49** AgricuUuval Inieiriguice—Englani, Kor* 



Channel on the other. Nearly acrofs the middle of the county runs the 

 ridge of Darrmoor hills, high, bleak, and barren, fully as much fo as 

 our northern Grainpians. They ilretch from near the Englifa Channel 

 towards the Briilol Channel, but do not join it ; the country becomes 

 lower, and 13 partly takei> up with the foreft of Exoioor, part of which 

 is in Somerfetfliire. That part along the Enghfli Channel, confifts of 

 beautiful valleys, running back from the Tea to tlie interior, bounded by 

 high bills, and the country along the fine river Ex. 



^ The foil, in general, in the valleys, and on the fides of the hills, is a 

 fine deep b^own, or reddiili clay, pr-^pcly mixed and tempered with 

 fand. On the banks of rivers or rivulets, the foil is deep, having been 

 wafhed down and accumulated by the water. The tops of the hills are 

 very barren, being covered only with whins or heath, and paftured with 

 fheep. There are no furface ftones, though in many places a ftratum 

 of rock or Hone riina along below the foil, vi^hich covers it to the deptk 

 of three or four feet. Unlefs upon the fides of the hills, the ftone re 

 of a foft open nature, being concreted fand and clay, and penetrated 

 by the waters, except towards Cornwall, where it is in a hard ftate, and 

 lies nearer the furface. As to their fyftem of agriculture, they have no 

 fixed plan, each dilUi<?^ differing, perhaps each parilTi. Their principal 

 crops- are wheat and barley, a few oats, beans, and here and there a 

 fmall field of turnips. Some farmers fow clover and rye-grafs for hay ; 

 but the principal part of the hay here, as well as in moft parts of Eng- 

 land, is from natural, or what they call meadovv-grafs. They princi- 

 pally perform their farm work with oxen, wrought either in the plough 

 or the wain, in the old Scotch fafnion. The plough is a moft clumfy 

 inrtrument, with a fmall wheel in the point of the beam ; or, like the 

 Suffex plough, the beam refts upon a low carriage and wheels, fimilar 

 to the carriage of a Norfolk plough, but lower. The plough itfclf re- 

 fembles fomething of an ill-draped Norfolk one, with a very long point- 

 ed fock, a beam, and fcarcely any mouM-boaid. This awkward inftru- 

 m.*nt cannot be expedlcd to turn a very large or proper furrow. 



* Their cattle are very handfome ; much the fame as the Suffex cat- 

 tle ; the colour generally either a dark or light brown, with fine taper- 

 i"ng horns. They arc, however, narrow behind, and ill fet upon the 

 hind legs, which appears to me a great blemifh in thefe othenvife hand- 

 fome cattle. Their fliecp are of the Dorfet breed, but larger, from 

 fuperior feeding. Tiiis breed is fo well kr.own to you, from the county 

 furveys, and the Euglifh writers on agricultiu-e and fheep farming, that 

 I need fay little of them. They are fine bodied flieep, completely 

 white, and generally horned, br.t ratlier long upon the l^gs. The Dor- 

 fet ewes lamb very eai-ly, ufually in the month of EK.>cember, or be- 

 ginning of January ; and, in the diitridl I am writing of, it is no un- 

 common thing to have grafs lamb at Chriilmas, the ewes being fed up- 

 on the young giafs during the time the lambs are fucking. Along witk 

 the richnefs of their foil, the excellence and earlinefs of the climate ia 

 fuperior to any in Engknd, S-now never lie* there, not even upon the 



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