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KENT.

KENT, more than any other county, I think, of equal

extent, naturally separates into well defined districts.

Nevertheless, among its inhabitants, especially in the eastern parts of the County, its popular divisions are vague and unsettled. Their ordinary denominations are "East Kent" and "West Kent."-The former has its limits, both natural and agricultural. But West Kent is a mere sound, without sense or meaning attached to it ;-unless in regard to one article of produce; namely, hops.

The inhabitants of the midland parts of the County, naturally, fairly, and feelingly, lay claim to the more central parts, or "Middle Kent;" as will appear in reviewing the Report of it, now under consideration.

Before a natural and agricultural division of the County be attempted, it will be right to notice its more striking natural features.-These are given by two lines of elevated surfaces, which extend lengthway, through the County. One of them is formed by the eastern extremity of the Chalk Hills of the southern Counties.-This, the main ridge, or "Hogsback of Kent," extends, in a continuous line,-excepting where it is intersected by the streams of water which cross it,-sixty miles; the Medway and the Stower dividing it nearly into three equal compartments; the whole chain being co-extensive with the County.

The other is a broken line of irregular Stoney Heights, of minor elevation. These run somewhat parallel with the Chalk Hills; but are not of equal length, nor equally continuous; being rather a range of scattered hillocks; one ridge of a few miles in length, near the midway of the line, excepted.

After viewing almost every square mile of the County, the following appear, to me, as the proper division of it, into agricultural districts; such, I mean, as an agricultural surveyor ought to examine it under.

I, NORTH KENT. This division is bounded on the north, by the Thames; on the west, by the County of Surrey; on the south, by the line of cliffs, which form the southern confine of the western compartment of the Kentish Chalk Hills; and, on the east, by the river Medway.

This division of the County comprizes the following districts, or subdivisions; namely, 1. The gravelly hillocks and the lower better lands, situated between the Thames and the skirts of the Chalk Hills: a passage of the County which might not inaptly be termed the Thames-side Lands, or the District of Dartford.-2. The North Kent Marshes; which are embraced by the estuaries of the Thames and the Medway; forming the easternmost point of North Kent. -3. The western compartment of the Chalk Hills.

II. WEST KENT, (if the term can be appropriately applied to any part of the County) has for its northern boundary, the Chalk Hills of North Kent. On the west, it is bounded by, and unites with, the Counties of Surrey and Sussex; on the south, by that of Sussex; and, on the east, by the Weald, or Vale Lands of Kent, and a line extending from the western boundary of the Weald-by the Goudburst and Brenchley Hills-to the face of the North Kent Cliffs, between Sevenoaks and Wrotham. This infertile-this broken-surfaced, and variously soiled, part of Kent would be best designated by the District of Tunbridge.

III. SOUTH KENT.-This is confined, on the north, by the range of Stoney Heights, above spoken of; on the west, by the district of Tunbridge; on the south, by Sussex and the sea; and, on the east, by the eastern compartment of the Chalk Hills.-Its districts are 1. The " Weald," or Vale Lands of Kent. 2. The District of Ashford. And 3. "Romney Marsh," or the South Kent Marshes.

IV. EAST KENT.-This valuable quarter of the County is bounded, on the north, and east, by the British Ocean; on the west, by the Valley of the Stower; and on the south, by South Kent and the English Channel. Its subdivisions are, 1. The District of Canterbury, extending westward to Faversham, 2. The District of Thanet. 3. The East Kent Marshes*. 4. The District of Sandwich. And, 5. The eastern compartment of the Chalk Hills

V. MIDDLE KENT. This rightfully claims the remainder of the County; the Isle of Sheppy excepted. It is bounded, on the north, by the estuary of the Medway, and by the Swale, or narrow strait of the sea, which separates the Isle of Sheppy from the main land; on the west, by the river Medway and the line which is drawn above, as the eastern boundary of the District of Tunbridge, or West Kent ; on the south, by South Kent; and, on the east, by East Kent.

EAST KENT MARSHES,-which now occupy a considerable extent of space, that heretofore, no doubt, was filled with the tide then, separating the Isle of Thanet from the main land of Kent.

Kent. Its subdivisions are, 1. The District of Sittingbourn -the rich lowlying lands, situated between the Swale and the Chalk Hills. 2. The central compartment of the Chalk Hills, 3. The rich and beautiful District of Maidstone;

or, emphatically, the MIDLAND DISTRICT of Kidstone;

The Isle of Sheppy does not well assimilate with any one of the aggregate divisions of the County.

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THIS is one of the very first of the published Reports.

It is, strictly and literally, a "reprinted report ;" Mr. Boys having previously been the original Reporter:-a coincidence that has rarely taken place, in the literary career of the Board: notwithstanding it was the ostensible course on which it was proposed to be run.

