state the average rent of the county to be 153. pertacre."! -in 1796.

Paying Rents.-P. 34. The payments are usually made half-yearly; that which is due at Lady-day, at Midsummer; and that due at Michaelmas, at Christmas'; generally allowing the tenant one quarter's credit. In some few instances, a half year is given them, paying one half year under another,"

REMOVALS.-P. 41. "The time of entering is generally on the 10th of October. The barns, and farm-yard for foddering cattle, are always reserved to the outgoing tenants until May-day following.'

WOODLANDS.

THE following notice is twice inserted; namely in

pages 5 and 121.-"The woodlands of the eastern part of Kent are dispersed principally between the great road from Rochester to Dover, and the chalk-hill that runs from Folkstone by Charing to Detling. These woods furnish the country with fire-wood, tillers for husbandry uses, and the dock-yards with timber for ship-building; but the most material part of their produce is the immense quantity of hop-poles cut out for the neighbouring plantations."

At the close of the chapter "Woods and Plantations," a folding table is inserted. It exhibits a list of woods (whether as the whole, or only as a part, of the woods of Kent, is not expressed;)-showing, in columns, their names, their proprietors, the parishes they stand in, their extents, surface soils, the species of trees, and whether natural or planted, &c.

By whom that table was formed does not appear. It is not probable that an East Kent farmer, whose knowledge of the woodland parts of the County is evidently inconsiderable, should have been able to furnish those particulars. The following "general observations" on that table are, probably, by the Reporter.

P. 127. "The oaks are all cut in the flaying season, for the bark of all sizes. The fencing-poles are either used whole, or cut into gates for sheep. The hop-poles are sorted into three, four, or five sorts, and sold by the hundred. The faggots, or bavins, are made into lengths of five feet; the best for bakers and house-keepers; and on the hills they make inferior sorts, called kilnbrush, which are used for burning lime. Stakes and ethers are cut out before the faggots are made. In the neighbour

hood

hood of Chatham they cut some small bundles of brush and cord-wood, for the use of shipping and the metropolis. The Woodlands of the Weald are tithe free."

AGRICULTURE.

FARMS.-P. 31. "The size of farms is generally greatest in the poorest parts of the county. Many small farms, of from ten to fourteen acres each, are found in the richest soils, and few there exceed 200 acres; but where land is poor, there are many as large as 300 acres, and some 600, or more."-I have pleasure in saying that there appears to me much good sense in those remarks.

HOMESTEADS.-P. 29." There are some few instances of modern built houses for the use of the farmers; but the chief part are very old, large, and ill contrived, the upper stories generally projecting over the under ones. These old houses are, in many parts of the county, built with chesnut, where now no chesnut-timber is to be seen: the offices about them are as badly contrived as the houses themselves. This part of the rural economy of this county stands much in need of a reform. On most of the middle and small sized farm-houses and offices, thatch is the common cover. ing; which is put on, particular in the eastern part, much worse than in any other part of the kingdom that has fallen under my view. The stubble of wheat is raked up for this purpose; which being often done in the winter, when by rainy seasons it is become half rotten, of course cannot last a long time on a building. The farm-houses in the Isle of Thanet are, in general, exceedingly neat and convenient."

COTTAGE GROUNDS.-P. 30. "The cottages are of such various kinds, that it is impossible to give any other account of them, than to say that they are in general comfortable habitations for farming labourers. They are built, some with bricks and tiles; but the greater part, especially of the oldest, with plaistered wall, and are covered with thatch. There are very few but what have a sufficient plot of land annexed to them for the growth of vegetables; and a great many in some parts of the county afford keep for a cow. Those, which have a garden of from twenty to thirty perches, usually let from 21. to 31. per annum, some more and others less, according to situation and other circumstances: those which have land enough to keep a cow, let from 47. to 5. per annum."

PLAN

PLAN of MANAGEMENT.-In his section, "Rotation of Crops," Mr. B. has spoken of the subject, districtwise; that is to say, separately, according to his own districts; tracing them backward, from east to west ;-the way, we are told by which superior wisdom has ever proceeded.

"Isle of Thanet."-P. 61. " The general system, or plan of management, in the Isle of Thanet, on all the thin light soils, has been, time out of mind, one of four courses, viz. fallow, barley, clover, wheat; but subject to several variations, which have much increased of late."

But, having mentioned some modern rotations, he continues" It is to be understood here, that the foundation of all good management, and the system most practised, is the first mentioned of four courses; and it is by this system, with the plenty of manure from the sea-weed, that great part of this island, which is naturally as poor land as any in the kingdom," (O! fie,)" is made to produce such excellent crops of corn of the first quality."

Be it here fully allowed, that the "four-course" system of Thanet; namely fallow, barley, clover, wheat;—with its exhaustless supply of extraneous manure, may be continued in perpetuity;-provided, for "clover," be put cultivated herbage.

P. 62. "The deep rich sandy loam before described, and some of the best of the land at the west end of the island, are cultivated under the round tilth system of East Kent, viz. beans, wheat, barley."

Judging from what appears in this report, not a turnep is grown, " in Thanet"!-Hence may we not conclude, that the superior quality of Thanet wheat, and Thanet barley, is to be principally ascribed to deep fertile soil, sea weed, and summer fallows?

