t 139 ] 



violent winds, all conspire to render such a speculation promising. 

 The consumption of the county in this article is immense, and I 

 have no doubt but I could select in different parts of it, many hun- 

 dred acres, as well adapted to this culture, as any lands at Farnham, 

 and at one fourth the price which is there given, beside a much 

 easier access to manure of all kinds, and a greater and cheaper 

 supply of poles. 



In' Castle Cary potatoes are grown on a very large scale, and it is 

 no unusual thing to get one hundred and sixty sacks (two hundred 

 and forty pounds each) per acre, the average price about five shil- 

 lings per sack. 



Proceeding to the -eastward, and passing by the town of Bruton, 

 you get into the woodlands bordering on Wiltshire, which extend 

 from Pen Selwood to within three miles of Froome. 



This forest was disafforested about the seventh of Charles I. and 

 divided into three portions, one whereof was allotted to the Lords 

 of Manors, another to the Commoners, and a third to the Crown. 

 The latter was sold off to the adjoining landholders; Sir Richard 

 Hoare, Bart. Thomas Southcote, Esq. the Duke of Somerset, 

 William Beckford, Esq. the Earl of Corke, and the Marquis of 

 Bath, are the owners of the greater part of the woods now remain- 

 ing. No great quantity of woodland in this tract of country has 

 been grubbed within the last forty years, but much new ground 

 has been planted during that period, particularly on the hills be- 

 longing to the Marquis of Bath, Mr. Beckford, and Sir Richard 

 Hoare, very much to the profit of the owners, as well as to the 

 ornament, and convenience of the country. 



These woodlands are in general in a state of coppice wood, with 

 an intermixture of timber, chiefly oak; but the soil, particularly 

 in the vallies, being in general of a, strong, yellow clay, is of so 

 cold and retentive a nature, that vegetation is exceedingly slow, 

 and the oak trees, though springing up spontaneously in great 

 abundance", are so apt to get mossy, and dead topped, that few of 

 them come to a large size ; and yet on account of its vicinity to 

 good inland markets, which are never overstocked with under- 

 wood or timber, the profit from woodland, under any tolerable 

 degree of management, may be fairly taken a; nearly double the 



value* 



