150 Agriculture 



rapidly in recent years, partly, no doubt, owing to the presence of large 

 fields, and partly also because of the extensive areas of cereals (three-fifths 

 of the arable area) which are grown. Tractors and modern large-scale 

 tractor equipment are now comparatively common. 



(2) The Heavy Clay Soils. This is the least productive and most 

 depressed agricultural district in the County. The soil is heavy and 

 intractable ; much land is in need of re-drainage ; road facihties are in many 

 places inadequate ; derelict and semi-derelict fields are not uncommon.^ In 

 one parish, in 1932, it was found that out of nine holdings over 20 acres in 

 size, five were uncultivated, one was vacated during the year as a result of 

 bankruptcy, and two changed hands within the year owing to the fmancial 

 difficulties of the occupiers. The Wheat Subsidy Act of 1932 gave a new 

 lease of life to farmers in the district. 



A survey carried out during 1933 showed that roughly 60 per cent of 

 the farmed land is arable.^ Working capital in stock, crops, and equipment 

 averages some ^7 to ^9 per acre, gross incomes ^s to ^7, rents 15.?., and 

 employment little more than two workers per 100 acres. The soil is so 

 heavy that opportunities for diversified cropping are limited, and high- 

 value crops such as sugar beet and potatoes can seldom be grown. The 

 barley produced is generally of poor quality. There is a comparatively 

 high proportion of bare fallow, and a considerable amount of cross- 

 cropping. A not uncommon rotation is (i) wheat, (2) seeds with a bastard 

 fallow, (3) wheat, (4) bare fallow. Beans are the chief fallow crop, and a 

 hmited area of field peas is also grown. Red clover is the main "short 

 leyer" crop, and second cuts are frequently taken for seed. Trefoil and 

 sainfoin are also found amongst the leyers. Wheat is the principal cash crop, 

 but where soil conditions permit small areas of fruit, potatoes, and market- 

 garden crops are grovrai. 



Fewer live stock, particularly smaller numbers of pigs and sheep, are 

 produced here than on the chalk soils. The grazing season is relatively 

 short, perhaps owing to poor drainage and management, and the land 

 "poaches" badly in winter. In recent years, some movement has been 

 made towards developing a system of cropping involving long leyers of 

 3-5 years in place of the usual i-year leyer. This lengthening of the rotation 

 into, say, 4 years plough followed by 4 years grass, appears to hold 

 opportunities for improving the organisation of farms in the district. But 

 there is an acute shortage of working capital amongst the farmers, and 

 improvements or adjustments necessitating capital outlay, such as fencing 

 and provision of water, can only be slowly adopted. 



' See pp. 56 and 131 above. 



* Cambridge University Farm Economics Branch, Report 22 (1935). 



