JOURNAL 
ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY 
OF ENGLAND. 
I. — On the Farming of Essex. By Robert Baker, of Writtle. 
Prize Report. 
Essex is exceedingly well situated as an agricultural county, not 
only from its neighbourhood to the metropolis, but also as being, 
upon nearly one half of its whole boundary, surrounded by the 
German Ocean and the River Thames, whence the inland navi- 
gation is materially advanced by the Stour, Colne, Blackwater, 
Crouch, and other livers, intersecting or bounding it, and by an 
extension of the Blackwater, by the Chelmer inland navigation to 
Chelmsford ; by the Colne to Colchester, as well as by the Stour 
(dividing Essex from Suffolk) ; by the Crouch to Battles Bridge, 
and by various canals from the Thames to Stratford and its 
vicinity. 
Perhaps no other county has such excellent roads, not only turn- 
pike, but even parish highways, which are almost equal to the 
turnpike roads in other counties. 
The soil in Essex varies so greatly, that as much difference of 
system is required in its culture as between counties remotely 
situated. The principal substratum is chalk passing beneath 
nearly the whole extent of the county, and cropping out at Saffron 
Walden northward, and at Grays Thurrock, upon the Thames, 
southward, at which latter place are extensive lime works. Upon 
the chalk rests the London clay, a strong tenacious soil lying from 
100 to 300 feet in thickness, also cropping out about three miles 
south-east of Chelmsford, and extendmg towards the south ; upon 
which, diluvium consisting of beds of tenacious clay, loam, gravel, 
sand, and various other strata rest, either in beds uninterrupted 
for considerable space, or in every variety of admixture in the 
VOL. v. B 
