452 



Farming of Herefordshire. 



table use, the finest fruit and the largest returns will be made 

 both in the relative and actual value of individual specimens of 

 fruit grown on trees planted on a rich deep soil ; it may, how- 

 ever, be doubted whether fruit so grown is the best calculated 

 for making the finer kinds of cider ; a free and open, but not 

 over rich, sandy loam appears the best calculated for the latter 

 purpose. In this, as well as many other respects, the pear has 

 many advantages over the apple tree, being not only of a hardier 

 character, but also from its capability of being cultivated suc- 

 cessfully on a greater variety of soils, where, for the purposes of 

 making perry, the juice is little if at all inferior to that produced 

 from the same species on friable loams. The pear is more pro- 

 ductive than the apple, and will flourish on a greater variety of 

 soils, even to those of an inferior quality, on which apples would 

 yield a juice little superior to that of the crab. As an orna- 

 mental tree, the pear is also deserving of attention. The pear- 

 tree lives much longer than the apple, and will scarcely fail on 

 any soil where it may be planted, provided it is not incommoded 

 with water. 



The Suitableness or otherwise of the Farm Buildings to Im- 

 proved Husbandry. — Owing to the general size of farms in Here- 

 fordshire being above the average, the system of cotting sheep 

 that existed at an early period, and the necessary shelter required 

 for carrying on the manufacture of cider, the farm-houses in 

 Herefordshire are not so deficient in out-buildings as those 

 situate in many other districts in England. Whilst attention 

 was paid principally to pastoral husbandry, the deficiency of 

 shelter for young stock has been compensated in a great measure 

 hitherto by employing the orchard that accompanied the farm- 

 stead as a fold-yard ; that a considerable amount of warmth and 

 shelter was thus secured, without any large permanent outlay, 

 is certainly true, but a great waste of valuable manure was con- 

 sequent on this plan, which, added to the inadequate shelter 

 afforded, as compared with that yielded by properly-constructed 

 out-buildings and fold-yards, renders further buildings necessary. 

 It ought not also to be forgotten that the modern system of hus- 

 bandry implies the growth of heavy root, and other green crops, 

 as winter provender and forage, which, if not soiled on the fields 

 where they are grown, have to be brought to the homestead for 

 consumption; the labour connected with this would be further 

 enhanced where it requires to be distributed on a place encum- 

 bered with trees ; under such circumstances the economical con- 

 sumption of the crops noticed, by the aid of turnip and chaff- 

 cutters, is rendered almost impossible. Besides, it is now Avell 

 ascertained that the most profitable mode of bringing young or 

 store stock to market is, never to allow them to " stock," or be 



