Book I. 



AGRICULTURE OF DERBYSHIRE. 



1109 



Rcribing his points. Invited his Majesty to touch him, which 

 was declined. He was killed by lightning, in his pasture. 

 The present horse-system at Dishlev is this : three or four very 

 capital black stallions are constantly kept ; these are occasion- 

 ally worked, and are always rendered docile enough for that 

 purpose, if wanted ; those kept at home cover at two guineas 

 the -mare, and those let out never at less than one guinea. 

 Eight or ten brood mares, of the same siout black bretd, are 

 alsok pt, hut no gildings; these do all the farming work of 

 b-'tween 4CI0 and 5()0 acres, with occasional assistance from the 

 stallions, as well as from bullocks and heifirs; of the mares, all 

 that are lit are put to the horse, of which three are reckoned 

 upon the average to rear two foals, allowing one in three for 

 casualties. 



Attes used in many parts of the county for carrying burdens, 

 and lately introduced as tarmer's stock ; especially for clearing 

 green crops trom clayey soils, in wet weather, their step being 

 light. The turnip panniers open at bottom, to let out the lond. 

 Ixjrd Moira had Spanish stallion asses, fourteen hands high, 

 which he let out to cover at two guineas a mare. 



Mules have long been fai use for the saddle, toad-work, aui 

 the plough. 



Hof;s greatly improved by various breeds. Honey bourne's seem 

 to have a cross of the w'ild boar. Astley's is between the 

 Chinese and Berkshire. At Donnington is a German boar, the 

 bacon from whose progeny is of extraordinary sweetness and 

 good flavor. 



Bees attended to, but not so much as they deserve. 



lii. Political Econom;/. 



The roads in the north-west of the county, in the neigh- 

 borhood of Ix)ugh borough and Ashby, are many of them laid 

 out upon the concave system. 



Bakewell and others were advocates for this system ; but it 

 does not appear that they are considered to be attended with 

 any advantages by those who live beside them, and constantly 

 use them, various railways and canals. Manufactures, wool 

 combing, woollen yam, worsted, and especially worsted stock- 

 ings; also cotton-works, hats, patent net-lace for veils, &:c. 

 The Leicestershire and Kutlandshire agricultural society 

 esublished 1794. 



7014. DERBYSHIRE. A mountainous and hilly surface of 622,080 acres of great variety of soils 

 but more remarkable for its mining and manufacturing productions than its agriculture. It is, however 

 at the same timfe both a corn and pasture county, and noted for its cheese ; it is every where full of inge- 

 nuity and interest ; and the Rej)ort by Farey, in three volumes, is one of the most interesting and valuable 

 of the county reports : it is an extraordinary example of industry, research, and excellent general views, 

 and will be read with great profit by every class of readers. {Brown's Derbyshire, 1794. Farcy's Agri- 

 cultural and Mineral Survey, 3 vols. 1811 to 1815. Marshal's Rev. 1812.) 



1. Geographical State and Circumstances. 



Climate. Cold on the hills, but mild in the i)lains ; in the 

 vales hoar frosts often injurious; no prevailing wmds; tain 

 about twenty -eight inches per annum. 



Soil very various, chiefly calcareous. 



Minerals. I^ad and iron those chiefly worked; also some 

 line, calamine, black jack, manganese, sulphur, &c. ; coal, 

 lime, alabaster, slates, freestone, paving stone, rolling, grinding, 

 scythe, and cutlers' stones, and a variety of others, both for use 

 and ornament, as spar, &c. Clay in some districis, as at Over- 

 moor, is burned by spadefuls, dried, and mixed with small 

 coals m heaps, for the roads. E. M. Munday, Esq. of Shipley, 

 formed his private roads of a sort of bricks, made without the 

 corners to avoid the duty. 



Water. When scarce, drinking ponds made by puddhng and 

 pav ng in the Gloucestershire manner. An artificial pond disco- 

 vered m IHOS, concealed under peat, the head of which was pud- 

 dled in the centre ; a proof that puddling is no new art. Stone 

 cisterns, placed in the lines of neatly -cut thorn hedges, serve to 

 supply two fields : the water brought to them in thin zinc pipes, 

 as being cheaper, and perhaps more durable, than lead. 



2. Estates. 



Of various sizes as in other counties; managed by attomies, 

 at a low salary, who meike it up by law business and otherwise. 



3. Buildings. 



Chatsworth, Keddlestone, and some other noble stone man- 

 sions in this county ; some good houses, covered with cement, 

 (known in London as Atkinson's) made from clay stones found 

 on Lord Mulgrave's estates in Yorkshire, and which Farey 

 considers as superior to that made from the clayballs of the 

 London clay stratum. Grottos frequent, fitted up with the 

 spar of the county. At Ashover a trize of a chimney-piece, 

 representing a section of the strata taken across the parish. 

