Book I. 



AGRICULTURE OF KENT. 



1085 



eontrlvanoe from Holland, and under hit direction, the Wey j staves at Stoke; a ilelft manulhctory at Mortteke, A hori- 



was rendered navisable from Guildford to Weybridge, about zontal air mill of a new construction at Battersea bridire* 



1690. Numerous fairs, several flour, palmer, and oil mills. An several distillers, brewers, and starch manufacturers. Poor' 



extensive iron work at Garratlane near Wandle j a mill for 1 numerous and degraded. Poor's rates enormous. * 



6994. SUSSEX. A maritime county of upwards of 900,000 acres ; distinguished by chalk hills and ex- 

 tensive wealds, a rich soil, but little excellence or variety of agriculture : excels in South Down sheen" 

 {A. Young's Sussex, 1809. Marshal's Review, 1818. Stnith's Geological Map, 1819.) * 



1. Geographical State and Circumstances. 



Climaie.Watm in western parts.bleak on South Down hills ; 

 westerly gales violent, unroof stacks, hedges injured bv the 

 spray of the sea. 



Soil. Chalk nearly the universal soil of the South Down 

 hills ; clay of the wealds, which constitutes more than half 

 the surface of the county. Rich land about Chichester, and 

 sand and gravel in a *ew places. 



Surface hilly, most so where the soil is chalk. No high 

 hills. 



Minerals. Sussex or Petworth marble used by the statua- 

 ries, but not generally. I-imestone, ironstone, sandstone, 

 chalk, marl, and fuller's earth. 



2. State Of Property. 



Largest estate 7500/. a year. Most proprietors hold land 

 in their own occupation, and pay great attention to its cul- 

 ture, as E. of Egremont, D. of Richmond, E- of Chichester, 

 Lord Sheffield. 



3. Buildings. 



Noblemen's seats splendid, of stone ; farm-buildings gene- 

 rally of stone ; on the South Downs built of flinU: houses 

 very generally faced with tiles, which keeps the walls dry. 

 Com generally stacked on circular stone piers, which prevents 

 ermin. Sheep-yards or permanent folds walled round, and 

 furnished with sheds and hay-racks, have been built by Ellman 

 and some other eminent sheep farmers on the Downs. 

 Large wooden bams. Cottages of stone, and on the Downs 

 of flints, and more comfortable than in many parts of England. 

 Magnificent semicircular piggery, erected by E. of Kgremont 

 at Petworth. 



4. Mode of Occupation. 



The most extensive farms on dry soils. Average of the 

 wealds 100 acres. Size on the Downs 1200 to 2000 acres. 

 Tithe taken in kind in many places, in others compounded 

 for. Poor rates high. 



5. Implements. 



Plough with two wheels, large and singularly clumsy. The 

 Rotherham plough introduced, and deemed a real improve- 

 ment. Several excellent new implements introduced by the 

 noblemen already mentioned. 



6. Enclosing. 



County enclosed from earliest antiquity ; fields small ; 

 hedges very irregular and broad. White thorn fences at Good- 

 wood, by the Duke of Richmond, trained in a masterly 

 manner ; being like walls, or rather hogged manes, of verdure 

 rising h-om the earth. 



7. Arable Land. 



Tillage bad, three or four horses to a plough with a holder and 

 driver; plough from one half to three quarters of an acre a day ,' 

 fallowing general on the stiff soils. Rotation bad, barley often 

 follows wheat. VVlieat trod in on the sandy lands ; threshed by 

 flail, and generally cleaned with a shovel and broom ; one or two 

 threshing and winnowing machines. Oats a great deal culti- 

 vated on the wealds. Pease much cultivated on the South 

 Downs. Hops much cultivated on the eastern part of the 

 county ; but not found profitable. Rhubarb, and the poppy 

 for opium cultivated by E. of Egremont. The roots of the 

 rhubarb, after growing seven or eight years, are taken up, 

 washed, dried in the sun, and then cut in slices and dried on 

 the hot-house flues. (5518.) Incisions are made in the poppy 

 heads, and the exuded juice, when dry, scraped off into an 

 earthen vessel, dried in the sun, and preserved for use. Inci- 

 sions are made as long as milk flows. Andr^, the domestic 

 surgeon, uses the home-grown rhubarb and opium, and no 

 other. Saintfoin does well on the chalky soils, and lucem 

 near Eastbourne and Brightop, Lord Egremont tried 100 

 acres of chiccory, and found it support much stock, though on 

 a poor soil. 



