GSG 



DEVONSHIRE. 



D«Ton- 

 jhire. 



Climate. 



State of 



properly. 



Agricul- 



;ure. 



but more commonly it is confined to the country which 

 lies round Biddeford, Barnstaple, South Molton, and 

 the Northern coast. The soil of this district is very 

 fertile, except on the summit of the hills, where it is 

 thin. The surface is greatly diversified, and the scene- 

 ry uncommonly beautiful. 



The climate of Devonshire is remarkable for its mild- 

 ness; the myrtle grows and nourishes even on the 

 shores of the southern coast. On the northern coasts, 

 the weather is sometimes bleak and tempestuous, though 

 even here, about Biddeford and south Molton, the 

 Dutch broad-leaved, double-flowering myrtle, as well 

 as the more delicate, aromatic, and narrow leaved sorts, 

 flourish in the open air, and frequently form part of the 

 garden hedges. In North Devon snow seldom lies for 

 any length of time, except on the summits of the 

 highest hills. About Ilfracombe, vegetation is found to 

 be a fortnight earlier than on the cultivated lands at the 

 foot of Exmoor, From this forest, the north-west 

 winds blow witli great keenness in the spring of the 

 year, and the westerly winds from Dartmoor are like- 

 wise considered very injurious to the vegetation of that 

 part of the county which is exposed to them. The 

 districts of the vale of Exeter and of South Hams are 

 the mildest and the most salubrious in Devonshire, and 

 are supposed to be more so than any other part of Eng- 

 land. The air, too, is much drier than in the other 

 parts of the county, which, on account of its position 

 between two seas, is, in general, too much inclined to 

 moisture. 



The landed property in this county is very much di- 

 vided ; a large proportion of it being in the possession 

 of respectable yeomanry. The sees of Exeter, York, 

 and Salisbury, the dean and chapter of Windsor, the 

 Universities, and the duchy of Cornwall, likewise pos- 

 sess considerable estates. Land is mostly held by life 

 tenures, the estates being leased out for three lives, no- 

 minated by the purchaser. In some parts, however, 

 particularly in the district of South Hams, this kind of 

 tenure is falling into disuse, and leases for 14 years are 

 becoming prevalent. The size of farms varies consider- 

 ably ; but there are very few that exceed 300 acres. 

 The larger farms are provincially termed Bartons. 



In .the vale of Exeter, wheat, barley, beans, and 

 pease, are principally cultivated on the arable lands ; 

 the pasture lands are appropriated to the dairy, except 

 in a few places, where the breeding of sheep and cattle 

 is attended to. In the district of South Hams, the pro- 

 ductions of the arable land are the same as those in the 

 vale of Exeter, with the addition of turnips and pota- 

 toes. The upper grounds of this district are principal- 

 ly arable ; there is, however, some pasture. The low- 

 er grounds are almost entirely cultivated' as meadows. 

 In the district of West Devonshire, the greater part of 

 the inclosed lands are employed in the convertible hus- 

 bandry. The system of artificially watering land has 

 been practised here for a great length of time, but on 

 a defective and objectionable plan. Devonshiring, or 

 Denshiring, as it is nmre generally called, i. e. paring 

 and burning, seems to have originated in this district. 

 In the district of North Devon, wheat and oats are 

 mostly cultivated. Great quantities of cyder are made 

 in the district of South Hams, as well as in that of the 

 Yale of Exeter : the red streak apple is generally pre- 

 ferred for this purpose. Sweet cyder is principally 

 made in the neighbourhood of Haverton ; the sweet 

 taste is given to it by its being often racked, which 

 checks the fermentation. The moisture of the climate 

 of Devonshire is supposed to render its cyder more 



harsh and sour than that of Herefordshire. There is 

 little peculiar in the Devonshire method of gathering 

 fruit for making cyder, except in the circumstance of 

 its being gathered either wet or dry. The Hereford- 

 shire press is generally preferred. The fermentation is 

 permitted to go on till the liquor remains quiet, and a 

 candle will burn clear in the bung hole. It is fined 

 by isinglass. A pound being dissolved in about five 

 gallons of cyder, a quart of this liquor is sufficient for 

 a hogshead of cyder. Devonshire is famous for its 

 clouted or clotted cream. This is made by placing the 

 milk upon a broad iron plate, where it remains exposed 

 to a gentle fire, till the whole of the cream is supposed 

 to have risen to the surface. It is sold by the pound. 

 Much butter is made from clouted cream ; but the but- 

 ter factors at Honiton will not buy butter made in this 

 manner. The southern boundary of the district of Cattle. 

 North Devon is justly celebrated for its breed of cattle ; 

 they are of the middle horned kind, but vary consider- 

 ably both in size and form. Their permanent colour is 

 a bright blood red. They are rather below the pro- 

 per size for working cattle, but they possess great ex- 

 ertion and agility ; they are not particularly good for 

 the dairy. The cattle in West Devon are much inferi- 

 or to those in North Devon ; the latter, Mr Marshall 

 supposes to be sprung from the native breed of the 

 island. They are almost universally through the coun- 

 ty used for agricultural labour. The Exmoor sheep 

 are found in many parts of Devonshire ; they are of the 

 horned middle woolled class, though some are found 

 polled or without horns. The Dorsetshire sheep are 

 common in the Vale of Exeter. The native breed of 

 horses resembles the Welsh and Highland breeds, and 

 are very hardy and serviceable. 



The principal rivers in this county, are the Taw, the Ri v er! - 

 Torridge, the Tamar, the Plym, the Yealme, the Arme, 

 the Avon, the Dart, the Teign, the Ex, the Otter, and 

 the Axe. The Taw rises in Dartmoor, and flows in a 

 northerly direction till it reaches near Chumleigh, when 

 it bends to the west ; and receiving the waters of the 

 Moule, it passes Barnstaple, and unites with the Tor- 

 ridge at Appledore. The Torridge rises in a high 

 moor, on the northern part of Cornwall, not far from 

 the Tamar; its windings are very numerous till it 

 reaches the vicinity of Biddeford, where it becomes 

 navigable for boats, and becomes a very rapid river ; 

 soon afterwards being joined by the Taw, it proceeds 

 in a north-westerly direction, and falls into the Bristol 

 Channel at Barnstaple Bay. The Dart, supposed to 

 be so called from the rapidity of its current, rises in 

 Dartmoor, and flowing rapidly southwards, passes Tot- 

 ness, after which it spreads into the arm that forms 

 Dartmouth Haven. The origin of the Tamar is near 

 that of the Torridge, not far from the Bristol Channel. 

 It flows southward in a gently winding course, and 

 becomes an arm of the sea at Plymouth Sound. The 

 scenery on the banks of this river, from Plymouth to 

 the Weir, about 22 miles, is uncommonly fine. The 

 Teign rises in Dartmoor. It is composed of two branch- 

 es, and its course is generally easterly. The country 

 through which it passes is full of rocks till it reaches 

 Bovey Tracey, after which it runs over flat, marshy 

 ground, and falls into the sea at Teignmouth. The Ex, 

 the Isca of Ptolemy, (evidently the same appellation as 

 the Esks, rivers in Scotland, and derived from the 

 Gaelic words which signifies water, and which is still 

 retained in the term whisky,) rises in Exmoor in So- 

 mersetshire. Leaving this county at Dulverton, it pro- 

 ceeds by Tiverton to Exeter, widening, after it passe? 



