113 



FARMERS' REGISTERr-IMPROVEMENTS AT HOLKHAM. 



ualion which prevails on this subject. They can 

 more readily provide lor the demand of tlie article 

 they deal in from the widely-spread Norlblk sheep, 

 than li'om the pure or improved Downs, in com- 

 paratively lew hands. It is therefore manilestly 

 their interest to encourage prejudice, and keep 

 down the price of the two latter, and especially not 

 to all'ord customers any opportunity of comparing 

 them, as to their progress in leeding, with the 

 much slower Norfolk. Any intelligence on this 

 subject would create a demand they would find 

 very embarrassing. Thus a n>ajority of the Nor- 

 folk farmers, practising the best sjstem of tillage 

 in England, allow themselves to be gulled and 

 cheated out of a very considerable proportion of 

 the profit derivable from their superior turnip man- 

 agement. But it is some consolation to believe, 

 that lime, which dissipates other inlatuations, will, 

 in the end, prove fatal to this also. I offer-no apol- 

 ogy for tile ii-eedom of these remarks: I will never 

 withhold the humble meed of appiobation from 

 any practice which appears worthy of it, neither 

 shall I omit to censure a proceeding injurious to 

 the country, and, to the parties adopting it, most 

 particularly.l^urtful. - 



I shall close my somewhat lengthy remarks on 

 the Holkham sheep by a brief statement which 

 bears on the question, as to the comparative value 

 of their fleeces. A lot of pure Soulhdowns, pur- 

 chased to be fatted for the use of the house, cut 

 one pound and a quarter, each less wool, and of 

 inferior quality, tlian sheep of the same age of the 

 improved stock. 



***** I have already had occasion to 

 allude to the difficulty of observing a connected 

 and regular line of narrative, where circumstances 

 tempt so strongly to digression, and must, once tor 

 all again, solicit the reader's forbearance on this 

 account, while I carry him back with me to INIr. 

 Garwood's farm. I understood that this was one 

 of the worst of Mr. Coke's estates, and assuredly 

 nothing can present a more decided proof of the 

 wonders to be performed under most discouragino- 

 circumstances, by the skill and enterprise which 

 have been at work in every direction around Holk- 

 ham. On this estate, of one thousand acres^ there 

 existed, some years ago, a bog of fifty acres, from 

 which peat fuel was dug, and the nature of which 

 may be understood from the f ict, that an unfortu- 

 nate man, attempting to cross, was suffocated in it. 

 What was bog, profitless, except for fuel, is now a 

 fine water meadow, which, the occupier informed 

 me, he valued along with the farm, at three pounds 

 per acre.' In the late dry summer, being enabled 

 to water it, he informed me the produce was almost 

 incredible — at all events he kept on the fifty acres 

 the following stock, viz. more than ten sheep per 

 acre, twenty bullocks, from four to six years old, 

 and ten horses.* Early in his occupation of this 

 farm, Mr. Garwood had a predilection for the Nor- 

 folk home-bred cattle, of which he selected and 

 bred some of the best. Being, however, superior 

 to prejudice, he was induced to go into Devonshire, 

 and jiurchase the cattle of that county. Having 

 tried both, he came to the conclusion, that, in point 



*Is it not singular, that, within about ten miles of 

 Holkham, and within the reach of almost every day 

 experience of the value of moadow thus circumsfanccd, 

 I should see a considerable tract of land inviting irrira- 

 tion, a brook running along side and above it, but 

 tempting the sluggard in vain? 



of profit, the home-breds are far inferior, and, as 

 might be expected, much greater consumers oJ* 

 food. An examination of his books gave an aver- 

 age of four pounds of butter, per week, lor each 

 Devon cow. 



Among the numerous visits paid to the tenantry 

 of Holkham, highly as all gratified me, certainly, 

 that which introduced me to Mr. Pettingal, and 

 his farm, proved the most agreeable; a fact to be 

 ascribed to the circumstance that Mr, Pettingal, 

 having only very recently entered on his occupa- 

 tion of an estate in want of improvement, I had 

 the opportunity afforded me of observing how 

 much may be done, and how rapidly, under the 

 infl.uence of a good understanding and perfect con- 

 fidence existing between a landlord and his tenant- 

 rj^. It may be proper to mention in this place, that 

 Mr. Coke values his OAvn estates, and the best 

 commentary on the' manner in which he acquita 

 himself is furnished by the fixct, that no dispiite has 

 ever arisen, during" any of these transactions, to 

 drive a tenant fiom an estate, who felt any desire 

 to remain on it. If a difference of opinion has oc- 

 cured on the question of value, it has been over- 

 come, on the one hand, by considerate and liberal 

 concession, on the other, by implicit confidence. I 

 would not be understood by the foregoing remarks, 

 or by what may follow, to recommend gentlemen, 

 generally, to take this nice and difficult afiair into 

 their own hands; such arecomuiendatiouwouldbe 

 absurd on eveiy account, and little likely to obtain 

 attention, for nothing but confusion and mischief 

 would follow an assumption of that for which the 

 parlies are generally tottdly disqualified. My sole 

 object is to show what an early devotion of time 

 and ability, to a subject of infinite importance to 

 country gentlemen, may achieve under favorable 

 circumstances, when I assert that the cost of agen- 

 cy on this princely and highly managed ]:)roperty is 

 considerably less than that on any otlier in the 

 kingdom of, perhaps, half its -extent and value. 

 But such is Mr. Coke's systematic arrangement 

 that every difficulty vanishes before it. 



When Mr. Pettingal applied for hi§ farm, Mr, 

 Coke's idea of its value was stated to him, and it 

 was fairly submitted, that a great outia}' would be 

 requisite to insure a profitable taking. He closed 

 with the offer at once, expressing himself much 

 pleased to have the farm, one of seven hundred 

 and eighty acres, and concluded with these re- 

 markable words, "Sir, I cannot put my money into 

 so good a bank as your land." I believe he had, 

 at the time when I saw him, occupied the estate 

 about two years, during which period neither land- 

 lord nor tenant had been idle. A beautiful house, 

 replete with every convenience, had risen, and 

 Mr. Pettingal, on taking us through it, pointed out 

 with marks of genuine satisfaction, the arrange- 

 ments which had been made to provide for every 

 comfort of his family. On the other hand, Mr. 

 Coke's jileasure and approval of what his tenant 

 had done, with a feeling corresponding to that of 

 his landlord, were as ardently and [unequivocally 

 expressed. This enterprising tenant had, at the 

 time I mention, comjiietcd very little short of one 

 hundred miles ni' drains, with tiles drawn fi'om a 

 great distance, li'om the Holkham kilns. It is but 

 justice to both parties to add, that the tenant up to 

 this period had never asked for' his lease, "Ixit," 

 remarked Mr. Coke, "I have made him safi?, lest 

 any accident should befal me." 



