m 



Farming of Northamptonshire. 



©f some other counties. I cannot tell of " blowing sands " being 

 converted into fine arable farms, and brought into a state to call 

 forth alike the envy and the admiration of the country. We 

 have no large tracts of fen-lands made, by drainage and cultiva- 

 tion, the most productive and profitable soils ; nor can I record 

 that " wolds and bogs," by the skill of the cultivator, have lost 

 their former wanton appearance, and have become sound convert- 

 ible land. But I have some few matters of marked and visible 

 improvements to state, and although these may not be so nume- 

 rous or so satisfactory as one might desire, still I hope to be 

 able to show that the labour of nearly half a century has not heen 

 thrown entirely away. 



Probably the greatest improvement has taken place on the 

 li^at turnip soils. Mr. Pitt writes of some of them in his report 

 SIS follows : — 



"Northampton, towards Boughton, land enclosed and light; turnips and 

 rye g^rown ; furze preserved ; on stronger land cabbages grown, several acres. 

 At Kingsthorpe and Moulton observed this day several fields of potatoes and 

 rye turninsf colour for ripening." — p. 304. 



" Harleston Heath is enclosed, but only partly cultivated." — p. 306. 



" Rye is pretty much cultivated here, particularly in the vicinity of North- 

 ampton, and upon light land." — p. 93. 



" On the red soils of Glendon Mr. Coleman's course on the best land is — 

 I. Oats; 2. Wheat; 3, Turnips; 4. Barley, with seeds, and three years at 

 grass. On weaker land — 1. Oats ; 2. Pease; 3. Turnips; 4, Barley, with 

 seeds, and at grass three years. No wheat grown on this soil," — p. 78. 



Roth well, common field, and neighbourhood is a light turnip- soil, and 

 turnips are grown upon it on an extensive scale. Upon all these light tracts 

 ©f land a considerable quantity of rye is also produced." — p. 9. 



The reader will perceive from the above extracts that they 

 apply very generally to a greater part of the light red land dis- 

 tricts, and at the time the report was written those were consi- 

 dered unfit for the growth of wheat, and consequently of less 

 yalue ; and in all the old valuations of land for parochial assess- 

 ments the heavy wheat and bean land was invariably assessed at 

 %s. to 85. per acre higher than the light soils. Previous to the 

 inclosure these parts of the open fields were generally much neg- 

 lected, suffered to remain as sheep-walks, or were covered with 

 heath and furze bushes ; and in the several apportionments of 

 land to the different proprietors at the time of the inclosure the 

 light red land of the field was reckoned of the least value. I 

 recollect having been informed by the late Mr. Warren, farmer of 

 Earl's Barton, who occupied a farm in the parish of Irtlilingbo- 

 jongh, and frequently rode over the open field of Finedon, that 

 the two farms now in the occupation of Mr. William Johnson 

 and Mr. Bayes were then overrun with furze, and a very small 

 portion ploughed. These are now two of the best cultivated 

 larms in the parish, having convenient lodge-homesteads ; and, 



