Agriculture of Durham. 87 



the county, mountain limestone prevails, and in the same district 

 are those numerous veins of lead which have produced so much 

 wealth to their proprietors, and furnish still the subsistence of 

 nearly the whole of the inhabitants of the district. 



T!ie climate of the county is very uncertain and variable. In 

 the sheltered valleys it is often some degrees warmer than in the 

 more elevated regions, and the mean temperature appears to be 

 reduced in proportion as we leave the sea-coast. Amongst the 

 moors of the Teesdale and Weardale districts the winters are gene- 

 rally very severe and of long continuance. The mean tempera- 

 ture of the county, during the several months, is as follows : — 



January .. 33 -2° July .. .. 58-3° 



February .. 40-5 August.. .. C4'0 



March .. .. 40 "G September .. 53 "2 



April .. .. 43-6 October.. .. 47-6 



May .. .. 55*5 November .. 40*9 



June .. .. 55*2 December .. 40*1 



Whole year .... 46-9 



It will be observed that the greatest heat is in the montli of 

 July. That temperature frequently does not last long, and is 

 often reduced by wet weather or prevailing east winds ; and 

 hence the more than ordinary risk which the farmer has often to 

 run in this county with his corn crops. These crops are the 

 natives of a warmer climate, and they take all the heat wliich 

 our changeable one will afford them to ripen and bring them to 

 perfection ; and when the mean temperature of July is brought 

 down by one or two degrees, the effects are at once seen both in 

 the quiintiti/ and quality of the crops. 



Tlie elevation of the county at the highest part of its western 

 boundary has been estimated at about 3000 feet abore the level 

 of t!ie sea. As I have already observed, there are no hills within 

 the county of very great height : the highest is Collier Law, 

 1G80 feet, and the next Pontop Pike, about 1000. 



Tlie population of this county was — 



lu ISOl 149,384 



1831 253,700 



1841 324,284 



1851 390,997 



I have not been able to ascertain the extent of tlie agricul- 

 tural separate from the colliery, manufacturing, and trading 

 populaticm. 



Ill the two divisions of the county there are 20G4 voters on 

 the Ift'gistcr of I'^lectors, who are qualified by the occupation of 

 Ian 1 of the value of 50/. and ujiwards per annum ; but this gives 

 us a very inadequate idea of tiic number of farmers in the 



