No. 4.J THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 105 



The drift weed belonos to the Laminaria, of which there 

 are two varieties, and the cut weed to the Fucus, of which 

 there are three. The hitter is considered the more valuable, 

 perhaps from its containing a larger per cent of organic 

 matter. 



The population of Jersey, according to the last census, is 

 a little over 65,000. The area of the island is as already 

 stated, — 28,717 acres. Of this, only 19,514 are under 

 cultivation, so that practically three persons are supported 

 to each acre. It may not l)e uninteresting to note the 

 acreage of the different crops, and compare it with the 

 amount of produce exported. In 181)1, the corn crops 

 (wheat, l)arley, oats, rye, beans and peas) occupied 2,199 

 acres, wheat leading with 1,700; green crops, including 

 potatoes, turnips, mangolds, cabbages and vetches, were 

 7,810, potatoes leading with 7,000; clover and grasses 

 under rotation, 5,247 ; permanent pasture, 4,053 ; flax, 3 ; 

 small fruits, 158; and uncropped aral)le land, 38. Horses 

 numbered 2,3(50 ; cattle, 12,073 ; sheep, 305 ; and pigs, 

 7,618. In that same year there was exported into England 

 alone, 2,300 cows and calves, or a little over one-sixth the 

 entire number; 25 tons of butter; 1,863,165 bushels of 

 potatoes, an average of 266 bushels to every acre under cul- 

 tivation ; 86,000 dozen eggs; 74,969 bushels of fruit and 

 vegetal)les, to the value of $400,000 ; the whole footing up 

 to the snug little income of $3,700,000, to be distributed 

 among the 2,600 farmers owning or cultivating land. It is 

 a noticeable fact that, while the cattle were valued at 

 £40,000, the potatoes were placed at £447,134, or eleven 

 times that sum. The figures above given are equally appli- 

 cable to Guernsey, except that there a greater amount of 

 fruit is grown, the yearly ex})ort of grapes footing up to over 

 500 tons. Tomatoes are raised in innnense quantities for 

 the London market, but no reliable statistics were available. 

 As compared with our best varieties, they are very inferior 

 in size and quality. The vines are trained up against the 

 sides of the house, and continue bearing sometimes more 

 than one year. The principal fruits are grapes, apples and 

 pears. Jersey cider was at one time so celebrated that the 

 agricultural society of the department of the lower Seine in 



