54 EURAL ECONOMY OF ENGLAND. 



First in order come the natural meadows, estimated as 

 covering four millions of hectares with us, and eight in 

 the British Isles here (in France) less than one-eighth, 

 there, nearly one-half of the cultivated land. It is true 

 that the English meadows consist principally of such as 

 are pastured only, but these pastures are as productive 

 as our mown meadows. 



This extent of pasture is certainly one of the most 

 striking features of British fanning. Comparatively little 

 hay is made in England, the winter food of cattle being 

 chiefly obtained from the artificial meadows, besides roots, 

 and even corn. Of late, new systems, of which I shall 

 speak by-and-by, tend to the substitution of stall-feeding 

 even in summer, in place of the old national custom ; but 

 these trials are still, or were, at any rate, five years ago, 

 only exceptions to the rule. The almost universal prac- 

 tice is to confine cattle as little as possible. Three-fourths 

 of the English meadow-lands are grazed ; and as one-half 

 of the artificial grasses are so also, especially in the second 

 year ; as turnips, too, are to a great extent eaten off the 

 ground by sheep ; and, lastly, as the uncultivated lands 

 cannot be turned to account except in the shape of 

 commons, two-thirds of the whole soil are thus given 

 up to live stock. In this consists the peculiar charm of 

 the British fields. With the exception of Normandy, and 

 some other provinces where the same practice prevails, 

 our territory seldom presents that smiling aspect which 

 England does, with its greensward depastured with ani- 

 mals at large. 



The attractive beauty of this landscape is enhanced by 

 the picturesque effect of the quickset hedges, often inter- 

 spersed with trees, which divide the fields. The existence 

 of these hedges is strongly assailed in the present day, 

 although hitherto they have been considered as indispen- 



