216 RURAL ECONOMY OF ENGLAND. 



to Dorset, contains about one million six hundred and 

 fifty thousand acres. Famous for the beauty of its 

 scenery and the mildness of its climate, it is no less worthy 

 of attention in an agricultural point of view; for in this 

 respect great progress has been made during the last five- 

 and-twenty years. In mountainous parts as well as in 

 clay districts, and in general whenever the land requires 

 much labour upon a confined space, the fields of operation 

 become naturally much divided. Small farms abound in 

 Devonshire, say of from ten to fifty acres ; but these poor 

 farmers are not those who have contributed much to the 

 rapid advance in farming. It is upon the larger farms of 

 five to six hundred acres that improvements have been 

 carried on, which have changed the face of the country. 

 The small farmers profit subsequently by the examples 

 set them. 



In no part of England has irrigation been carried to a 

 greater extent than in Devonshire. The streams which 

 run through granitic soils are particularly fertilising, and 

 the land there lies very favourably for such works. It 

 may be said that there is not a stream in all the county, 

 however small, which is not collected and turned to 

 account. The new breed of cattle is justly reckoned 

 one of the handsomest and most productive in great 

 Britain. It is below the average size ; but, for symmetry 

 and the excellence of its beef, there is no breed superior. 

 The cows do not give much milk, but the quality of the 

 butter made from it is celebrated. It is, in fact, butter 

 and cream alone which the numerous dairies of Devon- 

 shire supply. Cereal cultivation is very limited, the soil 

 being more suitable for green crops. The country is 

 covered with apple trees, from which a great deal of cider 

 is made. The grass fields and orchards give this part of 

 England very much the appearance of Normandy. 



