliged  to  keep  a considerable  portion of my  little  plot  in  grass; but  my  main  dependence for  the  subsistence  of  my  cows  is  on  fork  and spade husbandry. Thus, like  the  ladies,  I keep cows for comfort  and  luxury,  to  which  I may  add the serious  consideration  of  creating  a subsistence for a labourer  and  his  wife; while,  with  John Sillett, I obtain  the  value  of  the  ground  and  animals chiefly by  tillage,  instead  of  merely  gathering  in the  expensive  commodity  of  grass. The case  is this: —

I bought a field,  in  order  to  build  myself  a house,  in  a beautiful  valley  in  the  north  of  England. The quantity  of  land  was  somewhat  less than two  acres  and  a quarter,  of  which  more  than half an  acre  was  rock. On the  rocky  portion stands the  house,  with  its  terrace  and  the  drive up to  it,  and  little  oak  and  sycamore  and  ash copses behind  and  flanking  it. An acre  and  a quarter  was  left  in  grass,  which  I at  first  let  for grazing for  £4  10s.  a year. Enough ground  was left for  a few  vegetable  and  flower  beds,  which the women  of  the  household  took  such  care  of  as they  could. At the  end  of  a year  from  our entrance upon  our  pretty  house  in  the  field,  the state of  things  was  this. The meadow  was  a constant  eyesore; for  the  tenant  took  no  sort of care  of  it. His cow  was  there,  rain  or  shine, without shelter  or  shade,  and  usually  ill,  one  way or another. The grass  was  lumpy  and  weedy. Sheep burst  in  through  the  hedge  on  the  south boundary, that  hedge  being  no  business  of  mine,  but belonging to  the  tenant  on  the  other  side. It was a broad, straggling,  weedy  hedge,  which  harboured vermin, and  sent  showers  of  seeds  of  pestilent weeds into  my  garden  ground; and  as  sure  as  my cabbages  began  to  grow,  the  hungry  sheep—sharp-set  as  they  are  in  March — made  their  way  in,  and ate off  a whole  crop  in  the  night. It cost  me from  £6  to  £10  a year  to  hire  an  occasional gardener, by  whom  the  aspect  of  the  place  was barely kept  decent.

At the  same  time,  my  household  were  badly off for  some  essential  comforts. The supply  of milk  in  our  neighbourhood  could  never  be  depended on; and  it  failed  when  it  was  most wanted — in  the  travelling  season  when  the  district was  thronged  with  strangers. During that season, even  the  supply  of  meat  was  precarious. Fowls, hams,  eggs,  butter,  everything  was  precarious or  unattainable; so  that  housekeeping  was, in the  guest  season,  a real  anxiety.

Becoming nearly  desperate  under  difficulties which townsfolk  scarcely  dreamt  of,  I ventured upon the  experiment — more  bold  eleven  years  ago than now — of  using  my  own  patch  of  land  for  the production of  comforts  for  my  own  household. I have made  this  explanation  because  I wish  it  to be  clearly  understood  that  I did  not  propose  to make  money  by  my  miniature  farming,  and  should never have  undertaken  it  with  any  such  view. I could not  afford  to  lose  money. The experiment must pay  itself  or  stop. But, here  was  the  land, with its  attendant  expenses; here  were  our  needs and discomforts; the  experiment  was  to  make  the one compensate  the  other. At the  end  of  eleven years, I find  that  the  plan  has  been  unquestionably successful,  though  some  of  the  estimates  of the  first  two  or  three  seasons  have  been  modified, and an  average  of  agricultural  mishaps  has  occurred, as  if  to  render  the  enterprise  a fair  specimen. It has,  on  the  whole,  been  sufficiently  successful to  attract  a great  deal  of  notice,  and influence some  proceedings  in  the  neighbourhood; and, therefore,  as  I conceive,  to  justify  my  adding one more  illustration  to  those  which  already  exist of the  benefit  of  making  the  most  of  a small  area of land.

The first  essential  was  a labourer. I obtained one from an  agricultural  county,  as  spade  husbandry was a thing  unheard-of  in  my  own  neighbourhood. He brought  his  wife; and  his  wages  were at first  12s. a week, out  of  which  he  paid  the  low rent  of  1s.  6d.  per  week  for  his  cottage; a model cottage which  I built,  with  the  cow-house  adjoining, for  £130. These stone  dwellings  last  for ever, and  need  few  or  no  repairs,  so  that  money is well  invested  in  them; and  I regard  as  a good investment the  money  afterwards  laid  out  in  a hay-house,  a little  boiling-house,  a root-house,  two fowl-yards, and  a commodious  stone  dwelling  for the pig. My man’s  wages  were  raised  by  degrees; and they  are  now  14s.  a week  all  the  year  round, with the  cottage  rent  free. The wife  has  the  use of my  wash-house  and  its  apparatus,  and  opportunities of  earning  a good  deal  by  means  of  them. In case  of  my  scheme  not  answering,  there  was  a certainty  that  the  cottage  and  other  buildings would let  at  any  moment,  with  the  land;  while their quality  would  not  deteriorate  with  time,  like that of  brick  or  wooden  buildings.

The other  requisite  preparations  were  tanks  for manure,  implements,  and  some  additional  fencing. Two tanks,  well  cemented  within,  and  covered by  heavy  stone  lids,  receive  the  sewage  and  slops of  every  kind  from  the  house,  cottage,  and  cow stable; and  a larger  tank,  among  a clump  of  trees in  a far  corner  of  the  field,  receives  the  sweepings of  stable  and  stye,  and  the  bulk  of  the  manure. The implements  are  spades,  an  elastic  steel  fork, hoes,  rakes,  a scythe,  shears,  and  clippers,  a heavy roller  for  the  meadow,  a chaff-cutter,  a curry-comb and  brushes  for  the  cows’ coats; troughs, milk-pails,  and  the  apparatus  of  the  boiling-house