ah* S. l\. Hill Etbrarg Nortij (£araltna &iatp This book was presented by ^icultural Economics SPECIAL COLLECTIONS S455 M268 " 1 This book must not be taken from the Library building. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from NCSU Libraries http://www.archive.org/details/ruraleconomyofso01mars hater. J (Tuirfwm IcLrrtuid&am I vi sio>" _/i lt.tr", rrd Mvtfuzm 3/i7// x cSnen I'ak.r ^^ 'Timbridpe \Brenchh? 7 * * i itflhurjt '- Oanbrook 23 r ■ • /./ Maiyiitf K ofTilANF.T RanbStfotc j Z>^/7/ 7 .7 1 anshftm D I spfr T - ( antei;hur\ ■ ' r^San dm ich of C425TTERBUKY / Barluxm K °EUham ___rQlkftene Ihtl ■ ° ' LiddX THE Diirtod 51 EASTERN DISTRICTS OF THE SOUTHERN COI'XTIES. * low. C. Xiccl.faU Mail I: J Dtbrrt . PiccadUb. tkt rate Pa^e of Vol. I. c=^ C- t>t/-e^e^i < & THE RURAL ECONOMY Henry : . OF THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES ; COMPRIZING KENT, SURREY, SUSSEX; THE ISLE OF WIGHT! the CHALK HILLS of WILTSHIRE, HAMPSHIRE, Sec: AND INCLUDING THE CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT OF HOPS, IN THE DISTRICTS of MAIDSTONE; CANTERBURY, and FARNHAM. By Mr. MARSHALL. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. LONDON: PRINTED FOR G. NICOL, BOOKSELLER TO HIS MAJESTY, PALL MALLJ G. G. AND J. ROB1N30N, PATERNOSTER-ROW ; AND J. DEBRITT, PICCADILLY. 1798. ANALYTIC TABLE OF CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME. THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES OF ENGLAND. Their Boundaries sketched, i. Divided into Districts, 2. a 2 D H. HILL LIBRARY IT CONTENT?. THE DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE The Means of Information stated, 3. Its Situation and Boundaries, 4. The Outline irregular, 5. Its Extent, about 100 square Miles. Its Elevation, with respect to the Sea. with respect to the adjacent Country, 6. The Surface extremely varied, 7. The Climature behind its Latitude. Instance of a mild Autumn. Its River is the Medway, 8. The Soils are singularly various. The Varieties detailed. The Subsoils equally various, 9. General Remark on the Soils and Substrata. Fossil Productions, 10. Many old Stone Quarries. The nearest Stone Country to London. Ancient London probably built, with Siones from hence. The present Quarries described, 1 1. Corkstone described, and analyzed, 12. Part of Westminster Abbey built with this Stone, f*. Sugar Bakers burn it for Lime. A Note on Stone and Chalk Limes. Common Rag described, and analyzed, 14. Hassock described, and analyzed, 16. Contains scedlike Granules. Experiments with these Granules, 17. Its Use in Agriculture, 18. Fullers Earth, a Fossil of this District. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. Townships below the middle Size, 19. Villages broken into " Streets." Inhabitants and their Habitations, 19. Employments of Working People. Roads well attended to, 20. Cross Roads and Guide Posts numerous. Hedges of Lanes, and Foot Paths, pruned. Remarks on this Practice. Inland Navigation 21. Remarks on River Navigations. State of Inclosure. Present Productions enumerated, 22. Appearance of the Country. The Interior Scenery, 23. An extraordinary Panorama View. THE RURAL ECONOMY OF THIS DISTRICT. Division the First. ESTATES and their MANAGEMENT, Prefatory Remarks, 25. I. Estates. Well diversified in Size, 26. Good Effects of the Law of Gavelkind. II. Tenanting Estates, 27. Prevailing Tenancy, annual. Rent, twenty to fifty Shillings, 28. Mostly subject to Tithe. Times of receiving, Michaelmas and Ladyday, n CONTENTS. Covenants not obtained, 28. No Restrictions, wit 1 respect to Hops, 2nd why. Repairs of Birl lings, 29. Fences repaired and rused by Tenants. Removals made, at Michaelnu III. Farm Buildings, 30. The Plan of old Date. The Materials mostly WV Very little Stone used, a. I why, 31. Farm Yards without Plan, 32. Barns low and wide. Perhaps the primeval Form. Barn Floors of Wood end Earth. On forming Pedestals for Posts, 33. IV. Field Fences, 34. -tlv Coppice Borders. Formerly many Stone Walls. Now straight, tall, thin Hedges. Method of raising new Hedges, 35. 0!d Hodges pruned on the Sides, 36. The Gate of Kent, in a good Form, 37. V. Hedgerow Trees. Much Oak Timber, in the old Hedgerows. Pollards under Extirpation. No Trees now planted, except Poplars, 38. Division the Second. WOODLANDS and PLANTING. I. Woodlands, 39. Of considerable Extent. Conjectures on their Origin. I resent increasing. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. Vll Mostly timbered Coppices, 40. General Economy of Coppice Woods. Species of Coppice Woods, 41. Note on the Hornbeam. Management of Coppice Grounds. Exemplary, in Kent. Fill up old Woods. Dig and socburn Interspaces ! 42. The Chesnut common in old Woods ? N. The Cord or Stack of Middle Kent, N. Woodlands mostly in Hand. II. Planting, 43. Coppice Plantations described. The Sites of these Plantations. Species of Plants, 44. Remarks on the Chesnut, as a Coppice Wood. Method of Planting Coppices, 45. Training the Plantations, 46. Management of Grown Coppices, 47. Suggestion on Plowing the Intervals, N. Note on frost-nipped Shoots, 48. Coppices thinned, and pruned ! Age of felling, and Produce. Remark on propagating Coppices, 49. The District of Maidstone a fit School, for Cop- pice Planters, 50. Division the Third. AGRICULTURE. I. Farms, 51. The Size most elegible. Mrs. Bouverie's Farm described, 52. vni CONTENT"!. II. Farm Occupiers, 53. Various, in this District. Good Effect of the Law of Gavelkind instanced, in the Family of Fowle, 54. III. Workpeople, 55. Time of changing Servants inconvenient. No public Hirings, in the Southern Counties. Wages ot Servants. Their want of Activity, 56. IV. Beasts of Labor, 56. Horses of the heavy Kind. Sluggish, in themselves, and the Cause of Slug- gishness, in Servants. Plow Team of four Horses, 57. Road Team the same. With two Men Attendants. Altogether an extravagant Practice. V. Implements, 58. The Waggon of Kent is large, and well fur- nished. The Timber Carriage is converted into a Har- vest Waggon. Dung Carts of a full Size, 59. The Plow of an extraordinary Form. Attempted to be described. Its probable Origin, 60. Its Merits and Demerits. The Broadshare or Subplow, 62. Its Construction anrl great Merit. The Stricking Plow described, 63. The Nidget, or Horsehoe, of Kent. The probable Archetype of the Tormentor, 64. The Frame Harrow. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. IX The Digging Prong, or " Spud," 64. General Remarks, on a Public Reposi- tory of Implements, 65. VI. Plan of Management of Farms, 67. Objects of Husbandry. Marketable Produce, 68. Consumptional Crops. Course of Practice, 69. Not regular or fixed. Remarks on this Subject, 70. VII. Soils and their Management, 71. The Species enumerated. Note on a peculiar Species of Soil Stone, 72. The Management is superior. Underdraining attended to. Tillage well performed, 73. Dements of the Turnwrest Plow and four Horses, in Fallow Ground, shown. Further Remarks on a Public Esta- blishment, and on using a Variety of Plows, 76. Broadsharing a valuable Practice, 78. Remarks on Subplowing. Raftering is in good Esteem, 80. Rolling is much used. The Fallow of Kent is chiefly #the Autumnal. This Fallow described. The Summer Fallow less frequent, 82. Remarks on the Quantity of Tillage and Ventilation required, by Soils of dif- ferent Descriptions. VIII. Manures and Management, 85. Species of Manures in Use. Dung, 86. That from Oil Cake, in Esteem. That of Swine not valued ! 87. Application of Dung, 87, X CONTENTS. Compost. Muc imperially for Hops. Me.'. c making, improper. Lime, S8. Lu : iron Chalk. A. Hoxiey Chalk, N. That buri.t with Wood is most esteemed. Refl.crion on this Opinion. Method of Burning, 89. Application. Method of applying. Most judicious. Remark and Hints thereon, 90. IX. Semination, 91. Methods of Sowing Corn. All covered with the Harrow. Method of putting in Pulse, 92. All cultivated in Rows. X. Growing Crops, 93. Roll soon after Sowing. Note on the Natural History of the Sodworm Remark on indiscriminate Practices, 94.. The Effects of the Sodworm described. Remark? '* of the ScH, 95. A Mean of Extirpation proposed. Corn Crops, sometimes partially hoed. Pulse Crops, universally, horsehoed, 96. A Sparrow Trap described. XI. Harvest Management, 97. Many Varieties of Practice, here. Reaping and " Bagging,'" 98. Instance of reaping Oars into Swath. On setting up Shocks, North-and-Scuth. Won- en employed in Reapi: 3. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. XI Gleaning not allowed before Carrying, 99. Mowing Corn with high " Beevers," 100. Remarks on this Operation, and the Advan- tages ofaPuBLic Seminary. Drying mown Corn, 102. Binding Swaths with Rope Yarn, 103. Forming Piles of Sheaves. Remarks on Harvesting in Bundles, 105. Raking Stubbles. A Horse Rake described. A Drag Rak; particularly noticed, 106. Loading Corn, 107. Remark on Minutial Practices. Kentish Method described, 108. XIL Farm Yard Management, 109. Thrashing and Winnowing. Straw consumed, in Yards, no. Vermin. A Method of destroying Rats de- scribed, in. Remarks on extirpating them, by Covnty Rates, 113. A V.; . m 1 n Trap, on a most ingenious Prin- ciple, described. XIII. Markets, 114. Maidstone and Tunbridge. Monthly Markets, for fat Stock, 115. Remark on their Utility. XIV. Wheat, 116. The Quantity grown. The Species cultivated. Names of Varieries vague. Might be obviated. Successions in Use, 117. Soils appropriated to Wheat. Xll CONTENTS. Tillage, for this crop. Mostly the Autumnal Fallow. Operatic :i of " Stri king," 118. Plow gainst - . tor the Seed, 119* Manures, in Use, for Wheat. Semination. Rbmakki <>n C h an ci no the Seed, 1 20. The Growing Crop, 120. Instance of cutting Mildewed Wheat, while green. Harvest Management, 121. All set up in nuked Shucks. Wheat Stubbles mown, Produce. Instances of very great Cr^ps. General .Average, not very high, 122. Markets, 122. All sold by Sample. A Busbel Market attempted, 123. XV. Barley, 123. Fine Barley on strong Soil, with an absorbent Subsoil. XVI. Oats, 125. The Object of their Culture is chiefly Pro- vender, for Cart Horses. XVII. Beans, 126. Proportion remarkably great. Varieties in Cultivation. Succession of the Bean Crop. The Soils employed, 127. The Tillage given. Semination. The Rows very wide ; yet The Quantity or Seed large ! Observations on this Circumstance, 128. Time of Sowing, late 129. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. Xlil Growing Crop, 129. Horsehoed, and cleaned as in Gardens. Harvesting, 130. Method similar to that of Glocestershire. Perhaps, of Monastic Origin. Kentish Practice described. Produce, four Quarters, 131. Advantages of the Kentish Bean Culture, 132. An Improvement of it suggested. XVIII. Peas, "133. Quantity grown is considerable. Various Methods of havesting Peas, enu- merated, 134. That of the Southern Counties described, XIX. Tares, Rye, Sec. 137. Prevalency of their Culture. On the Winter and Summer Varieties. Succession, Soil, Tillage, &c. Expenditure, chiefly on Cart Horses, 138. Their Use, as a Fallow Crop. XX. Turneps, 139. Proportion large. The Varieties cultivated. Ruta 3aga, or Bulbous Rape, now entering into Cultivation. Note on its Natural Species, 140. The Succession. The Turnep Fallow well made. Worked until clean. Remarks, on this Point of Practice. The growing Crop well attended to, 141. Sometimes harrowed, before hoing. Expenditure of the Crop, 142. XIV C O H 7 I N T S. XXI. Potatoes i Q_;an:: General B : proper Cli- MATURE tor PotatCr XXII. Clovers, 145. History of the Clover Crop, in K~ Proportiona The Species in C Li" At. '"heat and Barlev, 146. Sen Y g C :rs eaten with Sheep, ij.- . Conjecture on this Application of the Clover Crop, 148. Its Duration is one Year. ILu ruling Clover Hay. Expenditure Seed Clover a common Crop, 149. RiMARnson: ^Clovik. A new Meihod suggested, : General Observations, on the Per- encv of Clover, as an Arable Crop, i XXIII. Lucern, 1 5 An ordi: bandry, 1 Cultivated h The Soil a calcareous Loam. Only aoc Variety of Lu^. Cuhivated, nClover, I v Cleaned, by harrowing. Remarks on this : DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. XV Application, chiefly, to Horses, 154. Remarks on the Lard proper for Lucern. XXIV. Sainfoin, 155. Proportion unusually large. Only one Variety. Suggestions on raising fresh Varieties. Cultivation, 156. Sometimes mixed with Clover. Remark on th:s admirable Practice. Soil — mostly on Rock, 157. But sometimes on Sand ! Examination into this circumstance. Semination, 158. Growing Crop. Instance of a full Crop the first Year ! Remark on this extraordinary Fact, 159. Often manured with Soot ! General Economy of the SainfoinLey, 1 60. Duration of Sainfoin is very short. But the Soil is soon refertilized, 161. Remarks, on sowing it with Clover, on noncalcareous Lands, that have been chalked, or limed, 163. XXV. Grasslands, 163. Proportion very small. Conjectures on this Fact. The Species enumerated, 164. Remark on the cold Uplands. Management very defective, 165. Watering neglected. Hay Harvest, 166. A Method of securing Stacks, from the Wea- ther, fully described. XVI CONTENTS. XXVI. HOPS, 17a Introductory Remarks. Proportional Quantity grown, 171. Analysis of the Subject, 172. Remarks on Analyzing an Art. Natural History of the Hop, 173. The Varieties, in Cultivation, 182. Remarks on Varieties, 1S4. Sites of Hop Grounds. The Lands employed, 185. Succession of Hops, 186. Soil Process, for Planting, 187. The Surface invariably flat ! 1S8. An Evil of this Practice, 189. The Worcestershire Method noticed. The Plants, or Sets, in U?e, 190. Planting, 191. Time of Planting. Setting out the Plantations. Deposition. Distance, 192. Method of Planting detailed. Varieties of Practice, 195. Training young Hops, 196. Skreens of Hop Grounds, Management of the Intervals, 197. Management of the Vines. Enemies of young Hops, 198. On destroying the Sod worm, 199. Manures, 202. The Qualities of Dung attended to. Woolen Rags, in much Use. Lime, and its Effects. The Winter Management of grown Hops. Manuring. The Time is Winter. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. XVU The Methods are Various. Th^ Quantity used, 205. Remarks on Manuring the Hills, only. Further on the Quantity, 206. Manuring with Rags, 207. Digging the Intervals. The Enemies ofWinter, 210. Poles, 2io. Species of Woods in Use. Hops have their Choice ! The size of Poles, 211. The Price of Poles, 212. Barking new Poles, 213. Pointing them described. Method of Stacking, 214.. Caurion requisite, 215. The Duration of Poles, 216. Note on that of the Oak. The Disposal of refuse Poles. The Annual Expence of Poles, 217. Suggestion on Charring them. The Spring Management, 217. Dressing the Roots. Time of Dressing. Opening the Hills, 218. Pruning the Roots. Throwing out Sets. Covering them. Remark on Covering, 219. Poling, 219. The nicest Part of the Culture. Time of Poling, 220. Number of Poles. Method of setting up, 221. Distance between the Poles. Training the Vines, 222. Time of Tying. Choice of Vines. Number of Vines. Method of Tying, 223. Wind with the Sun! Continuance of Tying. VOL. I. b XVlil CONTENTS. Branching explained, 224. Remarks on Branching. Enemies of Spring, 225. Management of the Intervals, 226. Undercropping them. The Summer Management, 226. Culture of the Intervals. If cropped, handhoed. If fallowed, horsehoed. Shovelling, its Intention, 227. Remarks on these Operations, 228. Enemies and Diseases of Summer. The Blight, or Lousiness. The Mould. The Fireblast, 229. The being " set in the Bur," 230. The Abortion, or ; vet occupying little more space of ground, than a wall would require. OLD HEDGES, also, are brought with- in clue limits, and sometimes trained to a considerable height, by this admirable prac- tice. Even the common rough hedges of arable lands, are, under some men's superior management, kept within bounds ; so as not to incommode the operations of tillage, or overshadow the crops; and, at the same time, rendered close and fcncible, by the like easy and cheap operation ; the expence of it being inconsiderable, when compar- 4. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 37 ed with the advantages of close, narrow hedges. A sithe, laid length-way in the handle, is in use, for this purpose. It is a cheap ready tool ; and, for striking oft young soft shoots, it is, perhaps, the most eligible in- strument. On the whole, the yeomen, of this part of Kent, may be fairly ranked, among the first and best hedge masters in the kingdom. GATES. The same low, five-bar gate, with a strong top rail, which is common to Surrey and Kent, is seen in its best form, in the district under view. HEDGEROW TREES. There is much fine oak timber still left, in the old hedge- rows, or coppice borders. The trees are mostly well stemmed, clean, and of the middle height ; though apparently unpinn- ed. But the length of stem may be ac- counted for, in the tallness of the thickets, in which they have risen. Many pollards are still seen in the old hedges. But, as above intimated, war has been declared against them ; and, already, the work of extirpation has made consider- able progress. 38 FIELD FENCES. . 4. The inconveniency of pollards, in rough coppice hedges, having been long experi- enced, the planters of young hedges appear to have carefully (yet iraprovidently per- haps) avoided the planting of hedgerow trees : except the poplar , of late years ; partly, or wholly, by way of skreens to hop grounds. [39] DIVISION THE SECOND. WOODLANDS AND PLANTING. 1. WOODLANDS. A GENERAL IDEA of the EXTENT of the woodlands of the district has been given, in speaking of its present produc- tions. The AGE of these woodlands would be difficult to ascertain. They are probably of ancient standing: many or most of them, perhaps, are aboriginal : nevertheless, some of those, which now appear fortuitous, may have been propagated. (See Midland Counties.) This, however, being as it may, a certain portion of them are evident- ly of modern rise : it having, of late years, been the practice to propagate them. Hence 4o WOODLANDS. i- the extent of woodlands, here, is increas- ing : owing chiefly or wholly, to an in- creased demand for hop poles. The prevailing SPECIES of woodland, here, is coppice : among which, however, a few timber trees are generally scattered. There are also a few small timber woods, or groves, in different parts of the district. COPPICE. The demand for hop poles, for ages past, has probably been the cause of the prevalency of this species of wood- land produce; and of the proportional scar- city of wood timber. But, as a great de- mand for a given article of produce will ever increase its production, so an inordi- nate increase of produce will lower the de- mand. An increase of hop grounds, and in consequence an advance in the price of poles, induced many to propagate coppice woods, of the species most suitable for hop poles. The market, therefore, is now sup- plied, not only with a greater quantity, but with better poles, than formerly. And, add t6 this, the quantity of hop ground is now pretty generally allowed to be on the decline. The price of poles has certainly fallen, considerably, within the last ten i. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 41 years, and the value of the old coppices will, in all probability, continue to decrease. One estate has already begun to change its cop- pices into timber woods : others will pro- bably follow the example: and the country, a century hence, may be benefited by the change. The species of coppice woods, in the natural or old coppices, are chiefly oak, ash, hornbeam* sallow^ maple. In the management of coppice woods, as of hedges, the yeomen of Kent excel. The vacant spaces are assiduously filled up, at every fall. In one instance, I saw the interspaces dug over, as a hop ground, the better to secure the propagation of the in- terstitial plants. In another, the vacant ground was sod-burnt ! The ashes, when I observed this extraordinary instance of * The hornbeam (provincially " horse-beech," in contradistinction to " buck beech" — the true beech] is, in many woods, the most prevalent species ; and being drawn up in thickets with a rapid growth, be- comes tall and straight enough for hop poles : and is even suffered to grow up, as a species of wood timber. t The sallow (provincially " plumb-leaved willow") is in good estimation for hop poles. 42 WOODLANDS. r. practice, (in October, 1797,) were standing in heaps, on the pared surface ; probably, to be dug under, during the leisure moi ths of autumn, or early winter ; as a prepara- tion for planting. The soil is of a cl nature. What an eligible preparation for the chesnut ! the plant usually chosen, for filling up the vacancies of coppice woods, wherever there is a probability of its suc- ceeding. And it is doubtless found to re- pav any reasonable expence, laid out in its propagation.* The age of Jelling coppice woods is from twelve to eighteen years' growth. The wares, into which they are usually converted, are rails, cord wood. t hop poles, stakes, rods, fagots of different descrip- tions. The woodlands of this district are mostly in hand: proprietors either taking them * The chesnut. The practice of filling up the f coppice woods, with this species of plant, has probably been in use, ever since the superior value of chesnut poles has been known ; and this may account for its prevalency, in the natural woods of the country, with nut oi it? being a native plant. t The cord or stack of the Middle-Kent woods mea- 3, 3, and 14 ; comprising 126 cubical feet. i. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 43 down, or selling them, standing, to coppice men, at a price agreed upon, by the acre. 2. PLANTING. The COPPICE PLANTATIONS, that have of late years been propagated, though numerous, are not many of them extensive. Those of Mrs. Bouverie, I believe, are the most considerable. Mr. Fowle of Coptree is the largest planter, I observed among the yeomanry. The SITES which have been most com- monly chosen, for plantations of this de- scription, are the angles and indentures of irregular fields ; and the steeps, formed by the turnwrest plow, between arable in- closures, lying on slopes ; and, in other cases, coppice borders are raised, merely as skreens between hop grounds, or other inclosures. They are likewise seen, on weak sandy lands, of little value for farm produce ; and on rough stoney ground, incapable of cul- 44 PLANTING. i. tivation. In many instances, however, lands of a good quality, and lying well for tillage, have been planted ; but whether with strict propriety, in regard to eventual profit, time only can determine. The SPECIES OF WOODS, in culti- vation, are chesnut, ash, sallow ; but chiefly the two first, which run up rapidly and straight, and afford poles of the first estimation : the chesnut most especially ; which is found to be of extraordinary du- ration, in this capacity ; and grows with great luxuriance and profit, on most of the soils of this district ; provided they are not of too cold a nature. I have seen this plant luxuriate on mounds of stones, without any visible admixture of soil:* also, on sheer sand, of many feet in depth, I have observed it grow with tenfold profit, compared with that which could arise from any species of farm produce. Remark. In many parts of this Island, the chesnut might be propagated with sin- gular profit, as a coppice wood. Its esti- mation for hop poles proves its singular * Particularly in Barming wood, where an extent of stoncy surface, of a very peculiar nature, occurs. 2. DISTRICT OP MAIDSTONE. 45 durability, when cut even in the early stages of its growth. For rails, common farm gates, stakes, and other agricultural purposes, it is preferable to most other woods. In dry, warm situations, where the top soil is not friendly to farm produce, the chesnut will generally pay abundantly for propagation. The METHODS OF PLANTING vary. The soil is prepared, either by digging, or with the plow. In the only instance, in which the operation of planting fell un- der my inspection, the land had been fal- lowed for wheat, and the plants were put in, after the crop was well above-ground, and had established itself in the soil ; the time of planting being the wane of Oc- tober. The site, in this case, was six or seven acres of culturable land ; the soil a cool retentive loam ; the plants wholly ash. The distance of the plants, in the se- veral plantations I have examined, varies from five feet, a quincunx, to seven feet and a half, square. In the instance above men- tioned, the land was laid up, in seven feet 46 PLANTING. c ridges, for the wheat, and a row of plants et on each ridge, and at the ss distance of seven feet, between plant and plant, in the rows The . lahts, in this instance, were four or five feet high, and well rooted ; having been raised for the purpose, in a nnra near the site of planting. The tops were pruned to rods, and the roots shortened ; . might be the less disturbed, in planting them, and less incommoded, in its growth. In TRAINING these coppice planta- tions, the interspaces are cultivated, with the greatest care. Small plots are dug over, in the nursery manner. The larger grounds, whose intervals are wide, and cross each other at right angle, the plow and horse hoe are used. To prevent the growth of weeds, and to increase the mellowness of the soil, the cleaned intervals are frequently covered, thickly, with hop vines ; which, when sufficiently decayed, are dug into the soil, as manure. In one instance, the in- terspaces were actually manured, as for hops ! and. in another, I observed chalk 2. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 47 used, in the same intention. In one, I saw potatoes growing among chesnut plants: in another, buckweet. In the MANAGEMENT OF GROWN COPPICES, provincially shaws, the prac- tice of the district of Maidstone is equally judicious. At each fall, the rows, if de- fective, are carefully repaired with fresh plants ; and the intervals of young shaws are frequently cultured ;* and, in one in- stance at least, manured ! Under treatment like this, it is no wonder that the shoots from the stools should be luxuriant. I have measured them, in two instances, and these on very different soils, seven feet high, the first year I And have been assured, that the * Reflecting on the propriety of breaking the soil of the intervals, after each fall, I was forcibly struck with the idea, that, by cutting off the old roots, with a sharp coulter, as near the stools as the operation would admit of, some valuable advantages might be gained. Fresh feeding fibres would of course be formed near trm plants ; and the decay of the amputated roots, beside giving the desired temperament to a stubborn soil, would, year after year, afford nutriment to the rising plants : thus promoting, in a twofold manner, their progressive growth. 48 PLANTING. 2. has been known to shoot ten feet, the first season after cutting. These luxuriant shoots, however, are singularly liable to be frost-nipped ; especially in the interior parts of the coppice, where damps hang the- longes: In two or more instances, I observed the shoots from the stools thinned ; in order to throw strength into those left for poles: which I have seen pruned ; the lateral twi^s 0f the stems taken off; to encourage their upward growth, and prevent the lower parts from swelling beyond the required size. The age of felling is about ten years. I examined an ashen coppice, which, I was told, was only of six years' growth ; vet there were many stems in it large enough * This injury, which is of a serious nature, espe- cially with respect to the ash intended for hop poles, as tending to make the shoots thus nipped, break out with many branches, and thereby destroy the simplicity of their growth, might, in much probability, be lessened, or prevented, by the operation just proposed ; which would tend to check this inordinate growth of the first year ; and, by sending up firm leaders, year after year, promote the required simplicity of growth. «. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 49 for hop poles! namely fifteen to twenty- feet high ; and two to two and a half inches diameter, at five feet from the ground. The produce of these coppice grounds is very great. Forty pounds, an acre, for ten years' growth, I was well assured, has been made. And the following calculation shows that much more is possible. In an ashen coppice, with stools, six feet a quincunx, or eleven hundred to the acre, I counted from four to eight well sized poles, upon each stool. Admitting that there were five thou- sand saleable poles, an acre, and that they were worth, one with another, fourteen pounds a thousand, — the gross produce was seventy pounds, an acre.* General remark. I have peculiar sa- tisfaction in b-'ing able to produce evidence, such as is here b ought forward, in favor of PROPAGATING COPPICE GROUNDS, (see NOR- FOLK, Glocestershtre, &c.) and of treat- ing YOUNG PLANTATIONS, as NURSERY GROUNDS, (see PLANTING a.d RURAL ORNA- * The price of prime poles, at the time the above calculation was made (1790,) was thirtyfive to forty shillings, a hundred: now (1797) about thirty shil- lings. VOL. I. E 5o PLANTING. 2. ment) points of practice that I had long recommended, before I had an opportunity of examining the practice of Kent. I can now recommend to those, who require more than written evidence, to visit the district of Maidstone, and gain ocular proof of the advantages to be derived from these practices. O] DIVISION THE THIRD. AGRICULTURE. 1. FARMS. IF ARGUMENTS were required to show the impolicy of very large or very small farms, this district might furnish them. Its husbandry has long been celebrated ; and, taken all in all, is not, perhaps, even yet excelled : notwithstanding the rapid strides of improvement, which have lately taken place, in other parts of the kingdom. The prevailing SIZES OF FARMS, here, are those of one hundred to three hundred pounds, a year. Farms of forty pounds to four hundred pounds, a year, may be said to comprize the whole dis- trict. Those below one hundred, a year, are chiefly confined to the townships, wherein hop grounds and orchards occupy E2 52 FARMS. i. a considerable part of the farm lands : and where a farm of fifty pounds, a year, re- quires as much care and attention, as one of twice the size, under ordinary culture. The district of Maidstone has to boast of the most gardenly farm in the Island : the most such, at least, of the many I have had opportunities of examining. Mrs. Bouverle's farm is not only laid out with judgment, and kept with singular neatness, but is cultivated in a superior manner. The size of this charming farm is that which is most desirable, when amusement and the commendable design of introducing improvements, and setting examples, are the principal objects in view : namely, two to three hundred acres. The fields are large and square: the crook- ednesses and irregularities of the boundary fence having been filled up, and done away, by border plantations ; such as I have long ago conceived to be most eligible; and the area divided with straight hawthorn hedges, — pruned on the sides ; perfectly ac- cording with my idea of compleat farm fences. Round most of the arable fields, I. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 53 grass borders are left, in the Hertfordshire manner. The lands, in general, at the time I was favored with an opportunity of viewing them, (in 1790,) were clean and in high condition : the plan of management being, in the outline, that of the well managed district it lies in ; deviations being occa- sionally introduced, with the laudable in- tent of improving the established practice of the country : the broad and firm basis on which all farms in hand should be con- ducted. 2. FARM OCCUPIERS. IN THE district of Maidstone, we find occupiers of every order : men of for- tune, yeomen, husbandmen, and tradesmen. Even among the tenantry are found men of wealth and respectability : qualities for which the yeomanry of Kent have long been proverbial. 54 FARM OCCUPIERS. i. Out of the i aw of gavelkind, this va- luable order of men have principally r And seeing the present flourishing state of their country, after seven hundred \ experience, the wisdom of that law appears in a strong light. For although it has fur- nished the country with its present I state of society, with respect to the middle classes, it has not done away the gradations of rank, which (as has been alreadv s appear to be n< .organized societv. The rightful tendency of the principle of this law was exemplified, some years ago, in the district under view. A person, \ died. ssed of considerable proper: v. left five sons, and a will; in which par lity to individuals was of course expected. Nevertl eless, the brothers, harmonized by the influence of equal law, agreed, before the will was broke open, to inherit, according to the natural law of their country ; and the v*ill was burnt with its seal unbroken. The operation of this equitable law in the instance under notice, has been highly favorable to society ; which has thereby gained five wealthy, respectable, produ. 2. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 55 members: yeomen of the higher class. Whereas, had the whole property devolved on one of them ; even this one, probably, would have been rendered unprofitable to society : while the rest must have been thrown upon the world ; — to scramble for property, in trade, or the professions. J. WORKPEOPLE. THE TIME OF CHANGING farm servants, throughout the Southern Coun- ties, I believe, is Michaelmas. The in- conveniency of this established custom will appear in the following minutes. In another particular, the usages of the southern and the northern provinces differ. In this part of the Island, there are no pub- lic hirings. If a servant want a place, he makes his case known, among his acquaint- ance, and offers himself, where he finds there is a vacancy. The yearly WAGE3jef a " plowman/' .or 56 WORKPEOPLE. 3 head man, was, in 1790, ten to twelve pounds ; — of a " carter," or second man, six or seven pounds; — of a woman ser- vant, three to five pounds. For the wages of labourers, see the list of rates. It is observable of the farm workmen, of the district of Maidstone, as of the southern counties in general, that a want of alertness In the ordinary work of husbandry, is a characteristic which distinguishes them, from those of most other districts. This distinc- tion, however, is not to be ascribed to any natural sluggishness of disposition, in them- selves ; but is probably caught from the sluggish animals they have been enured to work with. 4. BEASTS OF LABOUR. HCRSES, of the black snail breed, are the only animals of draft ; whether in til- lage, in harvest, or on the road. No won- 4. