266 ^ On the Fariniiuj of Huntingdon. 
Catwoith, and Old Weston, is a great deal of poor grass land. At 
Bvtliorne and Kcyston, on the west, some superior farming pre- 
vails, and the land improves in quality with but little variation 
till it reac hes the valley of the Nene, on the confines of the covmty. 
About Kimbolton and Wornditch is some very tenacious land. 
Kimbolton Castle, the seat of the Duke of Manchester, stands on 
the gravel of Ouse valley, which here runs in a south-westerly- 
direction for about a mile and a half, having a width of a 
quarter of a mile, and being entirely surrounded by the Oxford 
clays. His Grace has upwards of 500 acres in hand, which he 
farms in a spirited manner. A good flock of Southdown 
sheep is kept, and steam -cultivation is extensively practised. 
From Kimbolton, taking a north-easterly direction, we pass 
through some poor grass land in the parishes of Long Stow and 
Easton to Ellington, where the soil improves in quality and 
productiveness; then, taking a north-westerly direction through 
Woolley, Barham, Leighton, Bromswold, and Buckworth, some 
fields of poor grass land are again met with. The whole of the 
arable land is here well cultivated. Both at Leighton and Buck- 
worth sheep may be seen eating off kohl-rabi on the arable land ; 
the mangolds are stored in heaps on the land where they grow, 
the heaps by their size and number giving proof of a fair crop. 
In both parishes there is a considerable extent of well-managed 
grass land of superior quality. On the south at Yelling is some 
inferior land ; but on the confines of the county, at Wood 
Hurst and Warboys on the east, good farming prevails ; indeed 
it may be said, without fear of contradiction, that, as managers 
of strong land, the farmers of Huntingdonshire will bear favour- 
able comparison with any in the United Kingdom. 
The great stain on the farming of the county is the large extent 
of poor, undrained, unproductive grass land, which yet remains 
unimproved. As an instance amongst many of what may be 
effected, an extensive agent and valuer told the writer that a few 
years ago he valued a parish in this county, where a small pro- 
prietor had some time previously purchased 120 acres of banky 
grass land for 20/. per acre ; of this land he thoroughly drained 
and broke up 60 acres, and the first three crops made 40/. per 
acre, or twice the fee simple of the land : the remaining 60 
acres were allowed to continue in their natural state and were used 
as a sheepwalk, and these the valuer put at 145. per acre, while 
he valued the other portion at 245. 
The improved state of the strong lands of this county has prin- 
cipally been brought about by drainage ; indeed, on many farms 
the produce has been doubled within a period of twenty years. 
The spirit of improvement is now abroad, and doubtless ere long 
a considerable increase will be gained. Indeed there is now little 
