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FINEST PETROLEUM, 8d. per Gallon delivered.—Harry Mott, Ironmonger, 76, High Street, Andover.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO — 18 JANUARY 1918

CORRESPONDENCE — BAD FARMING

Dear Sir,—Much arable land has been badly tilled for many years; consequently the amount of corn produced has been considerably less than it might have been and ought to have been.

And now permit me, after a lifelong experience of farming in this county, to add some remarks on the vivid details which have not been mentioned by your correspondent or Mr.Lloyd George. He is reported to have said, “Have no pity on these bad farmers; deal ruthlessly with them. They are traitors to their country, and should be court martialled.”

For my own part I would “court-martial” not only the man who fails to keep his ground clean and farms it badly in a general sense, but the man who does not properly and fully stock it. Where are there now the Hampshire Down flocks of former days? On some farms they have entirely disappeared, with the result that the arable land is starved. In other cases various mountain breeds have been substituted, which are not usually kept between hurdles on the arable land, and therefore cannot enrich it. Those farmers who have kept most closely to the old plan have done best. On corn-growing soil such as ours, sheep are needed to manure it; and it is essentially necessary that they should be kept on it between hurdles to “firm” it. A full flock of breeding ewes ought to be kept on every corn-producing farm where the land is suitable; and where this is not possible as in exposed situations and on some vale farms, a dry flock or a fatting flock should be substituted. But most of our heavy farms have some light soil where roots can be grown and sheep wintered.

If full flocks are kept, as I have suggested, it will, of course, be necessary to grow food for them on the farm; and this will be an additional advantage; for in feeding on the fields where the food is grown the sheep will greatly enrich the soil by the droppings, especially if they get a due supply of oil-cake and other feeding-stuffs; and the soil will soon be restored to its former fertility, provided that sufficient team-strength is kept to do the necessary cultivation.—Yours truly,

NATHANIEL R.R.YOUNG. Devizes.

SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO — 22 JANUARY 1943

CORRESPONDENCE — FIRE WATCHING

Sir,—The courtesy of your columns would be appreciated in making known the increasing criticism of the Compulsory Fire Watching Order as applied to the Town.

If the High Street and Bridge Street were lined with war-producing factories and were a worthy target for the enemy, the Order could be understood, but the chances of two streets in the isolation they enjoy, being more likely to be blitzed than a couple of stray ricks or farm buildings on an unprotected spot in the neighbouring areas, is remote.

The really vulnerable places, such as the Gas Works and Petrol Stations, already have their Fire Guard, but that an extra 64 paid men (if the original figure still holds) have to gather each night in uncomfortable surroundings, waste precious hours of needed sleep, and do nothing, is absurd.

The limit is reached in enforcing the Order for female watchers, as if the care and maintenance of their homes, and full or part time work at the business premises concerned were not enough. Hence the farce is being extended, and with 30 or more paid Home Guard fire watchers a few more thousands of pounds will be wasted.

If the Military asked for this Order they should be asked to supple the men to patrol. They have as much knowledge of the Town and buildings as most of the fire watchers, who are away at factories all day, or know their own particular business premises. Besides a good number of the Forces start at 8 a.m. and finish at 5 p.m., not at all unfavourable hours compared with most workers, and their training could be made more efficient.

Men at the head of the local A.R.P. should, in my opinion, apply Government Orders according to local conditions. In this all that is required, as with the Wardens, is for Fire Guards to patrol when the siren sounds. The rotas could remain as arranged.—Yours faithfully,

AN ANDOVER FIRE WATCHER

(Most people dislike Government Orders, and other official requirements, but the fact remains, they have to be carried out.—Ed. A.A.).

FIFTY YEARS AGO — 19 JANUARY 1968

BONES FOUND IN THE BELFRY

Workmen dealing with the death-watch beetle in All Hallows’ Church, Whitchurch, made a startling discovery in the belfry on Friday … human remains!

The Vicar, the Rev.W.J.Hamilton Lloyd, told the “Advertiser” that the remains were definitely human, although they had not officially been identified as such.

They had been in a sack, which had rotted away, indicating that the bones had been there for many years.

Now the vicar has informed the police about the find.

He said, “There is bound to be a satisfactory explanation to this, but I shall send the bones along to a laboratory to find out how old they are.”

One theory put forward by the police at Whitchurch, was that the bones came to be in the belfry as a result of alterations to the graveyard some years ago.

Part of the graveyard was removed to form a smooth lawn and it is thought that the bones-those of one person-were discovered in a tomb, put in a sack and moved to the belfry. At a rough estimate, they are about 200 years old.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO — 22 JANUARY 1993

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Mr AJ Wright writes from Clatford Manor, Upper Clatford:

I have recently received correspondence from TVBC with a returning envelope which I found to my amazement was called a ‘EUROLOPE’.

Perhaps it would now be possible to stretch the realms of absurdity a bit further and offer those opposed to European Union something called an ANTI(E)LOPE!