greatly impaired by the difficulty of giving to the buyer complete confidence in the title, independently of the legal expenses which accompany the transfer." * When, to all this expense, is added the element of uncertainty, there is good reason to complain of the laws which regulate the transfer of land in England. It is not at all improbable, under our present complicated system, that an unhappy purchaser may pay down a large sum of money for an estate which the receiver of the money has no power to sell. Such a case Mr. Kay mentions as having actually occurred within his own knowledge,† the estate purchased having been previously mortgaged without the knowledge of the purchaser, and the mortgagor having become bankrupt and left the country, the mortgagee claimed from the purchaser the money advanced upon the property.

In France no such accident can happen. Every change in the tenure of land must be registered, or the change is not legal. The register is free to inspection; it must then be the fault of the purchaser himself if he make a bad bargain, or buy that which cannot be sold.

In addition to the certainty is the brevity of the French transfer. A slip of paper is sufficient for all the purposes, for which our English multitudinous folios are professedly necessary, and which often fail in their object.

The following Table will be interesting, inasmuch as it illustrates the domestic condition of the French working-classes :

In the year 1835 the census gave the number of houses in France as 6,748,151, arranged as follows:

Houses with one opening (i. e, the door alone)

..

346,401 1,817,328 1,320,937

three

".

..

..

..

..

..

583,026

six, and more openings..

Total number of houses

In 1846 the total houses were 7,462,545, divided as above,

So that, in eleven years, the dwellings of France had increased above 700,000; but the houses with one and two openingsthe hovels, they should rather he called-had considerably diminished. This, certainly, is a hopeful sign; and we may trust that the day is not far distant when France shall enjoy not only political liberty and a free press, but also a degree of social prosperity not hitherto attained.

IX.-On Farm-Buildings for Small Farms. By J. Y. STURGE, of Thornbury, Bristol, and T. W. P. ISAAC, 13, Northgatestreet, Bath.*

THERE are probably few subjects on which practical men differ so widely as the one at present under inquiry. It is, we believe, admitted that the farm-buildings of the West of England are generally very old and of an inferior description. Erected piecemeal, with but little regard to the requirements of modern and improved practice, they frequently occasion considerable loss to the agriculturist. The value of time does not appear to be well understood, though it is evident that, where a large amount of labour is employed, a loss of time is equivalent to a loss of money.

If farm-buildings are so arranged as to increase labour in feeding cattle, carting manure, distributing straw, or preparing grain for market, these buildings are annually taking so many pounds sterling out of the farmer's pocket. Waste of manure, loss of the labourer's time, and disease amongst the cattle, are frequent results of the ill-arranged homesteads which so generally characterise the farming of this district.

Another source of loss arising from the bad arrangement of buildings does not at once strike the inquirer. Where cattle are not warmly housed, much flesh and fat-producing substance is expended in the sustenance of their natural heat: in other words, if cattle are kept in a healthy condition of warmth, they fatten with a less amount of food than when exposed to cold.

It is thus clear that, as the character of his buildings must exercise a most important influence on the balance-sheet of the farmer, they ought to be so arranged that the grain-crops may be prepared for market, and the live-stock provided for, with the greatest economy of time and labour. From these general principles, few will dissent; but there is a wide difference of opinion as to the best mode of putting them in practice. Much depends on climate, soil, and the system of cultivation pursued. The Exmoor farmer and the agriculturist of Taunton Dean would differ widely in their views: consequently, the opinions advanced in any essay on the subject should be received as suggestions, to be modified by special or local circumstances.

In the following pages, we have submitted plans for arable farms of about 300 acres; but, as in the West of England cider is frequently produced, the requisite buildings for its manufacture are added.

The two principal objects kept in view in the arrangement of the buildings are

1st. To make convenient arrangements for threshing and preparing the grain-crops for market.

2nd. To provide, at the smallest cost, the best accommodation for the live-stock.

As the consideration of the best means of effecting these objects will be facilitated by a division of subjects, we propose to re

mark on

1st. The choice of site.

2nd. The position and arrangement of the stackyard, barn, feed

ing-houses, stable, and implement-sheds.

3rd. The possible use of water-power.

1. THE CHOICE OF SITE.

as

The homestead should be as near to the centre of the farm * circumstances will allow. "The site," says Mr. Ewart ('Royal Agricultural Society's Journal, vol. xxv. page 206), "should be easy of access, dry, and elevated above, and removed from the immediate vicinity of marshes, lakes, and sluggish rivers, sheltered from prevailing winds by higher ground, and have a plentiful and never-failing supply of wholesome water."

