404 



Farming of Surrey. 



in the parishes of Cobham and Stoke Dabernon, and with a 

 small outlay of capital might be applied extensively. The 

 superiority of the water of this river, in comparison to that of 

 the Wey, is a circumstance noticed by Stephenson, and by the 

 earliest writers on the subject, and is accounted for by the 

 different earths which they accumulate in their respective courses. 

 The former of these rivers, after traversing the Weald, washes 

 the chalk in its passage from Dorking to Leatherhead, and 

 becomes impregnated with the fertilizing substances which are 

 peculiar to that formation : while the latter IIoavs almost entirely 

 through a sand district, and only touches the chalk at Guild- 

 ford, where the ridge is narrow ; and in consequence the water 

 of the Wey is not only inferior in its fertilizing properties to 

 that of the Mole, but in some instances is positively injurious 

 from the quantity of sand which follows its current. 



In consequence of the convenience of carriage great varieties 

 of manures are procured from London and elsewhere ; those 

 chiefly used are guano, bone-dust, superphosphate, malt-dust, 

 ashes, salt, and soot — they are principally applied for green crops. 

 Chalk is also extensively used, and is brought from Basingstoke, 

 in Hants, being delivered at the stations of the South- Western 

 Railway for about 45. a ton. It is carted upon the fallows and 

 on the fields in which turnips have been folded, the usual dressing 

 is 10 tons an acre. Threshing machines are more common than 

 in any other part of the county, and are to be found upon almost 

 every farm. Portable machines are hired by those occupiers 

 who do not possess one themselves — they are nearly all worked 

 by horse power. It is the custom to sow much earlier than 

 formerly, the land is kept far cleaner, green crops are more 

 frequently grown, and every crop of corn is horse-hoed. Upon 

 the sands and gravel, too frequent ploughing is injurious, as it 

 exposes the land to the burning influence of the sun; scarifying 

 is therefore substituted, on the sowing of the barley stubble with 

 green crops, and when it is otherwise practicable. The imple- 

 ments, and more especially the plough, are much improved, 

 and on the clay lands three horses at length are used for plough- 

 ing, where formerly there were never less than four. Great 

 improvement could be made in the farm buildings, which have 

 been constructed in former years on the detached and inconve- 

 nient system, so that the liquid manure finds its way into the 

 ditches instead of into a tank. It is by no means a matter of 

 regret that the removal of many of the buildings must before 

 very long become necessary, when it is to be hoped they will be 

 erected in central positions, and upon an improved plan. 



A characteristic of this part of Surrey, although it can hardly 

 be called an agricultural topic, is the number of market gardens. 



