38 
Report on the Farm Prize Competition 
railway allotments), of and exceeding ^ of an acre in extent, 
attached to cottages held by labourers and working men, at an 
average rent of 51. 3s. 7d., including the cottage. Of these 
allotments, 985 were held by a weekly tenure, 469 monthly, 
1,332 quarterly or half yearly, 1,212 yearly, and 55 under other 
conditions. Allotments for labourers are moi'e numerous in the 
south than in the north of the county, which is not an arable 
district, and not many labourers are required. Many of these 
cottagers keep pigs and poultry, and, in the northern part of the 
county, cows also. Labourers who live in the villages surround- 
ing the park at Chatsworth are allowed to pasture their cows in 
the park during summer for 21 weeks, from May till October, at 
a charge of 31. per cow, and the privilege is much appreciated. 
Some cottagers thus keep one cow, others two, others three or 
four. These cow-owners, as a rule, make butter, or combine 
and send the milk to Manchester or other towns in the North. 
In some cases a co-operative ari-angement of butter-making is 
adopted, several cow-owners combining and taking it in turn to 
make the butter from the milk of all — each of them, however, 
being allowed to retain milk sufficient for the family wants. 
Owing to the number of tourists and visitors, there is always a 
ready market for good butter in the immediate neighbourhood. 
Geology and Soil. — In " The Peak," as the northern part of 
the county is designated, there is not much cultivation. The 
district consists largely of wild heath and mountain land, partly 
on the limestone, partly on the millstone grit formation. On 
the Duke of Devonshire's estate only about one-tenth, and on 
the Duke of Rutland's one-twelfth, is arable ; the remainder 
consists of pastoral ranges, with a great extent of moor and 
forest. Grass-land in the valleys is rich, and the stock generally 
is very good and suitable to the land ; but higher up the hill- 
sides the land becomes poor, and is bleak and bare on the 
mountain-summits. In the southern parts of the county soil 
and agricultural practice differ widely from those in the north. 
Heavy clay soils alternate with others of a light and gravelly 
character, chiefly on the red marl formation. In the north-east 
of the county is a small area of magnesian limestone, which 
extends from the county boundary some miles westward till it 
meets the coal series. The soil of this district is of medium 
quality ; some of it being fairly good turnip and barley 
land. 
The coal-measures, commencing a short distance north-east 
of Derby, extend along the east side of the county, and beyond 
it into Nottingham and Yorkshire. With this part of the 
county we are specially conceded at present. The surface-soil 