It seldom happens, however, that these requirements can be combined, and the farmer's aim should be to choose a site possessing as many of these advantages as possible, and to supply the rest by artificial means. Thus the site may be rendered dry by underdraining, and shelter from prevailing winds may be obtained by a judicious arrangement of the buildings or by planting.

Perhaps, however, one of the most important points to be attended to is the supply of water. A constant stream running

through the troughs saves trouble and ensures fresh water for the cattle at all times. This plan is adopted in several homesteads recently erected, and, among others, at those of Mrs. Kidner at Milverton, and Mr. Gregory at Long Sutton. When a natural stream cannot be obtained, the buildings may with advantage, in many cases, be so situated as to be supplied from a reservoir in which the drainage-water of the higher lands is collected. Shelter from prevailing winds should not be neglected; but, if the site appears suitable in other respects, this may in most cases be obtained by planting, or by a judicious arrangement of the buildings. A slope to the north or east, however, should be avoided.

It may be further remarked, that as a general rule the buildings of a farm should be concentrated * as much as possible. The home operations are by this arrangement conducted on one spot, the labour of supervision is lessened, and the hauling is materially

reduced.

2. THE POSITION AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE STACKYARD, BARN, FEEDING-HOUSES, STABLES, IMPLEMENT-SHEDS, AND MANURE.

The Stackyard. - This should be immediately in the rear of the barn, and should contain all the corn and straw produced on the farm. When the ground will admit, it may be advisable to make the yard level with the first floor of the barn. This plan we have seen successfully applied in two or three cases. Again, supposing the ground to rise from the barn, an arrangement might be adopted similar to that at Mrs. Kidner's, by which the labour of stacking is lessened, the stacks being placed as it were on a flight of steps. The same end can be obtained on a level site by sinking the staddles below the ground, as adopted at Lord Portman's farm at West Lambrook.

In some large homesteads a tramway is laid between the stacks to facilitate the transport of the corn to the barn; but it is questionable whether the cost would not be too great to allow of its introduction on a farm of 300 acres.

The Barn. The introduction of the steam-engine and the threshing-machine have greatly modified the farmer's wants as regards the housing of his grain. Now that threshing is rapidly performed by steam, water, or horse power, he no longer requires the large barn of former years. Grain also is found to keep much better in stacks upon proper stands in the yard than within the walls of the barn.

Mr. J. Hudson, of Castle Acre, in the 'Royal Agricultural Society's Journal' (vol. xi. p. 284), remarks: "In this improving age it would be unwise to recommend the building of large and expensive barns, the more especially as steam-power is getting into such general use. I can speak practically upon this point." The barn should contain room for a large threshing-machine, with dressing-machine, chaff-engine, and corn-bruiser, and space to stow away about 100 bushels of wheat in sheaf, in order that spare time may be made use of in transporting such a quantity of corn from the stackyard to the barn as may be readily threshed whenever straw is wanted, or during wet weather. The straw-barn should be close to the barn, and as nearly as possible in the centre of the feeding-houses and yards.

Feeding-Houses. - The position and construction of these depend on the mode of feeding and housing adopted. Cattle are fattened by several methods: box-feeding, stall-feeding, and feeding in foldyards have respectively their advocates. Box-feeding has lately been much recommended. When the boxes are properly constructed and the comfort of the animals is duly attended to, this system is stated by its supporters to have advantages which none of the more common methods possess. It is asserted that cattle have all the warmth and shelter of the stall without its restraint, whilst there is economy of straw used for litter, and the manure-as shown by Dr. Voelcker in the columns of this Journal -is superior to that produced in open courts or byres.

The advantages of stall-feeding consist in the economy of house accommodation, the inexpensive nature of the fittings required, and, in common with box-feeding, the more equal distribution of the food.

With regard to the first point, it is found that, where bullocks are tied, a stall 8 feet in width is sufficient for two, while to allow room for an ox to turn, each box should be of dimensions not less than 8 feet by 12 feet. Foldyards with sheds is a common method of housing. When these are constructed so as to divide the cattle into small lots, the shedding being ample and comfortable and the climate not severe, cattle are found to do very well: they have also the advantage of being cheaper in construction. There are, however, drawbacks to this system of feeding. The manure is of inferior quality, being less consolidated and losing much of its valuable constituents by exposure to air and rain. Besides it frequently happens that two or more bullocks in each yard are prevented by the others from getting their proper share of food, and do not make satisfactory progress. Again, if the foldyard system be adopted, more yard room will be required, as additional provision in this respect must be made for the young cattle.

Board-feeding has also been advocated by Mr. Mechi and others, but it seems hardly reasonable to suppose that (feeding