8. Grass Land. 



Badly managed ; overrun with rubbish. One person tried 

 hay oiled when stacking ; he oiled every layer, with a watering 

 pan and rose, lightly with linseed oil ; the hay came out moist 

 and clammy ; and poultry, beasts, and sheep were fond of it, 

 but it was deemed too hot for horses. Salt sprinkled on hay 

 when a little damaged found a great advantage; it is done 

 in stacking. 



9. Orchards. 



Home considerable orchards, and cider made. One or two 



fig orchards at Tarring, near Worthing. (See Encuc of Gard 

 Sussex.) 



10. Woods and Plantations, 175,000 acres. 

 County celebrated fVom the remotest antiqultv for the growth 



of its timber, especially oak. County at tlie conquest one 

 continued forest, which extended from Hamiwhire to Kent. 

 Underwoods cut at twelve years, for hoops and hop-poles 

 Ash the most profitable underwood. Finest oak-timber at 

 Petworth. 



11. Wastes. 



Of considerable extent to the north of the county. Some 

 hundreds of acres improved by E. of Egremont answer well. 



12. Improvements. 



E- of Egremont sent for Elkington to find water to fill a 

 lake. E. undertook to do so, but all his trials and predic- 

 tions of the effect of certain borings and open cuts which he 

 caused to be made, proved abortive and false : no water was 

 found. Failed in three remarkable instances at Petworth, but 

 drained a meadow very well. Lord Egremont considers him 

 as not a scientific drainer, but a very good common drainer, 

 and nothing more. 



13. Live Stock. 



Cattle and sheep among the best in the kingdom ; cattle 

 red.iiittle dairying; generally breeding and feeding. Oxen 

 worked extensively by E. Egremont and Lord Sheffield ; 

 broken to the yoke at two years and a half; yokes five feet 

 long used and preferred by Lord Egremont. Ix>rd Sheffield 

 harnesses the same as for horses; twelve oxen and nine 

 horses required to work 200 acres in tillage. For hoven 

 cattle one quart of linseed oil given, which vomits them di- 

 rectly, and never fails in giving relief. South Down sheep 

 celebrated. Ellman the first breeder both of cows and sheep ; 

 breeds from the same race. New Leicester and Spanish 

 breeds introduced to the county by Lord Sheffield. Rab- 

 bits abound and flourish every where, and are the nuisance 

 of the county. Fowls fattened to great perfection at North 



Chappel and Kinsford ; food, oats ground, hog's grease, sugar, 



ligu 

 also sheeps' plucks ; they are kept very warm, and crammed 



pot liquor, and milk, all mixed ; or oats, treacle, and suet ; 



morning and night; put into the coop two or three days 

 before they begin to cram them, which is done for a fort- 

 night, when they weigh 7 or 8 lbs. each, and are sold to the 

 higglers: average weight 5 lbs., but some weigh double. 

 One of Lord Egremont's tenants crams 200 fowls a year ; 

 many capons fed in this manner ; great art requisite in 

 castrating them, and numbers die in the operation. The 

 Dorking or Darking fowls extensively raised in the wealds of 

 Sussex ; Horsham principal market for them. 



