The Nineteenth Century 125 



Large flocks of sheep were fattened witli corn and cake for the London 

 markets; indeed, Mr Jonas Webb of Babraham was "one of the first and 

 most justly celebrated breeders ot Southdown sheep in existence". Large 

 numbers of cattle were also to be seen. "Comparing the present system 

 with the former," wrote Jonas, "it is astonisliing to mark the increased 

 wealth our present improved system brings to the state; not only thus 

 largely increasing the national wealth, but also giving full employment for 

 our labourers." 

 Jonas divided Cambridgeshire into four districts : 



(i) "The southern and central part of the county, extending from 

 Ickleton to the north side of Newmarket, is light land, consisting of chalk, 

 sands, tender loams, and gravels." On these "thin-skinned, poor, light, 

 himgry lands", where turnips formed part of the rotation, the application 

 of bones and guano had done much; at Duxford and Whitdesford were 

 "two very extensive and most excellent bone-miUs". 



(2) The eastern side of the county, adjoining parts of the counties of 

 Essex and Suffolk, up to Cheveley, near Newmarket, was heavy clay land 

 of various qualities, "all well hoUow-drained, and generally speaking well 

 farmed". 



(3) Tliirdly, came "the Fen district, an accumulation of vegetable 

 deposit resting on the fen-clay". The improvements in this district due to 

 draining and claying the land were "truly wonderful. Drainage condenses 

 the land, and claying consohdates it".^ 



(4) Lastly, "the western side of the county, adjoining Bedfordshire, 

 Hertfordshire, and Huntingdonshire, consists of a tough tenacious clay of 

 little value on the hiUs,^ but the flats are good, strong, deep, staple lands". 

 This area was not as well managed as the eastern clayland, "particularly 

 as relates to draining". 



But although, generally speaking, "improvements and high farming" 

 were bringing prosperity to the Comity, Jonas had to confess that "there 

 yet remamed some districts that were badly cultivated". He seems to have 

 had the western clays particularly in mind. 



The picture that James Caird gave of the County in 1850-51 is quite 

 another impression: 



In any district of England in which we have yet been, we have not heard the 

 farmers speak in a tone of greater discouragement than here. Their wheat crop, 

 last year, was of inferior quality, the price unusually low, and to add to this, their 

 Hve stock and crop are continually exposed to the match of the prowling incendiary.^ 



' For the importance of claying the fen peat, see p. 121 above. 



' See p. 27 above. 



3 J. Caird, English Agriculture in 1850-51 (1852), pp. 477 et seq. 



