338 M I D D L 
markets, is eftimated at nearly 3000 acres, or about one- 
fourth of the whole lands fo employed in the neighbour¬ 
hood of the metropolis. About a tenth part of thefe gar¬ 
dens is entirely prepared by the l'pade ; and the remainder 
partly by the ipade, and partly by the plough. The 
average produce of thefe gardens, which are kept in a 
ftate of high fertility by an abundant fupply of manure, 
is fuppofed to amount to 200I. per acre annually, the 
profit upon which may be about 120I. Willows for the 
ule of the balket-makers are much cultivated in the 
illands and on the banks of the Thames, particularly in 
the vicinity of Brentford, Twickenham, and Sunbury. 
Hie profits arifing from this l'pecies of cultivation are 
laid to be immenfe ; but they are carefully concealed from 
public lerutiny. 
The arable lands in Middlefex are chiefly fpread out in 
Common fields, not above one-fourth of the whole being 
incloled. This department of hulbandry is much lels 
underftood than thofe divilions of it already noticed. 
Ploughing is, for the moll part, conducted upon an in¬ 
jurious and expenfive plan. The ploughs, as well as the 
carts, are much too clumfy, requiring an unnecelfary 
number of cattle to drag them. Fallowing is feldom 
pra&ifed, becaule the farmers regard the introduction of 
green crops, at certain intervals in the rotation of crop9, 
as rendering this mode of recruiting the ground altoge¬ 
ther unnecelfary; audit mull be confelfed, the idea de¬ 
rives fome confirmation from experience ; for in the parilh 
of Helton, where the bell wheat in the county is grown, 
that practice is wholly excluded. The corn chiefly railed 
here is wheat and barley, rye and oats being cultivated 
only in very fmall quantities. The whole extent of land 
cropped with wheat in Middlefex is about 10,000 acres, 
■and new’ grain recently threflied is moltly preferred for 
feed. About 4000 acres are laid down in barley; 3000 
acres are appropriated to beans; and nearly the fame 
amount to peafe. The remainder of the arable lands is 
occupied by a variety of other green crops, as turnips. 
Cabbages, white and red clover, ray-grafs, (ufually cut 
green,) and tares for the food of cattle; together with 
turnips, potatoes, carrots, pari'nips, &c. for the ule of 
man. Liquorice and hops are likewife among the l'ale- 
able commodities cultivated in a few fields in the vicinity 
of London. 
The number of live flock kept in this county is fmaller, 
even in proportion to its extent, than in any other in 
England, with the exception of the cows appropriated 
for the fupply of London with milk. Thefe cows, which 
are of a large fize, are commonly diftinguilhed by the 
appellation of the Holdernefs breed, from a diltriCt of that 
name in Yorklhire; but they have long fince ceafed to 
be confined to that particular kind. The total number 
kept in Middlefex, for the purpofe above-mentioned, is 
ftated by Mr. Foot, in his Agricultural Report, at 7200. 
The mode of treating thefe cattle is as follows: During 
the night they are confined to their flails, and about three 
o’clock in the morning each is provided with half a bulhel 
of grains. From four to half pall fix they are milked by 
the retail dealers; and, as loon as that operation is finilhed, 
each cow receives a bulhel of turnips, and not long af¬ 
terwards a fmall portion of loft meadow-laay. Thefe fe- 
veral feedings are commonly finilhed by eight o’clock in 
the morning, when the cattle are turned into the cow- 
yard. At twelve, they are again confined to their flails, 
and are l’erved with the lame quantity of grains which 
they had in the morning. The milking recommences 
about half pall one, after which follows again the turnips 
and hay. This mode of feeding continues from the 
month of September to May. During the other months 
they are fed with grains, cabbages, tares, and fecond-cut 
gral's, except when the weather is peculiarly fine, and then 
they are turned out to graze; but even in this cafe they 
ftill receive a portion of grains. One bull is the ufual 
proportion to a flock of thirty cows. The net profit of 
the opw-keeper, upon every cow, is eftimated at 61 . an-. 
