TYPE OF HOLDING 407 



about 300 has been spent in labour, fencing, and 

 drainage alone. The fencing on the whole area 

 held by the Council now comes to about 10 

 annually ; the Council also paints the outside of 

 the houses and buildings every five years, and the 

 inside of the houses every seven years. 



The Parish Council up to the present have been 

 able to do this out of the balance of the rents 

 received, and there seems to be no reason why they 

 should not continue in the same state of prosperity, 

 the land and fences being improved every year. 



The land is not held at Belbroughton, but 

 around the village of Fairfield, which is three miles 

 south-east of Belbroughton, on the road from 

 Stourbridge to Bromsgrove. 



The cultivation of the plots is a sort of mixture 

 of agricultural crops with market-gardening, in 

 which strawberries play the largest part. Not much 

 hand labour is done, the crops being largely 

 broccoli, cabbage, beans, peas, parsnips, carrots, 

 etc., for which the land can be worked with 

 implements. Wallflowers and narcissi are grown 

 on some of the plots. Corn and vetches are grown 

 for the keep of the horse and pony which most of 

 the small people have to take their produce into 

 Birmingham. All the produce goes in by road, 

 the carts bringing back a load of manure, which 

 can be got from Is. to Is. 6d. in Birmingham. The 

 great idea is not to come back with an empty 

 cart ; and if the manure is not wanted for home use 

 it can be sold on the spot for from 7s. to 8s. 



From 5 to 6 acres is said to be wanted for a living 

 some put it at 4 acres and to be the size a man 



