68 THE FERTILITY OF THE SOIL [CH. 



firewood in the district having become so abundant, 

 that it was not considered worth the expense of 

 cartage." The ground being now clear, seven farms 

 were measured out and whitethorn quicks planted 

 along the boundaries ; houses and buildings were 

 put up at a cost of 14,337. Allowing for all sales, 

 the net outlay apart from the ten miles of road was 

 10,452 and the total farm land obtained was 2843 

 acres ; this was let at 5104 per annum, a gain of 

 3291 on the revenue derived from the forest. But 

 the land was by no means ready for cultivation. The 

 tenants, as they came into possession on 31 years leases, 

 found " anything but a smooth, inviting appearance : 

 wide ditches, and long, irregular high banks that 

 had formed the boundaries of the different coppices ; 

 deep pits and hollows, where stones had been dug 

 for the use of bygone generations: small straggling 

 briars that had escaped the notice of the woodgrub- 

 bers ; roots of trees and underwood, left a few inches 

 below the surface by oversight or intentional neglect 

 on the part of dishonest workmen ; large patches of 

 rough brown fern-stems, that had afforded covert to 

 the fawns; all these and many other impediments 

 stood in the way... it was with the greatest difficulty 

 that four strong horses drawing a large iron plough 

 could break up half an acre a day; and many and 

 long were the blacksmith's bills for repairs. Some of 

 the tenants tried digging, at a cost of 3 per 



