XIV 



FLORA OF BERKSHIRE 



says 758 square miles or 485,120 acres. These varying estimates 

 may perhaps be caused by the insulated portions which belong to 

 Wiltshire having in some cases been included in the Berkshire 

 acreage. The estimate of 450,132 acres is obtained from the En- 

 cyclopaedia Britannica of 1875. Johnston, in the Dictionary of Geography 

 of 1877, gives the area as 703 square miles, equal to 450,132 acres, 

 while the Agricultural Returns for 1891 and 1892 make the total number 

 of acres to be 462,503. 



There are twenty-eight counties of England larger than Berkshire. 

 The counties of about the same size are Oxfordshire, Bucks, Surrey, 

 Worcestershire, and Westmoreland. The county contains a Royal 

 Castle, which has for centuries been the home of our English monarchs ; 

 and six municipal boroughs are still included in its bounds, as well as 

 nineteen hundreds and about 180 parishes. 



In Mavor's General View of the Agriculture of Berkshire of 1809, Dr. 

 Beeke, the Rector of Ufton, is quoted for the following figures as to the 

 manner in which the acreage is made up : — 



Arable land ....... about 255,000 acres 



Meadow and dairy land in the vale . . . 72,000 ,, 



Sheep-walks, chiefly uninclosed, on the chalk-hills 25,000 ,, 



Other dry pastures, parks, &c. ..... 25,000 ,, 



Wastes, chiefly barren heaths ..... 30,000 „ 



Woods, copses, &c. ....... 30,000 „ 



Space ocenpied by buildings, roads, rivers, &c. . 27,500 ,, 



Mr. Pearce's Report, made about the year 1800, gave the following as 

 the distribution of land in the county : — 



The inclosed lands, parks, and woods contain about 170,000 acres 

 The common fields and downs ..... 220,000 ,, 

 The forests, wastes, and commons .... 40,000 ,, 



Roads 8,977 ,, 



It is only fair to Dr. Mavor to say that he considered the estimate 

 of the common fields to be too much by 30,000 acres. 

 The Imperial Gazetteer gives the following figures : — 



260,000 acres 



76,cx)o „ 



55)00o „ 



30,000 „ 



29,000 „ 



The following figures are obtained from the Agricultural Reports : — 



Arable ground . 



Meadows 



Parks and sheep-walks 



Wood .... 



Waste .... 



Corn-crops — 

 Wheat 

 Barley 

 Oats . 

 Rye . 

 Beans 

 Peas . 



Total corn-crops 



1891. 



44,752 

 32,548 

 30,215 



567 

 7,720 



4,576 



1892. 



44,517 



30,236 



32,326 



437 



7,157 



4,358 



1893. 

 38,496 

 31,483 

 34,037 



I, III 



5,251 

 4,952 



1894. 

 38,867 



30,499 



37,072 



2,841 



5,488 



5,401 



120,378 119,031 115,330 120,168 