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 57 der, then, a sluggard pace should sometimes show itself, in other departments of rural business. For a man whose step has been regulated, in his early years, by this de- liberate race of animals, habitually retains it ; though he may quit the plow for other employments. See Norfolk, Min: 100, for remarks on this important subject. The plow team, as well as the road team cf Kent, is four horses ; and to each team two men are not unfrequently allow- ed ; under the denominations of " Plow- man" and "Carter:" the former to hold the plow, occasionally ; but oftener, per- haps, to walk by the side of it : the latter to drive it, in the field, and pamper it, in the stable ; while his superior is reposing in the hayloft, and growing as fat and lazy as his horses. This extravagant practice is not peculiar to the district under view ; but extends, more or less, through the southern counties: in every part of which, I believe, a man and a boy, at least, are allowed to each team of four horses. See Norfolk, Midland Counties, &c. IMPLEMENTS. IMPLEMENTS, THE WAGGON of Kent is of the middle size ; or somewhat above it. In its con- struction, nothing is particularly notice- able. The width of its track, in this part of the county, measures about four feet ten inches, from middle to middle of the ruts. In harvest, it is furnished with a lad- der, at each end: the front one is set nearly upright, and is tall as a moderate load of corn. This serves as a guide to a young loader, is a stay to the load, and by render- ing the operation of loading less difficult, serves to expedite the business of carrying. The hind ladder is shorter, and lies nearly flat ; being merely intended to lengthen the bed of the waggon. For carrying poles and fagot wood, as well as for the purposes of harvest, a sort of long rough waggon, provincially a " tug** is formed upon a timber carriage. 5. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 59 The DUNG CART is of the ordinary construction, and of a full size ; gauging* near forty bushels. The PLOW of Kent is the most extra- ordinary. Like that of Norfolk, it is com- mon and peculiar to the county ; except that the Kentish plow is in use, on the hills of Surrey, and in some parts of West Sussex. To describe this extraordinary produc- tion, verbally, were impossible. Its com- ponent parts, and the names assigned them, are nearly equal in number to those of the ship. A Xorth-of-England farmer, who has never been south of the Thames, would little suspect the purpose, for which it is constructed : he would conceive it to be a carriage, rather than a plow. It has a pair of wheels, fully as large as the fore wheels of a moorland was^on ; and behind them is dragged a long thick log of wood, which slides upon the ground, as the hob or shoe of a sledge ; with a beam, rising high above it, which a small farmer of the North would be glad of as a gate post ; comprizing, in its various parts, as much timber and other materials as would build a highland cart. 60 IMPLEMENTS. 5. This magnificent implement is called the " Kentish turn-wrest plow •." the large truncheon or wrest — provincially "rice," — which forces open the furrow, being turn- ed, or changed from side to side, at each turning of the team ; which, in plowing with this implement, begins on one side or end of the field, or piece to be plowed, and proceeds, without a break or open furrow., to the other. For plowing steep surfaces, whose sub- soils are absorbent, a plow on this principle is obviously and admirably adapted : and, on lands of this description, the implement under notice doubtless received its origin ; — either on the chalk hills of Kent or Sur- rey, or, elsewhere, on lands of a similar de- scription. The value of a turn-wrest plow, on such lands, is so obvious, at sight, that I claim no merit in having repeatedly recommend- ed it, for steep surfaces and absorbent sub- soils. See West oe England ; Central Highlands, &c. Even on level ground, whose subsoil is of an absorbent nature, the Kentish plow has its merit. In breaking up whole ground, 5. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 6r to be cropped on one plowing, as old sward, temporary ley, or stubble, and especially where the soil is of a strong tenacious tex- ture, it is a valuable instrument. The ** share/' being merely a socket, with a flat- ted point, or chisel, without any fin or wing, to separate the soil from its base, it is of course torn from it, by strength of team ; and, in this violent operation, the texture of the soil is broken, so as to admit the ten- der fibrils of the succeeding crop. Add to this, the plit, or plow-slice, adhering strong- ly on the furrow side, is turned with diffi- culty, but with compleat effect ; while the upper edge, being pressed hard with the point of the wrest, set judiciously for this purpose, not only joins it close to the pre- ceding plit, but, at the same time, forces up a small ridge or " comb" of loose earth, so as to form a channel or seed seam, with the preceding comb ; close at the bottom, and with fine friable mold, on either side of it, to cover the seed. For another purpose, the turn-wrest plow of Kent is fitted with admirable effect : namely, that of a shim or subplow, of extra- ordinary powers. When it is used in this in- 62 IMPLEMENTS. 5. tention, a strong blade of iron, three or four inches broad, steeled at the edge, eighteen or twenty inches long, and somewhat crescent- shaped, is riveted firmly to the flatted point of the ordinary share or socket, which guards the head, chip, or keel : to which this crescent, or " broad share/' stands at rightangle. This acting part being set with its edge very much dipping, namely, thirty or forty degrees below the line of the horizon, or base line of the plow, and being prevented, by the wheels and the hind part of the keel, from being drawn down below the stated depth, the shell of soil, under which it works, is shattered into fragments, shivered to atoms : the effect being infinitely greater, than it would be, if the share were set horizontally. For a soil sufficiently mellow, and not too much encumbered with stones, this is the most ef- fectual subplow, I have examined, or which, probably, is in use. But when we see this enormous imple- ment, with four extravagant horses, and two lazy fellows, attempting to turn over a light- land fallow, and destroy the weeds it con- tains, without either share or mold board! 5. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 63 it would be a crime to suffer them to pass without censure. To use it, in any case, (unless as a subplow, or to force up a fallow into ridgets) on any land, lying on a reten- tive base, is a still greater impropriety. Another implement, which is peculiar I believe to Kent, is the " stricking plow." with which channels, grooves, or seed seams are struck, drawn, or opened, in broken or fallow ground. The principle of construc- tion is still that of the turn-wrest plow; the operating parts being long pieces of wood, resembling the chip or keel of the plow : these are generally two in number; sometimes three : in some cases only one. The beam or beams, with which these keels are connected, rest on a gallows, or cross piece, similar to that of the common plow, but lighter. The method of using this in- strument will appear in its place. Another implement, which is likewise peculiar, I believe, to this country, is the " nidget," or horse hoe of many triangular shares, fixed, horizontally, at the lower ends of tines, or coulters. These are fastened in a somewhat triangular frame of wood work ; and in cross bars, morticed into the outer 64. IMPLEMENTS. 5. pieces of the frame. At the angle, or nar- rowing part of the implement, by which it is drawn, is a wheel, to give the hoes their proper depth. It is observable, that the construction of the Kentish Nidget and the Tormentor of West Devonshire (see West of England) are in effect the same: the latter, probably, having been copied from the former ; and increased In size, so as to suit it to the in- tended purpose. In the hop grounds, too, a harrow of a similar construction is in use ; and might be useful in other intentions. It is furnished with handles. The three-tined prong, or " spud," in use for digging hop grounds, instead of the spade, is admirably adapted to the purpose ; especially where stones are numerous. It might, on many occasions, be introduced into the more ordinary operations of hus- bandry. There are also other tools, of peculiar construction, which are used in the hop grounds, as well as in the worksof harvest, and which will be noticed under these heads. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 65 General Remarks. Seeing, in this review of the implements of Kent, the number which are peculiar to that quarter of the Island, and which' have been used in it, for ages past, the utility of a PUBLIC REPOSITORY of IMPLEMENTS of HUS- BANDRY, that have stood the test of ages, in the several established practices of the Island at large, appears in a strong light. In the Minutes of Agriculture, I g-^ve accurate delineations, and minute descrip- tions, of the different implements, which I had constructed, and found useful, in my own practice in Surrey. But from the abor- tive attempts that have been made, to realize the representations, I have long been con- vinced of the waste of time, which drawings of complex implements of husbandry neces- sarily incur. In the Rural Economy of Norfolk, in the section implements, I noticed the same circumstance; and recommended a transfer of the implements themselves, from district to district, accompanied with persons versed in their respective uses, to set them to work, VOL. I. F 66 IMPLEMENTS. 5. and to teach the proper management of them, to the workmen of the district, into which they should be introduced. This method is effectual, as to particular implements, which have been brought to public light. But before the merits of an implement can be perceived, the implement itself must be known: and, scattered over the Island, as valuable implements are, at present, it is scarcely possible for any man, unless by a deliberate survey of every part (a task which may never be performed a second time) to have a knowledge of the whole. Beside, in matters of choice, the judgment, even of the strongest mind, is strengthened, by comparing the objects of choice, brought together under the eye. Therefore, in the Rural Economy of the Midland Counties, in drawing the out- line of a PUBLIC ESTABLISHMENT, for improving the several branches of the rural science, I proposed a public reposi- tory of implements; with the view of bringing the whole, of those of establish- ed excellence, together ; and of classing them, in such manner, that the different varieties of the same implement may be 5. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 67 seen in one point of view : with grounds, of different qualities, at hand, to try their respective merits ; and thus to enable every man, to select those which he may judge to be best suited, to his own soil and situation. In a country, like England, in which many of the practices, of the different de- partments, have doubtless had separate ori- gins, nothing less than a COMMON CEN- TER can equalize the practice of the se- veral parts, and diffuse the rays of improve- ment, over the whole. 6. PLAN OF MANAGEMENT OF FARMS. THE OBJECTS, which engage the pri- mary attention of the occupiers of this dis- trict, are 68 MANAGEMENT OF FARMS 6. Arable Crops, Hops, Orchard produce, Swine ; — a few Fatting cattle; — and a few Sheep. Cows are, here, subordinate stock ; being kept, merely, to supply the country with milk and fresh butter ; and to assist in con- suming the dry fodder of the arable lands. Of rearing cattle there are very few ; and of sheep only one shepherded flock, in the district. The winter feedage, of stubbles and ley grounds, is chiefly consumed, by lambs from Romney Marsh, taken in, by agistment, during the winter months: on the outskirts of the district, however, small parcels of wedder lambs are purchased, about Michaelmas, and kept on, until thev are two or three years old. The marketable produce of the arable lands are Wheat. Peas, Barley, Clover seed. Oats, Potatoes, Beans, Hay. The consumptiONAL crops, for the use of the farm, are principally, 6. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 69 The clovers, Tares, Sainfoin, Turneps, and a very few Lucern, Cabbages. The permanent grass lands, this dis- trict comprizes, are principally mown for hay, either for consumption, or as market- able produce. The COURSE OF PRACTICE through- out the Southern Counties, may be said to be irregular and unfixt. In no depart- ment of the Island, is there less uniformity of practice, with respect to the succession of crops, than in this long-enlightened district. The only instance, that fell under my no- tice, in which any thing resembling a regu- lar rotation appeared, was on the gardenly farm, mentioned above ; on which, in 1790, the following was the favourite succession. Turneps, Clover, Barley, Wheat, Beans, Oats, Wheat, Turneps, in rotation. • In the ordinary practice of the country, especially on the strong rich lands, on rock, in the neighbourhood of Maidstone, — beans, wheat, clover, wheat, &c. clover, beans, 7o MANAGEMENT OF FARMS. 6. wheat, clover, &c. turneps, barley, clover, wheat ; and, on lighter lands, peas, wheat, barley, &c. appear to be adopted, as the circumstances of the farm, and the judgment of the occupier, point out : tares, fed oft' early, or a whole year's fallow, being occa- sionally thrown in, by judicious managers, to cleanse such lands, as are become too foul, to be cropped with propriety. Remarks. In a country whose charac- teristic is tillage, and where there is no regular establishment of livestock, a hxt routine of crops is the least required. In- deed, under these circumstances, it is at least probable, that the greater variety of crops, properly introduced, the greater will be the aggregate produce of a given quan- tity of land, with a limited quantity of ex- traneous manure. This, however, is a point that cannot readily be settled. But, on a dairy or sheep farm, where tillage becomes a secondary or subordinate object, a routine of arable crops, adapted to the main object in view, is in a degree ne- cessary to accurate management. ■j. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 7t 7. SOILS, AND THEIR MANAGEMENT. A GENERAL view of the SPECIES OF SOILS has been already taken. It will, nevertheless, be right to enumerate them, here, with their respective subsoils. Coomb : — a strong dark-colored soil, of extraordinary fertility, when incumbent on rock, hassock, or other absorbent base. Loam : — a lighter, more friable earth ; which is also of a superior quality, when its subsoil is of a calcareous nature. Pinnock : — a thin, pale, yellowish clay, resting on a brown retentive base : never- failing characters of weak, infertile land. This, however, is confined, I believe, to the southern margin of the district. Stone shatter : — composed of small SOIL^ AND MANAGEMENT. :. fragments of stones ;* intermixed with a greater or smaller proportion of soil. Sand, of varying qualities ; differing much in productiveness ; owing, probably, to the different bases on which it rests. Fixe sand, or silt, of the upper part of the district, towards Tunbridge. This, with a gravel subsoil is very fertile ; on sand it is weaker ; and on strong loam or clay the least fertile. In the MANAGEMENT of soils, the Kentish Farmers have long been considered as superior: and they are well entitled to the distinction they hold. UNDERDRAINING cannot be requir- ed, where the subsoil is uniformly absorbent. But, in the extraordinary mixture of ma- terials of which this district has been shewn to be composed, plots of retentive land na- tural lv occur : and much underdraining has here been done, with good effect : not by hesc stones, which arc non-calcareous, are of a lar contexture ; appearing to be composed of crys- tallinc -, bound together bv a brown cement ; but rolls, that the fibrils of plants have free access, into the interior pans of the stone* ; where, under a glass, many dry, hair-like fibers are seen. 7. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 73 quartering the parts affected ; but by re- lieving them, at once, from the supply of water, pressing on their upper margins : a principle which ought ever to be adhered to, where small plots of retentive land are scattered in absorbent fields. The material of draining is stones, picked off the arable lands. But it is in TILLAGE the husbandmen of Kent are most distinguishable : and their •practice, in this particular, requires to be examined with more than ordinary atten- tion. The turnwrest plow, and its merit in whole ground, have been noticed in the section implements. Its demerit, in broken or fallow ground, and its expensive effect on all occasions, require to be mentioned, here : and I cannot convey them, with stricter justice, than by transcribing a few passages, from my Journal, which were written, while the facts were strongly im- pressed on the mind. Wednesday 13 October, 1790. By Loos Court, Pern's Court, and Farley. Mr. is plowing a clover ley, for wheat, with six horses ! worth, to all appearance, one hun- SOILS AND MANAGEMENT. dred and fifty pounds. The soil a rich, deep, free middle loam. A North-of-Eng- land farmer would have plowed this field with two horses ; not worth, perhaps, ten pounds. The south-countryman is plow- ing it at the rate of twelve to fifteen shil- lings, an acre: the north-countryman would plow it for three or four. The depth plowed is barely seven inches. The width of the plit eleven inches. The width of the furrow, or trench left by the plow, near two feet ! Query, does any be- nefit arise from shifting the soil upon a fresh base ? or where lies the use of this extra- ordinary exertion ? The soil, it is true, is well turned, with a sufficiency of loose mold raised up. to cover the seed : on the whole it is better plowed, than it could be with a wide share, and a smooth plate or mold board. But the superiority of the work i> by no means worth eight or ten shillings an acre. The intervals of the seed seams are much too wide : eight or nine inches are a much bet- ter width ; and plits of this width are ea>ilv turned by two horses, with a suitable plow, and a man who knows how to hold it." 7. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 75 " Friday 3 September, 1790. In the pa- rish of East Farley. Observed several in- stances of stirring broad-shared pea grat- tans, and other broken grounds, with cart plows ! and with four heavy horses and two men to each ; moving at the rate of a mile and a half an hour : the keel of the plow working about six inches deep in the loose mold ; the wrest striking off the top of it, some two or three inches deep ! The width of the plow slice, if such it can be called, eleven inches ; the trench, or track, left by the plow, twentytwo inches. The soil a charming middle loam, with but a few stones in it. A Norfolk farmer, with the same men and horses, would have done thrice as much, and ten times better. With his wide share, not a weed could have escaped uncut : whereas, in the operation under notice, not a strong-rooted weed can be injured. In one field, there were four of these un- warrantable teams at work. What a loss to the occupier ! not less than twenty or thirty shillings, a day : even supposing the work to be properly performed. Taking into the account, the insufficiency of the SOILS AND MANAGEMENT. operation, the loss becomes difficult to cal- culate. On another farm, I observed Jive horses employed in a similar operation, and on a v. which was still lighter and freer to work, — which any one of the five, with a light plow, would have performed quicker, and with much better effect. Yet this farm belongs to one of the most enlightened men in the district." lese facts are not published to gratify the lust of censure; but to show, in its true colors, what appears to me an error in p . - ; and to evince the existence of inaccu- racies, even in the most enlightened prac- tices of the present dt. Remarks. Need there be stronger evi- * I could pr i this irr Journals; not of 1790 only, but of 1 , having a m -ive knov the prac- of the North of England, and more than two horses in a plow are 1 han I had in the year nir. iewed the district, of four powerrul horses and two able bodied men, marching over loose fa . with a solemn . and an air of import. -re really rming something which could not be effected in better manner, became perl 7- DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 77 dence produced, to show the necessity of PUBLIC SEMINARIES ; where not only the several implements of superior merit mav be found, but where the uses of them may be taught. Where not only occupiers, but their workmen, might wipe away the rust of prejudice, and see the good effects of " knowing more ways than one." It is equally preposterous, in the occupiers of the county now more immediately under view, to use the turnwrest plow, on all soils, in every state and situation, as it is for those of the rest of the Island, to plow the sides of steep hills of an absorbent nature, with a one-sided plow, or to let them lie in a state of comparative unproductiveness, for want of plowing : that is to say, for want of knowing the existence, and the use, of the TURNWREST PLOW. The silly argument held out, by those who know the subject in theory only, or by those who know only one method of practice, and are too indolent to learn a second, that a uniformity of plow is neces- sary, has no other foundation than the error or indolence of those who make use of it. If it were asserted that farm workmen are SOILS AND MANAGEMENT. such stupid aukward beings, that it is in vain to think of teaching the same man to plow, to mow, to reap, and to thrash, the assertion would be contradicted by an hun- dred tongues at once. If, then, they have versatility enough, to make themselves pro- ficient in tiie uses of different species of im- plements and tools, surely they are capable of being taught the use of their varieties. The practice of " broadsharing," or subplowing, is another established practice of Kent, another ordinary operation of til- lage, which ought to be known and prac- ticed, in every part of the Island. This operation (of which some idea has been given in describing the implement with which it is performed) is not applied, merely, to the stubbles or " grattans" of pulse, to be prepared for wheat ; but like- wise to those of wheat, as a preparation for pulse or other crop. Remarks. The advantages of this ope- ration have long been familiar to me. In Surrey, I pursued it to its full extent, as my man discovery ! not knowing that it was the ordinary practice of the adjoining coun- ty : for, then, no general register of the ;. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 79 superior practices of well cultivated districts had been formed. But a few years practice convinced me (as will appear in the following Minutes) that, how valuable soever the operation indisputably is, for freeing the soil from surface weeds, especially those of a trailing or creeping growth, — as well as of bring- ing the seeds of weeds, which lie upon or near the surface, into a state of vegetation, and thereby preventing their being buried in the soil, — it does not preclude the neces- sity of turning the soil, and exposing every PART TO THE ATMOSPHERE. In Glocestershire, a similar intention is answered, by the breast plow. But this is a feeble ineffective instrument, compared with the powerful broadshare of Kent. It requires, it is true, a great strength of team to work it ; but its length might be short- ened, so as to be worked with a pair of horses or oxen. Its exclusive merit, com- pared with every other contrivance of the kind I have seen, lies in its breaking: the trust of the soil most effectually ; yet having no coulter, or upright, rising immediately out of the blade or acting part, for the 80 SOILS AND MANAGEMENT. loosened weeds to hang to. It may, there- fore, be worked, in fouler ground, and in moister weather, than the shims of the Isle of Thanet ; which will be noticed in their proper place. The practice of rib-plowing, raftering, or rice-balking, though not peculiar to Kent, is here in good esteem. In the harrow, or its use, I have seen no- thing noticeable, in the district under view. The roller is in much use ; especially for rolling corn crops, presently after they vegetate ; to destroy or check the ravages of the sod or wire worm. On fallow ground, too, the use of the roller is well understood ; and enters more into common practice, in this, than in any other part of the Island. The prevailing FALLOW of this district is that of autumn ; by which the " grat- tansT or stubbles of fallow crops, as beans, peas, tares, are prepared for wheat. The process varies, of course ; but the follow- ing, I believe, may be considered as that which is most practiced. As soon as the crop is off, the ground is broadshared, or underplowed, as shallow as the operation will permit, so as to separate the surface ;. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 81 weeds from their roots. The surface being afterwards harrowed, the weeds collected and burnt, or carried off, and the seeds of weeds, lodged near the surface, being placed in the most apt situation for vegetating, they are left in that state, some day;>, to germinate. The soil is then turned, or more properly, if not more frequently, raf- tered, or forced up into ribs or narrow ridges, to increase the quantity of surface, and thereby ventilate the soil, and give another crop of seed weeds an opportunity to vegetate. These important ends being obtained, the ridges are torn down with rough harrows, the surface rolled and more finely harrowed, to force another crop of seed weeds ; as well as to assist in destroy- ing, or exposing on the surface, the root weeds lodged near it. To these operations succeed one or more ordinary plo wings, ac- cording to the cleanness of the soil, and the advanced state of the season. The high state of cultivation and clean- ness, in which some of the lands of this dis- trict are seen, with no other tillage and ven- tilation, than are given by the horse-hoe, working in wide intervals, in the summer vol. i. G S2 SOILS AND MANAGEMENT. months, and the autumnal fallow, above described, furnishes sufficient proof, that when such lands are once thoroughly re- claimed, thev mav be kept, for a length of time, in a proper state of cultivation, by FALLOW CROPS and TEMPORARY FALLOT Hence, in this district, which has long been reclaimed, and where fallow crops and temporary fallows are managed in a suit- able manner, the summer fallow is less frequently seen, than in any other part of the Island, of equal extent, and where arable crops are the principal object of culture. Nevertheless, the whole year's fallow is sometimes practiced, here ; and a verv cur- sory view of the district is sufficient, to show, that it might, in numerous instances, be practiced with great advantage. For, al- though some of its lands bear that healthy and generous countenance, which, at sight, shows their fertile condition, there are many of a different description : foul, and unfri- able, for want of tillage ; — pale, sickly, and spiritless, for want of ventilation. Remarks. Seeing this disparity of con- dition, where a parity of management pre- vailed, I was led to reflections on the cir- 7* DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 83 cumstance, and to an investigation of the cause of foulness and sickliness of habit, in different soils, lying on different bases. It is well known, to every practical man who has strong and lijrht lands on his farm, that the latter is most liabL to become foul ; especially with couch, and other worm root- ed plants, which make their way, much easier and faster, in porous, than in close compact soils. It is equally well understood, that light soils, lying on absorbent bases, are much easier to cleanse, from a given degree of foulness, than strong soils, incumbent on re- tentive subsoils : not so much, in their be- ing more readily broken down, as in their being drier, capable of being worked more days in the year, than strong retentive lands : for porous soils, resting on retentive bases, are the most difficult to be kept clean. Hence, it would follow as an inference, were it not known as a fact, that compact closely textured soils, lying on absorbent bases, are the most easily kept free from weeds ; which propagate in them slowly, and may be checked or destroyed, in almost any season. G2 S4 SOILS AND MANAGEMENT. 7. And hence, the stro?ig lands of this dis- trict, on rocky are kept sufficiently clean, without a whole year's fallow : while the lighter lands, and those on retentive bases, are foul ; requiring, even under the accu- rate management oi this country, to be, from time to time, cleansed from their foul- ness, by tillage and exposure, continued through the favorable season of summer. But the practice of fallow crops being esta- blished, and carried on with success, on the coomb and loamy lands, on rock and has- sock, it is too frequently followed, on lands that are unfit for it ; without due discrimi- nation. With respect to ventilation, too, much depends on the nature of the subsoil. Soils, incumbent on rock, or other open base, may be said to be in a state of perpetual venti- lation ; the air, unless in very wet seasons, being continually circulating through them ; and the water, which falls on their surfaces, likewise assists in the purification: by filter- through them, without a check : while soils of the selfsame nature, by having a re- tentive base beneath them, and lying almost eontinually on a bed of mud, or stagnant -;, DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 85 water, enjoy not those advantages ; and, unless they are sufficiently agitated, and exposed to the air, from time to time, they of course become weak, and spiritless * These things are so demonstrable, and so consonant with practice, that I am more and more convinced of the propriety of occasionally fallowing, through the summer months, soils, of every description, which lie on retentive bases. 8. MANURES, AND THEIR MANAGEMENT. THE SPECIES of manures in use, here, are Dung, Some chalk, Compost, Woolen rags, Lime, Some rape cake. * This sickliness of habit is not only obvious to the eye ; but, in extreme cases, becomes offensive to the smell. A remarkable instance is mentioned, in Minute 106, in the Midland Counties. 86 MANURES. 8. But of the last, or of soot, or of ashes, little is used : indeed, the ashes which rise from the burning of hop vines (as will be shown) are permitted to be blown away, wastefully, as if they were deemed useless, for manure. But the lands of the district are mostly of a calcareous nature ; and, on such lands, alkaline substances may yperhaps, be the least wanted. And, perhaps, this tnay account for the practice of carrying off the earthy copings of limestone quarries, for manure ; while the efflorescent matter of the rock, mixed with calcareous rubble (a marl of a superior quality) are suffered to remain as rubbish, in the bottom of the quarry. Nevertheless, lime is much in use. How are these jarrings to be reconciled ? DUNG. This is chiefly, or wholly, I believe, raised in the district. The navi- gation, from London, is, at present, too circuitous, and uncertain, to admit of bring- ing much, if any, from thence. The qualii ies of the feces of different animals, and feeding on different foods, are attended to, here. Cattle are fed on oil cake\ without any other view to profit, than that of affording dung of a superior quality. S. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 87 But the most extraordinary opinion, re- specting the qualities of the feces of ani- mals, is that of the dung of swine being esteemed of an inferior value! " It fills the land full of weeds ;" even when it is made from the wash of a distillery ! But prejudice is the child of chance and igno- rance ; and is nurtured by indolence, and false pride. The application of dung is, chiefly, to wheat, turneps, and hops. COMPOST. Much of the dung, used in the district, is formed into compost, with mud, or mold of any kind that can be col- lected, as the soil of lanes and waste places, the copings of quarries, &c. I have observ- ed the soil of a headland carried off, for this purpose. This practice, however, is most observable, in the hop culture ; in which raw dung is seldom used. It may be of use to observe, that, in turning over mounds of compost, the Kent- ish method is improper. The mound is cut down, perpendicularly, with a sharp instrument, part after part, and moved by fork-fulls ; instead of being torn down, with pecks or mattocks, and the reduced frag- MANURES. 8. ments cast, with shovels, over a sloping surface. The first is merely turning it, or rather moving it : whereas the latter '^mix- ing the materials, be they what they may, in a manner as effectual, perhaps, as the operation requires : and at nearly the same cost, that is bestowed, on the far less effec- tual method. LIME is in considerable estimation; and in much use. That, used as manure, is wholly birnt from chalk,* and mostly with wood ! notwithstanding coals are brought bv water, within a small distance from the kiln. But here, again, the demon, prejudice, would seem to be at work. The prevailing idea is, that lime burnt with wood is " better for land," than that which is produced from the same material, by the heat of coals. Can there be any truth in this received opinion : The waste of land (employed in the growth of wood) which this opinion incurs, * Chalk of Boxlfy Hill. &/«r dusky white ; contexture somewhat soft : a free writing cl.alk. By the marine acid, one hundred grains yield nine) grains of calcareous earth ; and four grains of fine snuff- colored silt. 8. