72 THE EVESHAM DISTRICT 



cutting up of farm lands into small lots for market- 

 gardening purposes has been going on steadily 

 for some time. Besides the local people, all of 

 whom are brought up to the business and want 

 land, there has been an influx of people with more 

 or less capital from outside, which makes the 

 competition for land all the keener. Apart from 

 the land immediately round Evesham, where the 

 practice of gardening is of quite ancient date, the 

 cutting up of farms round the adjoining villages is 

 of comparatively recent date, and was in the first 

 instance due to the possibilities attending the 

 cultivation of asparagus accompanying the great 

 fall in agricultural rents on the stiff land. The 

 first one to be selected was a farm of very heavy 

 clay land on which two farmers had failed. On 

 the advice of the agent it was let out in small lots 

 to men in the neighbouring village of Badsey for 

 asparagus-growing. Their success was so great 

 that it was soon found to be the best policy to let 

 out land in this way as the farms became vacant, 

 or to take fields off larger farms for this purpose. 



Farms which were let at from 7s. 6d. to 17s. per 

 acre are now let out in lots fetching from 30s. to 

 3. Many of the best plots fetch 4 and 5 an 

 acre, and close to Evesham as much as 6 and 7 

 is paid ; while for old-established grass orchards up 

 to 10 an acre is paid. 



