m ^<M.mmi 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



I'UBLISIICI) BY JOSEPH BKKCK & CO., NO. 52 iNOKTH MARKET SHiEET, (AniMcuLTURiL Warehouse.)— T. G. FESSENDEN, EOITOR. 



vol.. XVI. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 6, 1837. 



NO. 9. 



^•m&^^'w&ww^^iL:, 



(From tlie Boston Transcript.) 

 MR COKK, THE 1VORFOI.K; FARMER. 



It was mentioned yesterflay, as one of the Items 

 r intelligence from England, that the venerable 

 Ir Coke, the early and staunch friend of the llni- 

 d States when they were strugjrlin^ Colonies, 

 id been elevated by Queen Victoria to the Peer- 

 ^e, by the title of Viscount Coke and Earl of 

 eicester. By the same packet which hrought ns 

 lis intelligence, we received the following oppor- 

 ine letter from our English correspondent : 



Holkam Hall, June 1837. 



This place, which is near Wells, and within 

 lew, like th.it town, of the northern coast of the 

 junty, is renowned throughotit England at least 

 ! the seat, and e^peci,■illy as the farm, of old Mr 

 oke, the Father of the Farmers of Norfolk ; and 

 am hapi)y, therefore, to have enjoyed an excei- 

 nt opportunity of seeing the estate. I shall not 

 -obably find in Great Britain, a better specimen 

 ther of the style of life of a "good old country 

 mtleman " of this realm, and»of the ancient 

 hool, or of the management of a first rate prac- 

 cal proprietor's estate. Let me begin by giving 

 3ti some idea cf the latter ; premising that this 



the same Mr Coke who moved, in the House 

 "Commons, the discontinuance of the American 

 ar of '75, and who, having carried it in that 

 :eat and e.\cited body by a majority of one, was 

 iniself, at the suggestion of his friend Mr Fox, 

 jpointed at the head of a comtnittee to take up 

 1 address to His iMajesty George III., in pursii- 

 ice of the vote. This he did in his farmer's 

 ress, with his white topp'd boots and frock on, 

 ir that was the costutne. Every American iimst 

 ispect the old man for this achievement, and they 

 ill not like him less to know that, every day at 

 is table, during that barbarous war, he was ac- 

 jstomed, as be often declares now, to drink the 

 3alth of Gen. Washington, as the greatest tnan 

 I existence. This liberal spirit has always dis- 

 iiguished Mr Coke, and he began his career in 

 arliament with the wiu' itself, and remained in 

 near 60 years. Were he still a member, whif h 

 is age [82] now prevents, he would be by many 

 Bars the "Father of the House." 



Well ! Now for the estate; and first, merely as 

 farmer's. The lantl here is about 3500 acres ; 

 early the whole of it is enclosed by a neat, high 

 rick wall, extending tibout a circuit of 10 miles, 

 'his comprises the jilantations of wood, and a 

 eautiful "lake," as they call if, both which are 

 'holly artificial. The latter is the finest artificial 

 'ater I ever saw, and quite deceived me. Notli- 

 ig could appear more originally rural than its 

 orders, which are completely overshadowed with 

 )rests, and as wild altogether as if I had discov- 

 rcd them and the lake itself, in the depth' of some 

 jlitude of Michigan. All these woods have been 

 lanted. The estate is plentifully sprinkled over 

 ath various species of trees, in copses, in acres of 



forest, and in avenues ; and all is artificial work 

 and yet that art so perfect that the warmist love 

 of nature cannot desire more. Insfeatl of a mere 

 park, in one body, it is as one wants it — every 

 where an ornament and a shelter — over hill and 

 (|;de — but nowhere in excess, or yet in the way of 

 the farmer. Itnmedialely around the mansion, (of 

 which hereafter) indeed, are only gardens, walks, 

 and a wide extent of velvet lawns on every side ; 

 but even these It tier are marked with the owner's 

 scheme of the practical. It is not only the pheas- 

 ant I see shuflling about here in these cool shtides. 

 It is not alone the graceful deer that browze and 

 bound along these soft lawns. 'I'hese are a charm 

 to the eye, and I like the taste which allows them 

 this sweet free range, and which saves the poor 

 beautiful creatures from all barm. Here are the 

 woods too. As I rode through their long winding 

 lanes to-day on horseback, the air was filled witii 

 the ))erfume of forest flowers, and with the chirping 

 and fluttering of birds. The yellow-hammer 

 whirred away on his gay speckled wings, as wt^ 

 trotted up to him ; the shin ng blue-jay glanced 

 "like a javelin by ;'" and " the wood-pecker ta|ipe(l 

 at the hollow beach tree." 



