422 



Agriculture of Northumberland. 



The result of this experiment is extraordinary from the weight 

 as well as the size of some of the tubers produced from these 

 seedling plants : the course of disease seems to have affected the 

 produce from untainted stock precisely in the same manner as 

 the field crops: for here the early sorts were entirely sound; but, 

 from the appearance of those I am now digging, the late sorts are 

 considerably affected. In the case of the seedlings planted con- 

 tiguous to each other, about one-half were more or less affected, 

 whilst the remainder wholly escaped infection : and it will be well 

 worth while hereafter, should the disease continue, to mark 

 whether the untainted seedlings show as a crop the same capa- 

 bility of withstanding the disease. 



W. Miles. 



Leigh Court, llth Oct. 1847. 



XVIII. — On the Agriculture of Northumberland. 

 By Thomas L. Colbeck. 



Prize Report. 



Situation and Climate. — Owing to the situation which this 

 county occupies between the German Ocean, and the hills of 

 Scotland and Cumberland, the weather is subject to great and 

 sudden changes, causing difficulties and hindrances to the farmer, 

 unknown in the southern and midland counties of England. 



Descjnjjtion of Surface. — The west part of the county consists 

 of bold hills, ranging from 800 to nearly 2000 feet in height, and 

 affords excellent pasturage to the hardy sheep of the district. 

 Although this part is mostly unenclosed and unimproved by at- 

 tention of any kind, great numbers of sheep are yearly brought 

 from it into the other parts of the county for fattening. 



Description of Soil. — Adjoining these hills, and especially if the 

 subsoil be porous, there are some superior grazing farms. Gene- 

 rally speaking, the centre and south-east of the county consist of a 

 poor, wet, heavy soil, producing, comparatively, inferior crops of 

 corn, unless within the reach of manure. The grassland of this 

 district is employed in rearing short-horned cattle. At some 

 points along the coast a very superior wheat soil is found ; but at 

 present by far the most valuable land to the farmer is the turnip 

 district on the banks of the Tweed, Aln, Coquet, and Tyne. 



Size and Tenure of Estates. — In this county there are estates 

 of every value between the smallest lairdship and the princely 

 domains of the Duke of Northumberland, Earl Grey, and others; 

 and, with few exceptions, the tenure is freehold. 



Tenure of Farms. — Although the advantages of long leases are 



