624 
Hampshire. In Hampshire a considerable quantity of land is an- 
—\Y—" nually sown with wheat, which is cultivated with great 
Agrjenl- skill; its quality is excellent. Barley is grown princi- 
= pally on the lighter soils and higher ground. ‘The soil 
round Andover is very favourable to the growth of this 
grain. It is generally sown either after turnips, or a 
winter fallow. In the cultivation of oats, the Hamp- 
shire farmers do not display much agricultural skill, 
since, for the most part, they are sown after one or two 
white crops. Beans are not much cultivated, even up- 
on soils well adapted to them. The white pea is grown 
to a considerable extent in various parts of the county ; 
the cultivation is well understood; and the produce 
abundant and valuable. Turnips are extending; but 
their culture is not yet nearly so general as it might, 
or ought to be; nor is it well understood. Potatoes 
are grown in almost every part on a good plan, and 
with abundant produce. The utility and value of the 
calcareous soils in Hampshire are very much increased 
by the growth of sainfoin on them. This plant seems 
to have been long known here, and its culture is well 
understood. The parishes to the east of Alton, on the 
borders of Surrey, are chiefly appropriated to the growth 
of hops, the plantations of which have been greatly in- 
creased lately, chiefly in consequence of the high cha- 
racter of the hops grown at Farnham, in the immediate 
vicinity of Alton; the Hampshire hops, in a great de- 
gree, partaking of this character. The hop grounds 
Water mea- ae supposed to occupy 800 acres. The water mea- 
dows, dows, as has already been noticed, are numerous, ex- 
tensive, and extremely well managed. They are made 
at first at the expence of £5 or £6 per acre; and the 
expence of continual repairs is very considerable, But 
they pay the farmer well. They are. usually shut up 
in November, or tle beginning of December ; and are 
wateredevery alternate week, till the beginning of March, 
when they are pastured for about five or six weeks 
with ewes and lambs. An acre is considered equal to 
the feeding of 400 couples for one day. They are shut 
up about the beginning of May, and produce at the re- 
gular season an abundant crop of hay. Perhaps the 
largest and finest tract of water meadows in the county 
lies on the banks of the Itchin, extending from the 
north side of Winchester, through Twyford and Otter- 
burne, towards Bishops Stoke. 
Gardening is carried to a considerable extent in the 
neighbourhood of all the large towns: Portsea island 
is supposed to produce the finest broccoli in the king- 
dom. Orchards aré not common or productive in the 
woodland or chalky districts; but on the marly and 
clay soils, in the south, and south-western parts of the 
county, they are more common: even here, however, 
little or no cyder is made for sale, the farmer content. 
ing himself with making two or three hogsheads annu- 
ally for the use of his family. A considerable portion 
of Hampshire is occupied by the forest of Alice Holt 
and Walmer, the forest of Bare, and the New Forest: 
the first is divided into two portions by intervening 
private property, one part containing 15,493 acres, and 
the other 2,744. This forest is situated on the bor- 
ders of Surrey and Sussex. The forest of Bare ex- 
tends northward from the Portsdown hills, including 
about 16,000 acres. The ancient boundaries of the 
New Forest included the whole of that part of Ham 
shire, which lies between Southampton water on the 
east, the British Channel on the south, and the river 
Avon on the West. By a perambulation on the 22d 
of Charles II. it was ascertained that it extended from 
Godshill on the north-west to the sea, on the souths 
Hops, 
Gardens 
and or- 
chards, 
Woods, 
New Fo- 
rest. 
HAMPSHIRE. 
east about 20 miles, and from Hardley on the east to Hi at 
Ringwood on the west, about.15 miles, containing 
within those limits 92,365 acres: of these 24,797 be- 
long to individuals; 901 acres are encroachments ; 
1192 are inclosed land in the sion of the master, 
keepers, &c. ; and the remainder, -being about 63,845 
acres, constitute the woods and waste lands of the 
forest. Its officers are a lord warden, a lieutenant, ri« 
ding forester, bow bearer, i a woodward, 
under woodward, four verderers, high steward, under __ 
steward, 12 regarders, 9 foresters or master keepers, 
and usually 15 under foresters. The quantity of tim 
ber supplied by this. forest for naval purposes from 
1761 to 1786 was 23,000 loads of oak, and 7003 loads 
of beech; and the number of deer killed annually is 
about 76 brace of bucks, and 17 brace of does. The 
timber was so very much neglected, that, in the year 
1800, an act of i rt ea was passed for its increase and 
preservation., The scenery of the New Forest affords 
as great a variety of. beautiful and picturesque land- 
scape, as can be met with in pul cay of England, of 
the same extent. The oaks seldom rise into 
a pe but their branches are adapted for knee timber, 
and are commonly twisted into, the most picturesque 
forms. The ris, i oak is regarded rapes of the Cad 
curiosities of the forest, the buds appearing every °% 
year in the depth of winter. The advantages which 
this forest derives from its. situation, in respect to 
conveniency of water carriage, are superior to those. 
of any other forest in England ; in its vicinity are ma~ 
ny places for shipping timber, amongst which are Ly- 
mington, Beaulieu, and Redbridge, with the addition. 
al advantage of the remotest of those places being 
little more than 30 miles from the dockyard of Ports- 
uth.—Hampshire is remarkable for the great quan- 
tity and excellent quality of its oak bark, supplied 
chiefly by the timber in the New Forest. . 
Hampshire does not possess an liar or specific Cattle, 
breed of cattle; the Sussex, Suflo » Hereford, Gla- sheep, a1 
morgan, and North and South Devon, are chiefly em- h°s* 
ployed for draught, and the Norman for the dairy. 
Cows kept for the latter purpose are rented out to dai- 
rymen at from £7 to £9 per cow, per annum. In the 
woodland district of the county, the heath sheep are 
sometimes met with; but the most common in 
pasts are the Old Hampshire, something Ripe the 
orsetshire in their size, shape, and qualities, and the 
New Leicester. The Wiltshire and Dorsetshire are al- 
so kept for the purpose of house lamb. Onthe Downs, 
the South Down sheep are spreading fast. Hampshire 
has long been justly celebrated for the excellency of 
its bacon. The native hog of the county is a coarse, 
ill-fattening animal, from which neither much nor good. 
bacon ala be expected ; but tfte mart, and other food. 
which the .forests produce, and the excellent mode of 
curing in practice, have contributed, in a far 
degree, to establish the superiority of Hampshire ba- 
con, than any inherent excellence in: its native breed 
of hogs. These,however, have been greatly improved 
in form and quality, by crosses with the Berkshire, Sufs 
folk, and Chinese breed. 
In this county, there are three distinct series of ca- 
nals, two of which terminate in the water of Southamp- 
ton. The north-western part of the county has also 
been much benefited by the Kennet navigation, lea 
from Newberry to Reading. The Basingstoke can 
commences at that town, and falls into the river Wey 
near the village of Westley ; it is something more than 
87 miles in length, with a fall of 195 feet. The Andos 
Can 
