266

ON THE RURAL ECONOMY

five guineas on coal, they often expend twenty in misapply-ing the labour of horses.

In the counties where coal is wrought, 8s. a ton may bereckoned about the average price at the pit. Any additionalprice that the inhabitants may pay, depends upon the dis-tance to which the article must be carried. The commonallowance of coal for farm-servants in these districts, (whichis carried home by the farmer’s carts and horses), is generallythree tons per annum; and in many instances they get anyquantity they want. Women and cottagers receive one tonfor the same period. In the counties north of the river Tay,coal may be estimated at 20s. a ton, the quantity generallyallowed farm-servants and cottagers for a year, but it requiresgreat economy to make it serve for so long a time.

The following comparison between the expence of peat andcoal as fuel, proves the great superiority of the latter. Anordinary farmer, if he burns nothing else than coal, cannotbe allowed less than sixteen carts annually; of which the car-riage by land, including the prime-cost on the hill, may onan average be 12s. per cart; in all L.9, 12s. Sterling annually.

The expence of manufacturing a proportion of the fuel re-quired in peats will be as follows:

2 men and 4 women, four weeks casting, spreading, drj'ing, lead-ing and stacking peats. The men at the rate of only 1 s. 6 d.

and the women at 1 s .per day,.L. 8 8 0

Horses and carts, 2 weeks at 2 s. per day,.2 8 0

L. 10 16 0

The farmer may also consume 6 carts of coals, which

at 12s. per cart, cost. 3 12 0

Total,.L. 14 8 0

So that by manufacturing peats, in the proportion of 10out of 16 carts, instead of buying coals, the farmer was out ofpocket L.4, 16s. per annum ; and if he had consumed nothing