( 210 ) 



prefervation of the roads, the greater part of the pollard trees in the hedges, bordering the 

 highway, have been filled within thefe few years. 



s6. The flate of farm houfes you have feen ; it is, I think, tolerable, both in conftruftion and 

 repair, though in neither by any means extraordinary. 



27. Our leafes vary in point of time from nine years to twenty-one, generally in fome proportion 



to the fizes of the farms refpe£tively ; but the moft common period is twelve or fourteen. 

 And the advantage to landlord and tenant muft be eftimated accordingly A few farms 

 in this parifli, not above three or four perhaps, are let without any leafe at all ; w hich is 

 iranifeftly, in a fpeculative view, highly difcouraging to a fpirited agriculture ; but, in 

 facT:, T cannot difcern, either in this parifli or the neighbouring ones, any flriking difference 

 in the cultivation and improvement of the lands, holden with and without leafes. This 

 perhaps arifes partly from the farmer's following and imitating the practice of their neigh- 

 bours, and partly from a confidence in the fairnefs and indulgence of their landlords. 

 But in this I wiH fay no more, as you do not want I should reafon, but merely flate fads. J 



28. The woollen manufatfture flourillied very much in this parifli and neighbourhood about 



fifty years ago, but is now greatly on the decline, and in lefs than fifty years hen.e I am 

 apprehenfive will be totally loft. The influence of this declenfion on the earnings of the 

 poor is fl:riking. The prefent diminution in price of fpinning work is a lofs of not lefs 

 than 500I. a year to this fingle parifli alone. We have a fmall manufacture of facks, 

 which is rather in a flourifliing flate j employing, I believe, thirty hands, and has exifted 

 about ten or fifteen years. 



29. None, except our mode of land-ditching, which is now pretty generally known. 



30. An Agricultural Society was inftituted in this county above two years ago. The greatefl: 

 defideratum was thought to be an improvement in our breed of cattle ; but the fubtlefl 

 ingenuity could fcarcely have fuggefted a more efFeftual meafure to prevent this improve- 

 ment, than that adopted by the fociety. Premiums were propofed for the befl flail lon, 

 bull, boar, ram, &c. of a certain age, bred within the limits of the county. This en- 

 tirely difcouraged that emulation which, without fuch limitation, would have immedi- 

 ately taken place amongft the farmers for procuring the finefl: of each kind that could 

 have been found in any part of the kingdom. Thefe obtained, one condition of granting 

 premiums might have been, thnt they fliould be under certain reftriftions, for the ufe of 

 their refpeflive neighbours. This would foon have produced a great advance towards a 

 confiderable degree of perfeftion in each fpecies, and it would have fully af.ertained 

 w'-ieth^r it was worth while to attempt this improvement in queflion ; of which I am not 

 altogether clear, efpecially with regard to flieep and oxen ; it being generally more advan- 



tageuos 



