56 RURAL ECONOMY OF ENGLAND. 



that exists between a wild uncultivated pasture, and one 

 which has received proper care. 



It may be confidently asserted, that the eight millions 

 of hectares of English meadows give three times as much 

 food for cattle as our four million hectares of meadows 

 and five million hectares of fallow put together. The 

 proof of this is to be found in the money value of these 

 different kinds of lands. The English meadows, whether 

 for mowing or otherwise, sell on an average at about 

 4000 francs per hectare, or 60 per acre ; and some are 

 worth 10,000, 20,000, and even 50,000 francs. With us 

 the good grass-lands of Normandy are the only ones we 

 have which may compare with any of these prices : our 

 meadows are worth, on an average, about three-fourths 

 that of the English; and as for our fallows, they are greatly 

 inferior. Nowhere has the art of improving meadows and 

 pasture-lands been carried to such an extent as in England : 

 they have been rendered sound by draining, fertilised by 

 irrigation, judicious manuring, subsoil-ploughing, clearing 

 off stones, embankments, improvements of every sort for 

 the encouragement of nutritious plants and the destruc- 

 tion of weeds, which spread so easily on grass-lands. 

 Nowhere is the expense of creating and maintaining less 

 grudged, when the object is to carry oat some improve- 

 ment which may be thought beneficial. Such instances 

 of skill and intelligence, favoured by climate, have been 

 productive of marvellous results. 



Next come roots and artificial grasses. The roots uni- 

 versally cultivated in England are potatoes and turnips. 

 Beetroot, so common in France, is very little cultivated 

 as yet on the other side of the Channel, and makes very 

 little progress. Potatoes were in great favour before the 

 appearance of the disease. It is well known that the 

 quantity of these consumed by the population of Eng- 



