250 Agricultural Capabilities of the New Forest. 
we may consider that the district of the Forest exceeds the 
average by about two inches ; for on comparing a register kept 
by myself at Eling, I find the rainfall for the last eleven years 
amounts to 211-57 inches; whilst another kept by Mr. A. Hogg, 
land steward to E. A. Drummond, Esq., records dui ing the same 
course of years an average of 31 '84. Cadlands lies about ten 
miles south of Eling, and therefore so much nearer the Channel. 
In the absence of other records, we must assume the mean of 
the two, 30-7, to represent the average of the district, and this 
will be seen to exceed the general average of the kingdom by 
about 4 inches. 
This fall of upwards of 30 inches represents a weight of 
3000 tons annually per acre, or about 2,000,000 of tons per square 
mile ; and assuming that the Forest contains 100 square miles, we 
have a gross fall of 200,000,000 of tons per annum, of which we 
may consider 57"G per cent, is evaporated, but leaving 84,000,000 
tons to be filtrated and pass annually to the sea. It is reasonable 
to expect that this large amount of water, conveyed as it is by 
some ten or twelve different streams, seven or eight of which 
discharge directly into the sea, can be dealt with so as to insure 
some benefit from irrigation, and an abundant supply for ponds 
wherever they may be required. The following is the annual 
rainfall at Eling and at Cadland for the last 11 years, as noticed 
above : — 
Eling. 
Cadlands. 
i8no .. .. 
.. .. 34-43 .. 
.. 38-30 
1861 .. .. 
.. .. 26-13 .. 
.. 23-29 
1862 .. .. 
.. .. 27-99 
.. 3088 
1863 ,. .. 
.. 30-46 .. 
.. 27-38 
1864 .. .. 
.. .. 22-88 .. 
.. 23-32 
1865 .. .. 
.. .. 34-79 .. 
.. 38-62 
1866 .. .. 
.. ,. 33-92 .. 
.. 41-96 
1867 .. .. 
.. .. 29-57 .. 
.. 30-18 
1868 .. .. 
.. .. 35-63 .. 
.. 3805 
1869 .. .. 
.. .. 27-91 .. 
.. 32-82 
1870 .. .. 
.. .. 21-60 .. 
.. 25-50 
.. .. 29-57 ., 
. ., 31-84 
There are few mills and little mill-power within the ranges 
of the Forest, the fall of the streams being for the most part 
gentle ; there is, however, no reason why the water in many 
situations could not be rendered available for irrigating the con- 
tiguous land. 
In some elaborate experiments carried on by Mr. Dickinson, 
of King's Langl(!y, some years ago, and communicated by Mr. 
Parkes in his excellent paper in the fifth volume of this Journal, 
we find that of an average rainfall of eight years, amounting to 
nearly 27 inches, 42-4 per cent, filtrated through the soil, and 