The fish-ponds on the weald are innumerable ; carp the 

 chief stock; but tench, perch, eels, and pike are raised. A 

 stream should always flow through the pond, and a mjurly 

 soil is best. Carp fed with pease in marl-pits have weighed 

 25 lb. per brace. Carp kept five years liefore selling; then 

 twelve to fifteen inches long ; 100 stores, or one year old carp 

 will stock an acre. At one year old, carp is three inches 

 long; at two years old, seven; at three, eleven or twelve 

 inches ; at four, fourteen or fifteen ; and then they breed. 

 Lord Egremont has breeding Emd feeding ponds ; fishes them 

 every three years. 



14. Rural Economy. 



Labor high, as smuggling attracts away many young men. 



15. Political Economy. 



Roads bad on the clayey districts, good on the chalk. 

 Rother river rendered navigable at Lord l gremont's expense. 

 Fairs numerous. Manufactures of iron, charcoal, gun- 

 powder, paper, bricks, and potash. Large court of poor- 

 houses at Eastbourne, of which a plan and elevation is given 

 in the " Report." In 1772 a society was established at 

 Lewes for the encouragement of agriculture, manufacture, 

 and industry, by John Baker Holroyd, Esq. now I^ord Shef- 

 field, and premiums offered ; but on the breaking out of the 

 war in 1778, it was dropped. In 1797 Lord Egremont estab- 

 lished a society at I>ewes, and gave large premiums. This 

 society still exists. The patriotic and charitable exertions of 

 E. Egremont are most extensive. He gives away to proper 

 objects immense quantities of clothes ; food twice a week ; 

 feasts all the labormg classes at ChrLstmas, and keeps a sur- 

 geon, apothecary's shop, and midwife, entirely for their 

 service : they are also inoculated, and instructed gratis, &c. 



6995. KENT {Cant or Angle) forms the south-cast corner of the kingdom, and extends over 935,600 

 acres. It is diversified by chalky eminences in some places, low marshy grounds on the Thames and part 

 of the sea-coast, and an inland flat and woody tract bordering on Sussex, called the Weald, or wood 

 (Saxon). It is one of the oldest cultivated counties in England ; it was noted even by Julius Caesar, as 

 "the civilest place of all this isle, and full of riches." Viewed from the great road from Dover to London, 

 it has, with the exception of the Downs near Dover, a more garden like appearance than any county in 

 Britain Its agriculture is various, and it is celebrated for the culture of hops, fruits, barley, and various 

 garden crops. {Boys' Kent, 1796. Marshals Review, 1818. Smith's Geological Map, 1819.) 



1. Geographical State and Circumstances. 



Climate. Subject to cold winds ; the prevailing are the 

 N.E. and S.W. ; former in winter attended by severe frosU, 

 twelve inches of ice, and the destruction of turnips. Milder 

 in S.W. part of the county. In Sheppy and Thanet an early 

 harvest, commences July 20, on the hills 1st August. 



Sail. That of Thanet rich on rock chalk ; of East Kent 

 very various; chalk, loam, strong loam, hazel mould, stift 

 clay, flint, gravel, sand. Isle of Shepjiy strong stitt" clay ; 

 West Kent very various, but chalk and loam on chalk rock 

 prevails ; Weald chicflv clay, but mould, sand, and gravel in 

 a few places. Romney Maish sediment of the sea; a soft loam 

 and clay. . . , 



Surface . Gently varied hiUs of chalk ; Downs not so high as 

 those of Sussex. 



Mineral: Numerous chalybeate springs, at Tunbridge Wells 

 the chief. 



2. State of Property 



Much divided; number of yeomanry on the increase; 9000 

 freeholds, and a good deal of church and college lands; socage 

 and gavelkind tenures prevalent. 



3. Buildings. 



Twenty or thirty noblemen's seats, and many seats of gen- 

 tlemen and citizens, merchants; lunkers, iVc. ; few modem- 

 built farm-hou.ses ; old ones of oak or chestnut, and ill con- 

 trived ; thatched; now improving considerably. Cottages are 

 in general comfortable, built with bricks and tiles. 



4. Mode of Occupation. 



Size of farms greatest on poor lands ; many farms from ten 



