Page:Agricultural Notes on Hertfordshire.pdf/7

AGRICULTURAL NOTES

ON

HERTFORDSHIRE.

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Agricultural Literature—Climate—Rainfall and Percolation of Water as tested by Dalton’s Gauge—Area and Population—Sales of Fat Stock—Physical Geography—Influence of Swallow-holes on Drainage and Water Supply—The Water-level in the Chalk—Sheep Farm at Wheathampstead—The Chalk district—Irrigation—Paper-Mills—Drainage of low Meadows—Water-Cresses—Cherry-Orchards—Woods—Straw-Plait—Seed Wheats—The Bennington Flock—Heavy Roller with revolving Shafts.

Agricultural Literature.

The agriculture of Herts has already been chronicled by Ellis of Little Gaddesden (quoted by A . Young), in 1732; by Walker, in his ‘Report prepared for the Board of Agriculture,’ in 1759; by Clutterbuck, in his History of this county (1815); but espcially by Arthur Young, in his ‘Report,’ published in 1804.

To that distinguished pioneer in agriculture we are indebted for our only reliable means of contrasting the agriculture of the 18th with that of the 19th century. Of him it has been well said: “If great zeal, indefatigable exertion, and an unsparing expense in making experiments can give a man a claim to the gratitude of agriculturists, Arthur Young deserved it more than most men. We will not assert that in all cases his conclusions were sound or his judgment unimpeachable, but even his blunders, if he committed any, have tended to the benefit of agriculture by exciting discussion and criticism.”^[1]

The above passage aptly characterises his ‘Report of Herts,’ which mainly embodies the opinions of the leading farmers,

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1. Vide Kirwin, ‘Irish Transactions.’