Agriculture of Berkshire. 
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as chalking', which is generally done at a cost of 406'. to 42.s-. per 
acre, by sinking a shaft through the clay and drawing the chalk 
up by means of a wheel and basket, to be s]nead on the ground 
at the rate of 16 or 18 bushels to the pole, early in the autumn, 
before the frosts set in, which pulverise it and make it mix 
readily with the soil. About two years after land has been 
treated thus, it }>loughs one horse lighter than it did before. 
Where this clay prevails, the enclosures for the most part are 
small, and bounded by trees ; Avhere either no sand is mixed 
with the clay, or where it is too deeply deposited on the clay, the 
soil is very poor and sterile. 
The deep sand is shown on a strip of land commencing at 
Wickliam Heath, in the parish of Welford, and running nearly 
to Newbury, and more or less so on some of the commons lying 
in the line between Newbury and Basildon : this description of 
soil is of little value for agricultural purposes, but grows good 
fir-trees where they have been planted, and a considerable quan- 
tity of heath and birch, which is used for making brooms. As 
we approach the old ploughed lands on the downs, the soil is 
composed of a thin hazel mould on rubbly chalk, and where the 
hills are very abrupt the chalk rises completely to the surface ; 
but in the newly broken-up down-land there is a covering of 
black sandy vegetable mould, full of fibres, with an admixture 
in some places of flints. The latter is the most unproductive, 
but Avith continual ploughing, and bringing to the surface the 
rubbly chalk from below, the mould, modified by this admix- 
ture, gradually assumes the hazel colour of the older cultivated 
lands. 
The large boulder or Sarsden stones, lying on the surface of 
the downs in many places, but more particularly at Ashdown 
Park, near Lambourne, are sandstones, the remains of stratifica- 
tion that is not to be seen, and are identical with the Grey 
Wethers of Wiltshire, constituting the Druidical temples at 
Stonehenge, A bury, &c. 
This division, in addition to its fertile valleys, can boast of the 
best class of strong lands which, with good farming, will yield in 
favourable seasons most splendid crops. As a necessary conse- 
quence the variety of soil causes great variety in the value. The 
arable land lets at from I85. to 45s. per acre, including tithes, as 
under : — 
s. s. 
Valley of the Thames, from 35 to 45 per acre. 
Talley of the Kennet, from 30 „ 35 „ 
Other valleys, from 28 „ 35 „ 
Strong loamy table-lands, from 25 „ 38 „ 
Strong wet lands in Lambourne Avoodlands, from 18 „ 27 „ 
Light chalk hills, from 18 „ 25 „ 
Downs, from 7 „ 12 „ 
