A HISTORY OF BEDFORDSHIRE 



although some snipe and duck are to be found 

 up the valley of the River Ouse. 



A considerable portion of the shooting in the 

 county is in the hands of farmers, who do not 

 make the most of the game ; on such lands 

 vermin is unmolested, and poachers are seldom 

 interfered with. This is much to the disadvan- 

 tage of the game preserver, as the poaching in- 

 dustry is thus kept alive, and all kinds of vermin 

 increase and multiply. 



The Bedfordshire Game Protection Associa- 

 tion was formed in 1904, and has continued to 

 do good work ever since. Th'e distribution of 

 posters before the nesting season offering rewards 

 for information leading to convictions for egg- 

 stealing has undoubtedly had a good effect ; and 

 although none of the receivers of stolen eggs in 

 the county have been actually caught red-handed, 

 their transactions have been made more difficult, 

 and in some cases stopped altogether. 



There is no doubt that the partridge shooting 

 all over the county is still capable of great im- 



provement. In the early days of driving the 

 birds were not well driven, nor were those that 

 did come over the guns as a rule well shot, but 

 both the driving and shooting have vastly im- 

 proved with practice. The consequence is that 

 it is not possible to shoot over the ground as 

 often as it used to be and still leave sufficient 

 breeding stock. Want of breeding stock is what 

 many estates are now suffering from. Sainfoin 

 is a very favourite crop among farmers on the 

 heavy land, and when cut, as it generally is, about 

 the time when partridges are hatching, has the 

 lives of many young birds to answer for. A 

 partial cure for this is to be found by starting 

 the mowing machine in the centre of the field 

 and cutting outwards, instead of from the outside 

 inwards. On the heavy land comparatively few 

 turnips or mangolds are grown, and it is there- 

 fore as easy to drive birds in December as it is 

 in October. This gives us the advantage of 

 having partridge driving in Bedfordshire after it 

 is finished in most other counties. 



GOLF 



Having regard to the relatively small area of 

 the county and the absence of large towns with 

 a dense industrial population, the growth of golf 

 in Bedfordshire has been fairly rapid both in 

 respect of the number of clubs that have been 

 instituted, and in the distribution of the game 

 over the county. The land is in all respects 

 suitable for the pastime, and the picturesque 

 diversity of scenery arising out of the varied 

 windings of the Ouse and the Ivel, the principal 

 rivers, certainly imparts to the recreation on the 

 links a more than ordinary feeling of buoyant 

 exhilaration. ' The nature of the soil corresponds 

 to a large extent with that to be found in the 

 neighbouring counties of Northamptonshire, 

 Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire, Buckingham- 

 shire, and Hertfordshire. Its nature has been 

 described as being generally of deep clay, with a 

 girdle of sand about and athwart the body of it. 

 Such a mixture of sand, gravel, and clay is, 

 therefore, admirably suited for the formation of 

 golf links ; and when one takes into account the 

 undulations caused in the landscape by the trend 

 of the chalk hills across the county from Hert- 

 ford to Buckinghamshire, including the range of 

 the Luton and Dunstable Downs, the golfer 

 finds provided for him all the natural character- 

 istics which conduce to the fullest enjoyment of 

 the game. 



The Bedford Golf Club, which was instituted 

 in 1 891, largely through the initiative of 

 Mr. Guy Pym and others, has a roll of 300 

 members. The courseof eighteen holes, extend- 

 ing to 5,345 yds., was laid out by Tom Dunn. 

 The longest hole on the course measures 425 



yds., and the shortest 115 yds., and the links 

 are distant about one mile from the Midland and 

 a mile and a half from the London and North 

 Western Railway stations. The course is laid 

 out over pasture land with a clay soil, and the 

 hazards, which are mostly artificial, consist of a 

 road, ditches, a pond, and fences. Though 

 play is possible all the year round, the best 

 months are undoubtedly September, March, and 

 April. The Bogey score for the round is 76, 

 and the amateur record of the course, made in a 

 competition, is held oy Mr. Bernard Darwin 

 with a score of 75 in April 1894, while the pro- 

 fessional record is held conjointly by R. Jacobs 

 and J. Bradbeer, each with 69, compiled in 

 1907. The principal club prizes are the Holm- 

 sted Cup, the Hartley Cup, and the Calcutta 

 Cup. The ladies' club, which is a branch of 

 the men's club, competes in the courses of the 

 year for the Nash Cup, the Trethenry Cup, and 

 the Calcutta Cup presented by Dr. Robinson. 

 The club-house is situated at Biddenham, on the 

 Bromham road. The ladies play over the same 

 course as the men. There is also a Bedfordshire 

 County Ladies* Golf Club, which was instituted 

 in 1904. 



About 1 89 1 the South Bedfordshire Golf 

 Club was instituted mainly through the exertions 

 of Messrs. W. Austin, R, N. Christie, J. C. 

 Kershaw, W. Randall, F. Simpson, G.Fyson, and 

 A. J. Giles. The course of eighteen holes is 

 situated on the Warden Hill, 3 miles north of 

 Luton, and 1 7 miles south of Bedford ; it 

 was laid out by the local committee, and is 

 about 2| miles in length, the holes varying in 

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