I efteem it the first Part of Hufbandry, for a Farmer to confider the Expence of his House, and keep an exact Account of his Out-goings and his In-comings; and therefore I am more particular in my Letters to you upon this Occafion, believing you will give them to the Publick, if you approve of them; but a little more Time will give me more Experience, and that Experience may give me a greater Opportunity of obliging you,

I have at prefent about twenty Acres of Cow Pafture, befides Common, and the Advantage of fome Turnips for Winter Food; by this Means I maintain Nine Cows, but find I might add Two more to my Number. The Cows, however, which I have at prefent, give me each of them about Three Gallons a Day at least, which together yields Twenty Seven Gallons per Diem, but fometimes give me Forty Gallons in a Day, from whence I have a large Quantity of Whey and Bafe Milk to affift the Feeding of Twelve Swine, Two of which are Breeders. In my choice of thefe, I rather preferr'd the black Bantham Breed, than the large fort common in England, though I do not believe this black fort eats lefs than the common large Kind, nor perhaps do they yield fo much profitable Flesh for Market by one Fourth Part, as the others; however it is certain, that their Flefh is much more delicate for the Table than the common Ength Breed; whether as fucking Pigs, or in Pork or Bacon. Again, I fhould remark, that for the better feeding of thefe Creatures, I have a confiderable help from Brewing my own Drink, from fome Offals of my Farm Yard, and the Maft of the Woods, But I fhall be particular in another Letter, if you defire it, and give you

my

my ftated Account of Advantage by Milk, Cream, Butter, Cheefe, Calves, Piggs, Pork and Bacon; and fhew you at the fame time, how to judge of the Expence in keeping these Creatures upon a Farm, order'd as mine is. To which I can add, if you are not already appriz'd of it, the Method of feeding and curing Bacon, as the Farmers practife in Hampshire, which County exceeds moft, if not all others in England, for Flesh of that Kind.

'Tis to be observ'd, that in feeding Cows we must not let them range in too large a Piece of Ground at one Time; I have therefore divided my Twenty Acres into Three Parcels, which I turn my Cows into from one to another, as I fee Occafion; commonly I allow them Eight or Ten Days in one, before I change them to another, for elfe they would trample down and fpoil a Third Part as much Grass as they eat. By this changing of Place, and the Liberty I have of fome Common and Waste Ground, they have an hearty Feed and pay me well for it: For if we were to enquire no farther than the common Expence of Feeding these Cows by the Week, which to hire Land would be 1 s. 6 d. per Week for each, the Charge of Feeding my Nine Cows will be 13 s. 6 d. each Week; and the Calves pay the Intereft of the Money I first laid out in their Purchase, and in great Part make amends for the Time loft in the Cows growing dry. Now allowing that I have from thefe Cows only Twenty Seven Gallons of Milk in a Day, which is a mean Quantity, (for fome Cows will yield. fingly upwards of Three Gallóns at a Meal;) then the Value of my Milk, was it to be fold for 1 d. per Quart, would amount in a Day to the Sum of 9 s. and in Seven Days, or one

I

F 3

Week,

Week, to 31. 3 s. from which Sum, if we take out the 13 s. 6 d. for their Week's Grazing, there will remain, neat Money, 2 l. 9 s. 6 d. without farther Trouble than bare Milking: But the managing this Milk in the Dairy, makes it worth more than double the Sum, as I can prove by my Farming Accounts. However at prefent only take a View of the plain Profit of Milk from Nine Cows, at the aforefaid Rate, for One Year, and you may partly guess at the Advantage you may reap from them: Suppofing the Food of a fingle Cow, throughout the whole Year, comes to 1 s. 6 d. per Week, and that one Day with another, for Twelve Months, a Cow will give Six Quarts per Meal, i. e. Three Gallons per Diem, as I have before related; then we find the Milk of Nine Cows to be worth 1647. 5 s. per Annum; but taking from that Sum', the Charge of feeding the faid Number of Cows for that Time, which comes to 35 l. 2 s. there remains clear Profit, 129 l. 3 s. per Annum: And if we deduct from thence the Price of the Nine Cows, which was about 50 l. there yet remains the Advantage of 79 3 s. which is very good Intereft for Intereft for Money laid out in Cattle, and their Year's Food paid for. But when I come to mention all the Advantages I make of them, you will find my Profits more than Double what I have related.

I have feen fome of the China Geefe, which I find answer your Character of them, viz. That they are larger than the common fort in England, and breed earlier; but I find the Young ones are very tender, and are both difficult to hatch and to breed up; therefore I content my felf with our common Kind, which feldom bring me at a Setting fewer than Ten, Eleven, or a Dozen

apiece.

apiece. I am not yet fallen into the way of pulling their Feathers, as they do every Year in Lincolnshire, and other Fenny Countries.

In the breeding of Turkeys I have found fome difficulty, till I took the Advice of the Woman who looks after my Poultry, who by keeping the young Ones with the Hen in a Barn or OutHouse, till they are about Six Week old, preferves them in good Health and thriving Condition. She tells me, that it is not only neceffary to keep them warm for that Time, but likewife to keep them from eating fmall Snails and Slugs, which they would find abroad, and would scower them to Death. After Six Weeks fhe brings them out with the Hen, and places them where the Sun is moderately warm, fo enclofed in an open Cafe of Wicker, as to prevent their ranging, and feeds them as fhe did from the Beginning, with Curds, in which is a little Rhew cut fmall, and fome Ant Eggs, but puts them again into the House as foon as they have enjoy'd the warm Air for two Hours; allowing them, from time to time, as they grow more hardy, fo much more time abroad, till at length they became capable of Shifting for themselves. But I muft not omit to tell you, that foon after they are hatch'd, they should have a fresh Turf of fhort Grass every Day, but without Snails or Slugs upon it, for the Reafon before mention'd.

The Reafon of this Letter to you, is chiefly to put you in Mind that Husbandry does not only depend upon the Methods of Cultivating Land for Corn and Hay; for that is the least part of a Farmer's Bufinefs.

Upon my publishing this Letter of Mr. Waller's, concerning Profits by Cows, I receiv'd the following, which with Mr. Waller's Anfwer to it, I think, will teach us as much as is neceffary for our Information in that Branch of Hufbandry.

SIR,

"IN

66

To Mr. BRADLEY.

N Mr. Waller's Letter to you, April 19.1721, "there is an Account concerning the Profit "made by Cows, reckoning Milk at a Penny per Quart; it may not be amifs for you, at your Leifure, to beg the Favour of that Gen"tleman to examine his Account, and to ftate "it according to the quantity of Milk to be "produced next Year, and of the Money that 66 a Farmer can make thereof in Butter or Cheese, "for there are not Buyers of Milk in the Coun"try at a Penny per Quart. The Hay or other "Fodder to be eaten by the Cows in the Win"ter, is not noted in Mr. Waller's Account. "He reckons three Gallons of Milk per Diem "from each Cow, without allowing for the Time "wherein they fail of giving fo much, or for "the Time wherein they go dry. Sir William Petty reckons for Ninety Days a Cow may yield Three Gallons of Milk; and for Ninety more One Gallon; and for Ninety more "fcarce one quarter of a Gallon; and for Nine<6 ty more fhe is dry. Thus in a Year a Cow may yield about Three Hundred Eighty Four "Gallons of Milk.

'

66

"The faid Quantity of Milk will make Two "Hundred and a Half of raw Milk Cheese, and "One Hundred of Whey Butter, befides Whey

"" for