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 89 is very considerable ; and it would be well if some unprejudiced man would ascertain the fact. The kilns are placed along the sides of the chalk hills ; generally below the mid- way of the steep ; and the fagots, which are chiefly produced upon the hills, being drawn to the brink of the clif, are rolled down, in large bundles, of perhaps a wag- gon load each, (bound with strong ropes) to the kiln : an ingenious and cheap mode of conveyance. The method of burning chalk, with fagot wood, which is similar throughout the southern counties, will be described in the District of Petworth ;— together with an improvement, which I recently ob- served, in this district. The application of lime is, generally, to broken or fallowed ground, for wheat ; and on soils of different qualities, from loam on rock, to pale weak clay, on a retentive base: the quantity set on being about two chaldrons, an acre. The method of applying it varies. It is sometimes set on, in load heaps ; and, when fallen, is spread without admixture. 90 MANURE?. 8. But, more generally, and which may be considered as the practice of the district, is that of setting it on, /';: :ps, and cover i fig tbem up uitb soil: a practice which merits an attentive examination. In my Journal, under the date 11 Octo- ber, 1790, is the following notice. " Ob- served several instances (in the townships of Banning and the two Farleys; o'l lime in small heaps: all of them covered, wholly or partially, with soil. The late rains have caused the lime, in most of them, to burst its bounds. On examining several of the hil- locks, I found, invariably, that the parts which are ejposcd, are broken down into chequers or coarse granules, only ; while those \shich are covered, are resolved into a uniform, fine powder : of course, that which is covered the most effectually, is in the best state/' Remark. This is a ready way of dis- tributing lime ; and, if too long a succes- sion of wet weather do not set in, so as to reduce the whole to a state of paste, it is, or might be rendered, a most effectual one. Thus, when the hillocks begin to burst open their coverings, turn them over ; and, 8. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 91 in this operation, mix the lime, which is wholly slaked, intimately with the soil, and endeavour to bring the unreduced knobs toward the surface; then re-cover the heaps, with fresh soil. Finally, in due season, and when the whole is perfectly fallen, spread the compost, compleatly assimilated, evenly over the land. This method would be equally efficacious, and much less tedious and expensive, than that of the West of England. 9. SEMINATION. CORN, of every species, is sown, in the ordinary practice of the country, by hand, broadcast : either over the rough surface, as left by the seed plowing, or over channels, or seed seams, formed by the " stricking plow," mentioned in the section imple- ments. The Kentish seedsmen, in sowing their uniformly surfaced, furrowless lands, set up 92 SEMINATION. 9. stakes, so as to form a sort of lane, as a guide to sow by ; casting both ways (sow- ing the ground twice over) at every second step, and throwing the seed higher than is djnc, in most other districts * The seed is invariably covered with the bkrrow : without any regard to the species of corn, or the nature of the soil. The practice of covering seed corn with the plow, may be said to be unknown ; and is never performed, in this part of Kent ■ an in- teresting fact, in the history of English agriculture. PULSE, on the contrary, is commonly cultivated, in rows : (tares only excepted ) and these rising at a sufficient distance, from each other, to admit the horse-hoe between them : a practice which ought never to be deviated from, in cultivating this class of grain crops ; for reasons given in the Ru- ral Economy of Glocestershire ; Sec- tion Pulse. * For the Norfolk, method of setting out seed casts, with the plow or other instruments, see Rural Economy of Norfolk, Section Wheat. to DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 93 10. GROWING CROPS. THE WIRE-WORM, or sodworm, having long been a destructive enemy to corn crops, in this quarter of the Island,* it is common, here, to roll the surface, very hard, or to tread it with sheep, either fold- * English naturalists, it would seem, arc silent, as to this common animal. For Berkenhout has not discovered it, in their works. It is evidently a julus (of Linneus.) But of this species Dr. B. has only two species, — the terrestris — " black, polished." — and the sabulosus — " ash-color:" whereas the wire- worm, or as it is sometimes called the " red worm," is of an orange, or redish yellow color. Is it a variety of the last r The ravages of this animal, I believe, have seldom been heard of, northward of the Thame?, until last year, 1797, when they extended even to the mulland counties. How an animal, without wings, could spread itself thus widely, in one season, appears to be inexplicable. It must previously have existed there, though unperceived; and the last, or the preceding year, proved peculiarly favourable to its propagation. 94 GROWING CROPS. i0. ed or driven over it, between the sowing of the crop and its appearing above-ground ; — and, this, perhaps, without strict regard to the quality of the soil: I have, at least, seen it done, on a soil that appeared to be alto- gether improper to be more closely com- pressed, than it is, in its natural texture ; especially when lying as it does, on a re- tentive base. But the practice belongs to lighter, more absorbent soils ; and it is ex- tended to those of a contrary nature, for want of that discrimination, vhich belongs to the higher stages of the art, and which English husbandry has not vet attained. The depredations, committed by this mis- chievous reptile, proceed from its feeding on the pi incipal cr downward root; most espe- cially of wheat ; thus cuttins; ofTtl slants; generally in plots or stripes ; but, in some years, ana in some instances, spreading de- struction over the whole field ; so far, at least, as to render what remains unfit to occupy the ground, as a crop. It is not peculiar to lev grounds, though most pre- valent in old sward : b'it is likewise often dt s'ructive to wheat, alter peas : that is to say, on free, mellow, absorbent soils. *o. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 95 Remark. Are not these vermin of the soil encouraged, by the neglect of sum- mer tillage? All herbivorous animalcules, which have not the power of flight, but are liable to the circumstances of the plot of ground they are bred in, may surely be ex- tirpated, by keeping the soil they inhabit, free from every thing herbaceous ; espe- cially, during the summer months, when they are in a state of activity, and doubtless require daily support. And it appears to be no more than common prudence, in those who have lands peculiarly infested with this, or any other, slow-moving ani- malcule, to give them up to unabating tillage, the longest time possible, so as not to lose more than one year's crop. For the advantages of the eighteen months fallow, see West of England, Min: 17. For other remarks, on tillage, as de- structive of vermin, as well as of -needs, see Midland Counties, Mix: 34.* CORN CROPS are never hoed, in the ordinary practice of the district : neverthe- less, the hand hoe is sometimes applied by * Further remarks on the sodworm will appear in the section hops. 96 GROWING CROPS. 10. judicious managers, to thin places, or where the wire-worm has cut oft the crop, par- tially. PULSE CROPS, on the contrary, are universally hoed : the intervals, with the nidget, or horse-hoe. the rows with the hand-hoe: cleaning them, in general, with the gardener's attention. When pulse is de- pended upon, as the cleansing, or fallow crop, a rigid attention to the land, while the crop is growing, become. ;al. SPARROWS. This rapacious enemy of crops are in less force, here, than in most other parts of England : and this, perhaps, is owing to a species of trap, which is in use, for taking them ; and which, I believe, is unknown to the rest of the Island. This simple engine consists of a small wicker basket (resembling the fruit sieve of the London markets ;) with a cover, of the same material, fitted to it, and formed on the principle of the fish pot, and the ver- min trap, into which the entrance is e but the return difficult. These traps, which are an ordinary ar- ticle of sale, in the markets of the district, are of brown unpeeled oziers. Thediame- io. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 97 ter about two feet : the depth nines inches. The cover is somewhat dishing, with a tun- nel, or inverted cone, in the center, reach- ing to within about an inch of the bottom of the basket ; the aperture, or entrance, formed by the points of the twigs of which the tunnel is constructed, being about one inch and a half in diameter. The usual bait is wheat, scattered in the basket. The number caught, at once, is frequently more, than theory would sug- gest. The contentions of a few, that have entered, seldom failing to bring others to the combat. 11. HARVEST MANAGEMENT. IN this important work of husbandry, we find many varieties of practice, here, that are well entitled to particular mention. Some of them, as being valuable in them- selves ; others, as showing the diversity of methods, by which the same ends are vol. 1. H 98 HARVEST MANAGEMENT. u. obtained, in the different districts and de- partments of the kingdom : opening a wide field for conjecture and discussion, respect- ing their origin, or introduction. In REAPING, however, there are few striking deviations, from the ordinary prac- tice of the kingdom, at large ; except that, here, the practice of " bagging," or mow- ing with one hand, is more or less in use ; and is performed, in nearly the same man- ner, as what is termed hewing, in the West of England : and which is there described. In reaping oats, that were lodged and weedy, and while the air was damp, I ob- served an instance, in which, instead of be- ing bound into sheaves, or set up in sing- lets, they were spread out in swaths, as if cut with the sithe: to remain in these, until the weeds were withered and the straw stiffened. Another minutia of management, respect- ing reaped crops, which I noticed in this district, and which ought to be observed in others, is that of setting up shucks ; not according to the direction of the field, or the ridges into which it has happened to be ii. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 99 plowed, but in the line of the meridian — pointing north and south ; — in order that the sun may have equal effect, on either side of them. This, it is true, is somewhat more conveniently dune, on ground laid flat with tne turnwrest plow, than where it is raised into narrow ridges. Nevertheless, in most cases, it is practicable and eligible. If any deviation from the meridian line be eli- gible, it would seem to be that of giving the souui ends of the shucks a somewhat westerly direction. But if we consider that more rain, as well as more wind, comes to us from the south west, even this deviation appears to be unnecessary, if not improper. It is observable, in this place, that in the southern, as well as in the northern pro- vinces, women are employed, in the ope- ration of reaping ; though by no means so generally, in the former, as in the latter. Nevertheless, the country doubtless receives considerable benefit, from their assistance. See Midland Counties, for observations on this subject. GLEANING is, here, universally forbid- den j until the crop be carried oft'the ground. I did not, at least, see a single instance of H 2 ioo HARVEST MANAGEMENT. u. gleaning, either after the reapers, or among shucks: not, however, through a want of " leasers ," who follow the harvest wag- gons, and flock into the fields, in numbers, after the ground is cleared. For reflections on this subject, see Midland Counties, Min: So. MOWING CORN. In this operation, the husbandmen of Kent excel : not as to neatness, only ; but in respect to utility. The corn sithe is furnished with a cradle, provincially " harness/' or with a bow, according to the given crop, or the habit of the workman. I saw only one instance of mowing corn, with the naked sithe, agreeably to the Midland practice. Where the crop stands tolerably fair, the cradle is generally preferred ; and it is used with singular dexterity. In the practice of every other department of the kingdom, the sithe is swung, horizon- tally, or nearly level ; leaving the stubble of nearly an even height ; or, if it rise on either side, forming what are called swath balks, the buts of the swaths are suffered to rest upon them ; the heads or ears of the corn falling into the hollow, or close-mown ii. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 101 part of the preceding swath width. They are of course liable, in a wet season (the chief thing to be guarded against) not only to receive an undue portion of rain water ; but to be fouled with the splashings of heavy showers. In the Kentish practice, the position of the swaths is different. Here, the heads of the corn rest on the top of the swath-balk, provincially the " beever ;' which is left of extraordinary height, as ten to fifteen inches ; so that the wind has a free circu- lation, beneath the swaths. The workman, in performing this judi- cious operation, proceeds with his right foot, forward ; entering the point of his sithe, with a downward stroke, and raising it as abruptly out; bringing the handle round to the left, until it form nearly a right- angle with the line of the swath ; carrying the corn, in the cradle, three or four feet behind the place where it grew ; lifting it high, and letting it fall lightly on the beever, behind his left foot, and in the po- sition above described. How difficult to convey, in words, even this simple operation, so as to render it 102 HARVEST MANAGEMENT. n. practical, in a country where it is wanted. Yet how readily, and effectually, it might be taught, by a Kentish workman, in a PUBLIC SEMINARY The disadvantages of this method are the loss of some straw, the incumbrance arising from the length of stubble, arid a little ad- ditional labor. But in a country, where cattle are not numerous, the loss of straw is not felt ; and, in any country, the prin- ciple of laying the heads, instead oi' the buts of the corn, upon the swath balk, whe- ther left high or low, might well be adopted. DRYING MOWN CORN. The swaths are sometimes suffered to lie on the beevers, until they are dry cnoug' to be carrried; and are then formed into cocks, (or neater wads) agreeably to the practice of all the midland, and most of the southern counties (the central and eastern parts of Kent, being, I believe, the only parts that deviate from this practice) excepting so far as relates to the superior neatness of the Kentish method ; ana in that the swaths are seldom broken, in the southern counties, until th day they are carried. See Midland Counties, on this subject. ii. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 10 But, whatever has been, formerly, the prevailing practice of Kent, it is, at present, and has been for some time, that of bind- ing the swaths, in large sheaves, or bundles, and generally with rope yam ; which is easily procured, in this maritime county.* In doing this, the swaths are rolled, or piled part after part, with large, crooked, long- toothed rakes, made for this purpose, and well adapted to it, into rough bundles ; by pulling part of the swath one way and part the other, as in the Norfolk method of breaking swaths into cocks. A bundle be- ing thus formed, the workman throws down his rake, and, taking a length of rope yarn, which hangs at his girdle, forcibly thrusts the end of it under the bundle ; which be- ing turned over, a knot is tied. An ope- ration, which, to a bystander, appears a little uncouth and immethodical. The piles, instead of shucks, which are formed with these rough sheaves, are the * Yet in the West of England, even within a few miles of Plymouth, (where a practice similar to that of Kent prevails) rope yarn is not used for this pur- post — perhaps has never been thought of: the wasteful practice of making bands of dry oats being in use. i a* HARVEST MANAGEMENT. ir. most striking objects that meet the eye of a stranger, in the Kentish harvest. They are formed of ten bundles each. Four of them are laid, heads-and-tails, upon the ground ; by way of a bottom, or founda- tion, two sheaves in width, and somewhat more than one sheaf in length. On these the remaining six are piled, three two and one, with all their buts, or thickest ends, the same way: thus bringing the pile to a sort of point, given by the but of the last sheaf, whose head hangs steeply down- ward ; forming a sort of roof, or thatch, to the side of the pile. By this method of piling the sheaves, it is evident, that the ears have very different degrees of exposure. Those of the first four are entirely buried ; and those of the two undermost rendered liable to the cool- ness, and perhaps dampness, of the ground ; while those of the other six, that of the last most especially, are in great part exposed. The whole of the buts, however, are open to the air ; and for corn which is weedy, and the buts of the sheaves foul and full of green herbage, this may be an eligible me- thod : but, surely, not for clean straight ii. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 105 corn ; for which upright shucks are doubt- less preferable. The advantage of harvesting barley and oats in bundles, lies in their being more easily loaded and ricked. But I met with an idea, here, that more loose corn may be trodden into the bay of a barn, by the help of a horse, than by binding and mowing by hand. And another, that mice are less liable to enter a mow of loose corn, hard trodden, than one built with sheaves; whose interstices furnish them with convenient runs. Even in the very simple operation of RAKING up the scattered corn, left upon STUBBLES, whether after binding or cock- ing, there are varieties of practice. This district furnishes two. One of them is given by a horse rake, eight feet long, with teeth nine or ten inches below the head, and with a block wheel at each end of it, of such a diameter, as to re- gulate the action of the teeth, so as to ga- ther the corn, without tearing up the soil or stubble. And this it performs, with bet- ter effect, than theory might suggest. It must be remarked, however, that it works, io6 HARVEST MANAGEMENT. u. here, on smooth level surfaces, as left by the turn wrest plow ; and that it would not bt equally eligible on rough, uneven, ridge- and-iurrow work. One horse, in shafts; a boy, to lead it ; and a man, to disburden the rake, at stated distances, are employed in the operation. The other Stubble Rake of this district is drawn by hand : and is of a valuable construc- tion. It dirlers from that of the midland colnties, in having shafts, similar to those ot the common horse rake, instead of a forked handle. Towards the points of the shafts, which are about six feet long, a shifting crosspiece. resembling in form the single ox -voke, slides upon the rods, so as to re- gulate the instrument to the height of the workman : holes being passed through the shafts and the ends of the yoke ; which is lixt, by this means, higher or lower, with an iron pin, at each end. In use, the yokdike bend in the middle of the crosspiece (which is about two feet long) rests on the shoulder or collar of the workman. Between this and the head of the rake (and about two feet from the lat- ter) is a fixed crosspiece, to keep the shafts ri. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 107 firm, and for the workman to lay hold of, with his right or loose hand, to ease his col- lar, and to lift the rake, when the teeth are full, or when he has reached the stated line of delivery. The advantage of this rake, over that of the midland counties, is that of its being stiffer, and less liable to dip, or be drawn down, by running weeds, or other impedi- ments. But, across ridge-and-furrow work, the single-handled rake, and shoulder strap, have a decided advantage ; as being more easily raised or depressed, as occasion re- quires, in passing the ridge or the furrow. Thus, we see, each is best adapted to the peculiar practice, or general economy, of the country, in which experience has esta- blished its use. LOADING CORN. To those who have not attended to the minutenesses of the har- vest management, and have not a practical knowledge of their advantages and disad- vantages, in the hurry of a busy season, may think it unworthy of the pen, to say how the load is carried up, and how secured from accidents. But those who have seen the remnant of a field of corn caught in a io8 HARVEST MANAGEMENT. n. heavy rain, merely through the miscar- riages of the day, arising from a want of method in forming the load, or of caution in binding it, Will attend with patience to the practice of another, even though it may prove less eligible than his own. In the established practice of the district of Maidstone, the load is carried up. in the form of a long cube, with the buts of the sheaves outward ; each course being tied in, by sheaves laid lengthway of the car- riage ; finally, covering the binding sheaves, with others laid across the load. To bind the load, thus formed, two ropes (or a very long one doubled) are fastened in a roller, or wince, firmly fixed upon the hind cross- piece of the body of the waggon ; and the two ends thrown over the load, forward ; so as to bear on the cross sheaves last men- tioned. The two loose ends of the rope being drawn down moderately, by hand, and fastened to the forepart of the car- riage, the other ends are wound round the roller of the wince, by the means of two iron bolts, or short levers : thus giving a degree of tightness to the ropes, and firm- ness to the load, which no strength of ii. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 109 arm, unassisted by mechanic power, could effect. If, in this method of carrying corn, the rule were observed, to lessen the width of the load, as its height is increased, the, se- curity would be still greater. 12. FARM YARD MANAGEMENT MY INFORMATION, on this head, is necessarily confined ; by reason of my not being resident in the district, during the winter months: so essential it is, to a com- pleat register of the practice of any particular district, to reside in it the year round. What I saw of the operation of THRASHING, in this part of Kent, con- veyed nothing new or striking. The me- no FARM YARD MANAGEMENT. 12. thod in use, here, resembles that of Glo- i.estershtre, which has been desci ibed. WINNOWING is done chiefly with the sail fan : only one machine fan. >r win- noting mill, fell under my notice. When the floor is of sufficient length, and the wind fair, casting (in the Norfolk man- ner) is sometimes used ; especially, I be- lieve, for seed corn. STRAW is consumed, in this, as in the other districts of the southern counties, in the open yard. In this respect, the prac- tices of the north, and the south, of England differ widely : there, it is eaten and con- verted into dung: here, the principal part of it is trodden into manure ; the number of strawyard stock being generally dispro- portioned to the quaiuitv of straw. VERMIN. The most valuable fact which I collected, in this district, respecting the homestall management, relates to rats, whose destructiveness is grown to so great a height, in every district of the island, as to become a serious cause o( alarm, for the grain produce of the country ; and every method of reducing the number requires to be used. i2. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. m A respectable yeoman, and most inge- nious husbandman, in the neighbourhood of Maidstone,* has, for some years past, been possessed of a method of drawing them together, in numbers ; and even of render- ing them, in a degree, tame and familiar; not, however, by any charm or fascinating lure; but by pursuing obvious and rational means ; and on principles similar to those employed, in taking mice, in the instance noticed, in Yorkshire. The season, best adapted to the purpose, is that of summer ; when the barns are empty, and their allowance of provisions short. At this time, such food is provided, as is found, by experience, to be most agree- able to them. Wheat flour and sugar, scented with the oil of caraway, and form- ed into paste with water, has been found to be a favorite food. The chief difficulty of preparation lies in communicating the scent, evenly to the whole, so as not to give pun- gency, to any part. This is done, by rub- bing the oil into the palms of the hands, and then rubbing the flour between them ; * Mr. Fovvle of Faxit; to whom I am indebted for much information. ii2 FARM YARD MANAGEMENT. 12. afterwards rubbing the flour and sugar to- gether, in a similar manner. A recluse part of the farm buildings, near their favorite haunt, being pitched on, and darkened, they are continued to be fed, with balls or bits of this palatable, whole- some paste, at stated times, or regular meals; until the whole, or a considerable number, of those that inhabit the premises, are drawn together, and feed freely, on the food pre- pared for them ; when they are either con- centrated on a platform, over which a fall- ing trap is suspended, so as to drop instan- taneously, and inclose the whole collec- tion ; or, which requires much less time and attention, a sufficient quantity of arsenic is added to the paste, to operate as a poison. In adding this, as in giving the scent, much caution is required. The least grit- tiness offends, or alarms them ; so that the arsenic cannot be pounded too fine ; it ought to be elutriated, or washed over ; by which means no particle, that is not capable of being momentarily suspended in water, can enter the composition : which is made up, with this poisonous liquor, in- stead of pure water. ia. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 113 Remarks. The exertions of an indivi- dual, however, though ever so well directed and successful, are of little avail, even to himself, when applied to the species of ver- min under notice. Rats not only join in companies, while they are inhabitants of the same place, but travel together in bodies, from farm to farm, or place to place, as a want of food, alarm, or policy directs them. In the midland district, moles are in a manner extirpated, by means of parish rates. Yet the infinitely more hurtful rat is, in every district, permitted to con- tinue in force ; without any sort of public attention. A parochial attention, however, is not sufficient to exterminate the rat, or sufficiently to lessen its destructiveness. Hundreds, or counties, should join in its extirpation. And how easily might such a work be carried into effect, by the means Of COUNTY RATES. It would be a crime not to mention, here, though in some part out of place, another most ingenious invention of the same per- son : a vermin trap, on a new principle : new, at least, to me. It consists of a wooden box, or hutch, vol. 1. I ii4 FARM YARD MANAGEMENT. 12. resembling the dog hutch or kennel, which is usually provided for the yard dog, to hide and sleep in ; its form being that of the barn. It is divided, in the middle, by an open wire partition, running from end to end, and reaching from the ridge of the roof to the floor. One side of this par- tition is again divided, into two parts, or cages ; one of them for a tame rabbit, the other for a live fowl, to allure the vermin. The other half of the hutch being formed into a falling box trap, to take them ! Great numbers of weasels, stoats, and polecats (as well as domestic cats) have been caught, in coppices and hedgerows, by this most simple and ingenious, yet, when known, most ob- vious device. J. MARKET. MAIDSTONE is the principal market town of the district. Tunbridge, how- ever, commands the upper part of it ; and 13- DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. ir5 draws together a portion of the corn and hops it produces. It is a striking fact, and well worthy of notice, that, notwithstanding the short dis- tance, between this part of Kent and the market of Smithfield, it has its own mar- kets for fat stock. Formerly, it had only one ; that of Tunbridge, which was held weekly. Now, it has four ; name- ly, Maidstone, Tunbridge, Sevenoaks, and Rochester ; each of which has its monthly market, during summer and autumn. The usual quantity of stock, collected at the monthly market of Maidstone, in the autumnal months, may be laid at a thousand head of sheep, and about one hundred and fifty head of cattle; chiefly from Romney Marsh ; some from the Weald. The buyers are mostly butchers, from the towns and ports of this populous county; with some from the Metropolis. How much more eligible it is, for the butchers of Gravesend, Rochester,Chatbam, Sheerness, Canterbury, &c. &c. to attend these markets, than to spend their time, in riding after the graziers, to purchase what I s n6 MARKETS. 13. stock they want ; as is done by those of Birmingham, and the manufacturing towns in its neighbourhood. See Midland Coun- ties. 14. WHEAT. THE OUAN'TITY GROWN, in this part of^ Kent, is very considerable. Never- theless, in the immediate neighbourhood of Maidstone, and wherever the culture of hops is prevalent, the proportion of wheat is small: chiefly, on account of the best wheat lands being appropriated to the hop cul- ture; though, in some part, no doubt, to the manure, which the country affords, be- ing much of it expended on that crop. The SPECIES are various. The "Zee- land," a white wheat, — the " Hertford- shire," a brown wheat, the " Royal Wil- liam/'— and the " Taunton white," — I have heard spoken of, as valuable varie- ties. But this is speaking a language that is understood, only, in the place where it is i4. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 117 used. And if I were to give botanic de- scriptions, and accurate drawings, what use- ful end would they answer ? I have, in dif- ferent departments of the kingdom, col- lected specimens of the valuable varieties of wheat in cultivation. But unless we had some PUBLIC ESTABLISHMENT, in a central situation, where their comparative merits might be examined, in a state of growth, of what use is the collection ? In SUCCESSION, the wheat crop usual- ly follows BEANS, PEAS, Or CLOVER ! llOt Ull- frequently turneps; and sometimes "dry fallow." After the last, I have seen the crop large, and the land clean ; while, after pulse, it is too frequently the reverse, and the stubbles, in many cases, are left un- sufferably foul. The species of SOILS, appropriated to this crop, are all those of the district ; ex- cept, perhaps, the very lightest, at its eastern extremity. TILLAGE. The autumn fallow af- ter pulse has been described, as consisting of three plowings of different intentions. But two, or perhaps one, is sometimes all the bean grattans receive ; especially after u8 WHEAT. 14. a late harvest. In this case, however, the surface, if the soil and season will permit, is " stricked," or channeled, with the strik- ing plow, noticed in the section imple- ments. I have seen the operation of stricking performed, in the following manner. In this instance, the implement was double ; having two chips or keels, about four feet long, and fixed at such a distance from each other, as to draw channels or seedseams, ten inches and a half apart, from middle to middle. The team was of two horses, at length; with two men, to guide and hold ; turning to the right and left, alternately, as in plowing with the turn wrest plow. To draw the grooves at equal distances, and parallel to each other, the inside wheel was kept in the outside furrow or channel ; con- sequently, the wheels were set at a distance equal to three times that between the chan- nels ; which the implement left three or four inches deep, and of a concave form : a form, which, when the hoe is not intend- ed to be used, is much preferable to a sharp angle, at the bottom ; as the plants are more evenly distributed in the soil, and their U. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. n9 roots less liable to interfere with each other, than when they are crowded, and matted together, in rows. The dispatch, in this case, was about three acres, a day. It is observable, that the Kentish plow- men, in giving the seed plowing, of broken ground, lying on a slope, with the common turnwrest plow, make it a general rule, I believe, to turn the soil upward, or against the slope ; doubtless to form cleaner and deeper seedseams, than plowing downward could give. The MANURES, in use for wheat, are chiefly lime and dung, applied in the man- ners already described, in the section ma- nure. SEMINx\TION. The season of sow- ing lasts from Michaelmas, to near Christ- mas. In cases, where the autumn fallow is depended upon, for all the purposes of tillage and exposure, the longer it is continued, the more effectual will be its services, to the soil; but, in general, the less productive will be the crop. The quantity of seed is moderate: — namely, from two and a half to three bushels, an acre. In regard to the preparation of seed i2o WHEAT. 14. wheat, there are, in this, as in other dis- tricts, different opinions. Many or most, however, believe in brine : some letting it lie twelve hours in steep. A change of seed is here thought to be of great service to the crop : by some men, it is held as necessary : not merely a trans- fer, from soil to soil of opposite natures ; but from district to district : the distance (that is to say the change of atmosphere!) being the great thing to be desired. But this idea, perhaps, has been propagated, and is still enforced, by dealers in seed wheat. It is nevertheless entitled to a fair and full investigation. The GROWING CROP. To guard, as much as may be, against the ravages of the sodworm, wheats, in general, I understand, are rolled, with heavy rollers, in the spring ; being not unfrequently bush-har- rowed, previously to the rolling; but most especially, I believe, where clover seed has been sown over the crop. The hoe, as has been said, is seldom in- troduced among wheat ; even though it be " stricked in ;" unless when it is thin, or " platt v." I observed an instance, in this district, of 14. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 121 BLIGHTED WHEAT being CUT VERY GREEN. See Glocestershire, on this subject. The HARVEST management of wheat has been mentioned, under the general head, page 97. It is bound in sheaves, of very different sizes; and is set up, in naked shucks; generally of ten each ; especially when the tithe is taken in kind ; which it too fre- quently is, in this part of the kingdom. The practice of covering shucks may be said to be' unknown, to the Southern Counties. But see the Midland Coun- ties, on this particular. Wheat stubbles are in general mown. The produce of stubble and weeds, which in most cases, is abundant, I have seen stacked up, in a corner of the field. This practice of clearing away the stubble being, perhaps, followed, less with a view to col- lect litter, than as a necessary preparative to the operation of broadsharing. The PRODUCE of wheat, in this quar- ter of the Island, is extraordinarily great; at least, in the mouth of general report. Four, five, six, nay, seven or eight quarters, an acre, are talked of. ua WHEAT. 