14G 
Farming  of  Gloucestershire. 
others  of  a tenacious  unmanageable  clay.  From  draining,  a long 
continuance  of  good  farming,  and  the  addition  of  coal-ashes,  soil, 
and  refuse  from  the  neighbouring  towns,  some  lands  in  some 
degree  have  changed  their  nature,  and  are  become  more  friable, 
and  are  easier  managed.  The  naturally  worst  portions  are 
badly  managed  by  reason  of  being  wet,  poor,  and  a very  stiff 
clay.  There  is  not  the  least  doubt,  from  what  we  have  seen 
accomplished  already,  that  the  Vale  farmer  has  a safe  foundation 
to  work  upon  in  attempting  to  improve  the  whole  of  the  lias 
formation.  It  is  naturally  superior  to  the  Oxford  clay  district, 
which  has  in  many  places  been  so  much  improved  by  stifle  burn- 
ing. A portion  of  the  Vale  is  situated  on  the  red  marl  and  new 
red-sand.  Where  they  join  the  lias  the  line  of  division  is  very 
plain  from  the  different  colours  of  the  soil.  The  red-sandstone, 
as  its  name  imports,  is  a red  description  of  land,  and  its  most 
clayey  or  marly  parts  contain  some  sand.  Lime  is  beneficial 
on  this  land  when  not  intermixed  with  the  lias.  There  is  a great 
difference  observed  in  the  structure  of  these  soils.  In  a field  of 
stiff  soil  we  picked  up  a clod  from  one  side  of  the  field  which 
was  lias.  It  was  finely  laminated,  and  continued  to  cleave 
asunder  into  as  many  minute  rectangular  fragments  as  we  chose 
to  break  it  into,  showing  between  every  fragment  a shining 
unctuous  matter  by  which  the  laminae  were  held  together.  The 
clod  from  the  other  side  of  the  field  from  off  the  red  marl  broke 
to  pieces  without  showing  the  least  joint  or  laminated  structure. 
These  I consider  the  characteristics  of  calcareous  and  silicious 
soils.  On  questioning  the  occupier  as  to  the  relative  value  of 
those  soils,  he  thought  the  red  land  the  best  in  quality,  but  the 
most  uncertain  from  its  liability  to  run  and  cake  together  after 
heavy  rains,  saying  that  he  would  rather  have  the  lias,  which, 
from  appearance  was  not  worth  so  much  by  10s.  per  acre. 
The  farming  in  this  division  differs  greatly  in  many  respects 
from  those  of  the  other  portions  of  the  county.  The  soil  is  gene- 
rally of  a tenacious  character,  though  in  many  places  a deposit  of 
diluvial  sand  and  gravel  has  greatly  modified  the  natural  cha- 
racter. 
The  Vale  farmer  becomes  in  some  degree  a manufacturer. 
We  find  him  converting  his  milk  into  butter  and  cheese,  and  in 
possession  of  orchards  of  apple  and  pear-trees,  from  the  produce 
of  which  he  manufactures  cider  and  perry.  The  farms  are  small 
compared  with  those  on  the  hills,  rarely  exceeding  300  acres, 
the  great  majority  scarcely  reaching  150.  The  soil  being 
tenacious,  few  farmers  winter  flocks  of  sheep  except  on  the  dilu- 
vial soils. 
The  exact  proportions  of  grass  and  arable  land  cannot  be 
accurately  stated,  but  I believe  them  to  be  about  equal.  The 
