11SH 



STATISTICS OF AGRICULTURE. 



Part IV. 



■wnum A good deal of tmsttfsin on in. Chllwm, and mini 



I U ' ol , -Is., on tin- Him' brush, which is chief!) lime. 



7. Ii'l/IM. 



Ba a good meadows near Oxford, on the Thames anil l»i»; 



vers rich grass land .it Thame. 



>!. Wood* and Plantation!. 



Ofconsldert leexl tpartof therbrest of Whlch- 



atood I the government. Ureal atten i paid hi Pane 



of Worm i ; in my beech wood* mi I 



hills; roung wood at Blenheim neglected. Thenatural I 

 of whlchwood and Btokeo Chun a , tueuy of beech, bul tome 

 li, bjn ii. and at pen, 



9. Improvements. 



F-ini', I 1 1. it, l»iw , m.l others arc of opinion, that the agri- 

 cultiiii' is linn 1 1 siiji.-M..r to whit it was thing years ago, chiefly 

 iioin tin- introduction of a bettar bread of stock", tin- use of roots 

 ami ii.i 1. 1.;,- plant , .on i tiiiotK losiiro of mini mms and common 



In 1809 an attempt was made to improve 

 the • at ll I I " Ll few, bj letting ,t to Scotch farmers. As 

 Una originated In consequence of a pamphlet which the com- 

 piler.., the |.r, lent work published in 1808, it might be deemed 



a detect ill this sketeh if the circumstance were pissed over 



without particular notice. It will, no d. ail. t, lout; hi- recollected 



in th<- count v ;is at least a ruinous project of wild nil ven Hirers ; 



this being the very mildest term applied to failures in similar 



cam's. At this distance of time, looking hack on the matter, as 



far as the result affected ourselves, with our natural sangfroid, 



we shall state our opinion as to tin- ..u. .<-. of failure. 'Plus re- 

 sulted principally from too great an\iety, both in the landlord 



and tenants, to reap a large benefit; and secondlv, from the 



general fall of prices, both of land and produce, which suc- 



eaadad to the published report of the Bullion Committee in 



1807. Anxiety to Increase the rent-roll induced the landlord 



to let the v hole of his estate of nearly Hull) acres, then under 



nearly a score ef tenants, to two cultivators, instead of trying 



liist tin' ctket of one or two moderate-sized farms under the 

 lode. The same anxiety induced the tenants to oiler too 



high rents, and to attempt a profit by subletting. Before the 



estate bad b ten eigh inths lit, it was sold on the new rental 



for nearly four times the sum at which it was offered for sale 



only a year before ; but the title not proving satisfactory to the 



I ! ' r » the purchase was never completed. The landlord 



e involved in (lilficulties, owing to the expenses of new 

 buildings, roads, drainages, the purchasing up of certain out- 

 going tenants, and other causes: he found, that though one 

 person had been willing to buy the estate held on twenty-one 

 years' leases, yet that it would sell much better if held by 

 t.n. tots at will ; and was thence induced to buy up from the 

 Scotch tenants the leases granted them two years before, and 

 v. ,, still unsuccessful in endeavouring to sell the estate. At 

 I si the proprietor found himself with the greater part of his 

 lands in hand ; and one farm, it is proper to observe, was put 

 under the management of an Irishman, who rendered himself 

 not. .nous by some parts of his conduct, and finally left the 

 country clandestinely ; and whose actions have unfortunately 

 en confounded with those of the Scotch far ners, after 

 a I the latter had completely left that part of the country. 

 \\ hen peace was concluded in 1S1 1, land fell still lower; and 

 finally this estate w.es sold for less than half what it had hem 

 sold tor 111 [809: but still (which may be considered as re- 

 markable! for about double what was asked for it in 1S07. It 

 1823 probably not worth a third part of what was 



Si 'i t i it by the purchaser, from the change in the times; so 

 lat even had the original scheme and sale worked well, it is 



-nlll! P E 1 RK l SH , 1 RK - One of the most beautiful counties of England ; occupies a surface of 47-i 000 

 ,b vT; J, 1 ,';', ,, a,imt r''° ,OI) ? are T C ' 0St ' d ' or in I ,arks or PlMrfat&ns; 190,000 in common f fields ana 

 ■ i,;,i it Ik ; T,*' WaSteS ' a ,"? comm f» ns ! and 8977 in roads. Its productions are almost equally 



•■In' ' ' to -r ,' r" T , ;', S ""i It"' °' bU " er a ".' C , leese ' a,ld the breed of swine is noted <*» * **<■ 

 we e anit.ni tV,n ; i I'"" l l,U ™ as a y«>»ian in this county. George III. and E. L. Loveden, Esq. 