14. On the silty soils, la the Tunbridge quar- ter of the district, especially those that are incumbent on a gravelly subsoil, the pro- duce is generally very great. From infor- mation which I can rely on, having it from the mouth of the grower, a man of charac- ter, seven quarters and a half, an acre, have been grown on these lands: not on a single acre, merely ; but over a whole field. The measure eight gallons and a half: the va- riety of wheat, the " Zeeland." Judging, however, from what I saw, in the year ninety^and in the neighbour]: of Maidstone, three quarters, an acre, ap- peared to be the par produce. On some of the strong clean lands, on rock, a much greater produce was evident, — as four to five quarters ; but on many or most of the ker lands, lying on retentive bases, and on which the fallow-crop husbandry had been injudiciously pursued, eighteen to twenty bushels, an acre, was the full pro- duce. MARKETS. It is sold, either to the MILLERS of the country, or to corn fac- tors, for the London market. The whole is sold by sample ; there being no " pitching 14. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 123 of sacks" or selling corn, in bulky in this quarter of the southern counties. During the late scarcity and exorbitant price of wheat, some exertions were made towards establishing a bushel market, at Maidstone, for the benefit of the poor ; but they ceased with the high price of provisions. 15. BARLEY. THIS CROP, also, is in full cultiva- tion, in the district under view. The only SPECIES which I saw culti- vated, is the LONG-EARED, Or HORDEUM distichon. The SOILS, appropriated to this crop, are all those which the district comprizes. Even the strong coomby soils, when incum- bent on rock, are esteemed favorable to barley. An evidence, which brings con- viction, that it is not the lightness or open- 124 BARLEY. 15. ness of texture, of the soil itself, but the warmth and absorbency of the base, on which it rests, that is grateful to this fasti- dious crop. SEMINATION. The time of sowing is the latter end of April, and the beginning of May. The usual quantity of seed, I was told, is four bushels, an acre ; even after clean turneps ! HARVESTING. It is universally cut, with thesithe; and left in pillowed swaths; until it be dry enough to carry ; or is bound and piled up, in the field, in the manner already mentioned. The PRODUCE, from what I observed, and from what information I obtained, may be averaged at four quarters, an acre. The MARKET for barley lies, chiefly, or wholly, within the neighbourhood of its growth ; the produce being bought up by the maltsters of the county. 16. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. n5 16. OATS. OF THIS CROP, too, the propor- tional number of acres is considerable. On the cool weak soils, of the southeast quar- ter of the district, it is an eligible crop. But, on the warmer, mellower, better lands, it ought seldom, perhaps, in strict pro- priety of management, to appear. The im- propriety is the greater, as, on the better lands, at least, they are chiefly grown after wheat, and become, of course, a heavy bur- den on the fallow-crop plan of manage- ment. But, where an inordinate number of horses are kept up, to an immoderate state of fatness, a proportionate supply of oats must be provided. The SPECIES are mostly the common white oat; with a small portion, in 1790, of the Tartatrian, or reed oat. The quantity of SEED-^-four or five J26 OATS. 16. bushels. The produce — three to six quar- ters. The markets — the cart horse stables of the farms they grow on. 17. BEANS. THE PROPORTION of beans, to other arable crops, is greater, in this, than in any other inclosed country, I have examined. The SPECIES, or varieties, in culti- vation, are four: the "French tick" — a small dark grey bean; the " middle tick" — a somewhat larger brown bean ; the ma- zagan, — a still larger sort of brown bean ; and the long-pod, — a well known garden bean . In SUCCESSION, the bean crop, most commonly, follows clover : sometimes, however, it succeeds wheat, or other corn crop ; and, in some few instances, at least, beans have succeeded turneps ; a particu- lar of management, in the fallow-crop hus- bandry, which might frequently be copied, with profit. I7i DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 127 The SOILS, employed in the bean cul- ture, are chiefly the stronger kinds, on ab- sorbent bases ; but the cooler lands, of the southern margin of the district, are more or less subjected to it. TILLAGE. There is no particular of the Kentish practice, of which I regret so much the want of a personal examination, as that of putting in the bean crop. The leys have, of course, only one plow- ing: the corn stubbles, I understand, are usually broadshared, in autumn, and have one plowing, in the spring. SEMINATION. No part of the un- dertaking, which I have at length the sa- tisfaction to see drawing fast towards a conclusion, has been so irksome, as that of attempting to describe the minutke of a process or operation, which has not been rendered sufficiently familiar to me, by prac- tice, or repeated inspection ; even though the particulars were furnished, by profes- sional men, of the best intelligence. The loss, in the present instance, however, is the less, as the growing crops gave me not only the disposition of the seed, but some idea of the quantity ; which last was 128 BEANS. 17. sufficiently corroborated, by men of the first integrity. And there are many methods known, by which four bushels of beans may be distributed, in rows, twenty inches asunder. The method which, I understand, is most prevalent, here, and which may be called the practice of Kent, is that of drawing channels, or small furrows, with the strok- ing plow ; the distance between the rows being regulated by the wheels of the im- plement. And for lands laid flat and even, with the turnwrest plow, and which will bear to be trodden, in early spring, this appears to be an accurate and eligible me- thod ; though by no means well suited to retentive soils, laid up in ridges, and yet so tender, as not to permit any animal of draft to step on them, with impunity. Observation. The quantity of seed will appear, to most practical men, unreason- ably large. In Glocestershire, where the rows stand, only ten to fourteen inches apart, the quantity of seed is no more than two and a half to three bushels, an acre ; the seeds, deposited, in any determinate length of row, being twice as numerous, in i7. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 129 Kent, as in Glocestershire. Nevertheless, the practice of Kent is founded on long ex- perience, and may be proper, on the Kentish soils. The plants, it is true, appear to in- terfere with each other : but their conten- tions only serve to force them out, to this or that side of the row ; and thus, in effect, to give them more room to mature in. With wide intervals, and a powerful soil, the practice is probably right. The usual SEASON OF SOWING, I was informed, is the latter end of March, or the beginning of April ; which is a month, or six weeks, later, than in Glocestershire. But the different modes of putting in the seed may account for this variation in the times of sowing. The GROWING CROP. It is chiefly, by the attention and labor, bestowed on this, the Kentish husbandmen obtain a decided superiority, in the bean culture. In the practice of the higher ranks of professional men, the crop is cleaned, with gardenly care and neatness. The intervals are repeated- ly horse-hoed, and finally earthed up , and the rows kept perfectly clean, by hand. And, in return for such treatment, I have vol. 1. K i3o BEANS. rj. seen every stem, bulky as the rows were, podded down to the very soil. In this part of the culture of beans, the practice of Kent may well be taken as a pattern, for the rest of the Island. HARVESTING. The excellency of the Kent practice, likewise continues, through this stage of management : in which, how- ever, it has a rival in that of Glocester- shire. Indeed, the practice of the two counties may be said to be the same, or to have sprung from the same root ; though they are situated at a great distance from each other ; and are separated by districts, that are entirely ignorant of their practice. But admitting it to be of monastic origin, or introduction, it is not surprising that it should have got footing, in Kent and GIo- cestershire. The particulars of the Kentish practice are these. When the halm has been short (as that of the longpod and mazagan bean generally is) I have seen the plants pulled up, with the roots, entire. But, more ge- nerally, they are cut off, above ground, with a sharp reaping hook ; the workmen laying hold of the tops, with one hand, and ,7- DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 131 striking near the ground, with the other; somewhat in the Glocestershire manner ; but much less expeditiously. In this par- ticular, the Glocestershire practice is prefe- rable. See Glocestershire, Sect: Pulse. Whether the plants be drawn or cut, they are spread on the grouxid, in reaps, shoves, or open sheaves, until they are suf- ficiently withered ; when they are set up in "' hives/' resembling the Glocestershire hackles ; but, in general, less accurately formed ; the Glocestershire farmers being, in this art, also, more adept, than those of Kent. When the hives are dry, or nearly so, they are bound into sheaves, with rope yarn, or with h)p vines ; which, if used be- fore they become brittle, make good bind- ings, for this purpose. If the beans, at the time of binding, are not yet. sufficiently dry, to be carried, they are set up, in shucks, until they are thoroughly cured. The PRODUCE of beans is laid, on a medium of years and crops, at four quar- ters, an acre. I was assured, that in one instance, eight quarters of beans, an acre. 132 BEANS. were produced. I saw fifteen to twenty acres, in one field, which were laid, and to all appearance fairly, at six quarters, an acre. These products, though thev arise, in some part, from the strength of the soils on which they are produced, evince the pro- priety of growing beans, in distant rows; and of using the horse-hoe and molding PLOW. ID CULTIVATING THE INTERVALS; SO as to give them the advantages of tillage and exposure, during the summer months. And these reflections aptly suggest an improvement, with respect to the culture of beans, as a fallow crop, on rich, absor- bent soils, like those of the district of Maid- stone : namely, that of continuing it two years ; cropping the cleaned intervals, and cleaning the rows, of the first year, in the second vear's culture. Had Tull confined his HORSE-HOING HUSBANDRY to PULSE, to beans and peas, as fallow crops, to clean the soil for corn and herbage, and re- commended it for this purpose only, he would have deserved well of his country. t8. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 133 18. PEAS. THE QUANTITY grown, in this dis- trict, is greater, than in most others of the same extent ; peas being, here, an ordinary crop. The VARIETIES, in cultivation, are the grey hog pea, and the white boiling pea; which are suited to soils and circumstances, as the judgment of the occupier directs. In SUCCESSION, I believe, they ge- nerally follow wheat ; sometimes clover ley, and frequently sainfoin: the sain- foin leys, especially on the lighter lands, and when tolerably clean, being mostly, I understand, broken up for this crop. SOILS. — The lighter warmer lands. TILLAGE.— One plowing of the ley grounds ; a broadsharing, and one turning, of the grattans. MANURE.— The use of this, I believe, is uncertain ; depending on the state and condition of the land. i34 PEAS. 18. SOWING. This crop is generally cul- tivated in rows, and in a manner similar to that of beans ; except that the intervals, in the pea culture, are usually narrower, than those of beans ; namely, sixteen to eighteen inches. But peas are sometimes cultivated, in the broadcast manner. The GROWING CROP of peas, in rows, is treated in a manner similar to that of BEANS. HARVESTING. There are various me- thods, in use, to separate the pea crop from the soil. In the practice of some men, in some districts, we see the common sithe employed, either in mowing the crop into swaths, to be broken into wads, reaps or bundles, by women ; or in cutting and, at the same time, forming the bundles, in a rough slovenly way, with the sithe. In others, a large sharp hook, resembling the reaping hook, is fixed at the end of a stout long handle ; and with this, solely, they are cut, and bundled. In others, two sickles or reaping hooks (or a larger hook made for this purpose) are made use of; the one to lift up, and give a degree of tension to the halm, the other to separate it from the rS. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 135 roots ; by striking horizontally, near the ground; the workman, in this case, stooping much to his work. In the Southern Coun- ties, an ingenious and valuable improve- ment of the last method (as it would seem) has been hit upon, and is more or less com- mon, I believe, to this quarter of the Island ; and is, perhaps, peculiar to it. I do not re- collect to have seen it in use, elsewhere. This method, and the tools employed in it, are difficult to describe. Instead of the short-handled sickle, used in the last-men- tioned operation, a lighter hook, with a slender handle, about three feet long, is em- ployed in raising up the halm ; which is cut by a sort of sithe, termed a " swap/' This is made with part of an old sithe, about two feet and a half long, laid into a handle, about four feet and a half in length, and in such a manner, that, when the handle is set upright, the blade of the sithe lies, every way, nearly level, or flat upon the ground. In the lower part of the handle is a cross pin, which is grasped by the hand, m work , the upper part being loosely bound to the arm ; in order to assist in keeping the handle upright, and in rendering the strokes 136 PEAS. 18. of the instrument the firmer, and more effective. In using this tool, the motion of the work- man is somewhat circuitous; so as to collect and separate a sufficient quantity, to form a bundle ;* which, being rounded with the hook, is set up, lightly, by means of the two instruments ; in order that it may receive the fullest benefits of the sun and air, and be kept, as free as possible, from the ground. This method is less expeditious, than that of mowing, with the sithe alone. But it places the crop in a better state, with re- spect to security, both as to the weather, and to waste in shedding ; and is, on the whole, perhaps, the mo>t eligible method of cutting this aukwardly growing crop, which has grown into an established prac- tice * I speak, here, of broadcast peas, on which, more particularly, I have seen this method of cutting practiced. But it is equally applicable to peas in rows ; and is in use, in the district ol NLidstone. + Nevertheless, see the following MINUTES in Surrey, on this operation. 19- DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 137 19. TARES, RYE, &c. THE PRACTICE of sowing these grains, for their herbage, and as a fallow crop, though not peculiar to the Southern Coun- ties, is more prevalent within them, than in any other part of the Island. In some instances, they are sown sepa- rate, in others mixed ; and sometimes oats are substituted for rye. The SPECIES OF TARES, sown here, varies, according to the season of sowing ; there being two species, or rather, I believe, varieties, in cultivation. One of these sorts is called winter tares, which are sown in autumn ; the other spring tares, and are sown in spring. Conjectures, re- specting these varieties, will be found, in the following minutes. In SUCCESSION, this crop is altogether irregular. Corn grattans, that are in con- dition, as to manure, but are too foul for a 138 TARES, RYE, &c. 19. grain crop, are sown with tares and rye, for a crop of herbage: and, sometimes, lands that are out of tilth, are manured for this purpose. The soil, appropriated to it, is any, the farm happens to comprize. The tillage is generally one plowing. The time of sowing — Michaelmas, or Lady day. The quantity of seed — two bushels of tares, alone; or a proportional quantity, with rye or oats: generally about six pecks of pulse, and a bushel of corn. The EXPENDITURE o^ this crop, in the district more immediately under view, is chiefly on cart horses ; which are fed with it, in the summer months, as soiling, or green forage, in the stable ; where half the produce of the country may be said to find a market ; where oats, beans, tares, clover, and sainfoin, enter a sink, that is never saturated. As a FALLOW CROP, tares and rye have an exclusive advantage ; especially when sown in autumn ; as they are got off the ground, much earlier, than any other crop ; and thereby afford an opportunity of exposing the soil, to the corrective in- fluence of the atmosphere, during the heat i9. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 139 of summer. This opportunity, however, is frequently bartered, for a crop of turneps ; though, sometimes, the fallow is continued through the summer, for wheat. But in no instance, that I saw, or heard of, in this district, was it kept on for barley and clover, the ensuing spring. 20. TURNEPS. THE PROPORTIONAL QUANTITY of turneps, on the lighter lands of this dis- trict, is great ; seeing the small number of stock it has to consume them. The VARIETY, which is chiefly in cul- tivation, is the Norfolk white round. The red and the green are likewise cultivated. The longrooted turnep I did not ob- serve, in Kent. The Ruta baga, or bulbous rape, im- properly called the Swedish turnep, is now (1797) making its entry into the Kentish uo TURN EPS. id. husbandry. As a late spring food, to fill the chasm, which too frequently intervenes, between turneps and grass, this root bids fair to be a valuable acquisition to English agriculture* SUCCESSION. A foul oat stubble, I believe, is the ordinary subject of the turnep fallow. After early cut tares, as has been mentioned, turneps are sometimes grown ; also in hop grounds ; as will ap- pear under the hop culture. But I saw no instance of their being sown, on wheat stubble, after harvest ; notwithstanding the favorableness of the climature, for this prac- tice. In TILLAGE, the turnep fallows of Kent may be said to rank high, — are above mediocrity ; notwithstanding the defects of the implement they are worked with. But they may be worked at almost any season ; * Bulbous rape. I have not had an opportunity of examining, with botanic accuracy, the flowers of this plant. But, in leaf, and general appearance, it resembles the rape, or cole plant, — (brassica napusj of which it appears to be merely a variety, with a bul- bous root. Its growth and habits are perfectly different from those of the cultivated turnep — (brassica rape J no. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 141 and are continued to be tilled, until they are sufficiently cleaned, without a strict re- gard to the time of sowing. In 1790, the chief part of the turneps, in the district under view, were sown the latter end of July ; some the beginning of August. This is a point of management, which ought ever to be aimed at : and, in a coun- try, like this, where the quantity of stock is proportioned to the appearance of the crop, at Michaelmas, it cannot be departed from, with propriety. Where there is a regular establishment of stock, to which the quantity of turneps is to be apportioned, a weight of crop is required ; and the time of sowing becomes an object of stricter attention. The GROWING CROP is equally well attended to, as the fallow. The practice of the country is to hoe twice: and a greater proportion of clean good turneps I have not observed, in any other. If the crop be rank, especially on the stronger lands, and in a dry season, the harrow is not unfrequently drawn over it, previously to the first hoing ; to which it is, in many cases, a valuable preparation. ,42 T U R N E P S. 20. The EXPENDITURE is chiefly on sheep, which are folded upon them, as they stand ; or on cattle, for which they are drawn ; and usually, I believe, given to them, in stalls. 21. POTATOES. THE QUANTITY grown, here, is in- considerable, compared with that which is raised, in most other parts of the Island. Remarks. It may be observed, of this valuable article of produce, that its cultiva- tion is most prevalent, where grass lands abound, and where the population is above the proportion of arable lands : gaining a footing, slowly, in a corn country. Thus, in Ireland, in Lancashire, and throughout the North of England, and in Scotland, it has long been introduced, as a species of farm produce ; while in Kent, and Nor- folk, corn counties, it has not, until of very ai. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 143 late years, been suffered to stir beyond the pale of the garden, or hopground. These circumstances may not arise wholly, from the scarcity of the necessaries of life, in the former situations ; but, in part, per- haps, from the nature of the climatures of these two classes of country. A dryness of climature is favorable to corn ; and coun- tries enjoying this description of atmo- sphere, have been converted, by the expe- rience of ages, into corn countries. On the contrary, a moistness of climature is favor- able to grass ; and it is well ascertained, that a moist atmosphere is likewise favor- able to the potatoe : so that, in having joined the grass lands, it has been choosing its natural climature. It is well known, to men of observation, that a wet summer is favorable to the po- tatoe crop ; not only by increasing its quantity : but in improving the quality of the root. This year (1797) is one, among many others, in my own recollection, which evidences the fact. And there can be little doubt of its being grown, with the greatest and most certain profit, in a moist climate. 144 POTATOES. 21. Previously to the year ninety, some trials had been made, in the district of Maidstone, to cultivate the potatoe, as an article of food for cattle. But, on comparing it with oil cake, it was found to fall short of that extravagant material, even at five or six pounds, a ton. And it was then losing ground, as an article of farm expenditure. Even in the fatting of swine, few were used: peas and beans being still in use, for this purpose. Nevertheless, in 1797, an evident increase of field potatoes had taken place : owing principally, or wholly, to the excessive scarcity and high price of corn, in the pre- ceding years. The plan of cultivation is similar to that of the North of England. They are planted (chiefly, I understood, with dibbles) in rows, about thirty inches asunder : and are hoed, and earthed up, in a workman- like manner. 21. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 145 22. CLOVERS. MEN, who have passed the middle time of life, speak of the clover crop as having been cultivated, in this part of the Island, time immemorial ! and, probably, it has been in cultivation, here, a greater length of time, even than it has in Norfolk. For a Flemish practice, by reason of the greater facility of communication, was more likely to gain an early footing, in Kent, than in any other part of the Island. The QUANTITY grown, here, at pre- sent, is very great : greater, perhaps, than in the established practice of any other part of England ; the eastern side of Norfolk excepted. The SPECIES, in cultivation, is chiefly the red, or broad clover (trifolium pratense.) With sometimes a mixture of white or dutch clover (trifolium repens) vol. 1. L 146 CLOVERS. 22. and of the yellow clover, or trefoil (me- dicago lupulina;) and, in some instances, with a farther mixture of raygrass (lo- LitM perenne.) But, in a country, whose characteristic is corn, and where live stock is subordinate, the temporary ley is not re- quired to be of longer duration, than one vear ; being, in this case, intended merely as a source of hay, for working stock, and as a valuable matrix for wheat. And, for closel v textured soils, red clover, alone, pro- bably is, in this intention, the most eligible. Nevertheless, on lighter lands, which re- quire to be bound together, and on which early spring food is wanted, raygrass and white clover, will, in any district, be found equally advantageous, as they have long been held in Norfolk. In SUCCESSION, the temporary ley follows any of the three corn crops ; but chiefly barley and wheat ; and these in nearly equal proportions: the former, more generally, on the lighter lands ; the latter, on the coomb, and strong cool soils. On the SEMINATION of this crop, I met with nothing new, or interesting, in the district under view. The time of 22. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 147 sowing the seed, over wheat, is that of bush-harrowing and rolling the crop, in the spring : over barley, it is sown, at barley seed time. The quantity of seed is spoken of as " a peck an acre :" — that is, about fifteen pounds, whether of red clover, alone, or of a mixture of it, with the other Liorts. YOUNG CLOVERS (contrary to the practice of most other districts) are, I be- lieve, invariably eaten off, with sheep, in autumn. A dry season, however, is chosen, for this purpose ; the stock being taken out, by accurate managers, when wet weather sets in. Treading them lightly, while the soil is dry, is considered to be beneficial to the plants ; by pressing the soil to the roots ; and thereby fortifying them against the effects of frost, in winter. And may not taking off, the weak shoots, that have been formed, under the shade of the corn crop, assist in concentrating the vigor of the plants, and thus enable them to withstand the rigor of winter ? as well as to throw out more vigorous shoots, from the crowns of the roots, in the spring ? L 2 148 CLOVERS. 2:. The APPLICATION of the first shoot of the clover crop is, invariably, to hay, for team horses : the second, or after shoot, be- ing sometimes mown, also : sometimes, it is eaten off, as aftergrass: and, not un- frequently, is suffered to stand for seed. Its DURATION is seldom more than one year. In one instance, on the southern margin of the district, and in this one in- stance only ! I saw a clover and raygrass ley, of three or more years standing. In HARVESTING the second crop of clover, I saw an instance of bad practice, which mav not be uncommon. Having: been injudiciously made into large cocks, be- fore it was ready to be carried, and having received much wet, in that state, the cocks were torn to pieces, and the hay spread abroad, again, over the field ; by which means its more valuable parts would inevi- tably be lost. For hints respecting the pro- per management, of this hazardous crop, see the following minutes. The AFTERGRASS of clover, (when the second shoot is eaten off) has the stock usually put upon it, while it is young, soft, and foggy ; before it send up its flower- 22. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 149 ing stems, and is seldom suffered, in the southern, as in the midland counties, to form its heads, or flowers, before it is broken in upon. I saw one instance, how- ever, of this practice. SEED CLOVER. Very considerable quantities are saved, in this district. In 1790, I observed several remarkably fine crops. But the only point of management, that struck me, as being peculiar, or interesting, was that of disengaging the seed from the slough, or tough seed coat, in which it is inclosed, by means of mills, adapted to this purpose : thus avoiding a great deal of manual labor ; and that of the most dis- agreeable kind. A Remark on Harvesting Seed Clover. On viewing those fine crops of clover, in seed, ready for cutting ; and observing the withered heads, to rise distinctly, above the green herbage and weeds, which, the season being moist, were full of water as a wet spunge, while the tufts of seed, held up by their tall foot stalks, were dry enough 150 CLOVERS. 22. to be collected, it struck me, forcibly, that some method may possibly be hit upon, to collect the seeds, and suffer the herbage to remain on the ground ; to be eaten off, as aftergrass, or to be plowed under, as ma- nure. The principal difficulty, in harvesting seed clover, is to get the herbage dry enough to be gathered, in the short days and dewy damp season of October. Could npt light bags, of thin cloth, or fine wire, be fixed behind sithes, so as to catch and retain the heads and foot stalks, skimmed off by the implements ? The bags to be emptied, from time to time, into sledges, or other recep- tacles. If this could be effected, the herbage, on the ground, would be of three times the value, on a par of years, compared with the musty straw of seed clover. While, by drying the heads, under cover, in wet weather, or in the open air, when dry, the seed would be preserved, with great cer- tainty, in its natural vigor and brightness ; and would, in many years, be of twice the value of seed, harvested with the herbage. 22. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 151 General Observations, on the Perma- nency of Clover, as an Arable Crop. In every other part of the Island, in which I have diligently examined the natural ha- bits of this inestimable plant, I have found it to be evidently partial to fresh lands ; — to lands on which it has not previously been cultivated : in this case, not only affording ampler crops ; but remaining in the soil, and in full growth, two, or even three years, if required. On the contrary, lands, which had formerly borne abundant crops of clover, were found to flag in their exertions; espe- cially where the repetition of the crop had been quick ; and still more especially, per- haps, where it had been suffered to remain in growth, two years successively. See Nor- folk, Midland Counties, and Gloces- tershire, on this subject. Nevertheless, in the district under view, in which clover has been cultivated so long, it still continues to flourish with vigor. Are these jarring facts (for such they in- dubitably are) to be reconciled, by the na- tural strength of stamina, of the soils of CLOVERS this district ; and by the calcareous matter they contain,, and rest on r or by their new _ :i subjected, to a regular and quick repetition of this crop, or to a longer duration of it than one year t And may not topping the plants, in autumn, and treading the soil to their roots, prevent r dying assay, in the spring ; the fatal malady experienced in other places : See jch doubtless depends on the nature of the soil. Light free lands become the soonest unproductive. And it is on the strong, yet dry, calcareous lands of this . on which the permanency of vigor, with respect to clover, is most observable. :he next section. 23. LUCE R X. THE PRACTICE of this part of Kent is, fa iig, more distinguishable, iroin I of the kingdom at large, than by this 23. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 153 crop ; which is, here, in coMxMon culti- vation. In many parts of England, we see lucern in gardens, and on other small plots of ground, about the residences of gentlemen ; and, there, it is nursed, and cleaned, as a garden plant. But, in the District of Maidstone, it is common to see small fields of lucern : not, however, standing in rows, with hoen intervals, as in other counties, but growing at random, as sainfoin, clo- ver, or other cultivated herbage. I was assured, by a most intelligent hus- bandman, that random lucern has been known to last twenty years. I saw some, on his own farm, of several years standing ; yet in full growth. The SOIL, on which it grew, is a rich loam, on a calcareous base, — a sainfoin soil. And there can be no doubt of the vigor and duration of lucern, in this district, being owing to the strength and calcareosity of its lands. The roots of lucern, like those of sainfoin, run to a great depth, in lands of this description. There is only one SPECIES of lucern (medicago saliva) and this, I believe, is without variety, in this Island. ,54 LUCER 23. Its CULTIVATION, in this part of it, is similar to that of clover. The GROWING CROP is sometimes harrowed, to tear up trailing weeds, and with the general intention of cleaning it. But there are men who disapprove of this practice ; as being injurious to the plants ; by wounding, or tearing off, the crowns of the roots ; and thus, bv weaken- ing the crops, giving the weeds the greater ascendancy. This idea, however, may or may not be well founded. If the habits of lucern bear, in this respect, any analogy to those of sainfoin, the idea is merely theo- retical ; as will be seen in the Isle of Thanet. Its APPLICATION is chiefly to horses, in the stable; for which it is usually mown, two or three times, in the course of the summer. Remark. In one or more instances, I saw luxuriant crops of lucern, in rows , and kept beautifully clean. But they were under the care of gardeners ; and grew on light soils, with non-calcareous sub- strata : not on powerful, and, at the same time, calcareous land ; on which only, perhaps, it is able to contend with WO 23. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 155 (when unassisted by art) for a continuance of years; even in the most southern dis- tricts of the Island. And to similar causes, I apprehend, the extraordinary duration of clover, on the lands of this district, may, in a great measure, be attributed. i 24. SAINFOIN. IN A PASSAGE of country, which abounds with calcareous lands, we may rea- sonably expect to find sainfoin, in full cul- tivation : and, in the District of Maid- stone, we are not disappointed. There are few districts, in which the proportion of sainfoin, to the lands proper for its cul- ture, is so great. There is only one SPECIES ; and this is without variety. At least, I have never met with any popular distinction, either as to the seed, on sale, or the plant, in cul- tivation. Nevertheless, in the various dis- i56 SAINFOIN. tricts, in which sainfoin has, for centuries past, ben cultivated, and these widely se- parated, and distinct from each other, the plants in cultivation mav have distinct pro- perties. And it behoves him, who is in pos- session of sainfoin lands, to look round him, and endeavour to select the most valuable ; or to bring into cultivation, by a judicious tion of seeds, from the most valuable plants of his own crops, a variety whicl uliarly suited, in its natural or acquired habits, to his own soil and situation. See Yorkshire, on the subject of raising va- rieties. In the CULTIVATION of this inesti- mable plant, the most novel idea I met with, in the district under view, was that of^ mix- ing it with clover. In one instance, which I more particularly examined, the clover seemed to be overcoming the sain- foin ; but in another, an older crop, sainfoin had gained the ascendancy : the clover was dwindling away ; leaving the soil in possession of a beautifully clean, full crop of sainfoin. Remark. What an admirable point of practice! How much preferable to sowing 24. