Comparative Agriculture of Eufjland and Wales. 2G9 
The percentages mentioned in the followIn<i: pages are 
calculated on the Returns for 1869. This year alone has been 
chosen, in preference to taking the mean of the four, 186G-G9, as 
many of tlie Returns for the earlier years were erroneous in im- 
portant particulars. Thus, waste land seems often to have been 
given as fallow in early Returns, and probably is so still in many 
cases. Again, " Down land," such as that of the Sussex Chalk 
hills, being unenclosed, was not returned. In the later Returns 
it is included in Permanent Pasture. The Returns for 1809 
were more numerous than in former years. For these and other 
reasons, the year 1869 has been taken alone. 
Whilst the variations in absolute acreage are often consider- 
able in the same county in different years, the percentages differ 
but slightly. In the Returns, the only case in whicli percentages 
arc calculated is in one column headed the " Percentages of 
Corn-crops to total Acreage under all kinds of Crops, Bare 
Fallow, and Grass." Here it is evident that the difference be- 
tween 1868 and 1869 is small. In only ten counties does it 
amount to more than 1 per cent., whilst in only one (Suffolk) 
does the difference amount to 2 per cent. 
The Returns for 1869 were required for "Holdings of and 
above one-quarter of an acre ;" therefore the area unaccounted 
for includes all holdings smaller than this. Remembering that 
many families grow a large portion of their vegetables in their 
own small gardens, it will be seen that a considerable aggregate 
of potatoes, cabbages, peas, &c., is not accounted for. It is 
unlikely that such blanks have any material effect in modifying 
the ■percentages of entire counties, still less in altering the rela- 
tions which the counties have to each other. This area also 
includes orchards, fruit-gardens, woods, towns, houses, gardens, 
railways, roads, and all hill-pastures and uncultivated land. 
Probably, also, for the most part, hedgerows are included, the 
area occupied by which is very considerable in all counties, and 
enormous in some. 
In trying to classify the English counties according to their 
leading physical features, we find that the western part of the 
country contains the largest portion of high land, and that this 
higher western land is occupied by the older geological formations. 
A map of rainfall and temperature shows that the greatest fall is 
over the western high lands ; and, speaking generally, over other 
districts the fall is in proportion to the height of the ground. 
Summer temperature is of great importance ; this rs highest 
and ' Grazing' counties, according to the percentage of cultivated land under corn 
or grass. The result nearly agrees with the classification proposed by Mr. Caird 
in 1851. I find that this division of England had already been roughly shown in 
a map appended to Becquerel's ' Physique et Me'te'orologie,' 1847. 
