178 
Farming of Wiltshire. 
quart per day in the winter. It is not usually given in South 
Wilts except at harvest-time. Women's wages are from 7d. to 
lOrf. per clay. 
Poor Rates. — From the best information I have been able to 
collect from the different Unions in the county the average amount 
of poor-rate is ds. 2d. in the pound upon the rateable value, 
which includes county and police rates. 
Improvements and Alterations since 1811. — When the report of 
Mr. Davis was published, it appears that a very considerable 
portion of the land was in common field husbandry, both in the 
southern and northern divisions of the county, and many large 
tracts of grass-lands in the northern division were in open com- 
mons. Most of these commons are now inclosed ; some are con- 
verted into arable land, and some still remain in pasture, and the 
common field husbandry, or '■' tenantry, " as it is called, is abo- 
lished, with the exception of five or six parishes. Since that took 
place, improvements have been continually making in the agri- 
culture of this county. At that time nearly one course of crop- 
ping was pursued on all descriptions of soils, whether they were 
calculated to grow such crops or not. Root-crops were but par- 
tially cultivated, the great dependence for sheep-food being on 
the produce of the downs, artificial grasses, and water-meadows. 
Corn-crops, clover, and fallow formed the usual rotation : now 
a regular succession of green food is provided in addition to those 
most useful appendages to the sheep-farm ; consequently the 
number of sheep is greatly increased, by some it is calculated 
that it is nearly doubled, and although there is still the " pride of 
keeping fine sheep," as Mr. Davis expresses it, that object is not 
obtained by reducing the number, but by producing an increase 
of food. The land is in a much higher state of cultivation than at 
that time, and produces much better crops of corn, both in quan- 
tity and quality. Various rotations are now adopted on the dif- 
ferent soils, mostly tending to a large growth of green crops, as it 
is found to be the most ])rofitable method of manuring the land. 
A naked fallow is now only known by nann; exce])t on the very 
stiffest soils. The introduction of bones and other artificial ma- 
nures has wrought a great change in the agriculture of this 
county (as well as in all others), more particularly on the lightest 
soils, which were formerly considered too poor to be cultivated. 
Their use has greatly contributed to bring the agriculture of this 
county (especially of the southern division) into that superior 
state which has excited the surprise even of some of those patterns 
of good farnimg, the farmers of the Lf)thians, who have visited 
this ])art of the kn)gdom, and the commendation of all wlio are 
capable of judging on the matter ; for the fanners of South Wilts, 
taken as a body, are excellent farmers, but those of North Wilts 
