from March 25, 1838, to March 25, 1846. 43 



by tlie application of great skill and capital be made to produce such 

 a return as will fully justify the expenditure of that capital ; and we 

 further find, that where a farm is thoroughly out of condition it is in 

 vain to look for a speedy return ; but, on the contrary, that many years 

 must elapse, and those probably attended with much care and anxiety, 

 before it can be even hoped for. 



Before I close my remarks, I feel bound in justice to Mr. Robert 

 Jones to state, that it will be difficult, if not impossible, to meet with 

 a farm under better management than the one now under consideration, 

 and I would earnestly invite the attention of all those who are interested 

 in the success of agriculture to it. A journey of a few miles will 

 be well repaid by the opportunity they will have of witnessing a 

 triumph of skill over obstacles of no ordinary nature; and although 

 they may return from the inspection of this farm without any desire 

 to undertake the cultivation of one similar to it, I feel assured they 

 will admit, that if success has been met with in this instance, there 

 is no reason to fear the result where they have a more genial soil to 

 deal with, and where the same means are applied as in the case 

 before us. 



Hop- Ground. 



In the case of the hop-gardens it is not necessary for me to 

 trouble your Lordship with many remarks. I believe that if the 

 hop-grounds in Kent and Sussex were kept distinct from the 

 other part of the farm, as they ought to be, and all manures, 

 hop-poles, &c., were charged to the hop-account, as in this in- 

 stance, the hop- cultivation would not be so much esteemed as it 

 now is. There is, however, considerable benefit derived indi- 

 rectly from the cultivation of hops, and it consists in the great 

 employment it affords to the poor, not only in the hop-gardens 

 themselves, but also in the woods, which are very extensive in 

 the Wealds of Kent and Sussex, and are very valuable from the 

 growth of hop-poles. The following account exhibits a profit, 

 for the eight years, of 1140/., or about 22 per cent, upon the 

 capital employed; certainly not more than ought to be calcu- 

 lated upon, considering that the cultivation of hops must be 

 regarded in the light of a speculation : 