 At Chatsworth, and various places, the spits in the kitchens 

 turned by water-wheels, of the overshot kind, supplied by small 

 lead pipes. Hair lines, in covered boxes, placed on drying parts, 

 and the lines wound and unwound by a handle, for drying 

 clothes. At several houses foot lath wheels, turning spindles, on 

 which were other wheels, dressed with emery for cleaning 

 knives ; also brush spindles for boots and shoes, as at the Angel 

 Inn, Oxford ; boot-rack, in which boots are reversed on upright 

 pins and Ukenoffby a stick, which prevents dust settling inside 

 the boot. 



Farmhouses as in other counties ; a fcw good ones recently 

 erected. One of the most complete farmeries is that of the 

 Earl of Chesterfield, atBretbev Park; it isofhewnstone,slated, 

 and combines a general farm yard, dairy court, and two poultry 

 courts, including pheasantries. Buildings in general roofed 

 with grev stone or other slate ; water, in some cases, conducted 

 down from gutters by a light wooden rod, down which the 

 water runs as well as if it were in a spout or tube, and not 

 b'own about by the winds, as it would if no rod were there. 

 Fire-proof floors made by arching them with hollow bricks ; 

 in the cottages, cast-iron ovens by the side of the fires very 

 common, and also iron cisterns for hot water; both these 

 were originally brought into notice by the Griffin foundry, 

 about 1778. ^ . . 



Cottages better than in most other counties ; some good ones 

 erected bv the principal manufacturers and noblemen. Virgin's 

 bower, of othi r beautiful flowering creepers, and shrubs, and 

 plants, are not uncommon at the cottage doors in this county, 

 among other indications of their attention to neatness and of 

 their S)mfbrts, compared with the inhabitants of the miserable 

 huts in many other districts. 



4. Occupation. .. ,., v . . . 

 Farms generally of small size ; fanners rank higher in intel- 



ligence than those of most southern counties; nothing but 

 leases and larger occupations wanting to render this one ot the 

 mo>t improved counties of England. Best farmers also at 

 same time manufacturers or miners. 



5. Impletnents. 



Swina ploughs and pair; one-horse carts; good harrows 

 ( fig 7S9.) ; weeding scissars, for clipping off weeds among com 

 close or rather under the ground ; weeding pincers ; threshing 

 machines; cast-iron rick-stands; catUe crilw, mounted on 

 posts, which turn round on a pin, so that when the cattle have 

 well trodden the htter on the two opposite sides, in standmg to 

 eat from the crib, it is turned half round for them to tread and 

 dunj, &c. in the opposite direcUon. (.%. 7'.)0.) Turnip-slicers, 

 chaff-cutters, bruisers, slate cisterns as milk vessels, &c. 



6. Enclosures. 



In setting out fences, less attention paid to separating the 

 different kinds of soils than is requisite ; walls freouent ; and 

 holes often made in them for passing sheen ; to be closed when 



not wanted- by a flat stone ; slacked lime plastered on the face 

 of a newly planted hedge, (as clay is in Norfolk) to prevent the 

 weeds from rising. Young thorn hedges, with a northern 

 aspect, do liest, as the morning sun in spring injures the bud of 

 those facing the south when previously covered with fro$t 



789 



Roots of thorns, sometimes planted as sets with success ; old 

 thorn hedges effectually renewed by cutting off the shoots 

 below the surface of the ground ; the roots then throw up 

 vigorous shoots. Neatly dipt hedges at Ashbourne. Magne- 

 sian, limestone, and marly soils found to suit the holly better 

 than any other. 



790 



7. Arable Land. 



Only one-fifth of the county in aration ; formerly six horset 

 were generally employed in ploughing, now only two ; turnips 

 drilled in the Northumberland manner in various places ; some 

 wheat dibbled ; oats a good deal cultivated, and oat-cakes or 

 Haver (Ger.) cake made, by pouruig sour dough on a hot 

 stone : a sprinkling of parsley sown with clover to prevent 

 cattle hoving; sides of oat ricks tucked in with a spade, to 

 leave no loose straws for sparrows to rest on. 



Chammule " is cultivated to a very considerable extent on the 

 limestone and coal strata near Ashover;" the flowers are 

 picked by children ; dried first in the shade and then on a 

 mall-kiln, afterwards packed tight into bags, and sent to (he 

 Ixindon druggists ; the crop stands three years, and then geU 

 weedv and dec ines." 



Wood cultivated on a small scale. 



Widow-niyrt (Genista iindoriu) infests old pastures, and U 

 pulled when in flower, and dried and sold to the dyers. 



Yarrow (Achillea miUtfolium) is in some places also taken up, 

 tied in bunches, and dried for the dyers. 



Valerian (Valeriana ojficinalis) is grown at Ashover, and 

 also elecampane (inula, htlenium), lavender, peppermint, and 

 rhubarb, on a small scale, in one or two places. 



Truffles (Tulier cilarium) collected in various places, espe- 

 cially under the shade of the beech trees, and on dry hedge 

 banks. Itoses formerly cultivated for the flowers, bn't not at 

 present. 



8. Grass. 



Tl\ree-fiflh of the county under permanent grasses, (though 



