112 ^LV AMERICAN FARMER IN ENGLAND. 



the same day into the agricultural district known as the Vale 

 of Gloucester. 



The general aspect of this district is exceedingly beautiful ; 

 undulating, like Herefordshire, with more commonly extensive 

 flat surfaces, very large hedges, and much timber ; very 

 thickly peopled, the cottages and farm buildings old and 

 picturesque, and the fields well stocked with cattle. 



The agriculture of the district is similar to that of Cheshire, 

 except that it is in general much behind it, neither draining 

 nor boneing having been common improvements. The people 

 I fell in with were usually lacking equally in courtesy and 

 intelligence, and I learned nothing of value agriculturally, 

 until I reached, at near nightfall, a farm conducted agreeably 

 to the wishes of one of the landlords of the Vale, especially 

 with the intention of giving his tenants an example of a 

 better system of farming than they were accustomed to be 

 content with. 



For this purpose, an ordinary farm of 260 acres, in the 

 midst of the estate, was, about ten years ago, put into 

 the hands of an excellent Scotch agriculturist, Mr. Morton. 

 His first movement was to remove the superfluous fences and 

 the enormous quantity of hedge-row timber that the farm, 

 like all others in the district, was encumbered with. It gives 

 us a great idea of the amount of this, as well of the value 

 of timber in England, to learn that what was thus obtained 

 merely from the fences of 260 acres was sold for over 

 $17,000 ! There is now very little, if any, interior fencing 

 upon the farm. The surface-water was drawn into one chan 

 nel, and the whole farm under-drained with three-feet drains. 

 Upon the steeper slopes the drains were laid with small stones, 

 otherwise with tile. This was the only case in which I heard 

 of stones being used by any good farmer of late years in En 

 gland for drains. Even where stone is in the way upon the 



