1856. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



259 



For the New England Farmer. 



ETJRAL ECONOMY OF THE BRITISH 

 ISLES-No. 11. 



EASTERN COUNTIES. 



SUFFOLK, NOHFOLK, ISEDFORD, NORTHAMPTON, CAM- 



BllIDGE, HUNTINGTON, LINCOLN. 



In Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedford and Northampton, 

 we witness the results of the agricultural and social 

 revolution which took place about sixty years ago, 

 under the auspices of Arthur Young. At the close 

 of the last century, the lands in these counties 

 were in a more miserable and neglected condition 

 than the lands in the southern counties at the pres- 

 ent day ; and their poor and sandy character seemed 

 to offer fewer resources to the cultivator than the pine 

 plain lands on the banks of Connecticut river. It 

 was never thought possible to turn the greater part 

 of them to better account, than as large rabbit-war- 

 rens ; but now they rank among the richest and best 

 lands of England. What mercantile adventure, 

 moderate-sized farming, permanent stabulation, 

 drainage and steam have done in our day for stiff 

 lands, large farming and the four course rotation 

 accomplished, sixty years ago, for light soils. — 

 Money, in those days, was not as plentiful as now, 

 and large amounts of capital were confined to few 

 hands. Everything tended to favor large property 

 and large farming, and the lands most free, for the 

 purpose, were those best suited for large farming. 

 Hence the great success of Young's system, which 

 up to the present day, has acted lilie a second char- 

 ter for the English. 



Suffolk has not profited by the system of Arthur 

 Young. A large portion of the county partakes of 

 the clayey nature of the neighboring soils to the 

 south ; in the north alone, light soils are to be 

 found, at least to any extent. Suffolk, through the 

 influence of Young, is, however, the seat of the 

 largest manufacture of agricultural implements in 

 England. There are to be found the celebrated es 

 tablishments of Messrs. Ransomes of Ipswich, Gan 

 nett of Leiston, &c. These immense factories tes- 

 tify to the extensive use, among English farmers, 

 of the heaviest and most costly machines. 



Norfolli has been the true theatre of the success 

 of Arthur Young. The north and west of this 

 coimty forms an immense sandy plain of 750,000 

 acres, where there is no obstacle to large property 

 and large farming; and where everything favors 

 horse tillage, cultivation of roots, the use of ma- 

 chines, and the four course rotation. By means of 

 this system, steadily pursued for sixty years, these 

 inferior lands, producing scarcely a dollar and a 

 quarter per acre, in 1780, now return, on an aver- 

 age, six dollars and a quarter per acre, or five 

 times the former amount, as net production ; and 

 the gross production has risen, in at least, an equal 

 proportion. 



A large part of the credit of this wonderful trans- 

 formation belongs to an extensive proprietor in the 

 county, Mr. Coke. Mr. Coke had a large property 

 in the west of the county, called Holkham, contain- 

 ing 30,000 acres. This immense estate, which is 

 now worth six millions of dollars, was worth at 

 most in 1776, when Mr. Coke inherited it, a million 

 and a half. It was then in the occupation of a great 

 number ofs mall farmers, who paid their rents bad- 

 ly, although these were very low, and ultimately 

 many of them abandoned their farms, because they 

 could not get a livelihood out of them. It was then 



that Mr. Coke decided upon farming a portion of 

 these sandy lands himself, and the rest he put into 

 very large farms, and leased them on long leases, 

 to farmers of intelligence and capital. I should not 

 omit to mention (as one purpose I have is to show 

 New England farmers that they must employ capi- 

 tal in farming) that in the course of fifty years, ]SIr. 

 Coke expended two millions of dollars, in improve- 

 ments of various kinds, which caused the farmers 

 to lay out about as much more — an excellent in 

 vestment on the part of both, since they have all 

 made money by it. 



Any one who wishes to get an idea of this period 

 in the history of English agriculture, ought to visit 

 Holkham, the farm which ]\Ir. Coke personally di- 

 rected. Its extent is 1800 acres — 500 of which are 

 in permanent pasture, the rest is arable, laid out 

 exactly for the four course rotation. The farm 

 maintains 250 large cattle, 2500 South Down 

 sheep, and 150 pigs. An equally profitable Aisit 

 may be paid to other farms ; but the same princi- 

 ples everywhere prevail followed by the same re- 

 sults. The whole land formerly grew only rye ; 

 now it raises not a particle of that grain, but in- 

 stead are to be seen the finest wheat crops and the 

 best cattle in the world. 



The agricultural amelioration of Bedfordshire has 

 been no less complete and rapid than that of Nor- 

 folk. Less than a century ago three-fourths of the 

 county consisted of nothing but waste commons. 

 These unproductive lands have been gradually di- 

 vided, enclosed and cultivated ; and owing to the 

 four course system, now rank equal to the full av- 

 erage of English lands. The Duke of Bedford has 

 realized an immense fortune thereby. 



In Northamptonshire, adjoining Bedford, rents, 

 during the last sixty years, have tripled from the 

 same causes which have operated in Norfolk and 

 Bedford. 



Of the ten counties which compose the eastern 

 region, the three last, Cambridge, Huntington and 

 Lincoln, form a division by themselves — the fens. 

 In looking at the map of England, we observe a 

 large bay running into the land at the north of 

 Norfolk, called the Wash. All around this muddy 

 bay, the land is flat, low, and was constantly being 

 covered by the sea. These marsh lands, at one 

 time uninhabitable, now rank among the richest 

 meadows of England. Situated opposite Holland, 

 they have, like that country, been reclaimed by 

 means of dykes. The area of these three counties 

 is about 2,500,000 acres, of which the fens, prop- 

 erly speaking, occupy about a third. The lands re- 

 claimed are already intersected with roads and rail- 

 roads, towns have been built and farms laid out 

 upon them. These once submerged lands are let 

 at a rent of $6,25 to $7,50 per acre. Cereal and 

 root crops are occasionally seen on them ; but the 

 most part is in grass, on which are fattened short- 

 horned cattle and sheep, a cross between the old 

 Lincolnshire and the Dishley. 



All the north of Cambridgeshire forms part of 

 the fen district. The average rent has doubled, 

 within the last forty years. The southern part, in 

 which clay soils px-edominate, is not in so satisfiic- 

 tory a state. Huntington, the county of Oliver 

 Cromwell, has nothing in an agricultural \Ae\\, to 

 recommend it to our attention. 



Lincolnshire, which a century ago, was more 

 sterile and waste than Norfolk, now disputes the 

 palm with that county in agricultuial develop- 