 5™ V," "l ? 2S ?f ted ,X r 2 m ^ °, n the wl,0,e il '« a count? ml >ch more indebted to nature than to 

 1821.) Berkshire, 1,94. Mayor's lleport, 1808. Marshal's Review, 1813. Smith's Geological Map, 



1. Geographical Slate and Circumstances. 



I" ibable tint by tint time both landlord and tenants would 

 bare be no.. .1 . 1..1 mora m i might have been raised by 



on such .in elate m Ihlli than it would have sold for 



to Is "i- 1'hi ilcpreci.it i I' the estate ba, been attiibuled to 



'siii.; up ol" old turf; a most unrounded error, a. 1 1 . . re 

 were not 1000 acres to break up, and of them only ■;'." a-era 

 , and, i. would have been proved bad the convertible 

 system been continued a few years, greativ t.. the benefit of the 

 whole. We regret that the landlord, a most amiable and 

 patriotic man. should have Suffered in this business; bul he 

 entered into it aware that he was incurring . in exl ranrdiiiary 

 chin, e of loss for an extraordinary chance of benefit, and of 

 course he takes the result as every man ought to do. Besides 

 he has still a very handsome fortune. 



As a traii oflht tpirit of the Board cfAgtiatttun at this time, 

 we may mention that Arthur Young examined the estate a few 

 weeks after u was sold at so high a rate, and drew up a rem lik- 

 able report la .A1S. copy of which, from his office, is In our poa- 

 s- ssionj in favour of Scotch fanning, which was published in 

 the lir,t edition of Sir John Sinclair's Husbandry of Scotland. 

 In that report a disingenuous attempt is made to attribute to 

 the Board ihe merit of the introduction of Scotch farming into 

 this and other counties ; whereas it was and is perfectly well 

 known, that the 1' annex's Magazine, the Scotch farmer Gour- 

 lay, late Of Wiltshire, and our pamphlet, were the true causes. 

 By the tune a second edition ot the Husbandry of Scotland was 

 called for, Scotch firming had liecome unpopular, and the He- 

 port mentioned, anil all the compliments to the Board of Agri- 

 culture for having introduced it, were withdrawn. A general 

 account of all the operations on Tew estate by Scotch farmers 

 will be tound in Designs far Farms and Farm Buildings in the 

 Scotch Stale, adapted tu England, CfC. 4to. 1812. 



10. Live Stock. 



There is a good deal of dairying in the county ; the perma- 

 nent grass lands being chiefly occupied in this way. The prac- 

 tices are almost entirely the same as in Buckinghamshire. The 

 butter is taken to London by waggons from all the principal 

 towns. Much good dairying at Atterlmry. A. Young asked 

 John Wilson, of that neighbourhood, if he ever fed on straw ? 

 Answer, M A'o ; straw be a g.*><l thing to lay on." 



Sheep, the Berkshire, Gloucester; Wiltshire, Leicester, and 

 oilier lurily breeds. Fane has tried crossing the Kyelands and 

 South Downs with Merinos. Several other proprietors of farms 

 have also tried Down Merinos and other crosses; and some the 

 pure breed. 



11. Political Econo7>iy. 



Forty years ago roads " formidable to the bones of all who 

 travelled on wheels;" now they are much changed for the 

 better. Birmingham canal and the Thames of immense im- 

 portance to Oxfordshire. A good deal of wool, formerly woven 

 into blankets at Witney ; now verv little. About the beginning 

 ot the last century the manufacture of polished steel was intro- 

 duced at Woodstock, and flourished for half a century ; at 

 present nearly extinct. Steel chains have been made here 

 weighing only two ounces, and sold for 170/. Sc ssors i'rotn 

 five shillings to three guineas. The steel is wholly made from 

 old nails ot horse-shoes. Leather breeches-making and glove- 

 making have succeeded to the steel manufacture, and the latter 

 thrives well : from 560 to 400 dozen of gloves are manufactured 

 weekly. 



12. Miscellaneous. 



Dr. Sibthorpe, the late professor of botany at Oxford, left 

 200/. a year to endow a professor of agriculture and rural eco- 

 nomy, to be established as soon as tile Flora (irarca is completed. 

 1 bis v. ill not be for some years. 



