Farming of Bedfordshire. 15 



the time of Mr. Stone^s Report to the Board of Agriculture, 

 there was scarcely any meat produced in this division of the 

 county. The chalks being naturally unkind for turnips, (swedes 

 scarcely ever being attempted,) the few patches of the common 

 sorts that the farmers managed to grow were wanted to keep the 

 ewe flock, whilst the produce bred were usually sold to be fatted 

 in other districts. Artificial manures for turnips were not even 

 thought of, and stall-feeding was out of the question ; for the best 

 of all reasons, viz. that the farmers had nothing with which to 

 fatten bullocks. 



The crop of clover, save that eaten by the farm-horses, was 

 usually sent to London, as also the greater part of the wheat-straw. 

 A black substance was brought back for the wheat crop, com- 

 monly called soot, but it comprised all manner of gatherings 

 which the manure-dealers could manage to scrape together, " pro- 

 vided always " that a little of the real thing was retained to pre- 

 serve the smell, and to give it the right colour. Thus for many 

 years were the farmers of South Beds and North Herts cheated. 

 It is, therefore, no wonder that the produce of the land was most 

 meagre. 



In a village near Luton the writer has been credibly informed 

 that, about the time above alluded to, only one wheat-stack was 

 attempted throughout the entire village ; and that, it seems, was 

 but an apology for one, the walls being made of wheat, and the roof 

 made up with peas. In this place, however, there may now be 

 seen beautiful waving crops, and the fields and stack-yards 

 studded with stacks. 



It is but justice to say, however, that where the drifted chalk, or 

 gravelly chalk, intervenes between the upper staple and the 

 chalk rock, this land, with good management, is very far from 

 being the worst of the county. Indeed it must be classed among 

 our most certain cropping lands. 



In the southern district an excellent practice on this description 

 of soil is to have growing about one-eighth part or thereabouts of 

 the arable land in sanfoin, to be changed after one course of 

 cropping. It is much more certain than clover to produce a 

 good crop of hay on the chalks, while the eddish after the 

 scythe is the most wholesome and forcing food on which the 

 farmer can wean his lambs ; added to which (and that no trifling 

 advantage), there seems to be no affinity between sanfoin and 

 red clover, for after you have broken up the sanfoin, and brought 

 the land into a good state of tillage, it will forthwith bear good 

 red clover. 



It has already been shown, that the farmers generally through 

 this district, after laying on a dressing after the wheat crop, 

 add a crop of oats before the fallow, thus adopting the five- 



