AGRICULTURE 95 



THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE VALE OF YORK 



BY 



W. E. GELLING, B.Sc. 



Bounded on the north by the terminal moraine from Stamford Bridge 

 to Tadcaster, on the west by the Magnesian Limestone series, and on the 

 south by an intermittent series of chalk and limestone, lies the most fertile 

 area in the county, probably second only to the East Midland counties 

 in England. 



Transport is facilitated by the number of navigable rivers and uniting 

 canals. The Ouse, Derwent, Wharfe, Aire flow over this highly culti- 

 vated area of low-lying mead and ploughland. Each of these rivers is 

 tidal many miles from its mouth. Boats from the Humber, sailing up the 

 Ouse to York, pass by Goole and Selby, two towns that have developed 

 into important marketing and distributing centres for the disposal of the 

 produce of this productive area. 



The soil varies from heavy clay to sand so light that it can be blown 

 by the wind into heaps in sheltered spots, but for the most part it is light 

 in texture and very permeable to water, but resists drought fairly satis- 

 factorily owing to a high water table. Much of the land is liable to be 

 waterlogged in a very wet season, and in the past two years a great deal of 

 damage has been caused by flooding. The absence of walls and hedges 

 and the scarcity of fences indicate that stock-raising is of secondary 

 importance. 



Adjoining the Ouse, the banks of which are on the average about 

 8 ft. above soil level, is an exceedingly fertile area of warp known locally 

 as ' Ings Land.' It has been drained by the banking of the Ouse, into 

 which water is pumped during excessive rainfall. An extensive area of 

 warp occurs south of Howden and around Goole. Much of it is ' natural ' 

 warp, so called because it has been laid down without man's intervention, 

 but there is some ' artificial ' warp, particularly south of Staddlethorpe, 

 which has been built up bit by bit through controlling, by means of 

 sluices or lock-gates, the entry and exit of tidal waters charged with 

 silt on to the area to be warped. The land must of course lie below high- 

 water level. A bank is raised round the area selected, which must not 

 be too big for the warping drain, as the speed with which the water is run 

 on and off has an important effect on the texture of the warp. After 

 warping, full crops may often be obtained for ten years and over without 

 the addition of any manure whatsoever. This fact gives some idea of 

 the fertility of virgin warp. 



There is a wide gulf between these rich new soils and some of the poor 

 hungry sands met with in other parts of the Vale, which are naturally 

 deficient in plant food, humus and lime, all of which are abundant in the 

 virgin warp. 



It has been claimed that all kinds of crops are to be found in the area 

 except hops, and that even hops were grown at one time. The neighbour- 

 hood of Selby is noted for its excellent potato land. Maincrop varieties 

 are chiefly grown. Ten tons per acre is quite a common yield. With 