Cufnofo divei Ifled, but in every part the sir pure and salu- 

 in elevated situations pure, piercing, and braces bv its 

 i; in the vales relieves the weak organs of respiration 

 tt and balsamic qualities; no storms known in the 

 A '.out Reading vegel uiou nearly a fortnight earlier 



lb in In some p utt ol the c try. 



I . bul in some places gravel, and in 



yi >•> "be White Hoi eentireh chalk. 



"oneexeeptii g chalk, Sax den stones, a sort of 



!,'„:, • '"'".'"I >«ered over the Wiltshire 



bur I , ." , r'Y-"" 1 ,n 'l'""0y blasted and used fbi pav- 



from pro .,ra„. trees and other vegetable bodit ,,. 



"id also burned for the ashes as a manure The 



und In ulphate i ■ ime. ' ln * 



neartlft, , ,i lakes for breeding fish. Loveden has 



bouse- or cottara wit I, .n 



. oe three stews with cover M'i"h„ k 



lagerfirom stealing the fish Menv 

 bare let to tenant 



h™ ■ . fc»rp 



'• ' With Yearling; ,,|, .„, ,,Z 



■ .in in: 



' Homp hire, lite breeders are about ,-, r ", t 



''"'""'-, »-«'":'••■ - Bert hire , K ,b. s ,,.- , " r 



sul.T.d t.. breed, bul axe told oil ,., the tans I 



other places, .ba, ,,„. ,„„„,, , r ,. ,,, ,„ - ™" 



once in t.,1, , 



■ 

 lost ban about twenl , : . lr ,. *. 



ml ■ mpty, and the fish with which thei are to. i. H 

 ■ i i, are I iken nil .... 

 or fourth v.-.ir. I he pond is afterwards allowed to lie fallow 

 !■•• the rent tinder at the summer seas in, and . 



■hse. .rlingfrvoftbesa,,,. 

 I e ponds In one parish are all subject to an ah,,,:.; 



."u-so. i„.ny, Inslnia fish, denominated Prussian or Gem , , 

 carp, as tin. species is oarefully deerxoyed, it i s wonderful the] 



should increase with the rapiditv and universality which they 

 appear to do. Every acre of pond, properly stuked and well 

 situated, must produce an annual increase of from eighty to 

 one hundred pounds weight. If artificially fed, the increase 

 would be greater ; or less, if the pond is not so situated as to 

 receive manure from the circumjacent lands. Bv retail, the 

 fish here are generally sold at a shilling per pound'; but under 

 particular circumstances they may sometimes be had as low at 

 tenpence. 



2. State <f Property. 



Largest estate 8000L a year ; a few of 5, G, or 7(1007. : Earl 

 Craven and E. L. Loveden, Esq. the lar-cst proprietors ; several 

 handsome seats Willi land not exceeding 101) acres, and many 

 small freeholders and yeomanry. Some curious customs; at 

 Enborne and Caddleworth manors, belonging to Earl Craven 

 and It. W. Nelson, Esq., the witlow of a copyholder, guilty of 

 iiu-niiiin.no; or marrying again, lost her freebench of life'in- 

 ter.-st, unless she submitted to the ceremony of riding into the 

 court on a black ram, and of repeating some well-known con- 

 fessional hues. (gee AddisonU Spectator.) In the manor of 

 1 irringdon the customary tenant's daughter, on being 

 convicted of inrontinency, was to forfeit the sum of forty 

 pence to the lord, or to appear in court, carrying a black sheep 

 on her back, and making confession of her offence in these 

 words: " l-Uxe porto nudoran pasta ioris mci." illdnv oll.tr curi- 

 ouacustoms. 



.'i Jiuilitings. 



Windsor Castle and many fine seats ; houses of the veoman- 

 - 1 and elegant: farm -bouses geneiallv comfortable. 

 ' ',7"'' " ; ^'"i 1, ll " 'II ananged; cottages of the poor gene- 

 rai|) in a bad stale, some present erections better. ( fig. 991.) 

 t-.irinciies o„ collegiate oi corporate lands generally in bad 

 r ep.ni, be, .ni', the lines for renewal of the leases take all the 

 money, &c. 



CUm Farm, neat JVallingfbrd, in 1800, the property of 



'"",' Kensington, and formerly reputed to be the largest and 



i'"'t ■'"" In England. Rent 10001 pexannum. 



Betore _the dissolution oi nasttries it belonged to the Abbot 



of Heading, who had a seat here. The great barn in which his 



