RIDGE AND FURROW 419 



land in the district was of high antiquity, as could 

 be seen from the way it is thrown up in high ridge 

 and furrow, the long curves the furrows made at the 

 ends of the fields telling of the old ox-teams that 

 took so much room to turn. Doubtless some of this 

 land went back to grass in the early years of the 

 1 9th century, consequent on the great fall of prices 

 at the close of the Napoleonic wars, but there is 

 evidence of a still earlier conversion of plough land 

 to grass. 



The ridges and furrows form a serious handicap 

 to modern mowing machines, but it is disastrous to 

 throw them down, because it takes years to bring 

 into condition the raw subsoil that gets bared on 

 the crown of the old furrows. October as it was, 

 we found our host still carrying hay. As part of his 

 business he cut and carried for his neighbours and 

 also worked a carting business ; in consequence his 

 own hay had been pushed in the background during 

 the uncertain summer, and he had only just got his 

 horses free to bring it home. But he had adopted 

 the northern custom of getting the hay up early into 

 big pikes, when it can remain for a long time in the 

 field without taking much harm. The fact that he 

 should do so much horse work for his neighbours 

 spoke of a somewhat restricted farming equipment 

 in the district, and we were informed that most of 

 the farms were worked with very insufficient labour, 

 a man per 100 acres, whereas at least a man per 

 50 acres was needed to do justice to the land. 



A 4OO-acre farm was pointed out to us that was 

 worked by a man and a boy in addition to the tenant, 

 though there were 30 to 40 acres under the plough ; 

 it was a miserable example of neglect, land and fences 

 equally going to ruin, and the farm paying but a 