East Kent Plan of Management.-P. 64. " Chalky soil forms a very considerable part of the district under survey. This sort of land cannot be said to be under any settled system of management, for there are almost as many schemes of practice as farmers."

P. 68. "The hazel mould is under different systems at different places, according to the fancy of the farmer, or

situation of his land."

P. 69. "The stiff clays on the tops of the chalk-hills are under a four course system of fallow, wheat, beans, barley; and a very good one it is for such a soil."

The Plan of Management-on "the Lands in the vicinity of Faversham, Sandwich, and Deal."-P. 69. "The dry loamy soils are cultivated in the round tilth system of East Kent; namely, barley, beans, wheat. A few oats are sown instead of barley, and pease instead of beans; and some

times a crop of canary is sown on the bean stubble instead of wheat."

Isle of Sheppy.-P. 71. "The general rotation here is beans and wheat alternately; and when the land gets foul, or the farmer thinks it wants rest, he substitutes a fallow for the bean-crop, which is done once in six or eight years."

From the aggregate of those various items of information, by a man of practice on a large scale, it pretty clearly comes out, that, in the far-famed husbandry of East Kent, there is scarcely any thing that resembles a regular rotation of crops:"-the mistic pivot on which we are told, by "modern agriculturists," the whole art of good husbandry

turns!

OCCUPIERS.-P. 32. "The occupiers of the small farms in general, work themselves much harder, and fare worse than other labourers, or many journeymen mechanics. Those of the higher class, the large occupiers and principal, yeomanry, are a very respectable class of society, and have a great weight in the political scale of the county."...

P. 33. Besides the yeomen, before mentioned, there is an infinite number of farmers, not having or possessing a freehold, who occupy from 40l. to 300% or 400/. a year. The smaller farmers are in general a very industrious and sober set of men, fare hard, and live with great frugality. The great occupiers, who have property in stock of from 1 to 2, or 3000%. live, as they ought, more at their ease; but as to making of fortunes by farming, there is no such thing that ever came to my knowledge; the competition is too great to admit of it; instances have been known of great wealth being left by old farmers, who have never had any other occupation; but then they have, perhaps, had no family, or never spent any thing beyond the expences of a common labourer, so that the fortune has been saved by the simple operation of compound interest; or, perhaps, these persons have held their farms for a long series of years, at a rent of great favour."

WORKPEOPLE.-Price of Labor.-P. 162. "Labourers per day, of ten hours, from 18. 6d. to 28.; thrashing wheat, per quarter 28. to 38."

"Reaping of wheat per acre, 8s. to 168.; mowing barley bats, 18. 8d. to 28. 6d."

and

"Mowing grass in the marshes and meadows, 2s. 6d. to

38. 6d."

10s

Hours of Work.-P. 165. " The hours of labour, in sum

mer,

“This year, 17951 by the badness of the crop, some farmers pay per quarter."

Ff

mer, are from six o'clock in the morning till eleven; and from one in the afternoon, till six in the evening, allowing half an hour for breakfast, in case that meal is not eaten before six o'clock; and then working till half past eleven; so that the standard day's labour is ten hours; but there are few instances in which it is strictly adhered to. In winter, the time of working for a day is as long as daylight will permit, making the dinner-time as short as possible.

"Upon the whole, a day's labour is generally much shorter than formerly, owing partly to the scarcity of workmen, who well know that if one master will not give them their hire for a short day, another will; and partly to the inattention of masters and their bailiffs to the hours of working."

Servants Wages.-P. 163. "Waggoner's wages per annum, and board, 10l. to 132.; if a married man, and boards himself, per week, 108. to 10s. 6d. ; second ploughman, at per annum, 92. to 11.; third ditto, 8. to 10%.; waggoner's mate, 61. to 9.; second plough-boy, 4l. to 62.; third ditto, 31. to 5l.; bailiff, 121. to 162.; dairy-maid, 4l. to 5l.; cookmaid, 4l. to 5l.; shepherd, per week, 98. to 108.; women's wages for weeding, per day, 8d. to 10d.; children, from ten to thirteen years old, 6d.; value of ploughing an acre of land, 78. to 10s.; a harvest-man for five weeks, with board, 31. 10s. to 4l.; without board, 5l. 5s."

P. 164. "Since the commencement of this survey, the scarcity of labourers, and high price of all kinds of provisions, have together made the price of labour much higher than above stated; but some parishes allow corn at a low rate to their workmen, instead of raising the price; others raise money for them by assessments; and some pay an additional price for the labour.

"Upon the whole, the price of husbandry-labour is nearly double what it was thirty years ago."

Food of Farm Servants.-P. 84. "The fine white wheats, especially the hoary white of this county, make most excellent bread of the whole meal, when properly ground and manufactured in the following manner. To a bushel of meal, add a pint of good yeast well mixed with two or three gallons of warm water; stir the whole well together, and let it work six or eight hours before it is put into the oven. This is the common farm-house bread of East Kent; but in some parts, where the coarser kinds of wheat are used, the broad bran is taken out."

P. 159. Pork is the chief food of farm-house servants and labourers in husbandry in this county; and there are very few of the industrious workmen that do not fat a hog or two every winter. When hog-corn, such as beans and

pease,