AGRICULTURE 



of the Southern Counties as ' the best soiled plot of chalk hill this country possesses,' and 

 contemporary writers on husbandry spoke of the island as ' one of the finest gardens in the 

 kingdom.' Though the natural fertility of the soil may be inconsiderable it has for centuries 

 been maintained at a high standard by copious manuring, the seaweed left in large quantities 

 by the tide being much used for the purpose. This systematic improvement of the soil origin- 

 ated with the religious fraternities which at one time held a considerable portion of the island, 

 and were the pioneers of good husbandry. 



The area under cultivation at the present time is 22,000 acres, of which precisely two-thirds 

 are arable. Generally speaking there is no special rotation. Barley is the staple crop, being 

 grown on upwards of 3,000 acres. The grain is heavy in yield and of the finest quality. Fre- 

 quently two barley crops are taken in succession. Oats and wheat are largely grown, as also 

 are roots, potatoes and peas. Lucerne, a valuable fodder crop the cultivation of which in 

 England is mainly confined to the south-eastern counties, is grown on a considerable area in 

 Thanet. It has been cultivated as a field crop in this country for about 150 years. It thrives 

 well on calcareous soils, is a deep-rooting plant, and for the maximum yield requires dryness 

 and warmth. 



Canary-seed was at one time cultivated for domestic use and export. It was sown broad- 

 cast on land previously laid up in furrows 11 to 12 inches apart. The crop came late to harvest 

 and yielded about four quarters to the acre, the offal making excellent horse-fodder. Its 

 cultivation, as well as that of caraway and coriander seed, has now almost ceased, but a few 

 other kinds, such as radish and flower seeds, are still grown. Hops of fine quality are grown 

 in the parishes of Monkton and Minster. There is also a fair amount of fruit in the sheltered 

 parts round Minster and towards Ramsgate, but not elsewhere. As regards live stock there 

 are in June about 1,000 horses, 3,000 cattle, 17,000 sheep and 3,000 pigs. The majority of 

 the cattle are cows and heifers, large dairies being found in the vicinity of the various water- 

 ing-places, near which also market-gardening is somewhat extensively carried on. The hold- 

 ings in Thanet are generally small. Of those above one acre the average size is 60 acres, and 

 three-fourths of the total number do not exceed 50 acres in extent. 



Sheppey. — Sheppey is an island of about 22,000 acres, or three-quarters the size of Thanet, 

 and is separated from the mainland by the Swale. From ancient times it has been renowned 

 for its sheep and wool, deriving, in fact, from these products its name of ' Scaepige ' or 'Ovinia.' 

 The soil is principally strong clay and stiff loam of the London clay, generally very heavy to 

 work, but in the south and west there is some alluvial soil affording good marsh pasture. 



Sixty years ago Buckland described the cropping as usually six-course : (i) Summer fallow, 

 wdth dung, chalk, or lime ; (2) beans ; (3) wheat ; (4) beans and clover ; (5) wheat ; (6) 

 oats. In some cases the bare fallow was superseded by tares, potatoes, mangolds, carrots, etc., 

 but turnips were not generally grown. At the present time the course of some farmers is 

 as follows : (i) Spring tares, after which the land is ploughed well and ridged for the winter ; 

 (2) barley or oats ; (3) beans, with a good dressing of farmyard manure ; (4) wheat with seeds ; 

 (5) wheat ; (6) oats or barley. Other farmers take wheat followed by barley or oats, then 

 beans, peas or clover, afterwards wheat, barley, beans or tares. There are some 6,000 acres 

 under arable cultivation, of which one-half is devoted to wheat, oats, barley and beans ; the 

 yield of the grain crops is above the average of the county. Lucerne is somewhat extensively 

 grown as a fodder crop. In June 1906 there were on the island 21,000 sheep (or one to every 

 acre) besides 2,300 cattle. There is only a trifling extent of fruit-land, the soil being generally 

 too cold and wet. Hops are not grown ; a small area was planted in the parish of Warden 

 about twenty years ago, but they were very soon abandoned. The farms in Sheppey are 

 relatively large, averaging nearly 200 acres, and it is stated that land has depreciated in value 

 to a greater extent in Sheppey than in any other part of Kent, the decline being put by Sir 

 Charles Whitehead at over 50 per cent, since the prosperous time of arable farming. 



The Hundred of Hoo. — This is a peninsula projecting between the Thames and the 

 Medway. With the Isle of Grain it has about the same area as Sheppey, which lies immediately 

 to the east, and to which it presents somewhat similar characteristics. The soil is clay and 

 loamy clay on the alluvium near the rivers and on the London clay in other parts, and is in 

 some places very difficult to work in wet seasons. There is a larger extent of ploughed land 

 than in Sheppey — about 9,000 acres, and the yield of grain is heavier. The principal crop 

 is wheat, but the areas under potatoes, barley and oats are not much smaller. Wheat does well, 

 and barley gives very fine crops, but the best malting barley is only obtained from soils of 

 medium texture. Peas are much grown for podding ; radish, mangolds and turnip seed are 

 also largely grown, and green vegetables are cultivated for market. A fair amount of fruit 