I might have dreamed myself in woods of Para- 

 dise, with all their "starry depth of flowers," ere 

 man had sinned : only at intervals we came on the 

 edge of the lawn, or the arable laud, and the man- 

 sion with its cultivated splendor, soon drove that 

 vision from my soul. Here, however, is nature in 

 abundance. The place is rich with the mtre luxti- 

 ries of nature ; richer than ever Roman table was 

 with luscious luxuries of art. And yet, I say, the 

 whole is marked with utility, and there is such an 

 abiinilance of the practical, that the luxurious is 

 only enough to relieve its monotony, and to refresh 

 the eye and the spirit that may sometitiies weary 

 even of the continual sight or supervision of such 

 a sjiectacle or management as this. The remoter 

 lawns are spotted with little flocks of sheep, of 

 which over 3000 are kept' on the place, of the fa- 

 mous South Devon breed. One meets also in the 

 pastures, these fine, sleek, bright-looking Devon 

 cattle, browzing in herds. There are more than 

 300 of them, including ;in immense dairy, besides 

 Scotch cattle. Beyond the lawns, one gets at once 

 into the cultivation, and a ring of this, skirted and 

 sheltered here and there with avenues and co|)ses 

 of trees, encircles the whole estate. I rode along 

 the edge of a field of 130 acres of barley, in one 

 place. In another were 60 acres of wheat ; and 

 there were also two fields of peas, of 26 and 27 

 acres. 



The arable land is divided abotit equally be- 

 tween those grains, turnips and grass, which four 

 crops, sometimes having grass for two seasons, 

 constitute the routine of the succession of tillage 

 on the same ground. There are in cultivation at 

 present,about 430 acres rjf wheat and barley each, 

 and in fine condition. The head farmer told me 

 that 30 bushels an acre is rather an indiflVrent 

 crop, and that 40 and 50 are more "the right thing." 

 It must be borne in mintl, wi;en I say this, that 



Holkain has been completely made over by Mr 

 Coke. When he succeeded to the estate, it was 

 a mere desert. There were no trees here even, 

 and it was hardly believed the land would let 

 them grow. Mr Coke says the rabbits were the 

 only creatures who could live on it, and they were 

 starving! Now what a triinnph is this ! Go with 

 me today into this village of Holkam, which all 

 belongs virtually to the estate, and lives by it in 

 one way or another. Here are 500 persons |)rob- 

 ably, besides those sent ofl^, well provided for 

 elsewhere. Their cottages are a curiosity of ru- 

 ral neatness and comfoit. Little gardens sur- 

 round them, and flowers hang out of the windows 

 iind climb over the door- way. Some 150 jiersons 

 are employed on the farm alone. Then in the 

 gardens, the light acres of which are surmtinded 

 with a wall 1400 yards long, and 14 feet high, are 

 perhaps 40 more; in the brick-yard, 20; in the 

 blacksmith's shop, 10; and some wheelwrights; 

 and game-keepers, I dare say; and a little army 

 of servants, of course, for in the mansion, when 

 the family are here, 20 females alone are employ- 

 ed. Tne women do some work also on the farm ; 

 such as weeding the grain, which, as well as the 

 peas, and in fact all the crops, is drilled. 1 saw 

 20 women in one field, weeding. Beyond th.at, 

 and outside of the walls of the regular estate, we 

 came to a '^littlebit" of a plantation of only 600 

 :)iore. Here they were hard at work. In one 

 field, where turnips were sowing, all the proces- 

 ses went on at once. There were 20 men ond 

 boys spreading manure out of five or six carts, 

 drawn by 3 horses each, (of which there are UO 

 on the place ;) five or six i)loughs drawn by two, 

 who ])loughed without a driver ; then two cast- 

 iron round rolls, by two ; three or four barrows, 

 by one; two drill-machines, self-sowing, by two; 

 and then the liarrow again, brought up the rear. 

 Horses were used chiefly, but some oxen also, and 

 these were Devon. I noticed their walk, which 

 is brisk and light as that of the best horse. They 

 are not large, but snug, sleek and strong, with 

 small eyes and short horns, a boy rides on the 

 back of one of them, and guides ihem with a 

 slight bridle, talking to theiu as our farmers do 

 to a horse. Two of these creatures drew a wa- 

 ter-cart into a pond near by, where, by a plug in 

 the bottom, it was filled in half a minute. I ought 

 to speak of the alms-house for the old, and the 

 schools for the yoimg, and of the farming system 

 more in detail, but there is no room. I will only 

 add, that young farmers come here from all quar- 

 ters to learn the science. 1 saw four of them ri- 

 ding over the grounds this morning, who are un- 

 der the care of the manager. The whole place 

 is considered a model of both the science and art 

 of farming. 



Holkam. Hail, June 1837. 



1 have still to give you some sketch, as far as 



it is proper to go into such det.ajls, of the .-tyle in 



iviiich Mr Coke lives; and J am not aware that 



he has any foolish delicacy as to its being known. 



