372 Glimpses oj Farming in the Channel Islands. 
directed me in others, sold a farm of about twenty-tliree acres 
this year at 2631. an acre. He lias since bought a small farm of 
six acres, with a good house and premises upon it, at 180^. a 
vergee (2^ vergees to the acre), or 405^. an acre. In this case 
the residence counts for a good deal ; but Mr. Le Gros estimated 
that the land alone would hav'e realised 140L a vergee, or 815^. 
an acre. The farm is about a mile and a half from St. Heliers, 
and it contains a little terraced land well suited for the growth 
of early potatoes. 
To take another instance. Mr. Philip Lefeuvre, of St. Owens, 
informed me that he had recently bought 4^ vergees of land for 
500^., or at the rate of about 2o0l. an acre. This is in the west 
of the island, where the soil is less rich than it is in the east or 
in the vicinity of St. Heliers. The price, however, was con- 
sidered exceptionally high for the district. Again, Mr. Gaunt, 
of St. Saviour's, in the east of the island, told me of a farm of 
39 vergees sold the other day in his district for 3,550Z., or at 
about 206/. an acre. For his own estate of 106 vergees, bought 
many years ago, he paid 801. a vergee, or 180/. an acre ; and he 
assured me that he could since have made a profit of 2,000/. if 
he had been disposed to get rid of his land. He has recently 
let half of his land at 10/. 12s. 6d. an acre, but could have had 
over 11/. if he had chosen to invite competition. Such an 
extreme rent as 15/., I may explain, is obtained for very favour- 
ably situated spots not far from St. Heliers, and for small pieces 
of very good ground ; slopes of land facing the south or south- 
east, known as cotils,^ upon which potatoes can be produced 
very early, are the most valuable spots in the island when the 
soil is good. 
It will be noticed that interest at a little over 4 per cent., 
on even such high prices for the fee-simple of land as are 
given above, would not come to as much as the highest of the 
rents on land let to tenants. Perhaps this can partly be 
explained by the existence of burdens upon ovvTiers that tenants 
escape ; but apart from that consideration, there is, no doubt, 
a much greater competition for the hiring of land than for its 
purchase. There would be nothing surprising in such a state 
of things under ordinary circumstances ; but in Jersey there are 
special circumstances to be considered. Numbers of French 
' As to this word " cotil," which one constantly hears in Jersey, I have in 
vain endeavoured to trace its derivation. Coteau is the only modern French 
word that corresponds with the Jersey cotil in meaninf^ — the slope of a hill. 
Cute (hill) is, no doubt, the root-word. Colonel Le Cornu informs me tliat it 
is doubtless an old Norman word, the literal meaning of which is hill-^ide 
gi ound. It is found in old deeds of conveyance. 