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. i57 the seeds of sainfoin among couch (see Glo- cestershire) to keep down other weeds, and force the roots of the crop downward, to their natural pasture; for, here, the pro- ductiveness of the land receives no check : the first year, a crop of clover ; the se- cond, a crop of clover and sainfoin ; the third a full crop of sainfoin, free from weeds! or much less encumbered with them, than it would have been, without the valuable sup- ply of clover. The SOILS on which sainfoin is culti- vated, as an ordinary crop, are those incum- bent on the calcareous rock and rubble, that have been described. I have, however, seen a full crop of sain- foin on sheer sand, on sand ; without any natural calcareous matter, to feed it : a fact which staggered my belief, concerning the cultivation of this plant, with success, over calcareous subsoils only. But a closer examination, and inquiry, into the circum- stances, that attended this fact, served to rivet my opinion, the more firmly. The field, in which it occurred, lies near the foot of the chalk hills (in the parish of Ber- sted) and is known to have been repeatedly 158 SAINFOIN. a. limed, within memory ; and may have been limed, and repeatedly chalked, in ages past. Chalk is known to encourage sainfoin, on these sandy lands ; and lime, doubtless, has a similar effect. But although a full crop of sainfoin is sometimes got, on sandy lands, that have been limed or chalked, its dura- tion is ever short : not more, perhaps, than one or two full crops. I met with an instance of the same kind, in Sussex ; which will be noticed in the District of Petworth. SEMINATION. The succession, time of sowing, &c. I understand, are the same for sainfoin, as for clover, and lucern. The quantity of seed — four bushels, an acre : the price of seed — three or four shillings, a bushel. The GROWING CROP. It is an ex- traordinary fact, in the habits of this plant, that, in the district under view, it rises, in some seasons, and on some of the richest lands, to a full crop, the first year ! I went over a field of sainfoin, of this age, in the month of October, ( 1 790) when the ground was wholly occupied, by a luxuriant after- growth ; and off which, its owner assured 24. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 159 me, he had cut full two loads of hay, an acre ! The soil is a rich, deep, calcareous, clayey loam, on an absorbent calcareous base. Remark. This rapid growth, and early arrival at maturity, may be accounted for, perhaps, in the joint properties of richness and calcareosity, being present in the soil, or cultivated mold ; in which the plants find, extemporarily, every requisite to a vi- gorous growth : while those which are rising, on less productive lands, require time to extend their roots, in search of nourishment ; and have, perhaps, to de- scend to substrata, before they collect suf- ficient strength, to send up a full crop. In general, however, sainfoin does not, even on the richer lands of this district, when sown alone, afford more than half a crop the first year of its growth. But, in the second, a full crop is expected. In the management of the growing crop, a singular trait of practice is not unusual, here; namely that of manuring it with soot ! And the rapid growth above noticed, may be in some part promoted, by this practice. i6o SAINFOIN. The GENERAL ECONOMY, or out- line of management, of the sainfoin ley, is nearly the same, here, as on the Cots- wold Hills, in Glocestershire. It is invariably mown, every year, for hay, when ill full blow, or rather beginning to fade ; and the aftergrowth is su tiered to stand, unbitten, until autumn. It seems to be a generally received idea, here, that it should be frostnipped, before any stock be put upon it. In 1790, however, I ob- served, in one instance at least, cattle on the lattermath of sainfoin, in the middle of September ; the crop, then, coming into head. But it was the latter end of that month, or the beginning of October, before the admission of stock became general . The species of stock, observed, on the after- growth of sainfoin, was chiefly cows, and other cattle. The produce of hay, on a par of crops, and years, is laid at a ton and a half, an acre. Its expenditure is chiefly on horses ; but, in part, on cattle. DURATION. The promptness, with which sainfoin obtains possession of the lands of this district, is not more remarkable, than the shortness of its duration ; even on its 24. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 161 richest soils, and deepest most penetrable subsoils. It seldom, I understand, continues to throw out full crops, longer than seven or eight years. Ten years are its limited duration ; even when suffered to remain, after it has passed its prime. But lands, here, being valuable, and applicable to every species of arable crop, it is of course an error, to suffer it to occupy the soil, after it begins to decline. This shortness of duration may be owing to the lands, of this district, having been repeatedly cropped, with sainfoin. RECROPPING. What is equally re- markable, in the habits of this plant, on the lands of the district under view, is the quick- ness with which they recruit their strength, to reproduce this valuable crop. Sainfoin soils, in general, perhaps, require half a cen- tury of time, to enable them to throw out full and durable crops. Few soils, probably, can do it, in less than twenty years. Yet, in the District of Maidstone, six or seven years are deemed fully sufficient, for this purpose. The piece of land, mentioned above, which bore two loads of hay the first year, had been cropped three times vol. i. M 162 SAINFOIN. 24. within memory. And other instances, of a similar kind, are asserted. The shortness of duration, or rather the practice of stop- ping the duration, before the soil and sub- strata be too much exhausted, may assist in reconciling these apparent anomalies, in the habits of this plant, in different parts of England. Remark. In what appears, aforegoing, it is evident, that sainfoin may be grown, with profit, on lands that have been chalk- ed, or limed for a length of years ; and, likewise, that it may be cultivated, with propriety, jointly with clover. Hence, it appears to be adviseable, in the management of such lands, to sow sainfoin seed, with that of clover; and, when the clover goes oft', to suffer the sainfoin to re- main in the soil, so long as profitable crops shall be produced. For, in this practice, the seed of the sainfoin is all that is risqued ; while the benefits, arising from this deeply rooting plant, feeding beneath the pastur- age of ordinary crops, may prove of great value. It may be needless to re-suggest, that, in seeding a sainfoin soil, it is evidently right 24. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 163 to add a portion of clover seed ; not only to give the required fulness of crop, the first year; but to prevent grasses and weeds from rising ; and, perhaps, to reduce the number, and thereby to increase the strength, of the sainfoin plants. See Glocestershire, on this particular. 25. GRASS LANDS. THE PROPORTIONAL QUANTITY has already been spoken of, as small. This, however, cannot be owing to the nature of the soils of the district ; many of which are well adapted to permanent herbage ; but to the general economy, or established plan of management, of the country ; or, in some part, perhaps, to the want of the proper method of converting arable lands, with facility and certainty, to profitable sward. The only attempt of this sort, which I ob- served, on a large scale, warrants this sug- gestion. Ms 1 64 GRASS LANDS. 25. The SPECIES of grass land, now found in the district, are four : marsh, meadow. UPPER GROUNDS, and UPLAND GRASS. The marsh lands are confined to one part of the district, — the banks of the Med- way, below Aylesford. Some of them near the village, are of a good quality ; — rich grazing grounds. The meadow lands are still more con- fined. The greatest extent is in the flat, below Tunbridge. The banks of the Len, as well as those of the Medway, above Maidstone, afford some few. The upper grounds (not water formed ) that are kept in a state of perennial her- bage (paddocks excepted) are yet fewer; and probably have, heretofore, been or- chard grounds. The upland grass is peculiar to the Cool lands, in- the southeast quarter of the district, — round Langley, and towards Leeds. Remark. Some of these grass lands are evidently of long standing : now in a state of rough pasture grounds, over grown with the coarser weeds, — the knobweed, an£ meadow scabious; perfectly resembling the 25. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 165 cooler swells of the vales of Glocestershire, from which the best cheeses of that coun- try are produced. And there can be little doubt of the lands, under view, being well adapted to the same produce ; were it pro- per to apply them to it. This being as it may, it is highly probable, that many or most of those lands are much better fitted, in the nature of their soil and substratum, to pasturage, than to arable crops. And, if they were thoroughly cleaned, judiciously seeded, and kept closely pastured, from their earliest state of growth, there is little doubt, as to their being readily brought into a state oi' profitable grass land. In the MANAGEMENT of grass lands, we find the same neglect, in the arable dis- trict of Maidstone, as in the arable county of Norfolk. The meadows want drain- ing and levelling : some of them are mere swamps (were in 1790) ; would be a disgrace to any country ; even the least en- lightened. Of watering, some little had been done, in 1790, near Leeds; and much more might be done, on the south side of the valley of the Len ; which has many rivulets and rills, 166 GRASS LANDS. 25. that run waste down its sides. And whether the waters of that side are, or are not, of a sufficiently fertilizing quality, for this pur- pose, those on the opposite side of the val- ley, which have their rise in the Chalk Hills, are, on a certainty, most fit. Yet the rivu- let of Boxley has run waste, from the be- ginning of time; and still (1790) runs waste, into the sea; though lands, on either side, lie ready to receive it. Much land, on the immediate banks oi the Len, might be watered, and some on those of the Med- wav ; the quality of whose water might be tried, on a smale scale, with little risque of loss. Those of the Len are probably of a superior quality, for the purpose ; as they appear to be collected, chiefly, from the skirts of the Chalk Hills. The HAY HARVEST being nearly over, before I reached the district, the only notable circumstance of practice, that struck me, was a simple and effectual way of SECURING THE STACK FROM THE WEATHER, during the time it is forming. "Sail cloths," — old or half worn square sails ot ships, —are the usual guards, through- out Kent and Surrey. But a sail cloth 25- DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 167 thrown over, and immediately upon the hay, of a stack in full heat, is liable to do more injury, by increasing the heat, and at the same time checking the ascent of the steam, than service, in shooting off rain water. Beside, when the stack is broad, the cloth, thus spread over it, is liable to bag, in par- ticular parts ; and thereby to form recep- tacles, and pools of water ; which, unless the cloth be very tight, find their way, in currents, into the body of the stack. To obviate this, it is not uncommon, to set up a tall post, at each end of the stack, and, having stretched a rope between their tops, to throw the cloth over the rope; and thus, not only prevent its bagging, but also giv- ing a degree of vent to the steam. But this is immechanical, the posts want stays, to keep them upright, and prevent the rope from sagging in the middle ; and the cloth, in this case, cannot easily be regulated to the given height of the stack. ' The improved method of spreading the cloth, which I observed in the District of Maidstone, is this. Two tall poles, — ufers, — fir balks, — are stepped firmly, in 1 68 GRASS LANDS. 25. two cart wheels ; which are laid flat upon the ground, at each end of the stack ; and loaded with stones, to increase their firm- ness. Another pole, of the same kind, and somewhat longer than the stack, is furnish- ed, at each end, with an iron ring, or hoop , large enough to admit the upright poles, and to pass freely upon them. Near the head of each of the standards is a pulley, over which a rope is passed, from the ring, or end of the horizontal pole; by which it is easily raised or lowered, to suit the given height of the stack. In the instance observed, the rick was begun with two loads of hay ; yet even these two loads were as securely guarded from rain, until more could be got ready, as if they had been housed : for a cloth being thrown over the horizon- tal pole, and its lower margins loaded with weights, a compleat roof is formed, and exactly fitted 10 the stack, whether it be high or low, wide or narrow ; the eaves being aiv\avs adjusted, to the wall plate, or upper pa. 1 of the stem of the stack ; thus eric uallv shooting off rain water; while the internal moisture, or steam, arising from 25. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 169 the fermencation of the hay, escapes freely, at either end ; as the wind may happen to blow. What renders this ingenious contrivance the more valuable, is its being readily put up, or taken away. The poles, being light, are easily moved, from stack to stack, or laid up ior another season ; and the wheels are as readily removed, or returned to their axles. To ] 26. HOPS. THE USE, or application, of hops is generally known. It belongs not to me, however, to treat of their dietetic or me- dical qualities. It is enough that they are an est ablishedcrop in husbandry, in dif- ferent parts of England, to render their culture an essential part of a general work, On its RURAL ECONOMY. Kent has long been celebrated for their culture ; and the Practice of Maidstone and its environs, if it has not a decided pre- ference, to that of any other part of the county, it certainly is without a competitor, in West Kent. For this reason, I made it the chief object of my study, and the ground work of the following Register. Nevertheless, my examinations were not a6. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 171 confined merely to that spot ; but were ex- tended to the Tunbridge quarter of the district; also to the Weald of Kent ; and to the Cran brook side of the county. And whatever differences of method, and varie- ties of practice, struck me, will be here noticed : in order to concentrate, and bring into one view, the Practice of West Kent. The PROPORTIONAL QUANTITY of hop grounds, to arable and grass lands, in different parts of the District of Maid- stone, is very great. For a few miles round the town of Maidstone, and in the summer season, the entire country might be termed a forest of hops. In the Mailing quarter of the district, as well as in the vallies and rich flat, towards Tunbridge, hops are con- spicuous, above every other species of pro- duce. There is an instance of one man, in the last-mentioned quarter, cultivating (in 1790) one hundred and thirty acres of " hop garden :" a term which denotes the slender origin of the hop culture, in this part of the kingdom ; and which is still re- tained, in the provincial language ; even though the field of cultivation were to con- i72 HOP S. 26. tain an hundred acres. Indeed, it still hangs on the tongue of tradition, that " they wore originally grown by gardeners; not by far- mers/' ANALYSIS OF THE SUBJECT. The CULTIVATION, and MANUFACTURE, of the species of farm produce in view, like those of orchards and fruit liquors, and the management of the dairy, have heretofore been treated of, in a summary and extem- poraneous manner ; without a previous ana- lysis of the subject. Nevertheless, it is evident, that, in describing a process, in agriculture, as in chemistry, it is ne- cessary that every operation should be de- tailed, in its proper place; as, in describing a machine, or apparatus, every essential part, and the use to which it is applicable, requires to be particularized, before its con- struction and uses can be rendered evident, and practical. But, to unravel a subject, in which na- tike and art are fortuitously interwoven, as they are in every department of the rural science, requires a more patient investigation, than will readily be allowed, by those who have not made the attempt. a6. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. i73 Even when nature alone involves the subject, as in botany, and the other de- partments of natural history, the diffi- culty is so great, that no man has yet been able to form such an arrangement, however well it may have pleased himself, as to satisfy the rest of mankind. If, therefore, in the attempts I have made, to analyze and arrange the subject of ru- ral economy, and the various departments and branches of which it consists, I have not reached perfection, let it be ascribed to the difficulty of the task, rather than to a want of application. At length, I have the satisfaction of seeing an end to my lar bors, in this respect. The species of pro- duce, now under consideration, is the only one of importance, I believe, in English agriculture, which has not found its place, in these registers. The analysis, and synthetic arrange- ment, appear in the Table of Con- tents. The NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HOP. In the Linnean arrangement of plants, the hop is an only species ; forms', in itself, a distinct genus : there being no i74 HOP S. 26. other plant, known to Linneus, which bears the same generic characters. He has named it HUMULUS luplllus. The hop belongs to that comparatively rare description of plants, which, like ani- mals, have the sexual organs separate, and on distinct individuals ; each being male or female. The cultivated hop is the female plant. The male hop bears stamina, only ; and is, of course, incapable of producing fruit, or seeds. It is, however, provincial ly, but im- properly, called the "seed hop." A naturalist might aptly inquire, whe- ther the male hop is not requisite to the fecundity, and fruitfulness, of the female plants ; and expect to find individuals dis- tributed over the grounds, for the purpose of impregnation. A hop planter, however, has no such apprehensions. His only care, respecting seed hops, is to rid his ground of them, as the worst weeds in his garden. Nevertheless, with all his attention, there are few grounds, I understand, entirely free from them. It is observed, that, where the picking bins have stood, seedling hops are seen to rise : a circumstance which evi- :6. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 1-5 deiices the presence of male plants, either in the grounds, or in the hedges that sur- round them. The blowing of the male hop, in the cul- tivated grounds, being nearly over, before I had an opportunity of examining them, and had disappeared before I was struck with the propriety of doing it, I am the less able to speak to this particular. Never- theless, in the hedges, I saw male hops, in blow, so late as the eighteenth of August. And the impregnation may, in part at least, be communicated, by early blowing wild hops. For it seems improbable, that the old grounds, which have been solicitously examined, from time to time, with a view to the extirpation of the male hop, should, after fifty years attention perhaps, still have even a plant left. It would be an impropriety, however, in registering the practice, and the received opinions, of professional men, to suppress an idea, which I received from the largest and most successful hop planter, the Island ever knew, respecting this interesting sub- ject; namely, that cultivated, or female bops, are liable to change, into seed hops, or nudes. 176 HOP S. 26. He is at least positive, that hills which bear " hops," one year, produce " seed hops," the next. It will, however, be seen, that, in planting a hop ground, three or five dis- tinct cuttings, or sets, are inserted in each hill ; and admitting, that part of the cut- tings were taken from a male plant, and that the trained vines were, last year, taken from the female shoots, this year, from those of the males, the change is accounted for. But this theory may be objectionable. I therefore think it right to bring the idea before the public. For, if the change insisted on, really takes place, it is a fact in natural history, which has not, I believe, been no- ticed. The question is not, whether a female plant becomes male ; but whether the same root may not, one year, send up female, ihe next, one or more male vines. That it is not commonly done, is evident, 3 riant growth ; and striking off the exu- berant branches ; even though such a con- duct might be of certain disadvantage to the crop, in that particular year : proceed- ing, throughout, on the general principle of preventing an excess of fruit, in a plen- tiful season: ever keeping in view the more profitable object of producing, with greater certainty than at present, a crop every year. 27. ORCHARDS. THE METROPOLIS has long been sup- plied with orchard fruit, from this county ; and mostly from this part of it : where the quantity of orchard ground is, at present, increasing. Some years ago, when hops bore a higher price than fruit, many orchards were con- verted into hop grounds. This, in its na- tural consequence, occasioned a scarcity of 304 ORCHARDS. 27. fruit ; and an over supply of hops. Now, the practice is reverberating ; and we see, in every part of the district, young orchard trees, and most especially filberts, rearing their heads, in hop grounds. The production of table fruit being rather a part of the gardener's, than the husbandman's charge, my attentions to the orchard management, of this district, were less anxious and minute, than they were in the cider counties. Nevertheless, I was not altogether inattentive to the practice of the District of Maidstone; as, in many respects, it might well be held up, as a pat- tern, to what may be emphatically termed the fruit-liquor districts. The SPECIES OF FRUIT, cultivated in the orchards of Kent, are apples, cher- ries, filberts, and some pears. Wal- nuts and chesnuts may also be reckoned among the Kentish fruits; though they are seldom seen in orchards.* * Walnut trees.. About the ruins of Allino- tOn Castle, near Maidstone, there are some of ex- traordinary size. Two of them girted, in 1790, at five feet high, twelve feet, each. One of the stems mea- sured ten feet in height ; of course contained upwards 27. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 305 It is observable, however, that the ches- nut, even in this genial part of the Island, affords an uncertain produce of fruit ; which does not mature, in a cool moist season ; though, in some years, it is very profit- able. Of apples there are numerous varieties. In one range of fruit lofts, I saw near twenty different sorts of marketable fruit. It is to be observed, that, in Kent, as in the cider countries, the old favorite kinds are gone, or going off. The Kentish pip- pin, and the golden rennet, are no longer in propagation, and the golden pippin is become unproductive. Of pears the quantity grown is incon- siderable. Indeed, the soil of the orchard grounds, in general, is unsuitable to this species of fruit ; though singularly adapted to the apple. On the cold clayey lands of the south-eastern margin of the district, pears might probably be grown, with profit. of two tons of timber. One arm of the other reached out, fifty feet from the stem ; and the height of the tree, by estimation, was sixty feet. They were then in a growing state. I mention them as being the largest I have measured. VOL. I. X 306 ORCHARDS. 27. See Gloucestershire, on the- appropriate soils, for pears and apples. Of cherries there are many varieties, in cultivation. But I did not collect their names, or peculiar qualities. The favorite black cherry of Kent, the oldest variety, now in cultivation, I believe, is declining; and is difficult to raise: so true it evidently appears, that all cultivated varieties, of each and every class and species of vege- tables, are temporary ; enduring but for a time. Of filberts* there are also varieties: but they are not so numerous, I believe, as those of either of the other species. The SITES of orchards, in the district under view, seem to be merely fortuitous ; excepting so far as relates to the land. In regard to locality, though they are not so widely spread over farm lands, here, as in Herefordshire, they are not invariably attached to gardens, and homestalls, as they mostly are, in the kingdom at large. And, * Filbert. This is merely a variety of the hazel. In some provincial dialects I have heard it called the " full-beard"— and the fruit, " fullbcardi" Is not this the etymon ? 27. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 307 with respect to aspect, I met with nothing which engaged my notice, either in the practice, or the opinion, of the orchardmen of West Kent. The LANDS, in the best repute, for orchard grounds, are coomb, on calcareous rubble ; and deep loams, on rock, of a simi- lar nature. For apples, these lands are singularly eligible : affording fair and saccharine fruit. See Glocestershire. And, for filberts, they are equally de- sirable. Indeed, it seems to be understood, that they cannot be cultivated, with profit, on lands of any other description. In tra- velling between Tunbridge and Maidstone, the first filbert grounds, that meet the eye, are to the eastward of Merewortlv where the rich calcareous lands, in that line of road, commence. It is observable, that filberts are consi- dered, as great impoverishers of the soil ; and that they are peculiarly unfriendly to hops that grow near them. This may rea- dily be accounted for, in the extraordinary mats, or bundles of fibers, which the roots of the filbert form ; so as to occupy the X 2 3o8 ORCHARDS. 27, entire soil ; doubtless, to the great annoy- ance of their weaker neighbours. But it is well known, that, under proper manage- ment, they are, in themselves, a most pro- fitable crop. And the mass of vegetable matter, accumulated by their roots, may, when the plants are removed, become of essential and lasting benefit to the soil. PLANTING. Under this head, I shall only mention the mixture of fruits; and the disposition, and distances of the plants. In converting hop grounds into orchards, the larger trees, as the apple and the cherry, only, are planted ; and these, in lines, from twenty to forty feet asunder. When cher- ries, alone, are planted, twenty feet is a common distance. I have seen apples and cherries standing, alternately, at the same dis- tance ; which, in this case, is not ineligible ; as the cherries decay, long before the apples receive their full growth. Forty feet, how- ever, is a greater space, than is necessary. for apple trees, in close orchards. See Glo- CESTERSHIRE. But, in laying out vacant sites, linesof filberts are usually planted, between those of taller trees ; and, while the trees are 27. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 309 young, lines of hops are cultivated, in the interspaces: so that the entire ground is, at once, occupied. In the practice of the best and most intelligent orchardman, I have conversed with — Mr. James Forster of Farley — I saw some highly cultivated young orchard grounds, on the following plan. Apple trees, in squares of ten yards, with a grown filbert between every two apples, in each direction ; thus forming cross lines of apples and filberts, five yards asunder : the num- ber of filberts being to that of apples, as three to one. And, to occupy the land, still more fully, smaller filberts were train- ing, in the interspaces: the soil, in this case, being of a superior quality ; and peculiarly favorable to the filbert. In the TRAINING of young orchards, the particulars that require to be noticed, are the judicious manner, in which the doughs are led out, from the crown of the stem ; the pruning of the heads, from superfluous wood; and cleaning them, from moss and other foulness : operations which have been spoken of, in describing the Herefordshire practice. 310 ORCHARDS. 2-. The height, or length of stem, i? that of the rest of the kingdom : — Devonshire ex- cepted. An application, for guarding the from sheep and hares, and, some will say, for nourishing the trees, is entitled to notice. It is simply a mbite-n im- posed of lime, night soil, and water ; of such a cons .as to be put on with a brush. Not only the lower part, within the reach of sheep, but the whole stem, is fre- quently seen smeared over, with this pre- servative. GRAFTING. It ia observable, that the same eas\\, but illjudged method, of putting in the grafts of orchard trees, prevails here, as in Hereforshire, &c. : namely, that of cut- ting off the natural crown of the stem ! and setting the grafts in the cleft stump. See Glocestlrshire, on an evil attend- ing this practice, and the means of avoid- ing it. Another evil, of this method o{^ grafting, occurred to me, in the distr: 1 iew. It is incident to the cherry : being a dis- ease, called the gum, which takes place, about the crown of the stem ; at the pa: 27. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 311 of the boughs ; and affects the head of the tree. The cause of this disorder is evident. The cultivated varieties are grafted on the wild cherry : the wood of the grafts is of course freer, swells faster, than that of the stock. The boughs grow too large for the stem : they want freedom to swell to their natural size : the circulation is checked ; and the gum breaks out. This theory is confirmed by a discovery, which has recently been made, to cure the gum ; by cutting deep notches or clefts, between the boughs: and this gives temporary relief; by giving the freedom required. But so soon as the chasm is closed, or the boughs again join in the con- flict, the disorder returns. I had an opportunity of seeing these effects, in the grounds of Mr. Randal of Maidstone, — a spirited and ingenious nurseryman, — who has paid singular atten- tion to the disorders of trees ; though he had not discovered the cause of the disorder under notice : a disease which might with certainty be avoided, by grafting the boughs. By inserting the grafts, in the stumps of three or more boughs, pointing in different V2 ORCHARDS. directions (instead of cutting off the crown, and therewith the natural bond and union of the branches ! !) not only the gum (here spoken of) but the splitting of the stems (noticed in Glocestershire) may be pre- vented. In the MANAGEMENT of grown orchards, this district far exceeds every other I have examined. In some particular instances, the standard apple is trained, pruned, and cleaned, with the attention that is usually bestowed, on the wall tree, and espalier, of the fruit garden. In Mr. Forster's grounds, I ob- served a tree, with a top of forty feet in diameter ; vet with scarcely a useless twig to be detected, in any part of it. The practice of this extraordinary man might be held up as a pattern* And I observed * In 1797, mentioning to him the Devonshire prac- of laving brambUs, furze, and brushwood, to the roots of apple tree- . * to him the idea of applying hopbines, in the san. :• ; — he replied — • I turn my hogs into my orchard?, in v - r ; and feed them, there, with beans ; and there they root up to ir eves !" What an admirable thought. The soil oken ; not in s^ard is not only meliorated, urine of the hogs, but relieved, in some 9j. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 313 several other orchards, in the district, which appeared to be under simila. management. Yet, in the very same district, there are orchards, which are as full of wood, moss, and miseltoe, as those of the cider countries ! The filbert is trained and pruned, with equal or greater solicitude. The trees, or rather shrubs, are moulded into a form, re- sembling that of the drinking cup, which has a short foot or pedicle : the outer sur- face being somewhat semi-globular ; the inner parts hollow, or dishing. In the su- perior practice, which I have thought right to bring forward, as one which is entitled to particular notice, the grown plants are about five feet, in diameter ; and are kept down to five or six feet, high. And, at the time I first saw them, in the middle of August, 1790, degree, at least, from the roots of weeds, as well as from grubs and insects ; and what is perhaps of more benefit to the trees, fresh air is, by this means, let down to their roots; without materially injuring them. Might not these natural cultivators be employed, on other occa- sions : particularly, in young plantations ? or, more ge- nerally perhaps, where couch grass abounds; to whose roots they are partial. 314 ORCHARDS. 27. inanv of the bows were literally bend- ing load of fruit, they had to ar. The 1 which, under this treat- ment are of extraordinary size, continued, in the middle of September, to wear a gross appearance, and to retain their dark green color. Filbert trees, trained in this manner, on the rich, calcareous lands of the district of Maidstone, are spoken of as highly pro- fitable. In the GATHERING of fruit, women are chiefly employed ! Cherries are ga- thered, almost entirely, by women. The fruit ladders of Kent are, as might reasonably be expected in a market-fruit district, well constructed. The long ladder, for gathering the fruit of the upper boughs, is spread out wide at the bottom., in propor- tion to its height : the feet, of the longest, sp-cadinj; to three feet, or upward ; and the sides approaching, with curved lines, so as to reach the ordinary width of a ladder, at six or eight feet high. This breadth of base gives great security : not only in assisting to prevent the ladder, from swerving, side- ways, but from turning, when it bears, par- tially, at the top. 2J. