Farming  of  Gloucestershire.  1 29 
wards  keeping  them  cropped,  promises  soon  to  be  almost  a 
general  practice. 
This  district  is  remarkable  for  the  excellence  of  the  water- 
meadows  everywhere  formed  in  the  valleys  of  the  Churn,  the 
Coin,  the  Windrush,  the  Leach,  and  the  Isis.  The  waters  of  those 
rivulets  issue  from  the  highly  calcareous  rocks  of  the  Cotswolds, 
and  in  their  way  to  the  Thames  advantage  is  taken  of  watering 
the  meadows  in  the  vales  in  almost  every  imaginable  way.  The 
water-meadows  of  South  Cerney  have  long  been  known,  and  are 
even  said  to  have  been  the  first  formed  in  England.  This  subject 
is  of  the  greatest  importance  to  the  agriculturist ; and  were  many 
a fanner  of  the  North  of  England  to  reside  here  one  year,  he 
would  return  fully  sensible  of  the  great  loss  he  has  been  annually 
suffering  from  the  want  of  knowledge  to  supply  the  principles  of 
watering  to  his  practice.  It  would  be  trespassing,  or  I could 
point  out  many  spots  in  Yorkshire  where  it  would  be  easy  to  water 
hundreds  of  acres,  and  thus  permanently  more  than  double  the 
value  of  such  land,  and  by  doing  so  enable  the  farmer  with  safety 
to  drain  and  break  up  some  of  his  unprofitable  and  rushy  pastures. 
This  subject  is  of  such  importance,  and  so  little  understood  and 
practised  in  many  parts  of  England,  where  it  might  be  rendered 
subservient  to  very  great  improvements,  that  I have  introduced 
the  plan  of  a water-meadow,  and  described  the  method  of  watering 
and  working  it,  which  will  be  found  in  a subsequent  part  of  this 
report. 
A portion  of  the  vale  of  the  Isis,  embracing  the  parishes  of 
ICempsford,  Down  Ampney,  and  parts  of  Leclilade  and  South 
Cerney,  possesses  a soil  of  opposite  characters.  The  Thames 
meadows,  which  are  occasionally  under  water  by  the  overflowing 
of  the  river,  a little  upland  pasture,  and  a small  portion  of 
arable,  are  on  the  Oxford  clay.  From  the  meadows  is  cut  as 
good  feeding-hay  as  any  country  will  produce;  but  the  crop  is 
not  heavy,  averaging  rather  under  than  over  a ton  per  acre.  The 
hay  is  liable  to  be  lost  from  summer  floods.  The  upland  grass 
produces  good  butter  and  cheese,  but  the  arable  is  very  heavy 
working  land,  scarcely  paying  for  ordinary  cultivation.  The 
draining  which  is  now  being  done  will  tend  to  lessen  the  expenses 
and  increase  the  produce;  it  will  also  be  rendered  safer  for  sheep 
whilst  feeding  off  clover,  & c.  in  wet  summers,  which  is  the  practice 
as  a preparation  for  corn.  The  farmer  who  occupies  lighter 
lands  endeavours  to  keep  his  stock  off  the  heavy  tenacious  soils  in 
winter.  It  is  customary  to  give  the  very  tenacious  soils  a whole 
summer  fallow  once  in  seven  years,  and  sometimes  oftener. 
The  usual  course  is  green  crops,  pulse,  and  corn  alternately. 
The  following  system,  amongst  others,  is  adopted  : — 
vol.  xr. 
K 
