1 84 THE WEST MIDLANDS 



fattened more to trample down the straw into manure 

 and consume the roots than for any profit they brought, 

 while the sheep were flying flocks whose function was 

 to eat off the fallow crops and consolidate the light 

 sandy land. In addition a good deal of artificial 

 manure had to be used to keep up the fertility, for 

 the thin soils do not retain much from one year to 

 another. It was evidently cheap land to manage, 

 lying in large fields of easy or no slope, and mostly 

 workable with a pair of horses and light implements, 

 of which we particularly noticed a locally-made plough, 

 of the short mould-board type, but with a coulter 

 adjustable both as to angle and depth. Naturally for 

 such choice and conveniently situated land rents were 

 pretty high 355. to 403. an acre; but really good 

 land is always worth its rent, and while a farm of this 

 class could not then be hired anywhere in England, 

 there was still land on offer at IDS. an acre. 



Labour was reported to be satisfactory, both as to 

 quality and quantity, though it was thought probable 

 that the demand would increase and wages might have 

 to be raised with the prosperity of the manufacturing 

 towns on the edge of the district and their call for 

 men. This highly farmed area round Stratford is not 

 very extensive, but nearly all of it looked in good 

 hands ; on another farm we saw one of the finest oat 

 crops of the year, and everywhere swedes and mangolds 

 were surprisingly good, considering the drought. 



We heard, too, considerable talk about experiments, 

 both manurial and variety trials, organized by the 

 County Council ; and though this kind of work is often 

 too slipshod and ill-conceived, too little cognisant of 

 the limitations of its method to attain results to which 

 any credence can be attached, it does lead men to 

 think and discuss, to the manifest improvement of their 



