NOBLESSE OBLIGE 47 



acres of the richest as well as of the poorest 

 corn-growing land in England. They not only 

 gave me all the information at their disposal, 

 but, after a general discussion round the table, 

 deputed two of their members to discuss the 

 subject of ploughing the parks with me for a 

 couple of hours. 



One of these farmers was the famous Mr. 

 Passmore, who was the first farmer in England 

 to try the experiment of distributing basic slag 

 on the chalk Downs. This resulted not only 

 in a surprisingly increased herbage, but also in 

 a larger head of stock being kept and in lambs 

 being fattened without cake on the slagged 

 downland grass. He it was who took derelict 

 farm after derelict farm, and managed to grow, 

 with the aid of artificial manures, 60 bushels of 

 wheat to the acre on the top of the Downs, 

 extending his holdings to 3500 acres. 



It must not be imagined, however, that the 

 land covered by the large parks I surveyed lies 

 only on the chalk. From Petworth to the sea 

 you get a great variety of soil. Petworth and 

 Cowdray Park are chiefly on the greensand ; 

 West Lavington on the heavy gault clay ; 

 Burton on very poor greensand ; whilst West 

 Dean and Goodwood, though they lie mainly 

 on the chalk, touch also the rich valley deposits 

 of brick earth, which, stretching out to the sea, 

 form the finest corn-growing land in England. 

 Then there are strips of chalk, of marl, and of 



