Farming of Nortliamptonshirc. 



97 



arisen in some minds a degree of prejudice against what may be 

 called " draining-works " on large estates. One uniform system, 

 both with regard to the distance apart and depth of the drains, 

 has been followed, apparently without any regard to the nature 

 of the soil and subsoil ; consequently, some portions of the estate 

 so drained have been greatly improved, while on the other parts, 

 if it has not been an entire failure, it has not succeeded in effect- 

 ing the end desired. It is very evident that the depth of each 

 drain should be regulated by the nature of the subsoil ; and that 

 the distance from one drain to another should be arranged with a 

 view to effect the complete drainage of the interval between each 

 drain, the design of draining being to assist the stiff soils, by 

 artificial means, in obtaining that necessary and permanent dryness 

 so suitably presented to us on the dry and turnip soils of this 

 county ; and the nearer we make the mechanical condition of the 

 clay soils approach this standard the more perfect will be our state 

 of cultivation. 



Draining with pipe-tiles being a very modern invention, there 

 has not been at present sufficient time elapsed to form an opinion 

 of its durability. Whenever the work has been well executed it 

 has answered very successfully for the speedy conveyance of the 

 water from the soil, and has proved that much labour and ex- 

 pense have been thrown away in the shallow drainage of that 

 land which requires a deeper system in order to effect a complete 

 drainage of the land. 



The greatest proportion of undrained land in the county con- 

 sists of inferior pasture land, with some portions of thin neglected 

 arable land, lying wide for occupation, often by the side of woods, 

 and liable to be injured by game, the strict preservation of which 

 in some parts of the northern division of the county has operated 

 to the injury of the crops, and has been a great barrier to the pro- 

 per cultivation of the soil. In all those districts where I found 

 the tenantry complaining of game I also saw a state of inferior 

 cultivation, and an indifference to the growth of root crops. Sa 

 long as land proprietors are strict game-preservers they must pay 

 the penalty in a neglected estate, and an inferior class of tenantry ; 

 very few men will farm loith energy and spirit ivhen their crops arc 

 overrun loith game, and overhung with timber trees. 



On the Improvements made in the County since the Report of 

 Mr. William Pitt, in the year 1806. 



Donaldson, who preceded Mr. Pitt, in 1794, does not give 

 a very favourable view of this county ; nor does Mr. Pitt's report, 

 which seems to have been very candid, present a much higher 

 standard of cultivation. In making a comparison between its pre- 

 sent and past state I shall not have the advantage of the reporters 



VOL. XII r. H 