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 315 For gathering the fruit of the lower, out- stretching boughs, too slender to permit a ladder to bear against them without injury, a sort of double ladder is in use. One part of it is a common short ladder ; the other, a mere stay or support, with a spreading base, like that described : their tops being loosely united, by an iron bolt ; which ope- rates as a hinge ; and permits the ladder to be raised, somewhat higher or lower ; as well as to be moved, from place to place, with grearer ease. In the PRESERVATION of fruit, I observed nothing of superior management. Apples are thrown into heaps, or are laid up in a kind of rough bins ; in which they are deposited, perhaps three or four feet thick. Yet, in this state, they are said to be pre- served until late in the spring. Indeed, I heard it asserted, by a very intelligent or- chardman, that apples will keep, longer, in this way, than they will, if spread out thin- ner. In mild weather, the windows of the lofts, or store rooms, are kept open, to per- mit a circulation of fresh air, and to prevent their heating too much ; but are shut, as frost sets in : if intense, the bins, or heaps, are covered up with straw. 316 ORCHARDS. 27. The MARKETS, for fruit, are the me- tropolis, the ports, and towns, on the Thames and Med way ; and Scotland, — for which considerable quantities of apples are shipped, annually; being purchased by dealers, from that part of the Island. And some, I believe, are sent, coastwise, to Nor- folk, and other counties, on the eastern coast. Those which go to London are either bought by dealers, in the country, or are sent up, by the growers, to the " fruit fac- tors," of the different markets ; mostly, or wholly, by water ; and, in baskets, of one or two bushels each ; packed in straw : be- ing previously sorted; so as to make those of each basket of the same size and qua- lity * * In 1797, I observed, in the practice of a judicious manager, a most eligible mode of disposal of or- chard fruit. The agreement was lor so much, by measure, for the whole orchard of apples, on the trees ; he, the seller, finding one man, to assist in gathering, — to superintend the measuring, — and to see that no un- necessary damage was done to the trees. Thus, the purchaser preserved them, in his own way ; and the grower was relieved, from any further care, or risk, of the crop. For a man, whose attention is much occu- pied, this appears to be a most eligible mode of disposal. 37- DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 3i7 CIDER. In a country whose orchards are planted, with a view to the production of market fruit, an accuracy in the ma- nufacture of fruit liquor, cannot be rea- sonably expected : even though, in a plen- tiful year, the surplus of the market supply, and in a common year, the outcasts of the sorting room, are appropriated to liquor. In my account of the Herefordshire practice, I had occasion to mention the cider mill of the sou thern counties. (See Glocestershire.) In this district, there is a variety of the hobnail mill, in use. In- stead of the wheel or barrel being set with real hobnails, it is furnished with pyrami- dal spikes, or points; and, instead of its working against an upright slab, set with similar nails, it is placed at the end of a trough, which receives the fruit from a hop- per, fixed above; and merely acts against the fruit as it lies in the trough or shoot. But to increase the resistance, the apples are thrust against the wheel, by hand ; with a rammer, fitted to the size of the trough ; which is open at both ends. The operations of pressing and fer- menting, did not fall under my notice. ?i8 ORCHARDS. :-. But, after having examined, with even' ad- vantage., the superior practice of Hereford- shire, &c. little, it is probable could have been learned, from the incidental practice of Kent.* Before I dispatch this short notice, of the fruit liquors of the district of Maidstone, it might be wrong not to mention one of a peculiar kir.d, which I was favored with an opportunity of tasting, unde;" the name of gazle wine ; f which, in color and flavor, and perhaps in wholesomeness, approaches nearerto red port, than any other wnu I have met with, of the manufacture of this Island. This species of fruit may be grown, and readily collected, in any quantity, in this country ; and seeing, or rather feeling, as many a man needs must, the melancholy * In T"C", I was informed that a dealer, in Maid- stone, manufactures ^quor of a fine qual if the mil ite details whk I bane published, of th- bCnofHsKEI IRSHIRE, we may hope to find good liquor made, in even- part of th? k' . there is good fruit enough grc it from. In Devonshire, a similar instance of improvement his tzken p'. t " Gazle'" is the provincial name of rues -••- grum; or BLACK CURRANT. 2y. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 319 price, which port wine has been lately made to bear, a lit substitute for it would, doubt- less, be acceptable, to most men, and might be a valuable boon to the country. The process of manufacture, I under- stand, is merely that of macerating the fruit, in an equal quantity of cold water, two or three days ; then boiling the whole, slowly, until the fruit is dissolved ; when the liquor is strained off. Reboil the liquor, gently, a short time ; and add a quantity of sugar, proportioned to the given richness of the fruit. Ferment, and lay up, agreeably to the methods practised, with other fruit li- quors. The GROUND OF ORCHARDS. It appears, aforegoing, that, in some cases, the interspaces of young orchards are occupied, by hops ; in others, by filberts. And, in grown orchards, the filbert is frequently seen ; though far from generally. Some old orchards are in permanent sward ; others bear arable or garden crops: some are in sainfoin ; others in lucern. In the prac- tice of a superior manager, I observed the soil of a young orchard occupied by lucern, growing at random, or in the broadcast 32o ORCHARDS. 27. manner ; though, in this case, rows, with clean hoen intervals, would have been less injurious to the young trees. Remark. Upon the whole, the practice of Kent mav be safely recommended, as the fittest subject of study, which the Island at present affords, with respect to the manage- ment of orchard grounds. For although there is much slovenly bad practice, to be detected, there are abundant examples of superior management, to be copied. 28. HORSES. FORMERLY, scarcely any horses were bred, in this part of the kingdom. The plow and cart horses were brought, wholly, from Northamptonshire, and the other mid- land counties ; and many are still brought into the district. Maidstone fair, held in October, is one of the largest horse fairs 28. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 321 I have seen. Nevertheless, there are, at present, many cart horses, and some saddle horses, bred in this part of Kent. 29. CATTLE NO DISTRICT in the Island, perhaps, of equal extent and fertility, breeds fewer cattle, than the district under view. Its entire stock may, with little licence, be said to be Welch, or of Welch origin ; although it is situated at an extreme point of the Island, some hundred miles distant from the source of the breed. There are, however, a few of the Sussex breed, and a very few of the long and short horned sorts (with of course mongrels of every description) thinly scattered in the country. The Welch cattle are mostly brought in, by drovers of Wales, while young ; as one, two, or three years old. They are vol. 1. Y 322 CATTLE. 29. bred in different parts of the Principality. But the heifers, which are bought in for milk, are mostly of the Pembrokeshire mould. Many of them make handsome cows ; which are said to milk well, and to fat quickly. Several thousands, of different descriptions, are annually brought into the county. In the month of October, the roads are every where full of them : some going to the upland districts, others to the Marshes. The dairy produce of Kent is merely milk, and fresh butter, for the higher and middle classes. The lower order of people, in the towns, and even in the villages of Kent, as in the courts and alleys of Lon- don, eat Irisb butter! Which, with cheese of different descriptions, are sent, in im- mense quantities, /row London ! Of fatting cattle, the District under view has, of late years, furnished the mar- kets with a certain, though not considerable quantity. Oxen, of the Sussex breed, are mostly chosen, for this purpose. The ma- terial of fat,ting is oil cake : the object, that of raising manure ; particularly for the hop grounds. ig. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 323 There is an oil mill, in the district, (at Toville, near Maidstone), where part, or the whole, of the cakes, used within it, are made. And the manufacture of linseed oil having, for some length of time, been nearly connected with agriculture, I took an op- portunity of examining the process, with some attention. At the close of a notice, which I took, respecting this simple and effective opera- tion, I find the following remarks. — The best agricultural idea, to be drawn from this process, is, that linseed maybe reduced, by grinding tto the most desireable state, for the purpose of fatting cattle. The powder, or particles of the reduced seed, after it has passed the mills, is of the consistency, and has very much the general appearance, of ground coffee : being perfectly dry ; hav- ing no degree of clamminess ; and very little of tenacity. It might be mixed, per- fectly, or sufficiently, with the flour of corn, or pulse ; or with chaff, either na- tural or artificial. If the substance of lin- seed be in any case eligible, as a food of farm stock, grinding appears to be the pro- per mode of preparing it. Public mills Y2 324 C \ T T L E. might be erected ; or the common stone cider mill, if accurately formed, and smooth- ly finished, might answer the purpose."* S W J N E; THE NUMBER, which this district main- tains, is not equal to the extent and fertility of its lands. Where there is no cheese made, and but little butter, the refuse liquor of the dairy is inconsiderable. Under these circumstances, the rearing of swine becomes a matter of choice ; and is attended with some difficulty. The BREEDS are various. In 1790, some remains of the long white native breed of the Island were observable, in this part of it. The Berkshire, and the - T »I remarks on flax seed, as a food of cattle, and suggestions relating to the importation of Ameri- can seed, for that^urpose, see Glocestershire. 3o. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 325 back," — a variety of the Berkshire (which is not uncommon in Surrey), — were pre- valent: also the Chinese ; — with mixtures of the various sorts ; but without any esta- blished breed, which the district could call its own. In the MANAGEMENT of swine, I met with nothing, here, which is entitled to notice. 31. SHEEP. THERE are many districts, in different parts of the kingdom, in which few cattle or horses are bred. But, there, we find sheep a prevailing and permanent stock. Whereas, the District of Maidstone, not- withstanding the fewness of rearing cattle and horses, may be said to be destitute of sheep, a great part of the year. There are no breeding sheep ; (unless in parks and paddocks) and only one wedder flock, 326 SHEEP. 3i. in the area of the district. In the outskirts, on the sandy lands in the Wrotham quarter, some small flocks of young wedders are observable. In winter, however, the country is fully stocked: chiefly with marsh lambs: sent in, by the Romney-Marsh breeders to be kept " at joist," on the stubbles and ley grounds, at the rate of 25. to 2s. 6d. a score, a week: a species of intercourse, which answers the double purpose of freeing the Marshes, at a season when they are ill calculated for the maintenance of tender stock, and clearing off, from the arable lands, what might other- wise rot on the ground.* * On the natural food of sheep. An incident occurred to me, in this district, which shows, that a partiality, for the foliage of shrubs, is deeply implanted in their nature. A flock of lambs, just come up from the Marshes, where they had never tasted nor seen a shrub, nor had their dams, probably, from the time of their conception, on being turned into a field of young clover (which had risen after the barley crop had been harvested) left this delicious pasturage, for a hedge bor- der, that had been recently cut ; on whose foliage they fed with the greatest voracity. The sheep is a mountain animal, and, in a state of nature, the foliage of shrubs must have been its chief support. And may it not be conducive to its health, in 3i. DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 327 The few wedders, that the district main- tains, are of the Wiltshire, and the South- Down breeds. Formerly, the Wiltshire prevailed, or were the sole breed kept ; now, the South-Down breed is evidently taking the lead. Many of them are bought in, while lambs, at Michaelmas ; and are kept on, until they are two to three years old : others are grown sheep, purchased merely for fatting. In the fatting of sheep, the only pecu- liarity of practice, which struck me, in the district under view, was that of employing oil cake, as an ordinary material, or food, of fatting sheep: a practice, which I under- stand, has been followed, for half a century. It is given to them, in covered troughs (some of them ingeniously constructed ;) usually in the field : either with a full bite of grass, or with hay ; also with turneps, and perhaps an addition of hay. In either case, it is a practice well calculated, to for- a state of cultivation ? May not some of the fatal disorders of sheep arise, from a want of this part of their natural food ? Might not even the Rot be cured, or prevented, by a free access to the foliage of warm aromatic shrubs ? This, however, by way of intimation. 32S S H E E P. 3!. ward the condition of the sheep, and to im- prove the land, on which it is used. GENERAL REMARKS. This expen- diture of oil cakes, upon the land, with sheep, and the consumption which takes place, in the yards, by cattle, go their length towards clearing away the mystery, which involves the practice of this part of Kent, with respect to its supply of manure. " How are these hop grounds, and this in- ordinate quantity of arable land, supported without stock" — is an exclamation, which I have many times repeated, in traversing the district. And still I am unable, after bringing to account the oil cakes, the woolen rags, and the lime, which are an- nually expended, to adjust the matter satis- factorily, without making large allowances for the intrinsic fertility of the lands. To the state of husbandry, likewise, something may be fairly given. From the foregoing detail, it abundantly appears, that many of the better lands are in a high state of cultivation ; bearing ample crops ; and, of course, affording great quantities of ma- terials for manure: and over the entire dis- trict, there are plow horses, in sufficient jfc DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 329 number, to consume them. They might, indeed, be well considered as the stock of the country ; and, in their support, a very con- siderable portion of its produce is expended. Thus the vail of mystery, with respect to manure, is wholly withdrawn. The IMPROVEMENTS, which this dis- trict appears to be capable of receiving, have been suggested in describing its prac- tice. That which is most evident, and ge- neral to the district, is to reduce the present number of plow horses : to break the present extravagant, unsufferable team in two: at least, for loosened ground, or fal- lows, of every description ; and, by this means, to perform, with the same men and horses, three times as much, and, with pro- per plows, twice as well, as in the present practice. In plowing whole ground, as clover lev for wheat, as well as for broadshar- ing, the present plow and team are admir- ably adapted: I mean on the absorbent lands. To use the turnwrest plow, in almost any case, on those which are retentive, as the " pinnock" soils of the southern margin, is an impropriety, which never could have entered into common practice, but through 33» SHEEP. ji. an implicit imitation of one, which had pre- viously, and properly, been established, in their immediate neighbourhood, on lands of a contrary nature. The redundancy of plow horses being struck off, an increase of profitable stock will be requisite, to convert the pro- duce, which they now consume, into food for the species; and, at the same time, to furnish the lands, which produce it, with a supply of sustenance, for future crops. [ 33' ] LIST OF RATES, IN THE DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. 179°. BUILDINGS AND REPAIRS, BRICKLAYERS' wages vs. 6d. a day. Carpenters' wages 25. a day. Oak timber, for building lSd. to 2$. 6d. a foot. Ash for wheelwrights, i2d. to i8d. a foot. Elm gd. to 14//. Beech 12^. Kiln bricks 245. including duty. Plain tiles the same. Lime, about 6d. a bushel. WOODLANDS. Oak timber, on the stem, 3 to 5/ / a ton. Oak bark 505. for about 15 cwt. Stack or cord wood 125. a cord. 33* LIST OF RATES, IN THE Wood bavins, or fagots, 185. a hundred. Spray 125. Hop poles 55. to 405. a hundred, in the ■wood. Stakes 25. a hundred (of five score). Edders, the same. HUSBANDRY. Yearly Wages. « Plowman/' or principal servant, 10 to 12 guineas. " Carter," or inferior man servant, 6 to j guineas. Woman servant — 3 to 5J. Day Wages. In winter, 16 d. to i8rf. without beer. In spring i&/. with beer. In hay time \§d. with beer and ale. In harvest 25. with the same (no board). Measured Works. Plowing 105. 6d. an acre ! * '6 * In 1797, I was told, the price of plowing had got bp to I2J. and even 14.S. an acre ! ! DISTRICT OF MAIDSTONE. r^ Mowing natural grass, 2s. 6d. to 35. an acre, and ale. clover, &c. iSd. to 2s. and ale. corn 18 d. to sis. and ale. Reaping wheat 55. to 15s. an acre. Hoing turnepsjs. and 3^. or 8s. an acre. Thrashing wheat 2s. 6d. to 3s. a quarter. barley 18 J to 20^/. oats 16c/. to i8d. beans, about is. peas 14//. to 18 d. clover 5s. a bushel. Size of the bushel 8 gallons, 3 pints. Hops. Winter digging and dressing 20s. an acre. Poling (including pointing 25.) 105. an acre. Tving and branching; 105. an acre. Summer digging 105* Handhoing ,55. Shovelling 55. Stacking poles 5s. Steward's wages 12s. a week. Bin man's gs. Picking 1^. to 2d. a bushel. 1 But see page 209. ' 334 LIST OF RATES, &c. Drying, at a hired oast, 75. a cwt. Kilnman's wages 12 s. and board ;— or a guinea, a week. Packing Sd. a bag, or pocket. Note, in the immediate neighbourhood of Maidstone, beer is seldom given to hop- ground men, or pickers. But, in the country, it is commonly allowed. THE WEALD OF KENT. Introductory Remarks. THIS NAME is familiar in the mouth of every man ; yet no two men, perhaps, (even in Kent) agree, precisely, as to the portion of country, to which it belongs. Whatever is not chalk hill, ragstone land, or marsh, appears to be included in the vague appellation of " the Wild." And so it is, in the county of Sussex ; where the same name — " the Wild," is applied to an extent of lands, which are various in descrip- tion, and opposite in their natures. The Wilds of Kent and Sussex form one extensive tract of country ; which has no other separation, or distinction, than the imaginary line, which divides the two coun- ties. It reaches, in a lineal direction, from Ash ford in Kent, to Pet worth, in Sussex ; 336 DISTRICT. these two towns being situated near its ex- tremities. It is sixty to seventy miles in length, and ten to fifteen, in width ; and may be estimated at a thousand square miles in extent. The more Central parts of this tract are chiefly filled up, with heaths, as wild as those of Yorkshire and Scotland ; or with culturable uplands, of a particular descrip- tion : — the soil a pale colored silt, or fine sand, and the substrata mostly retentive ; thus forming cold weak land, which is better adapted to the production of wood, than any other crop. But, at either extremity, lies a tract of a very different nature : strong, clayey, low- lying, vale lands ; resembling those of the Vales of Glocestershire and Wiltshire, of Cleveland and HolqVrness ; but, in general, of a cooler and less productive quality, than those of the districts, with which they are here classed. These two tracts likewise are prone to wood ; and it is probable, that the entire district, at the time the general name of the Wild was assigned it, was in a state of wood, or heath ; while the margins, on WEALD OF KENT. 337 every side, were inhabited and culti- vated. The name was, then, perfectly de- scriptive ; properly distinguishing the un- cultivated, uninhabited, wild lands, from those which were inhabited and cultivated. And this name has been invariably retained, by the inhabitants, on every side, and at each extremity, to the present time. Why writers should have changed it to that of the Weald, or Wood, might now be difficult and unprofitable to trace. At present, both names are equally improper. The major part of the lands have long been inhabited, and in a state of cultivation ; and no one charac- teristic remains, which is common to this passage of country ; there being few tracts in the Island, which are more heterogeneous and differential. The two extremities might be aptly termed the Vales or Vale Lands of Kent and Sussex ; and such I had denomi- nated them ; but altered the titles I had assigned them, to better known, though less appropriate names. vol. 1. [333] THE VALE LANDS OF K E N T. SITUATION. These lands are sepa- rated, from the District of Maidstone, by the line of hill, which has been repeatedly mentioned, in describing the latter district, and which forms the northern boundar that which is now in view. Its outline, to the east, is less definite ; the Weald lands uniting with those of the district of Ashford, without any evident line of separation. On the west, or southwest, thev are well de- fined, by the hills of Brenchley and Goud- hurst, and the ridge of high land, which leads, from thence, to the heights about Cranbrook. And, on the south, a range of barren sandy hillocks separate them from the Marshes of Kent and Sussex. The EX TEXT of these Vale Lands may be estimated, by a circle of seventeen miles in WEALD OF KENT. 339 diameter ; which includes upward of two hundred square miles of surface. The INFORMATION, which I pro- cured respecting them, was chiefly collect- ed, in an excursion, which I made from Maid- stone, in the autumn of ninety ; through the central parts of the district, by Staple- hurst, to Cranbrook ; thence, along the ridge of hill which forms the westward boundary ; from whence a general view of the whole may be taken ; * and back, across the area of the Vale, by Marden, and Lin- ton, to Maidstone. In the same year, I had an opportunity of examining, with some at- tention, the practice of the northern margin. In 1797, I traced the eastern skirts, from Ashford to Ham Street, on the border of Romney Marsh ; and wished to have made out another line across the area, by Smarden, in the northeast quarter of the district ; but the extreme wetness of the summer had rendered the roads in a manner impassable. On the whole, however, I saw enough of the district, to gain a general idea of its nature and produce, and the outline of its * From the tower of Goudhurst church, nn extraor- dinary circle of views are commanded. Z 2 VALE LANDS, rural management ; and I was the less anxious to descend to particulars, as my opportunities of examining the Weald of Sussex, a sister district, were sufficiently ample. The ELEVATION of the body, or area, of the Weald of Kent is less than that of the eastern margin, and the parts which overlook the Marshes ; where once, pro- bably, a perpendicular cliff', some hundred feet in height, showed its freshworn face to the sea : the present banks of the Marshes having, doubtless, been formed by the waves, in the first instance; and, since these have receded, the mouldering effect of time has done its part, to give them their present form. The entire mass, from the surface to near the level of the Marshes (where a seam of soft rock is observable) appears to be of a crumbling earthy nature ; and did, for many ages, probably, continue to shoot down, in detached masses, or leisurely, in greater bulk ; and, at length, was left with that shelving rugged surface, which it now exhibits. The SURFACE of the area, or more central parts of the district, is dishing, or WEALD OF KENT. 341 shellshaped ; with a few rising grounds, dispersed over it ; but, on the whole, is less varied, than most other passages of a similar nature. The surface WATERS of the Weald are chiefly collected, by a branch of the. Med way. But such is the natural flatness of the area and mouth of the Weald (open- ing between the Hunton and the Brenchly hills) that it is with great difficulty the waters make their way, to the main branch of that river; frequently overflowing the banks of the sluggish brook, or minor river, which conveys them . Hence, beside the wide flat of rich land, at the junction of the branches (mentioned aforegoing) there are some waterformed lands within the Weald.* * On the improvement of rivers. Some years ago, a cut was made, in the lower part of this branch of the Medway, which at once effected a twofold improvement. In time of floods, the wate»s collected in the Weald, now pass off quicker, than they did for- merly ; and, by this means, its lands are the less liable to be overflowed. Moreover, by this quickened dispatch, the waters of the Weald gain the channel of the Medway, before those which are brought, by the main branch, reach the junction : by which means the general flood is lowered, and its mischiefs in some degree lessened, from the junction, downward, to the sea. 342 VALE LANDS, The SOILS of the district in general, however, have had a different origin ; for though, in many places, they lie peculiarly flat, both in the area of the district, and on the eastern margin, they wear no appear- ance of having been formed by water. In the area of the Weald of Kent, as in that of Sussex, the swells, or smaller rising grounds, enjoy the richest, most productive lands. Nevertheless, the soil of the eastern margin, to the very brink of the Marsh banks, is weak and cold, in the extreme ! And this may be said to be the prevailing land of the Weald : namely, a pai.e, adhe- sive CLAY, With a RETENTIVE BASE. Not only the eastern margin, but much of the area of the district, between Linton and Staplehurst (and still more, I understand, in the Smarden quarter) is of this description. On the opposite side, round Maiden, a clay Of a HIGHER COLOR and RICHER QUALITY prevails : while the rising ground, on which the village of Staplehurst is judiciously placed, is much of it of a wanner, more genial nature ; a good clayey loam. On either side of the river of the Weald, the lands owe their present state, if not their origin, to the waters which, from the time WEALD OF KENT. 343 of the general formation, have been occa- sionally spread over them. Some of them are of a close firm texture ; are what in Yorkshire would be called ing lands; having only been occasionally overflowed : while others are of a looser, more friable texture — warmer, better lands — tolerably good graz- ing ground ; having doubtless been formed by the deposits of floods. From the river to the foot of the hill, which forms the northern boundary, the natural soil improves ; and the lands of the face of the hill, though steep and rugged, are of a very superior quality ; strong loam on rock ; resembling those of the district of Maidstone: being, no doubt, a continuance of the same strata ; which break out in the face of this steep : the cold ungenial lands of the ridge of the hill (repeatedly men- tioned in the last district) being caused, by a load of base materials, resting on, and burying to an irreclaimable depth, the in- valuable lands of Farley and Maidstone ! The ROADS of the Weald are such as may be readily apprehended, from the de- scription of its lands. The common country roads, in summer and wet seasons, are such 344 VALE LANr as no man, who has not stept out of H cradle into them, can travel without dis- gust ; if he can without danger. The toll roads are rather better.* The TOWNSHIPS, in the area, or with- in the Weald, are very large : those of Smar- den, Staplehurst, and Marden, occupying a considerable sfaare of the bottom, or central parts of the district ; where there are few situations, which could invite the first set- tlers, to build villages, or the clergy, after- wards, to erect churches, and take up their residence. On the contrary, upon the northern mar- gin, they are mere slips ; appendant to a string of churches, stretched along the face of the hill : and for reasons that are equally obvious. The line of rich lands, just men- tioned, was equally to be coveted, by the settlers and the clergy, — the soil rich, the air pure, and the prospect delightful. To the peasantry, the situation was eligible ; not altogether on account of the soil, which is of small extent, though sufficient, perhaps, • For a proposed method of forming roads, across deep vale lands, see the Weald of Sussex. WEALD OF KENT. 345 for the hand labor of the first inhabitants ; but because the wild lands, at the foot of the hill, afforded pasturage, for their cattle; while their habitations were in some state of security, from the wild beasts and vermin which inhabited them ; and while the cap of the hill, which rises above these well chosen sites, skreens them, tt) the north. The whole is in a STATE OF INCLO- SURE ; and mostly divided, by wide wood- land belts, into well sized fields. The present PRODUCTIONS of these Vale Lands are arable crops, permanent herbage, wood, hops, fruit. In the more central parts of the district, arable lands predominate ; and, in the district at large, they occupy the principal part of its surface. The grass lands are chiefly appendant to the river and brooks ; but not wholly. I observed old grass grounds, in different parts. Their proportion, however, to the arable lands, is small. The wood lands, which more particu- larly caught my attention, are on the eastern side of the district : on the cold weak lands that have been mentioned, and that are unfit 346 VALE LANDS, for any other production. The road, from Ashford to Romney, leads through or be- tween woods, for some miles, with scarcely any cultivation intervening. On the western side, there are few woods, I believe, of much extent ; but the hedgerows, between the arable lands, in every part, are very wide ; producing fine timber; and underwood, in great abundance. The hop grounds are principally confined, to the richer warmer lands, on the western side of the district, round Staplehurst and Marden; and on the northern and western margins ; but are, more or less, scattered over the area ; fre- quently on lands, that appear to be unfit, for so delicate and fastidious a produce. The orchards are few. The most, I ob- served, were in the township of Marden ; and these were of apples ; a species of fruit, which is ill adapted to the Weald lands. The pear would probably flourish on many of them. WOODLANDS. These, as well as the hedge borders, are chiefly in a state of timber and underwood. I observed few in a state of coppice. Their general eco- nomy is similar to that of the rest of the WEALD OF KENT. 347 Southern Counties. The subject will be spoken of, at large, in the Weald of Sussex. FARMS. From what rose to the eye, in crossing the country, the farms are of the middle size ; resembling those of the Vale lands of Sussex ; which will be particu- larized. But, judging from the extraordi- nary meeting of professional men (many of them, doubtless, Marsh graziers) at the fair of Cranbrook, on the western margin of the district, there would seem to be some farms of superior magnitude ; either In the Weald, or in its neighbourhood. In its BEASTS OF DRAFT, too, the Weald of Kent resembles that of Sussex. Oxen, in yoke, are common ; at least in carriages ; in which they are driven (con- trary to the practice of the North of Eng- land) without horses to lead them. It was in this district, I first observed the muzzle, or nose basket, which is also in use in Sussex, to prevent oxen, at work, from grazing, and thereby becoming un- steady, and sometimes difficult to manage. Remark. How extraordinary, that this simple, and one might almost say obvious, 348 VALE LANDS, expedient should not have been hit upon, in the North of England, when the prac- tice of carrying hay and corn, in wains, or two-wheeled ox carriages, was solely in use. The principal objection to them, and which, perhaps, was a chief cause of their being entirely laid aside, was the ex- treme unsteadiness, attended with danger to the loader, occasioned by the oxen, at the pole, stooping their heads, suddenly, to feed ; and throwing them up, as abruptly, on every movement of the carriage. But how easily this might have been obviated, by wicker muzzles, (openly worked, so as not to restrain their breath, and wide enough to permit them to chew the cud) suspended by straps, passing over the heads of the oxen. The OUTLINE of MANAGEMENT, here, as in Sussex, is that ot fallowing, and liming, for wheat ; and continuing to crop, until another fallow is necessary. The fossil MANURES, in use, are lime, and what is called " marl." Lime is much used : chiefly on ,; dry fal- low," for wheat. In the wane of September, the face of the country, when viewed from WEALD OF KENT. 349 an eminence, appeared mottled with this conspicuous manure. It is fetched from the Chalk Hills, on the north of Maidstone, into the central parts of the Weald ; a dis- tance of ten or twelve miles : and this, not- withstanding there is limestone, beneath the very lands, perhaps, which are manured with chalk lime, at an enormous expendi- ture of team labor. There are two reasons given, for perse- vering in this practice. One of them is that " the stone is difficult to be got to pieces ;" which probably means — not only difficult to break and raise out of its bed, but difficult to burn with wood. The other, that it is too " heavy " for the Weald lands: u it gets down too fast." — Can there be any ground for this popular opinion ? The marl, which fell under my notice, was on the west side of the district, where I saw some instances of it, in use ; and I examined a pit of it, between Goudhurst and Marden. It is an impure fullersearth, without a particle of calcareous matter in its composition. Of the OPERATIONS of the Weald, or the MANAGEMENT of particular 350 VALE LANDS, CROPS, I find nothing on my Journals, that could be useful or interesting to the public: except that, notwithstanding the lands, in general, are gathered up into beds, or ridges, of different widths, they are, nevertheless, worked with the turnwrest plow : an aukward implement among nar- row lands ! Of its CATTLE, I am better prepared to speak. In going over the district, they were an object of attention. At the fair of Cranbrook, I saw them ; and, repeatedly, at the markets and fairs of Maidstone. In breed, the Weald differs from the rest of the county. The whole of the exten- sive district, which is denominated the Wild, whether it lies in the county of Kent or Sussex, possesses the same breed, or variety of cattle : and this, probably, (as I have already ventured to suggest*) the native, or once wild breed of the Island. And, what is remarkable, the eastern branch, or subva- riety, of this breed is, in a great measure, confined within the limits of this tract. At the western extremity, it is true, it extends beyond the limit of the Weald, or * Sec West of England. WEALD OF KENT. 351 Vale lands, of Sussex, to Midhurst, and up the valley towards Petersfield ; also, in East Sussex, it spreads southward, towards the sea ; being common to most parts of that county, and is usually, and not improperly called the Sussex breed : — but, eastwards, it reaches no farther than the Weald of Kent ; unless the District of Ashford, as that of Pet worth, may have some claim upon it. In 1795, I saw oxen of this breed, at work, in Romney Marsh ;4 and also on the coast, between Hithe and Folkstone. In passing between Hithe and Canterbury, by way of Stone Street, I observed a small dairy of cows, of the true mould, color, and horn of the breed of Sussex, and the Weald of Kent. And it is probably common to what may be called South Kent : name- ly, the whole country southward of the Chalk Hills; the District of Maidstone ex- cepted. So that, on the whole, this breed of cattle may be considered as being in possession (as the established breeding stock) of the entire country between the eastern divi- sion of the Chalk Hills, and the sea ; the 352 VALE LANDS, District of Maidstone, and the sea coast of Sussex, exclusive. In the Weald of Kent, this breed is found in a remarkable state ; extremely various, as to quality. Near Staplehurst, I saw rearing cattle, that would have been a credit to any country, in which this breed is pro- pagated ; and in Marden, cows of the fairest mould ; wearing every appearance, id form, color, and horn, of being of the purest blood, of the middle-horned race of cattle. In Cran- brook, I examined an ox (said to be bred in the southern part of the district) which, in size, form, and flesh, might be deemed nearly perfect. Nevertheless, at the same place, I saw others of the basest blood ; equal to any thing I recollect to have seen of the old Yorkshire or Dutch breed (see Yorkshire), with buttocks down to the hocks! And, at Maidstone, I have seen others, equally unfit, for every purpose of cattle* * On the flesh of cattle. It is observable, that, notwithstanding the extreme coarseness of the hind quarters, the chine, of one of the worst of these ani- mals, handled mellow ! But this is not the only in- stance, in which I have found a disparity, in the qua- WEALD OF KENT. 353 This base blood, however, belongs not to the middlehorncd breed ; but is traceable to a less pure source ; and through a mere circumstance, which so nearly concerns the valuable breed of cattle under notice, that it ought not to be forgotten. During what has been usually called the German war, a number of French prisoners were confined, in the neighbourhood of Cranbrook, on the southern borders of the Weald of Kent, and nearly upon the borders of Sussex. To maintain them, a drove of bulls, (which doubtless had been thrown up bv the Yorkshire breeders, who were about that time getting rid of the breed, and had been travelled southward) were purchased " in the shires." Unfortunately for the country, the Kent and Sussex breeders, be- ing taken with their size and the fulness of their frame, saved some of them from the slaughter, and used them with their cows ; continuing, for some time, to breed from the cross. And it was too late before they dis- covered their error. For although some lities of the flesh of different parts of the same animal : a circumstance, by the wav, which is seldom, perhaps, sufficiently attended to. vol. i. A a 354 VALE LANDS, pains has been taken, to " get out of the sort/' it nevertheless will still sometimes show itself; even when neither the sire nor the dam has any trait of it, in their appear- ance, or palpable qualities.