24 SOMERSET BARLEY GROWING 



constitute the most troublesome weed among the corn, 

 true couch is rarely seen, though a specimen here and 

 there was picked out of the hedgerows. What is 

 known locally as couch is the stoloniferous form of 

 the Bent Grass, which often grows tall and strong 

 when it invades the arable land ; an odd example or 

 two of the "onion -couch" referred to earlier were 

 found, but it is never aggressive. 



In this rich vale of Somerset we were out of the 

 region of extensive farms which prevail on the chalk ; 

 the ordinary holdings are from 250 to 400 acres, and 

 mingled with them are a fair number of comparatively 

 small farms ranging down to 25 and 30 acres. It 

 is not always easy to draw conclusions from the 

 agricultural statistics, because a country is an arbi- 

 trary area, rarely coinciding with natural districts; 

 but it is significant that in Wiltshire the farms of over 

 300 acres constitute 9 per cent, of the total number 

 of holdings, whereas in Somerset, with only a slightly 

 greater area under cultivation, there are more than 

 twice as many holdings, and the farms of over 300 

 acres constitute only 2-9 per cent, of the total. 



Without doubt all forms of farming had been profit- 

 able in Somerset for some years prior to our visit ; 

 dairying was in a flourishing condition, and Somerset 

 possessed more cows in milk than any other county 

 except Lancashire and Cheshire, while the corn- 

 growers had enjoyed better harvest weather than had 

 prevailed in other parts of the country. Rents ruled 

 high in the Taunton Vale, from 303. to 2 an acre, 

 and there were no farms to be had, which is the most 

 convincing test of the agricultural prosperity of a 

 district. Of course, some holdings were still coming 

 into the market to be let, but they were of a kind to 

 be shunned, either bad land or in a run-out and foul 