The QUALIFICATIONS of Mr. Boys, as the Reporter of the agriculture of Kent, are not difficult to estimate. He was 5 not only a farmer, by birth, but, at the time of writing, had been, for a course of years, himself an occupier, on an ample scale. His flock, we are informed, amounted to a 10 thousand head, and his hop grounds to twenty acres.

And

altho-he modestly designates himself an "unlettered" man, Jahe frequently writes with more force and clearness, than many of his lettered brethren of Report. The subjoined is abis own (?) account of his performance.

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PREFACE.

"PREFACE. The original Report having been printed by the Board of Agriculture, and circulated for the purpose of procuring additional remarks, was returned to me by the Board, with a variety of useful hints, observations, and corrections; of which I have endeavoured to avail my self in this publication, to the advantage, I trust, of those who may take the trouble of perusing it. It is still, however, not so complete as could be wished for; but a generous and candid public will excuse any imperfections to be found in it, however numerous, and will consider them as almost unavoidable, when it is known that it was originally the work of one individual, unlettered, and immersed in the cares of a numerous family, and an extensive business.

life

"Neither pains nor expence have been spared to procure information; and the result is faithfully detailed. Having been brought up under a father who had the reputation of being a good practical farmer, and having been all my life" engaged in the cultivation of different soils, and in grazing, I presume to think myself qualified to form opinions on the various systems of husbandry; but when I recommend any practice, my readers may be assured that I do so, not from theory only, but from my own experience."

It is proper to observe, here, that Mr. Boys's experience evidently appears, from what we see in his Report, to have arisen in East Kent; his knowledge of the other districts. of the County being inconsiderable; and his account of their practices, are consequently, unimportant; compared with that of his own country:—in favour of which he was, at the time he wrote, unfortunately, and often ridiculously, prejudiced-a circumstance which serves to lessen the confidence of the reader, in regard to the authenticity of the writer's information.

An annotator, upon the original sketch, under the signature of "A MIDDLE KENT FARMER," promptly, and frequently, steps forward, to dispute a point of practice, or to` rectify what he considers to be a wrong position; and is sometimes as promptly answered. The warmth occasioned by those heartburnings, has, it is to be feared, too often warped the true bent of the work.

The way in which the slender knowledge that the Reporter would seem to have possessed, concerning the midland and western districts, was acquired, is not sufficiently explained.

The number of pages-two hundred and six.

A map of soils-a Kentish plow team!-and á Southdown ram--are the accompanying engravings.

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SUBJECT

SUBJECT THE FIRST.

NATURAL ECONOMY.

EXTENT.

XTENT.-P. 2. " The county contains about fourteen hundred square miles, or eight hundred ninety-six thousands acres."

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SURFACE.-P. 2. "Two chains of bills run through the middle of Kent, called the Upper and Lower; or, the Chalk and Gravel Hills. The northern range and wholenorth side of the county are composed principally of chalk and flints; the southern of iron and ragstone: more westerly, towards Surrey, clay and gravel prevail upon the eminences.

"Below this last range lies the Weald: an extensive and nearly level tract of land, rich and fertile at some places ; where fine pasturage and timber are produced.

"The north part of Shepey is high ground;, but it is mostly low and marshy on the south side, where two streams, run ning into the Swale, form the islets of Elmley and Harty."

DISTRICTS of the Reporter.-P. 2. "Thanet had a full claim to the title of an island when the Rutupine Port was. in its prosperity; but its pretension to the appellation is now barely kept up by a small sewer communicating with the Stour and the sea. The bed of that once famous har bour now forms valuable tracts of marshes, comprehending above twenty-five thousand acres. Thanet, including Stonar, contains nearly forty-one square miles, or about twenty-› seven thousand acres."

P. 5. "That part of the county usually called East Kent, is of two kinds; one very open and dry, the other much inclosed with woods and coppices. The open part lies between the city of Canterbury and the towns of Dover and Deal; and the inclosed part of the tract extends from Dover, by Eleham and Ashford, to Rochester in length, and from the Isle of Shepey to Lenham, &c. in breadth."

Whether the above vague description conveys the idea usually attached to "East Kent," or whether the Reporter has done it in dudgeon toward the man of Middle Kent, for the many sore things he has said of his Report, matters not; the thing itself being perfectly absurd; inasmuch as it extends East Kent, not merely into the heart of the County, but pushes it two thirds of the way toward its western extreme! thereby depriving Middle Kent of its birthright, and moreover robbing it of its very name; which is not once mentioned, as that of a distinguished natural division of the County.

P. 6.

All that part of East Kent which lies within the

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