Arable Districts. 
291 
to average 4 quarters; on the cold wet clays and on the Chiltem 
Hills 3 quarters per acre would be a fair crop. The average yield 
of wheat in the county in the last Report was stated to be nearly 
25 bushels ; barley 37^, and oats about 33 bushels per acre. The 
produce of beans was calculated at 3 quarters. Wheat hoeing is 
not very common. It costs by hand from 2s. 6d. to 45. per acre, 
but when Avheat is widely dibbled or drilled, it can be horse-hoed 
well for much less than Is., as a man, boy, and one horse can do 
8 acres in the day. 
Winter beans are now extensively planted wherever legumin- 
ous crops are grown. When beans are sown in the spring they 
are frequently mixed with peas, and vetches too are often grown 
in conjunction with beans. The Cotswold peas and white-eyed 
beans produce the finest crops of pulse ; the proportion of the 
seeds being 1 bushel of peas to 3 of beans. When mixed with 
vetches it is common to sow 2^ or 3 bushels of winter beans and 
1 peck of vetches to the acre ; the produce of such a mixture 
this good year has been 4 quarters of beans and 1 quarter of 
vetches. Not many peas are grown alone, but Marlow is cele- 
brated for the production of green peas for the London market. 
The pea principally planted is the Early Warwick, which is 
first sown in November, and sold to the hawkers in the summer 
from 8/. to 12/. per acre. These men send the green peas to 
town, and agree to clear the field in a given time in order that 
the land may be sown with turnips. The quick gravels which 
here border the Thames are remarkably early in the spring, but 
as it is only the first crop of peas that is very profitable, a great 
extent is not grown. Such is the rapidity of vegetation on this 
soil that peas, turnips, and wheat, are sometimes planted on the 
same ground in the course of twelve months. Beans on stiff 
retentive soils are still hand-dibbled across the ridges, but on the 
flat lands they are drilled at wide intervals and well horse-hoed. 
Winter beans are the most certain croppers, but do not perhaps 
yield so much as the spring sorts. The bean crop frequently 
varies from 2 to 5 quarters, and the medium quantity of 3^ 
quarters will perhaps represent the average yield of the county. 
In the only two instances where flax was lately grown there 
was the usual difficulty in finding a market for the straw. This 
appears remarkable, especially now dressed flax commands such 
a high price in our markets. Cabbages, carrots, and potatoes 
are grown only in small patches, and the cultivation of the latter 
root is even proscribed by some agreements. Towards the south 
are some kitchen-gardens and large cherry-orchards. The water 
from the chalk hills being impregnated with carbonate of lime is 
well adapted for the growth of water-cresses, large beds of which 
are cultivated for Coven t-Garden market. 