E S E X. 
nually. Calves are generally difpofed of at one, two, or 
three, days old. Many, however, are likewife fuckled for 
eight or ten weeks, when they become fat, and are thought 
to furnifli the bell veal. 
The number of horfes kept in this county amounts to 
between thirty and forty thoufand, but very few’ of them 
are bred in it. Such as are employed in agricultural ope¬ 
rations, as well as thofe ufed by the brewers, diflillers, 
and carmen, of London, are moltly bred in Leicefterfliire 
and the adjoining counties. The coach and faddle horfes 
are principally brought from Yorklhire. No horfes can 
furpafs the draught-horfes of the brewers, coal-mafters, 
&c. in ftrength and figure. Hogs are kept in confiderable 
numbers, but chiefly by the malt-diflillers, for whom they 
are purchafed lean at a large market held on Finchley- 
Common, to which there are vaft numbers brought from 
Shropfhire and other diflant counties. The fattened hogs 
are bought for the hog-butcheries about London - r and 
the bacon cured here is reckoned very little inferior to 
that of Wiltfhire and Yorkfhire. A great fupply of poul¬ 
try is reared in Middlefex, chiefly, however, for liome- 
confumption. Many pigeons and rabbits are alfo bred, 
particularly in the neighbourhood of London, by the poor 
people and journeymen tradefmen. The only regular 
warren in the county is that on Uxbridge Common ; fo 
that a great proportion of the rabbits fold by the poulter¬ 
ers in London are of the houfe-breed. 
The canals which interl'eCl Middlefex are the Grand 
Junction Canal, and the Paddington Canal. The former, 
linking oft'from the Thames at Old Brentford, pafles the 
grounds at Sion Hill and Ollerley ; and, running through 
a rich corn-diltriCt near Hanwell, Norwood, Harlington, 
Well Drayton, Cowley, Uxbridge, and Harefield, leaves’ 
this county near Rickmanfworth. This canal, which is 
navigable for veftels of fixty or feventy tons burthen, has 
fourteen locks to Harefield Moor, where the level is 114 
feet two inches above that of the river Thames. From 
its numerous cuts, lide-branches, and collateral ftreams, 
it is, beyond doubt, the meft important inland navigation 
in the kingdom, as it affords a direCt water-communica¬ 
tion to all the various manufacturing towms of Warwick- 
lhire, Staffordlhire, I.ancafhire, Derbyfhire, and feveral 
other counties. The general breadth of this canal is 
thirty feet, but at the bridges it is contracted to fifteen. 
The Paddington Canal branches off from it near Cran¬ 
ford, and is continued on a level from thence to the dock 
at Paddington, the lides of which are occupied with yards 
and warehoufes, for the reception and l'ecurity of mer¬ 
chandise. The advantages derived to the metropolis and 
the country at large from this canal, are likewile various 
and important. A third canal, called the Regent’s Canal, 
flretching from the Thames, well of London, to join that 
river near Limehoufe, has been lately projected, and rs 
now’ carrying into execution. 
Though there are no ftreams of any confequence which 
take their rile in this county, feveral confiderable ones 
water it in different directions. Of thele the moll im¬ 
portant, not only in Middlelex, but in England, is the 
Thames, which lerves as the boundary between this 
county and Surrey, as already mentioned. The other 
principal rivers of Middlefex are the Colne, the Brent, 
and the Lea; all of which difcliarge their waters into the 
Thames. The Lea, which joins it at Bow Creek, is navi¬ 
gable as high as Ware and Hertford. All of thefe waters 
are covered at different points with mills, and other ma¬ 
chinery, employed in the various departments of manu¬ 
factures and the arts. Belides thefe ftreams there are ie- 
veral others, which, though of trivial lize, have fome 
claims to attention. Fleet Brook, which is now eacloled 
from the view in its pafl'age through London, was for¬ 
merly navigable for barges. It takes its rile among the 
high grounds at Hampltead Heath and Caen Wood, from 
whence it proceeds by Kentilh Town, Pancras, Bagmgge 
Wells, Mount Pieafant, and Saffron-mil, crofting Chick. • 
lane, and running under Fleet-market and Bridge-ftreet, 
2 vvhsie 
