AGRICULTURE OF THE FYLDE 51 



and Accrington, and of Bolton, Bury and Rochdale lie respectively on the 

 northern and southern slopes of the Rossendale Fells, and these larger towns 

 are linked up by an almost continuous chain of smaller industrial towns and 

 villages. The soil in this area is poor, and the cultivated land is practically 

 all under grass. The type of farming is determined by the proximity of the 

 large industrial population. The farms are small and almost invariably 

 devoted to milk production. 



Although Lancashire farmers have had a very difficult time during the past 

 few years, it may be said that on the whole they have been less affected by the 

 recent depression than those in other parts of the country. Signs of the general 

 neglect of the arts of good husbandry, so apparent in many parts of England, 

 are not obvious in this county ; there are few derelict farms, and on the whole 

 the standard of cultivation has been well maintained. Farms have been good 

 to let, and changes in tenancy have not been exceptionally numerous. There 

 has been no reduction in the number of stock kept, or any general movement 

 to reduce costs at the expense of production. On the contrary, so far as 

 available capital would allow, the tendency has been to meet by more intensive 

 production the situation created by falling prices. 



The Fylde. 



The plain which in the south-west provides scope for intensive arable 

 farming is continued north of the Ribble estuary as far as Morecambe Bay 

 but the character of the soil changes, and a different type of farming is followed. 

 This area, hounded on the east by the Preston-Lancaster line, and on the west 

 by the Irish Sea, with the towns of Blackpool and Fleetwood on its coast line, 

 is known as the Fylde, and it is proposed to deal in greater detail with the 

 agricultural features of this region. 



The climate is mild and open, with an evenly distributed rainfall. At the 

 County Council Farm, Hutton, where the climatic conditions approximate to 

 those obtaining in the Fylde, the average rainfall for the past 10 years has been 

 37.6 inches. Crops very rarely suffer from drought. 



The soil, derived mainly from boulder clay overlying Keuper sandstones and 

 mark, is generally a deep, fertile clay loam, but there are considerable areas of 

 sandy loam, of peaty soil known locally as " moss " land, and a belt of light, 

 sandy soil round the coast. On the sandy loam and moss soils, arable and 

 market garden crops are grown, but on the deep loam covering most of the 

 Fylde mixed farming is the rule, with 60-80 per cent, of the land under grass. 

 Both the soil and climate are favourable to the development of good grassland. 



Lancashire is chiefly a county of small farms worked mainly by the farmer's 

 own family. In the Fylde, however, the farms generally are larger than in 

 other parts of the county. There are a few farms of 250 to 500 acres, but the 

 typical Fylde farm is between 50 and 100 acres. Rents are comparatively high. 

 On the larger farms they usually range between 40s. and 50s. per acre, and on 

 the smaller farms up to 60s. per acre. The minimum rate of wages for adult 

 stockmen is 40s. per week of 60 hours, but most farmers pay rather more 

 than this. 



