1922.] Develoi'Ment on a 1,500- Acre Farm. 11 



The soil is of a very unusual character, consisting of from 2 to 

 6 feet of '* shell marl " overlying 7 to 10 feet of peat, heneath 

 wliich He sand and gravel. This layer of shell marl is known 

 locally as " White Land," and forms a soil which is easy to 

 work, though in places too open and spongy. It is also deficient 

 in humus, and some years ago an attempt was made to remedy 

 this defect by the appUcation of large dressings of peat. The 

 experiment was a failure. Not only was no benefit derived from 

 the dressings, but actual harm was done to the soil, which, after 

 the lapse of several years, has not yet fully recovered. 



Wheat, oats, mangolds, potatoes and green vegetables are the 

 crops naturally suited to the soil. The grass land provides an 

 abundance of keep, and, though this is not of the highest quality, 

 it is excellent for milk production. 



Condition of the Estate before 1909. — Before its purchase by 

 Messrs. Chivers the land was in the hands of many owners. 

 There were three farms, of some 300 acres each, two of which 

 were owned and farmed by one individual. In addition, there 

 were two smaller holdings of 155 and 119 acres respectively, the 

 larger of the two having no buildings on it at all. The remainder 

 of the land was cut up into small detached portions which were 

 in the hands of diflFerent owners and were farmed " off-hand." 



For the most part the land was in a very low state of cultiva- 

 tion ; fields were choked with couch and other rubbish, and were 

 poverty-stricken to a degree. Yields were poor and the general 

 level of farming was extremely low. In fact, it was asserted that 

 wheat could not be grown on this soil unless there was a mass of 

 couch and twitch growin^^ with it ! With the exception of the 

 two farms already mentioned as being farmed by the landlord, 

 where a higher state of cultivation prevailed, verv little dung 

 ever reached the land, and the use of artificial manures was 

 almost unkno\\Ti. The principal crops were wheat, oats, and 

 barley, but a few potatoes and mangolds were also grown. 



There were three reasons for the state of affairs which has 

 just been described : lack of labour, lack of transport facilities, 

 and lack of farm buildings. The first of these was due to the 

 shortage of accommodation. On the whole of the estate there 

 were only IB cottages, and there was only one building which 

 conM be reallv described as a " house." The cottages were of 

 wood, one storey hi8:h, and were verv small. Tiabour, other than 

 that resident on the estate, was difficult to procure, and had to 

 be drawn from the villasje of Lakenheath, 3-^- miles distant. 



In 1900 this estate of 1.570 acres gave reonilar employment to 

 29 men only, or not quite 2 men per 100 acres. 