* This shows how easily a valuable breed of stock may be debased. And may well serve as a caution, to those who are in pos- session of a breed, which is tolerably pure, and profitable, not to deteriorate it, with strange crosses ; seeing how difficult it is to regain the original breed, and bring it back, to its former purity. Of the STATE OF HUSBANDRY, in this part of Kent, I have only to say, that there were many foul lands, in the parts I went over, — that the proportion of arable lands appeared to be much too great, — and that the hedgerows were far too high, w ide, and impervious to the winds, for a low, dirty, arable country. Of its IMPROVEMENT I have the less occasion to speak ; as the means to be used • The above information I had from an intelligent man, advanced in years, who lived in that neighbour- hood, at the time the circumstances took place; and >in i -90J well remembered the particulars. WEALD OF KENT. 355 are pretty evidently the same, on the Vale lands of Kent, and on those of Sussex ; for whose improvement I shall offer proposals. The only particular, relative to the im- provement of these Vale lands, which re? quires to be noticed, here, is an instance, in which a field, on the northern margin, was successfully converted, from a state of arable ground, to that of grass land: a process by which, perhaps, their greatest improvement is to be effected ; yet one of the last which their occupiers will listen to: not, however, from any conviction that the principle is wrong, but from an idea of the difficulty, or the impossibility, of carrying it into practice. I have the greater satisfaction in noting this incident, as it occurred in the practice of a man, to whom, more than to any other person, I was beholden for information, re- specting the rural management, — not mere- ly of the Weald, and the Chalk Hills of Kent (on each of which he cultivated a considerable farm) but of the District of Maidstone, and the county in general.* * The l^te Mr. Charlton of Maidstone. A a 2 356 VALE LANDS, &c. This field, when I saw it in 1790, had been in grass, nly three years ; yet, even then, it wore a fine close sward; resembling that of old grass lands. Its management was simply this. The soil was thoroughly cleaned, for the crop ; which was never mown ; but, from the time the corn crop was harvested, it was kept closely pas- tured with sheep ; which were occasion- ally FOLDED ON THE YOUNG HERBAGE : a line of management, which, where sheep can be kept with safety, it would be difficult, perhaps, to improve. It is almost needless to suggest, that the Medway navigation might easily be ex- tended into the center of the Weald ; for carrying in coals, chalk, or lime, and bringing out timber, corn, hops, and other produce. ROMNEY MARSH. A DISTRICT, whose lands are nearly uniform, whose produce is principally her- bage, and whose pasturing stock is similar throughout, not only in species, but in va- riety or breed, may readily be seen ; wants much less time and application, to examine it, than one which is composed of various soils, resting on a variety of substrata, form- ing varied surfaces, and producing wood, corn, grass, and livestock of different de- scriptions. In 1795, during an excursion in East Kent, I examined the southeast, or sea side of the district, from Hithe to Romney and its environs, with some attention. And, in 1797, I meditated a deliberate view of the northwest or land side ; but, in part, from being disappointed in the expected opportunity, and, in part, from the roads, owing to the wetness of the year, being 358 ROMNEY MARSH. impracticable to a stranger, my examina- tions fell short of my intentions. On the whole, however, they were sufficient, to enable me, to give a general idea of the dis- trict, and an outline of its management. The SITUATION, of this extern tract of Marsh lands, is on the coast of the English Channel ; which bounds it, on the east and south : its boundary, to the north and west, being a range of cliffs (described above) which extends from Hithe,in a bend- ing line, to the mouth of theRother. The principal part is situated in the county of Kent : the southwestern quarter, however, is aukvvardly included within that of Sussex ; notwithstanding it lies detached from the rest of the county, bv the intervention of the estuary of the Rother. The former goes by the name of Romney Marsh, the latter by that of Guilford Marsh. The EXTENT, if the mean length be estimated at eleven miles, and its mean width at seven, may be set down at seventy- five square miles ; or fifty thouc ind acres. The ELEVATION of ihese lands, with respect to the sea, is low indeed ! their sur- face lying much below that of spring tides: a proof that they were not left by the sea ; ROMNEY MARSH. 359 but owe their present state of profitableness to human exertions ; to an extraordinary embankment, which will be noticed. I had an opportunity of seeing the tide se- veral feet above the level of the Marsh lands ; and this during a dead calm ; when there was not wind to raise a splash among the heads of the piles, which defend the outer face of the bank. The SURFACE of Romney Marsh, whether viewed from the top of the em- bankment, or from the opposite cliffs, ap- pears not only level, but remarkably smooth; more so, at least, than that of the Yar- mouth Marshes (see Norfolk). Remark. This, however, is to be ac- counted for, in the difference of their situa- tions. The Norfolk Marshes were formed, and left, by an estuary, or arm of the sea ; which entering, in this case, at a narrow mouth, its waves could not reach the mudbanks, which grew up to the present Marshes. The channels and furrows, na- turally formed by rains and backwaters, remained open and undisturbed. Those of Kent, on the contrary, lay open to the sea ; whose waves (before the bank was raised) 360 ROMNEY MARSH. swept freely over them, every spring tide and gale of wind ; striking off the protu- berant parts, and filling up, or narrowing, the hollows and inequalities : thus tending, in a twofold manner, to give levelness and smoothness of surface. The WATERS, which at present fall on the surface, or ooze out of the banks w hich rise on the land side, are collected by nar- row channels (probably those by which the surface waters of the original mudbanks were conveyed off) into three or more brooks, or inland shores, and let out, to the sea, by means of sluices and floodgates, un- der the embankment. SOIL. That which prevails, and which may be emphatically calkd the soil of these Marsh lands, is silt, or sea mud; what, on higher ground, would be termed rich clayey loam. Nevertheless, in the neigh- bourhood of Romney, a sheer sand, blown from the sea shore, covers some space of ground : and, towards Hithe, at the eastern point of the flat, a clean gravel — pro- vincially " beach/' — occupies a still greater extent of surface : and even the silty soils vary in their qualities. ROMNEY MARSH. 36x Geological Remarks. The action of the sea, on the margins of the lands which it bounds or encircles, is a subject which has not, perhaps, been examined with at- tention. Its more general tendency is that of wearing away projecting parts, and fill- ing up inlets and indentures of the coast: thus tending to give smoothness and rotun- dity of ou line. But this general propen- sity is more or less counteracted, by the nature of the soils and their substructures, against which the action of the waves is di- rected ; as well as by the snlliage thrown out by rivers, and returned to the coast ; and, moreover, by the currents and eddies of the tide. This last effect presented itself, in a strong light, in reflecting on the formation of the level of marsh lands under view. The line of the sea worn cliff, and that of the front of the present Marshes, are segments of circles, and answer to each other ; resem- bling, so much, the scoopings and sand- banks, formed by the windings and eddies of rivers, that I was led to consider the effects of the tide, passing through the Eng- lish Channel : and it appears to be pre- 362 ROMNEY MARSH. cisely that of first scooping out the bay, and afterwards filling it with the mudbanks, under consideration. The effect of running water, passing through a long winding channel, is uniformly the same, whether it be a rivulet, a brook, or a river ; and the same natural law of fluids, probably, takes place, in a channel of the sea; whether it be twenty yards, or twenty leagues, in width. A body of water, of the latter width, run- ning with a strong current, and nearly in an eastern direction, meeting with resist- ance, in a winding shore, which alters the course of its current, to the north, and has, at the same time, its channel contracted to one third of its former width, naturally forms an eddy, to the northwest of the con- tracted part : and this is the situation of the bay and the mudbanks under notice. Indeed, there is one particular, in the form of these banks, which nothing but the circuitous draught of an eddy could have produced. It is not merely the bay that is silted up: the southwest point of the Marshes,— the richest and best lands,— is dgawn out, some miles, into the sea, be- yond the line of coast on either side of it ROMNEY MARSH. 363 Dungy Ness vying with Beachy Head, in boldness of projection. The immense collection of materials, re- quisite to the formation of this extensive tract of land, are to be accounted for, in those of the earthy cliffs, which were torn down, in forming the bay ; in the sulliage of the Rother, and, perhaps, in that of other rivers, suspended in the current of the tide, and deposited by the stiller waters of the eddy. Hence the varying nature of the soils of these Marshes. In the north and east parts, and even to their center, where the eddy retained a degree of current, and where the grosser heavier particles of suspended mat- ter, only, were let fall, the soil is of a less fertile quality, than it is, in the southern parts, below Romney, round Lydd, and to- wards Dungy Ness, where, the motion of the eddy being spent, (or checked by the main current of the tide passing through the Channel) the finer particles had time to precipitate ; and, there, the richest most valuable lands are found. INHABITANTS. This acquisition of territory to the county of Kent, is divided 364 ROMNEY MARSH. into hundreds and parishes. In the more northern part of the level, the parishes ap- pear to be large ; few churches are seen. But in the southern parts, below Romney, and round Lydd, where the soil is rich, and no upper lands on its margin, the townships are smaller. Nevertheless, the villages, everywhere, appear to be inconsiderable. And even Romney, its principal town, though neatly built, and respectably inha- bited, is only a small place: ranking with the lower class of what are called country market towns. The graziers, or occupiers of Marsh lands, many of them live at a distance ; especially, perhaps, those who occupy the north and west parts of the level. At Romnev, there are several capital men ; and in the area of the Marsh, and towards the southern extremity of the district (away from the uplands) there are others. But, everv where, the management of the Marshes, and the stock they carry, is committed, in a great measure, to the care of Marshmen — provinciaily " lookers ;" whose cabins and pens are seen scattered over the area of the Marsh. ROMNEY MARSH. 365 With respect to the healthiness of this tract oflow lands, reports speak differently. Its inhabitants do not acknowledge it to be particularly unhealthy: indeed, it has re- cently been advanced, that the soldiers, which have been quartered within it, have been found more healthy, here, than in many parts of the uplands of the county. While the inhabitants of the uplands speak of it, as an aguish, unhealthy country : and, seeing the great quantity of stagnant water, which is, at present, pent up, with- in its area, reason inclines to the latter report. The thinness of inhabitants, however, may not be wholly attributed to the un- healthiness of climature ; but, in some part, to the badness of the ROADS. Even the toll road, between Romney and x\shford, I found in a manner impassable, in October. During the winter months, the area of the district must be in a wretched state, with respect to the means of communication. On the sea side, the top of the embankment furnishes a firm road, at all seasons ; and, in summer, a delightful one to travel. In the dark stormy nights of winter, however, 366 ROMNEY MARSH. it must frequently be disagreeable, if not dangerous. The whole is in a STATE OF ENCLO- SURE; except the gravelly flat, and the sanded parts, that have been noticed. The fences are chiefly stagnant sewers; — wide ditches filled with water. In the environs of Romney, strong posts and rails are a com- mon fence ; the stagnant water having, of late years, been drawn off, in some degree, from the town ; which has thereby been rendered more healthy, than it was for- merly. These fences are very expensive; being made substantial ; as they are equally to guard against sheep and cattle. But naked posts and rails, though in- finitely preferable to water, still leave the entire level destitute of shelter : the winds rushing over its extensive surface, without a check ! How any animal, whose nature it is, to live on the surface of the earth, and to provide no place of refuge beneath it, can weather out the severities of winter, in a situation so truly inclement, is beyond the power of reason to explain ; and nothing but the infallible test of experience could render it credible. But lamentably true it ROMNEY MARSH. 367 is, that, notwithstanding the hardy nature of sheep, thousands — tens of thousands — are sacrificed, to the sanctioned crueltv of those, who place them in so perilous a situation. It would seem as if some attempts had, formerly, been made, to raise live hedges ; in order to guard against this intolerable evil; there being bushes of the white thorn scattered over the area of the Marsh ; espe- cially on the north or land side. This sub- ject will be resumed. The EMBANKMENT, which defends this extensive and valuable tract of land, and its inhabitants, from the ravages of the waves ; and the DRAINAGE, which frees them from the overflow of interior waters, remain to be noticed. They are insepa- rably connected with each other ; and are under one and the same direction.* The bank, — or, as it is provincially termed, the "sea wall}" — is not conti- nuous, or entire. At the easternmost point. * A corporation', acting under a code of laws of ancient date : " composed by Henry de Bathe, a vene- rable judge, in the reign of King Henry the Third." Note on Blackstone, Book III. chap. vi. sect. 2. 368 ROMNLY MARSH. near Hithe, the sea throws up a high beach bank of gravel; and thus prevents itself from breaking in, upon the flat.* Some two or three miles from Hithe, the artifi- cial bank commences ; and reaches to within a mile or two of Romnev, where the Mar- ram banks, resembling those of Norfolk, render art the less necessary .t Below Rom- ney, the " wall" again commences. This artificial bank must have been a work of immense cost ; and is kept up, at a great expence. On the inner, or land side, the slope is steep, and pretty regular; measuring from fifteen to twenty five feet ; according to the varying surface of the lands of the Marsh ; the top of the bank being of course * This effect of the waves will be particularly ex- plained, on the sea coast of Sussex. t The river Rother, tradition says, formerly charged itself, in this part : and the sand, of which the * - are formed, may have been thrown out, by its floods i or they may have arisen from an earthy mass, so situated, as to be brought by the current, or recoil of the tule, ,r» this particular part; as the flinty gravel v. hi i continue to accumulate, at the eastern extremity, doub< . - s, from the feet of the Chalk Hills, shclv- i beneath the sea. ROMNEY MARSH. 369 level. The perpendicular height on this side, may be estimated at twelve to eigh- teen feet. The sea side is irregular ; but always flat, comparatively with the inner side; shelving off, from the top of the bank, to the na- tural shore ; thus forming a flat, but irre- gular beach. This unevenness of the artificial shore (owing probably to the partial scoopings of the waves) renders the top of the bank irregular, in width. It measures, in diffe- rent parts, from fifteen to thirty feet wide. The defence of the sea side, from the ravages of tempests, and the currents of the tide, incurs the principal part of the expence of this GREAT PUBLIC WORK. The means of defence are of a twofold nature. To break the sidelong waves, and prevent their scooping away the beach which supports the bank, "jetties/' or strong wooden fences, are run out, into the sea (or towards it at low water) to the dis- tance, perhaps, of a hundred yards, from the top of the bank ; and, at sixty yards, from each other. These fences are formed, with strong double posts, having spurs or vol. 1. B b 37o ROMNEY MARSH. stays, on the outsides, and clasping strong planks (two and a half inches thick) be- tween them : or, in other words, the posts are put down, so nearly close to each other, that planks, of this thickness, will just slide down between them : thus forming a close, firm fence, four, five, or six feet high. Between the jetties, more especially where the gravel has been torn out, or is most liable to be torn away, the beach is covered, with faggots, of long, sprayey brushwood. Across these, slender poles, ten to twenty- five feet long, are laid, a few inches from each other ; and, across them, at the dis- tance of every three feet, firmer pieces, the length of the faggots (four or five feet long) are pinned down to the beach ; by the means of piles, about five feet long. These piles stand at eighteen inches from each other (each cross bar having three piles), their heads, when driven, standing, some inches, above the cross pieces, and a foot or more above the faggots. This rough covering, not only preserves the beach, from farther depredations, but assists the jetties, to collect, and retain, the gravel, thrown in between them, by the ROMNEY MARSH. 37I waves, when they set in, more directly to- wards the shore. Where a sufficiency of hard materials is not provided, by the sea, stones are fetched, at a great expence, to supply the deficiency. At this time (1797) rough, offal ragstone of theDisTmcT of Maidstone, are brought down the Medway, and round the Fore- lands, for this purpose ; at the expence of six or seven shillings a ton. The bank, from end to end, is strowed with timber, and set with stacks of poles and faggots, And many men are seen em- ployed, in renewing or repairing the diffe- rent guards. The drainage is effected, by arched sluices, passing under the bank ; each hav- ing two pair of floodgates : one on the out- side, the other on the inside ; to provide against accidents, to the outer pair. These gates permit the interior waters to pass off, when the tide is low; and prevent those of the sea from entering, at high tide. The expence, attending the embankment and drainage, is borne by the land, and levied by an acre rate; which, I was in- formed, is laid, evenly, over the whole flat ; Bbs :-: ROMNEY MARSH. without any regard to the specific quality, or rental value, of the lands. The rate be- in cr, on an average of years, about two shillings, an acre. The PRESENT PRODUCE of the lands, which thus owe their immense value to the invention and industry of man, is principally grass, or perennial herbage; but with a mixture of arable crops. These, how- ever, are inconsiderable, when compared with the unbroken sward, which may be said to cover the whole level. The main OBJECT of the Marsh far- mer, and that to which the present produce is chiefly applied, is sheep ; with, how- ever, a certain proportion of cattle ; some horses ; and with the few arable crops, which are seen in different parts of the Dis- trict ; but which engaged little of my at- tention. The most interesting notice, which I have respecting them, is, that the lands of Romney Marsh are worked with the turn- wrest plow, and are laid flat and furrowless, like those on open rock, in the District of Maidstone ! GRASSLAND. The species, on a cur- sory view, appears to be uniform. There ROMNEY MARSH. 373 are, doubtless, varieties to be detected ; oc- casioned by variations in the subsoil, and the slight variety of surface, giving swampy and sounder parts. But that which prevails, and which only I shall consider, is firm sound marsh land ; most of it applicable, under suitable management, to hay or pas- turage ; but varying in productiveness; for reasons that have been shown. The herbage of these lands I had not a favorable opportunity of ascertaining. The month of September is too late, for this pur- pose ; even were the seed stems suffered to remain on the root, until that time. It is sufficiently evident, however, that, on the description of lands under notice, there are no remains of marine plants : the whole sur- face being occupied by what are termed ?ia- tural grasses. In some hay, cut offthis species of land, the prevailing grass was the " squir- rel tail" — hordeum nodosum — the meadow barley grass ; but with a mixture of the poes, and other species of meadozv herbage ; such as are common to inland districts. Remark. How they found their way, across this marine mud bank, of fifty to a hundred square miles in extent, to the 374 ROMNEY MARSH. environs of Romney, on the verge of the sea coast, and there took upon them the character of " natural grassess/' might be difficult to trace. It is possible, that when these lands were first reclaimed (notwith- standing the cultivation of grasses in upland districts, were then unknown or unprac- tised), the seeds of inland meadows were collected, and sown over them. Or were the seeds brought down the rivers, and de- posited in the silt ? The drainage of these lands appears to be well attended to. The drains and fence sewers are occasionally cleared from mud ; which is either piled, by the sides of the channels, out of which it is raised, or is set about the grounds, as manure ; under the name of " sleech:" a general name, I be- lieve, for sea mud, and whatever arises from these Marsh, or mudbank lands.* By this attention to the drains, the Marsh lands in general, I understand, are kept sufficiently dry and firm, even in winter, for * Sea mud. From the margin of the land side of the marsh, this sleech is frequently carried upon the up- lands ; and, on some of them, is found to be a valuable manuje. ROMNEY MARSH. 375 sheep to pasture and lodge upon : and, in ordinary years, are sufficiently sound, at all seasons, to be pastured with safety. Never- theless, in some particular years, great num- bers have been taken off, by the " spear- wort," or rot * The application of these grasslands, except on the margins, and near the towns, is to pasturage. For although immense num- bers of sheep are wintered in the Marshes, not a morsel of hay, or any other winter food, than stale herbage, is afforded them ; even in the severest weather, or while the grass is buried under the deepest snows ! * " Spearwort." This term is common to the Marshes, and the Weald of Kent ; and, perhaps, to the county. Whether spearwort is the provincial name of ranunculus flammula, I could not gain satisfactory intel- ligence. This, however, being the common term for the rot, is a strong evidence, that whoever gave it, be- lieved the disease to be owing to a particular plant, bearing that name. Ideas, which, like this, are strongly rooted in the minds of professional men, should be brought forward, into public view. If they are rooted in truth, cultivate and cherish them ; if in error, let them be eradicated, as weeds, which encumber and deteriorate their prac- tice. r6 ROMNEY MARSH. Pasture Lands. In the management of grazing grounds, two particulars require notice. The method of stocking them; and the practice of striking off the seed stems, whether of weeds or herbage, — provincially " brushing" them, — in the course of the summer : — A practice which, I believe, is pretty common to the District. In the neighbourhood of Romney, in the early part of September, not a stem was to be seen. The whole was in a state of lawn ; and, to the agricultural eye, the appearance was rich and beautiful. This is a practice which I have frequently recommended : it not only destroys or checks the growth of weeds, but enlarges the field of pasturage; especially where sheep are the pasturing stock. The stock of these pasture grounds are mostly sheep; but thinly mixed with cattle, of the Welch and Sussex breeds; also a few horses ; those which I observed, being chiefly mares and colts. And, on the sands, near Romney, rabbits are observ- able : burrowing in the Marram banks. The quantity of stock, which report says, these lands are wont to carry, is somewhat ROMNEY MARSH. 377 incredible ; is not warranted, either by the appearance of the lands,* the stock which are seen upon them, or the information which I collected on the subject. The graziers of Romney Marsh appear, by their practice, to be well aware, that the best art, in managing the gross-growing herbage of marsh lands, is to keep it level and luzi'. For, if it be suffered to run up, the coarser grasses gain entire possession ; overgrowing the finer herbage ; the delight of sheep, and that which renders them pro- fitable. Hence, when the taller grasses get up, in despite of the si the and grazing cattle to keep them under, an admirable expedient is practised, to clear them, away to their roots ; and thus to give the better herbage an opportunity of flourishing. This is done by " stocking hard," with young sheep, — provincially " tegs"— coming home, * To the west and south of Romney, also on a nar- row slip of rising ground, at the immediate foot of the clirfs, on the opposite side of the Marsh, I saw lands that wore the appearance of rich powerful grazing grounds; of lands worth fifty shillings to three pounds an acre ; but the area of the north end of the level, ap- peared to have little claim to such distinction. 3-8 ROMNEY MARSH. hungry and halfstarved, from their upland winter pastures. Of these, eight, ten, or more perhaps, an acre, are thrown into the roughest of these lands ; and are kept there, until they have knawed them to the quick ; a work which takes them some weeks, per- haps a " couple of months/' to accomplish ; when they are removed to better pasturage. In stocking with grazing sheep, — with sheep that are intended to get fat, — three or four an acre, may, I apprehend, be taken as the average number ; even on the better lands. SHEEP. The breed of Romney Marsh is that of East Kent; whose marshes and uplands, have, for many ages perhaps, been stocked with the same breed of sheep. This breed resembles, so much, that of the South Hams of Devonshire, (see the West of England) there can be little doubt of their being descended from the same race, — the ancient stock of the wild lands of the West and South of England. They are large, or above the middle size of English sheep ; their wool is somewhat long : * they are poled, or hornless ; and • The Marsh wool is of a similar quality to that ROMNEY MARSH. 379 many of them have colored legs and faces ; especially those which I have seen, on the upland districts of East Kent : in Romney Marsh, they have less color ; being mostly white. The characteristics, of the Romney-Marsh variety, of the East-Kent breed of sheep, are the length of their legs, and the depth of their paunches : characteristics which belong to the old neglected breed of the Midland Counties. The most striking differential character, belonging to these two distinct breeds of sheep, in a state of neglect, is the size of bone; that of the Kent breed being much the finest. And, from the opportunities, that I of the South Hams, and has long been employed in the same manufacture ; — namely, the species of serge which is peculiar, I believe, to the West of England. Hence, the market for Kent wools have been Exeter ; un- til lately ; when the demand for that manufacture be- coming lessened, by the war with Spain, other markets have been sought for; and it is now (1797), I under- stand, sent principally into Yorkshire. It has never, I was informed, by a principal dealer in Marsh wool, found its way to the market of Norwich : a strong evidence that it wants either length, or fineness of hair, for the finer worsted manufactures. 38o ROMNEY MARSH. have had, of examining these two distinct breeds, in their ordinary, or unimproved states, whether in the respective districts of their propagation, or in Smithfield, I have no hesitation, in pronouncing the breed of Kent to be the most valuable. Their respective claims to superiority, in their present im- proved states, I leave for contending parties to adjust. The PRESENT STATE OF IMPROVEMENT, of the Kentish sheep, may be considered as that of infancy, compared with the advanced stage of maturity, which the improvement of the Midland or Fen breed has reached * The rays of light, however, by which the breeders of Kent have hitherto been di- rected, are evidently no other, than emana- tions from the luminary, which enlightened * The sheep of the hwlands of Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, North am ptonsh ire, War- wickshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire, appear, pretty evidently, to be of one and the same race, and are, at present, very distin- guishable, from the other breeds of the Island. But whether they are merely a selection, of long standing, from the ancient breed of the country, or have been imported, from the lowlands of the Continent, may now be too late to determine. ROMNEY MARSH. 