counties, having benefited by the good times from 1855 to 1875 or thereabouts, has fallen on a period of agricultural depression. Both money and labour are scarce, and consequently the fields are too often dirty, the hedges uncared for, and the old pride in good management seems to be wanting. A ride through the country at harvest time will show a large amount of docks in the corn, while couch and other ' trash ' make themselves unpleasantly conspicuous throughout the year. The tendency to abandon arable land, and either lay it down to grass, or allow it to lay itself down, is particularly marked in this county ; though from the appearance of some of the newly laid down land the process does not seem very remunerative. How far this change in farming has at present gone may be seen by comparing the Agricultural Returns for Bucks of Corn and Grass for 1867 with those for 1904. The former date, if not the earliest, is among the earliest of the Returns.
| 1867 | 1904 | |||
| Wheat | 55,130 | acres | 24,731 | acres |
| Barley | 30,376 | " | 16,602 | " |
| Oats | 23,090 | " | 30,904 | " |
| Rotation Grass | 27,607 | " | 33,450 | " |
| Permanent Grass | 181,012 | " | 250,469 | " |
The increase in the acreage under oats is in keeping with the general
returns throughout the country, and proves that this most useful grain
is yearly more appreciated.
The county seems to be naturally divided into three areas for agri- cultural comparison. The Thames Valley, the Chiltern Hills with the smaller spurs and vales running from them, and the Vale of Aylesbury.
In the Thames Valley there is generally a varying depth of kindly working soil overlying a hot gravel. Both meadow and arable lands give a very satisfactory return for good management in a damp season ; but, in a hot dry one, both soon burn, and the yield is very meagre. On the higher ground the soil generally deteriorates, and is often a poor, hungry flint-gravel very difficult to farm with any chance of a profit. Between Maidenhead and London there is a stronger section of land with considerable breadths of brick earth. Here farming assumes the character of market-gardening. This, aided by cheap manure from London, usually affords very satisfactory returns.
The soil on the Chilterns is almost everywhere gravel or flints, mixed with a considerable proportion of retentive clay, and resting on chalk, the covering being extremely thin in many parts. It is not an attractive land from a farmer's point of view, but it throws up some very good herbage in a kindly season ; that is to say one with plenty of showers in April and May. The hop trefoil, known locally as ' black grass,' appears to be indigenous, and very soon asserts itself in any laid down land, as does the white clover in a somewhat less degree. An excellent quality of wheat is grown on these hills, but the yield is seldom good, and rarely exceeds three quarters per acre. Good crops of medium quality oats are also taken, but barley is not often satisfactory either in
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