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XII. — Agriculture of Hertfordshire. By H. EvERSHED. 
Prize Essay. 
HERTFORDSHIRE enjoys the climate of an inland southern county. 
Its soil is generally uf fair quality, and capable of being- made 
productive by liberal farming. It is rich in woods and timber, 
which, if not conducive to improved farming, are by their luxu- 
riance evidences of good hind, and must be reckoned among 
those local attractions which have caused an unusual number of 
country seats to be scattered over the county. 
The soil, which, except when the chalk comes to the surface, 
is clay, or a mixture of clay, loam and gravel, oftener heavy than 
light, is usually well provided with natural drainage by -the 
numerous streams, by inequalities in the surface, and by the 
chalk substratum which underlies nearly all the county at various 
depths. 
The proximity of London has for generations given a stimulus 
to some branches of its farming ; and of late years fresh encourage- 
ment has been derived from railways and the increased require- 
ments of the metropolis. The population in 1851 was 17o,9G2, 
in 1861, 177,452. The area is 428,143 acres. 
We are obliged to Mr. H. Thurnall, of Royston, for the follow- 
ing statistics on the climate : — 
BiaUFALL at Eoystos, in Hkuts, during the Years 1860, 1861, 18G2, 
and 18(>o. 
Year. 
Jan. 
Feb. 
Mar. 
Apr. 
May. 
June. 
July. 
AU, 
Sept. 
Oct. 
Xov. 
Dec. 
Total. 
Remarks. 
in. 
in. 
in. 
in. 
in. 
in. 
in. 
in. 
in. 
in. 
in. 
in. 
in. 
1SGU 
2-591 
1-130 
2-176 
1-379 
3-413 
4-45 r . 
1-419 
3-847 
3-031 
1-211 
2-431 
2-476 
29-55G 
Above average. 
1361 
1-299 
2-0,7 
1-912 
0-82G 
0-9G9 
1-90L 
3-291 
0-630 
1-032 
1-0S3 
3-424 
1-36219-814 
Bilow do. 
1852 
1-709 
0-409 
3-056 
1-383 
2-992 
1-999 
1-183 
3-03J 
2-009 
2 69!) 
1-411 
1-523 
33-323 
About do. 
1353 
2-792 
0-522 
0-6G3 
0-i9o 
0-953 
2-479 
0-530 
2-191 
1-930 
1-696 
2-390 
1-066 17*86i 
Below do. 
(dry year). 
The average yearly rainfall for Royston is about 24 or 25 
inches. 
Although Royston is remarkable for the number of days on 
which rain falls, it nevertheless constitutes one of the driest parts 
of the county, as the following Tables (taken from Mr. G. J. 
Symons's well-known yearly accounts of British Rainfall) will 
show : — 
VOL. XXV. X 
