118 Agriculture of Durham. 



crease the velocity of the current and carry the floods quicker 

 away. 



General and concludinf/ remarks. — What remains to be said is 

 a summing up of the substance of my Report, including a state- 

 ment of the changes which have taken place since 1810, the date 

 of Mr. Bailey's Report, and of the further changes or improve- 

 ments which seem to be required. 



I will attempt to do this very briefly, A considerable pre- 

 judice exists against Durham farming ; it has been styled the 

 worst in the kingdom, and the landlords have been accused of 

 doing: little or nothing: for their estates. I admit that the ave- 

 rage state of the farms in this county is behind the condition of 

 farms in other counties ; but I have broken down the force of 

 the charge — 1st, by alleging five good and substantial reasons 

 why we should have expected it to be so, or, as I before ex- 

 pressed it, five obstacles to the improvement of agriculture in this 

 county ; and 2ndly, by proving (which, I think, I have done very 

 completely) that a groat deal has been done in the shape of im- 

 provement ; and, therefore, that the charge of bad farming is 

 rather more applicable to our predecessors in the county, during a 

 generation or two ago, than to ourselves, inasmuch as we have made 

 great efforts, and are already treading upon the heels of more 

 advanced agriculturists. 



The changes, in the shape of improvement, since Mr. Bailey's 

 time, I think to be these : — 



1. A large extent of common lands divided, and a large por- 

 tion of them brought into a state of cultivation, and rendered 

 of very much increased value. 



2. A large amount of draining effected throughout the county, 

 by which the average produce of ail crops has been increased, 

 and turnips and other green crops are now grown where out 

 forefathers never grew them. 



3. A great improvement in the state of the farm-buildings ; 

 and 



4. An improved course of cropping arising out of the draining, 

 which prepared the Avay for the introduction of green crops, and 

 made it possible to do away with the objectionable practice of 

 taking two corn crops in succession. 



The improvements which we should earnestly seek in future 

 years may be said to be principally these : — 



1. The enfranchisement of all the Church leasehold property. 

 I have received several letters asking me to urge this on the at- 

 tention of all concerned ; and, since writing the earlier portion 

 of this Report, I have had a long conversation on the subject 