381 the midland provinces. Not only the prin- ciple, and the spirit, but the means, of im- provement flowed, in the first stages, at least, from the center of the system. In 1795, there were evident traces of the Dishley blood, in the breed of sheep un- der notice ; and although the means may, more latterly, have been changed, from crossing with an alien breed, to that of propagating from the purest of the native blood ; still the principle, and the spirit which actuates it, owe their existence, even in this remote part of the Island, to the genius and perseverance of Mr. Bake- well ; whose proselytes are, here, nume- rous ; and the practice of letting rams, for the season, has been established, several years. The rambreeders, who have risen most into notice, — those, at least, whom I heard most loudly spoken of, — are Mr. Russel and Mr. Coats of Romney, Mr. Muns of Brookland, and Mr. Wall of Ash ford. From what little I sawr of the improved breed (in a part of Mr. Wall's flock), much has been already done, and more remains to be accomplished. The improvement has 382 ROMNEY MARSH. proceeded far enough, to show, in a few individuals of superior quality, what the Kent breed of sheep are capable of being raised to, by exertion and perseverance. The description of flocks, which are kept in Romney Marsh, are the three ge- neral descriptions of sheep ; namely, breed- ing, rearing, and. fatting. In breeding, the rams are put to, very late ; as the middle of November ; in order that the grass may have time to make its spring shoot, before the season of lambing. For, in the winter management of sheep, even of ewe flocks, they are left, as lias been said, to the mercy of the elements. In the severest weather, — when the stale her- bage, their only food, is deeply covered with snow, and cutting winds set in upon them, from the sea, — they are destitute of food and shelter ! Hundreds, or even thou- sands, are lost in a single night I Blown, by scores perhaps, into the fence sewers (especially when there is ice of sufficient strength, to bear the snow, but not the sheep), thus forming bridges, for the rest to pass ! During a severe frost, when the ice will every where bear the flocks, the Marsh, ROMNEY MARSH. 383 of course, becomes one wide spread com- mon ; and it would be folly » in individuals, even could they readily find their own sheep, to attempt to administer relief; as the united flock, in a starving state, would frustrate their intention. And this is the reason given, for not providing sustenance for their support. To this harsh treatment, by the way, may, in part, at least, be attributed, the superior quality of this breed of sheep : the worst constitutioned individuals be- come soonest weak ; and perish first : the best thrivers, on the contrary, retain their strength the longest, and survive. Starving is a sure, but a cruel, principle of improve- ment. In an open winter, or when the snows are not so deep, as to prevent their scraping down to the herbage, nor the wind so strong and piercing, as to drive them from their purpose, and induce them to seek, in vain, for shelter, the ewes and yearling sheep, it seems, get over the winter season, tolerably well, without assistance. IMPROVEMENTS. Seeing the un- certainty attending the Marshes, as win- 384 ROMNEY MARSH. tering grounds, and the extremely wretched and pitiable condition, which the stock are reduced to, in severe winters, the practice of keeping breeding flocks, in so ineli- gible a situation, might be naturally enough censured. It may be aptly enquired, why are not the marshes of Romney, as of Yar- mouth, pastured with fatting stock and rear- ing cattle, in summer, and left, in winter, to the caprice of the elements, without in- jury or alarm to their occupiers ? This is plausible, until the subject is duly con- sidered. Where is the fatting and rearing stock to be found, to compass this desireable point? Norfolk is a breeding county, and its Marshes are comparatively small : be- side, if its own stock are not sufficient, it has a regular and ample supply from the breeding grounds of Scotland. Whereas, Kent has no internal supply, either of cattle or sheep (the cattle of the Weald excepted ), and is situated at the veriest extremity of the Island, with respect to the breeding countries. Scotland, the North of England, Wales, the Midland Counties, and the West of England, all lie at a great distance, and have intermediate markets for their stock. Y ROMNEY MARSH. 385 Many Welch cattle, it is true, reach this extreme point of the Island ; but barely enough to supply the upland districts, and to assist the sheep, and the sithe (and the few rearing cattle which the Weald may afford) to keep down the grass of the Marshes. It might take the whole surplus produce of the Principality, to stock this extensive level of Marsh lands, entirely with Welch cattle * Upon the whole, it appears, pretty evi- dently, that the general economy, and present system of management, of the Dis- trict under view,, have grown out of a sort of necessity ; arising from its extent, and relative situation ; and that it behoves its owners and occupiers, to use every endeavor towards doing away the evils, which attend its present plan of management ; and to adapt it, in the best manner possible, to given circumstances. * The Marshes within the estuary of theTHAMES, below Woolwich, are chiefly stocked with large cattle, from the Western, Midland, and Northern parts of England. But these Marshes, though much richer than those of Romney, are, comparatively, of inconsiderable extent. VOL. I. C C 386 ROMNEY MARSH. The great thing to be desired, and almost the only one wanted, is shelter; and this may be had, with certainty, and without excessive cost. Ordinary hedges, planted at or near the surface, would be found, probably have been found, impracticable to be raised, between grounds that are continually pastured with sheep, which have no other shrubs to gra- tify their appetites. But, by mound hedges, such as are in common use, in Devonshire and Corn- wall, an immediate shelter might be ob- tained ; and the shrubs planted upon them, to increase the shelter, and to bind the mounds together, as well as to raise cop- pice wood, would be placed out of the reach of sheep. How so great and obvious an improve- ment should so long have been overlooked may be a matter of surprise. Yet had I not previously examined the fences of De- vonshire and Cornwall, this mean of im- provement, evident as it may seem, might not have occurred. So requisite it is, that. to point out the means of improving any particular district, a general knowledge, of ROMNEY MARSH. 387 the several practices of the kingdom, should be previously learnt. I do not hesitate to speak of this, as an improvement, which may be set about, with a moral certainty of success. The great depth of soil, which the Marsh lands in general possess, would afford ample ma- terials, for mounds of any height and width. In Devonshire and Cornwall, where the soil is seldom more than seven or eight inches deep, a sufficiency is ever found ; there be- ing no other method of raising a hedge, in use ; be the soil and situation what they may. Some difficulty may be experienced, in finding a species of coppice wood, which will fiourish in this bleak and maritime situation. But where the foundation is broad, and the outline simple, study and perseverance will generally obviate small difficulties, in carrying up the superstruc- ture. Out of the naked gravelly flat, which has been mentioned, near Hithe, the black thorn rises, though in a dwarfish state : but a species of salix grows up with greater luxuriance. On the rich mounds of Marsh soil, both of them may be found to flourish : C c 2 3S8 ROMNEY MARSH. if not, roots, cuttings, and seeds of every tree and shrub should be tried, until the right one is discovered. For coppice wood, growing on the tops of the mounds, would not onlv increase their power of shelter, and bind them together with their roots, but would arlbrd fagot wood, at least, for the embankment ; and thus enable the Marsh lands to contribute to their own defence. On the sides of the mounds, the black thorn might be propagated, either by roots or seeds, with certainty ; and, probably, with a doubly good effect ; as tending to bind and guard the face of the bank ;* and as affording that supply of natural food, which, as has been hinted, may be essen- tial to the health of sheep.' To prevent them from climbing the mound, coping turves, and brushwood over hanging the face of it, siould be used : this being a species of guard, which is found effectual, not only on the new mound fen * S- C t England, Min: 12. on this par- ticular. "t Sec note page 326. ROMNEY MARSH. 389 of the West of England, but on the rabbit warren sod walls of Yorkshire, and the stone walls of plantations, in the Highlands of Scotland ; where the deerlike sheep of those mountains, are much better enabled to scale a hedge mound, than the heavy longwooled breed of Romney Marsh* These mound fences would render the stagnant sewers useless. They should, of course, be filled up, and all stagnant waters, saving such as are wanted for the use of pasturing stock, be driven back, out of the higher parts of the Marshes, into the larger channels and common shores ; thus rendering the habitable country more healthy, than it can possibly be, at present. Should difficulties arise, respecting the situations of the mounds, whether they should be raised on this or that side of the sewer fences, which divide distinct proper- ties, let Parliament determine, and lay down regulations, to prevent ill disposed indivi- duals from hindering the progress of im- * For the method of raising mound fences, in Devonshire, with remarks on the proper mode of treating them, in the state of growth, see West op England. Sect: Fences, &c. 390 ROMNEY MARSH. proveraent, and obstructing the general good. The best method of proceeding, perhaps, would be, to get offthe water, in the spring, fill up the sewers, early in summer ; and, in the ensuing winter and spring, raise mounds, by degrees (so as to give the foun- dation time to settle firmly) on the sites of the water fences. In this case, filling up the sewers with the hillocks and protuberances of the areas of the adjoining Marshes, might be found eligible ; or, where the areas are already adjusted, with the subsoil of the land, immediately on either side ; throwing back the surface mold, and giving a length- ened slope towards the fence. For facing and coping the mounds, thick turves, raised in the areas of the Marshes, wherever sur- face drains were wanted, should be used : thus effecting the double purpose of drain- ing the land ; and of raising the fences, without lowering, unnecessarily, the ground on either side of them.* The expence of raising these fences * See Midland Counties, Min: 49, on this point of management. ROMNEY MARSH. 391 would, doubtless, be considerable ; but not much more than the strong post and rail fences, that are now in use ; and whose duration is only temporary ; whereas the mound coppice hedges, that are here pro- posed, would, with the ordinary care and ex pence of repairs, which fences of every kind are liable to, continue for ages. While the value of their shelter, from the day they were raised, would be tenfold that of the extra expence in forming them. This expence, however, is not to be borne by tenants, without suitable remuneration. In general, proprietors should make the improvement, and tenants pay an adequate advance of rent. Or, where tenants, of capi- tal and spirit, have long leases, let them effect it ; and be allowed an adequate sum, for the remainder of improvement, whenever they quit, or their leases expire. Whether we estimate the saving of pro- perty, and rescuing from a state of misery thousands of useful and inoffensive animals, in severe winters ; or the increase of health to the human species, inhabiting this exten- sive and valuable tract of country ; this im- provement is most desireable. And, after 392 ROMXEY MARSH. much consideration, nothing of impracti- cability appears ; nor any reason why it should not, forthwith, be carried into effect , so far, at least, as to form one or more ill- closures, on each farm, or separate holding. In these sheltered inclosures, hay might be given to the ewes, in long and severe winters; and, in deep snows, the triangular scraper or snow sledge of Norfolk, might be used with good effect ; in uncovering the natural herbage re scried in these inclo- sures : by which means, they might be pre- served, i:i strength and condition, to keep the lambs alive, until the spring be con- firmed ; instead of these being suffered to die at the feet of their dams, for want of nourishment. Two other obvious subjects of improve- ment present themselves ; even in a cursory view of these Marsh lands. The one relates to a better defence of the environs of Romney, from the break- ing in of the sea, as well as from the blow- ing sands, that have been noticed. This, more than probable, might be effected, by the means of high artificial Marram Banks, similar to those which I formerly ROMNEY MARSH. 393 suggested for defending the eastern coast of Norfolk. t This simple and easy plan of defence, is to be excuted, in the summer season, — when the sands are liffht, and the tides are low, — by two lines of slight fencing, placed some yards from each other, to catch the blowing sands; and, on these, to propa- gate the Marram plant, — here provincially " bent ;*' namely, arundo arenaria> or sea- sand reed. See Norfolk, Min: 106. Not only the mischiefs, to which the in- closed lands now are liable, by the drifting of the sand, as well as by the occasional inroads of salt water (which spoils or injures the herbage, on which it lodges, for some years) might probably be avoided ; but many hundred acres of unreclaimed coast (or rather a bay within the line of coast) over which the high tides now regularly flow, might possibly be rescued from the waves, at a comparatively small expence. The other is the gravelly flat, already mentioned, which forms the eastern point of the level, near Hithe ; and which con- sists, perhaps, of more than a thousand acres of surface. 394 ROMNEY MARSH. This tract lies, at present, almost wholly unproductive ; a principal part of it, en- tirely so ; loose, naked, clean- washed sea gravel, of a sharp flinty nature. The west end, towards the productive Marsh lands, has a slight covering of sward ; on which I saw sheep depasturing : this part having been longer formed, and freed from the in- roads of the sea. Nature's process, in rendering this dis- couraging subject, this deep bed of naked flints, useful to the vegetable and animal parts of creation, is this. The first conspi- cuous plant, of the herbaceous kind, is the tall oat grass (arena elatior) whose bulbous roots, in a state of decay, probably afford nourishment to a species of agrostis ; from what I could judge of it, in the month of Sep- tember, the agrostis canina, or brown bent. This spreads a sort of network over the gra- vel : and. on this slight foundation, small ant- hills are raised ! — doubtless, with particles of soil, fetched up from the base of the bed of gravel, or with the few that may be lodged among it. These being trodden down, in their infant state, and from time to time, by the feet of animals, or scattered, by other ROMNEY MARSH. 395 means, a coat of soil is formed, sufficiently to sustain a sward of pasturable herbage. And, perhaps, the best assistance, that art can lend, is to endeavor to forward na- ture's work : to propagate the oat grass, the agrostis, and the indefatigable ant : whose labors, in this instance, are conspi- cuously useful ; and may be beneficial in others. Nevertheless, it will be right to mention another idea, which occurred to me, in viewing this extensive waste. In the neigh- bourhood of Inverness, in the North of Scot- land, I saw the sea kale (crambe maritima) flourishing in sea gravel, almost as free from soil, or earthy matter, as that which is under notice. If this nutritious culinary vegetable would thrive on the gravels of Hithe, and could be applied to any purpose of agriculture, an immense improvement might, at once, be made. If not, some other gross-growing marine plant may be induced to thrive ; and to rot on the sur- face, as nourishment for the oat and bent grasses ; or to bring forward, in a more summary way, a sward of pasturable her- bage. THE DISTRICT OF CANTERBURY. WITH the intention of taking a cursory view of East Kent, and of gaining a ge- neral idea o{ its rural practices, — but most particularly, for the purpose of going over its hop grounds, and marking the varieties of practice, which distinguish the culture and management of the District of Can- terbury, from that of Maidstone. — I spent a few weeks, in the autumn o\ 1795, in looking over the eastern parts ot the county ; directing my attention, chiefly, to this District, the Isle of Thanet, and Romnty Marsh; and, here, principally to the hop culture ; — to which, alone, I shall DISTRICT OF CANTERBURY. 397 confine my remarks, in this division of my work. The HOP DISTRICT of East Kent may be said to reach, from Sittingbourn to Sandwich ; the environs of Canterbury being the center and heart of the District. The culture, in this part, extends, on every side of the town, to the feet of the hills that overlook it ; and into the Valley of Har- bledown, which is cut off, by a ridge of hill, from the immediate environs of Can- terbury. East and west of this main body, the hop grounds are thinly scattered, in de- tached and distant plots. The SPECIES, or varieties, grown in the District of Canterbury, are chiefly two. The common " white bine," or what, in West Kent, is called the Canterbury hop ; and the " red bine," or " Flemish hop." The former is the best in quality ; the latter more hardy and productive ; being less ob- noxious to the attack of the numerous ene- mies, to which this species of produce is peculiarly liable. In 1795, the white bines were almost wholly cut off, except under particular circumstances; while the red 398 HOP S. bines, in many instances, bore a middling crop. SOIL, In the environs of Canter- bury, the soil is of various qualities ; from sandy loam to a strong brick earth ; the depth being generally great ; as eighteen inches to two feet deep ; and the subsoil, or base, invariably chalk. On this land, as on lands of a similar nature, in the Dis- trict of Maidstone, hop grounds may be said to be perpetual. In the Valley of Harbledown, the soil is of a more sandy nature: indeed, the lower skirts of the valley is a sheer sand ; and the immediate subsoil the same ; there being no appearance of calcareous substances. Yet, here, hops are grown with success, and en- dure for a length of time. On inquiring the age of a flourishing plantation, I was told, by a workman who assisted in planting it, that it was about thirty years old. On further inquiry, however, I found, that, although the chalk, in this valley, does not rise to near the surface, it nevertheless lies at no very considerable depth ; shallow wells, or shafts, being usually sunk, to bring DISTRICT OF CANTERBURY. 399 it to the surface, for the use of the land. And, as the downward roots of the hop strike to a great depth * there can be little doubt of the productiveness and duration of the hops, on those lands, being owing to the calcareous earth they comprize. Indeed, it is not probable, that, in a country, like this, surrounded on almost every side, with chalk hills, any of its soils, or superficial strata, should be entirely free from calcareosity. Remark. Hence the valley of Harbledown, which, at first sight, seemed adverse to the idea, that a calcareous substratum is neces- sary to the long duration of the hop, proves, on close examination, to be a good evidence in its favor. PLANTING. What engaged my atten- tion, principally, on this head, is the dis- tance at which the hills are placed, in this District. It varies, here, as about Maid- stone ; but is, on the whole, shorter, even than in the Maidstone quarter. Six feet three inches square, seems to be considered as the best medium distance. But the poles, here, are shorter, than they are in West * See District of Maidstone, page 179. 400 HOP S. Kent ; the soils being less powerful, than the coomb-on-rock lands of Maidstone. It is observable that, here (as in Here- fordshire, where the plow is in use) many plantations are set out in rows ; — not in squares, or regularly aquincunx ; the width of the intervals, or the distance between the rows, being seven or eight feet ; the dis- tance between the hills, in the rows, about four feet. This gives more room for the subplows and harrows, that are in use, here, as in West Kent, — as well as a better op- portunity of cropping the intervals, — than is permitted by regular spaces. MANURES. These are the same, here, as in West Kent. Compost is every where preparing, in the autumnal months. And woolen rags are much in use. The POLES are shorter, and generally of a worse quality, in this, than in the west- ern parts of the county. The practice of planting coppices, with woods proper for this purpose, does not appear to have got a footing, here. The poles, in general, stand from ten to fifteen feet above the ground. Their lengths, of course, run from twelve to seventeen or eighteen feet. DISTRICT OF CANTERBURY. 40! SPRING MANAGEMENT. Under*. crops are more frequent, here, than about Maidstone. They are chiefly, potatoes and beans: the latter being here preferred ; as being thought to " attract the vermin ;'" that is, the flies of the aphis tribe. Remark. But whether the aphis of the bean, and the aphis of the hop, are one and the same species, or whether they exclude their young, indiscriminately, on these two plants, is not perhaps known. If, on ma- ture examination, it should be found, that the bean does not, in fact, draw off the aphis fly, from the hop plants ; nevertheless, it is possible, that some other plant may be found, to perform this desireable part ; and it may be worth the planter's while, to try to discover such a plant, and to cultivate it in the intervals of his hop grounds. SUMMER MANAGEMENT. The same, or a similar kind of horse hoe, or sub- plow of many shares, as is in use in West Kent, is seen in the hop grounds of Can- terbury: as well as the harrow of a similar construction. In the autumn of 1 795, the hop gardens of East Kent, taken in the aggregate, were vol. i. D d HOPS. not in so gardenly a state of culture, as those of West Kent were, in 1790. The major part, however, were in high order ; and it was not evident, whether those which, in the early part of September, were seen in a foul neglected state, owed it to slovenliness ; or whether, from the discouraging pro- spect of a crop, they were purposely left unworked. ENEMIES. The year 1795 was one of the most fatal years the hop planters ever knew. On the better lands, in the neigh- bourhood of Canterbury, most especially on those which were in a high state of cultiva- tion and condition, scarcely a hop matured ! Some time previous to the season of ripening, they were attacked by the aphis, with which the leaves were much infested. But, at the time I saw them, the beginning of September, they were covered with cocci- 7?f//tf _lady birds ; which are well known to feed on the larvae of the aphis : the ex- perienced planter considering his hops safe, from the latter, when the former appear in force. But the finishing blow was given by the " blight ;" the whole plant becoming DISTRICT OF CANTERBURY. 403 black, as if the smoke from a furnace had fallen upon them : the half matured hops changing to hard knobs, or berries. This effect, however, was no more, perhaps, than a natural consequence of the aphides.* This being as it may, it is a fact which ought not to be left unnoticed, here, that the foul lands, which have been mentioned, were, generally speaking, the only ones that escaped the mischief! This I find par- ticularly noted, in my Journal, in six diffe- rent places, as the facts occurred, in walking over the grounds. In one instance, the in- * Philosophers and Naturalists differ in their opinions, respecting the cause of the blight or mildew. One is of opinion (see Dr. Fordyce's Elements of Agri- culture, Ed. 1796, p. in.) that it proceeds from a weak state of the plant ■ whose juices are thereby converted into sugar, which allures insects. Another, that the sac- charine mucus, which is palpable on the surface of plants, is the feces of the aphides which feed on them. Both positions may be well grounded : the saccharizing process, in the one case, taking place within the plant, in the other, within the animal. Mr. Curtis, I be- lieve, may claim the discovery, respecting the 'aphis: and the appearance of the hops, under notice, was simi- lar to that of a sallow, which I saw in Mr. Curtis's garden, near Brompton ; and which owed its sooty ap- pearance, pretty evidently, to aphides. D d 2 404 HOPS, tervals were green as grass ; appearing as it the weeds and grasses that had been suffered to grow up, had been struck oft with a sithe : yet, here, the vines were loaded with hops. In two or three instances, the qua- lity of the soil had evident influence : the richer deeper soils being, in each case, the worst. In a piece whose intervals were partially cropped with potatoes, the crop- ped part was perceptibly the best. In one instance, the outside row, to the east, was loaded with hops, while the rest of the piece, of several acres, was abortive. And in ano- ther, the entire piece was cut off, while the wild hops, in the hedges, flourished, on every side. And, lastly, the red bine hops es- caped, incomparably better, than the white bine variety. Remark. What shall we infer from these facts ? for as such they may be safely relied on. If the whole mischief was done by the aphides, these incidents serve to show, that the aphis fly prefers a luxuriant, free-grow- ing plant ; one whose foliage is of a soft deli- cate texture, to another whose leaves are of a harsher more rigid nature ; whose surfaces may be less penetrable, and whose juices DISTRICT OF CANTERBURY. 405 may be less acceptable and nutritive to her young offspring.* The wild hop and the red bine (which is considered as nearly allied to it), as well as the stinted hops of foul poor ground (though of the white bine variety), fall under the latter description. Again, the stillness and warmth, which the inner rows of a plantation enjoy, may be more genial to them, than an eastern expo- sure. Had the forced plants escaped the aphides, — and other enemies, and diseases, to which such plants appear to be peculiarly liable, — their produce would, doubtless, have been much greater, than that of the foul stinted plants under notice. But an excessive crop, in a general bearing year, may be deemed a misfortune, rather than an advantage : for, in that case, the price is proportionally low ; and the exhaustion generally such, as to render the plantation barren, for one or more years afterward. * Or shall we say — aphides prefer an overgrown en- feebled plant, to one which is more robust, and better able to withstand their attack? In animals, a weak en- feebled state is that in which they are most liable to be attacked by vermin. 4o6 HOP S. Hence, in the forcing of hop plants, there appears to be a point, beyond which the cultivator cannot pass, with propriety. In the District of Maidstone, we have seen, that a luxuriance of vine and foliage is., with great probability, productive of the mould, and other diseases ; and, in this District, it seems equally probable, that such an exu- berance renders them more liable to the attack of the aphis. There is a MEDIUM point which every cultivator should en- deavor to find, and to it direct his plan of management. The foul stinted crops, here brought forward, are evidently below that point ; and it mav be worth the while of more spirited cultivators, to examine, with care, and to endeavor to ascertain, by com- parative experiments, whether the present practice o( such cultivators, is not consi- ' )ly above it: and whether, (in free- growing seasons at least) cbecki?ig the luxu- riance of the vines and foliage, instead of forcing them, in the summer months, would not, on the whole, be the most eligible management. See the District of Maid- stone, p. 294, on this subject. DISTRICT OF CANTERBURY. 407 PICKING. The season of picking usually commences, here, some days later, than Hi West Kent. In a common year, the picking becomes general, about the lat- ter end of the first week of September : in 1795, not generally until the fourteenth: the first piece was begun upon, on the tenth. This comparative backwardness is to be accounted for, in the Canterbury grounds lying to the north of the Chalk Hills, and in their being exposed to the north and east winds ; while the same range of hills rises, as a lofty skreen to the Maidstone planta- tions. In the business of picking there is a notable difference, between the practices of East and West Kent. Instead of employ- ing the bins, bin-cloths, and measure, of the latter, the poles are here set up, in a leaning posture, against tall tressils — pro- vincially "horses;" — under which large baskets, holding five bushels each, are placed, to receive the hops, as they are picked ; and, on the inside of each basket, circles, or dots, are painted, at measured distances; so that each space between them shall comprize exactly one bushel of hops; 4o8 HOP S. by which simple contrivance the time and labor of measuring are saved. The construction of the " horses" is equally simple : being merely that of set- ting up strong stakes or poles, about six feet asunder, and running a line of slender poles, horizontally, along them, and at four feet and a half from the ground. The stakes or upright poles are let into the ground, as hop poles : and each has an artificial fork, or crutch, near the top, for the hori- zontal poles to rest on. This is given, by inserting a stout wooden pin, so as to form an acute angle with the top of the pole, or standard ; whose whole length is six or seven feet. In each interspace, between the stakes, a picking basket is placed ; and to each basket is allowed two or more pickers ; as a wo- man and her children, or two indifferent persons, who agree to pick together. Six or eight loaded poles being placed at one end of the horse, the pickers take them, one by one, and recline them over the bas- ket ; which Is set towards the other end of the horse; the pickers (if two) standing one on either side of it. DISTRICT OF CANTERBURY. 409 Setting up these poles is somewhat more trouble than carrying bins (as sedans) from lot to lot. But the saving of time and dis- putes, in measuring, would seem to more than counterbalance that advantage: and the apparatus altogether is much simpler, and cheaper, than that of West Kent. Tallies, similar to those of the District of Maidstone, are in use, here, for keeping the pickers' accounts : with the addition of leaden tokens, for odd bushels. Never- theless^ file is carried, to score such bushels, on the end of the tally, when the tokens fall short. This renders the business more complex, and, on a cursory view, apparently less eligible, than it is, in West Kent : see page 251. DRYING HOUSE. I saw one, on a very simple and eligible plan, in this District. A long-square building is divided, lengthways, into two equal or nearly equal parts, by a partition, running from end to end, and from the ground floor to near the ridge of the roof. On one side of this partition, three kilns are placed ; the space over them be- ing free and open, to the roof. The other side is divided into stories; having a ground, 4io H OPS. a chamber, and an attic floor ; the tops, or floors, of the kilns rising to the midway between the two last. The green or fresh-gathered hops arc hoisted, by tackle, to the attic, as a receiving room ; from whence they are shot, or sho- velled down, upon the kiln cloths ; and, when dried, are thence thrown down, with equal facility, into the store room: and, from this, are lowered, in the operation of packing, into the warehouse, on the ground floor. Of the hop kiln, too, I found a valuable variety, in this District. In two of the dry- ing houses that I examined (the one a " public oast " of four kilns, the other a pri- vate one of three) the kilns were invariably heated, with sea coal. But instead of con- veying the heat into the body of the kiln, by the means of iron cylinders, as in West Kent, flues of brickwork are formed, on the inner side of the walls of the kiln, on the principle of the garden stove, or hot house. A mode of construction which ap- pears to be safer, and to be calculated to promote a more even and general heat, than the cockles of the Maidstone quarter. DISTRICT OF CANTERBURY. 411 In other particulars, whether relating to the culture or the management of hops, I met with nothing, in this District, which is preferable to, or differing much from, the practice already described, in the District of Maidstone. END OF THE FIRST VOLUME. Written by the same Author, And to be had of the Publishers of these Vohun«, (together, or in Parts) THE PRESENT PRACTICE OP RURAL ECONOMY, IN THE SIX AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENTS OF ENGLAND; IN TWELVE VOLUMES, OCTAVO: CONTAINING 'THE MANAGEMENT OF LANDED PROPERTY, THE TREATMENT OF WOODLANDS, AND THE PRACTICE OF AGRICULTURE, (N each; THE PRACTICE OF THE NORTHERN DEPARTMENT BEING EXEMPLIFIED, IN THE RURAL ECONOMY OF YORKSHIRE; In two Volumes, price 12s. in Boards. THAT OF THE WESTERN DEPARTMENT, IN THE RURAL ECONOMY OF GLOCESTERSHIRE ; In two Volumes, price I2J. in Boards. THAT OF THE CENTRAL DEPARTMENT, IN THE RURAL ECONOMY OF THE MIDLAND COUNTIES. In two Volumes, price 14s. in Boards. THAT OF THE EASTERN DEPARTMENT, IN THE RURAL ECONOMY OF NORFOLK. In two Volumes, price 12s. in Boards. THAT OF THI MORE WESTERN DEPARTMENT, IN THE RURAL ECONOMY OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND. In two Volumes, price in. in Boards. AND THAT OF THE SOUTHERN DEPARTMENT, IN" THE RURAL ECONOMY OF THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES. In two Volumes, Octavo. ALSO, Speedily will be published A NEW EDITION OF MINUTES, &c OF AGRICULTURE, IN THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES: In two Volumes Octavo. (£f These fourteen Volumes will contain the whole of what Mr. Marshall has published on the subject of AGRICULTURE. Likewise may be had, of the same Booksellers ; PLANTING AND RURAL ORNAMENT , A PRACTICAL TREATISE. In two Volumes Octavo, price 14s. in Boards. ALSO, A REVIEW OF THE LANDSCAPE, fcc. WITH PRACTICAL REMARKS ON RURAL ORNAMENT. In one Volume Octavo, price 55. in Boards- BY THE SAME AUTHOR.