plays of pictorial scenery. The Chiltern elevations, partly clothed with rich mantles of beech, and sometimes arable to a height supposed unattainable by the midland husbandry of the early ages, abound in variety and grace of scene. If Oxfordshire, in its central division, lose in a great measure that inequality of surface so prolific of beauty, it can boast of its forest and woods, fraught with national benefit, and displaying at every rude turn a captivating, though circumscribed, grandeur of prospect. On the north, (and particularly on the western part of that district) stone fences supply the place of the thick-set hedges, decorated with a profusion of wild flowers, which form the boundaries of other inclosures; and the eye is often fatigued by a rude and frigid monotony of scene. But the rivers which flow through the county are the chief sources of its beauty. These, gliding through almost every district, call forth luxuriant vegetation in a thousand smiling meadows, and regale the traveller with a continual and enchanting change of prospect, whether they stretch over fertile champaign, or break from woody insterstice.

The difference observable in natural feature is necessarily productive of some variety in climate. In general the air is supposed to be healthy and bracing. From a want of umbrageous fences the northern parts are chill for the greater part of the year, and unpleasantly warm in the summer months. It is remarked, that the frost always takes effect sooner, and lasts longer, on the chalky lands at the base of the Chiltern hills than in any other part of the neighbourhood; and, in tepid seasons, the climate of the Chiltern country is usually moist, since fogs are more frequent among the woods and hills than in the vale.

Oxfordshire contains three strongly marked distinctions of soil, which are thus classed by Mr. Young, in his Agricultural Survey: the red-land, the stonebrash, and the chiltern. The redland, consisting of 79,635 acres, is found in the northern division, and much exceeds the others in fertility. "It is deep, sound, friable, yet capable of tenacity, and adapted to every plant that can be trusted to it by the industry of the cultivators." The stonebrash prevails

t

prevails chiefly inthe central division, and pervades no less than 164,023 acres. The predominant feature of this extensive tract is a surface, of greater or less depth, of a loose, dry, friable sand, or loam, apparently formed of abraded stone (generally limestone,) and abounding with many fragments of it." There are 64,778 acres of chiltern lands, the basis of which is chalk, covered to various depths with loam, generally sound and dry. "The most distinguishing mark of the surface-loam is a very considerable quantity of flints, mostly brown, rough, crusty, and honeycombed, many to perforation, and many also with a sparry incrustation." The remainder of the county, combining 166,400 acres, can only be allotted to the term miscellaneous, and includes all sorts of soil, from loose saud to heavy clay."

NATURAL PRODUCE, &c.

Where the surface is fertile in vegetation, and responds readily to the culture of the husbandman, it is vain to look for a metallic treasure within the bowels of the earth. Nature is uniformly too œconomical to allow mankind to hope for the attainment of such a double harvest. In the opinion of Dr. Plot there was formerly a silver mine worked in the chiltern part of the county; but this opinion is built on an hypothesis partaking more of ingenuity than cool deduction. Materials for building abound in almost every district. The quarries of free-stone are numerous; limestone is plentiful; and slate is found in several places. Dr. Plot discovered marl in three different quarters *, and the ochre of Shotover is accounted "the best of its kind in the world, being of a true yellow colour, and very weighty." The clays in several parts near Oxford have formerly been used with some success by Potters; and medicinal springs are frequent, among which the various orders of chalybeate chiefly prevail. Many curious specimens of formed stones have been found. Of British plants growing in Oxfordshire, the number is about 1200, a very considerable part of

of which come under the class, or title, of Cryptogamia. The principal of these will be mentioned under the heads of the respective places at which they are met with.

The AGRICULTURE of this county has latterly made rapid strides in improvement, owing principally to the system of inclosure which has so much prevailed. When Dr. Plot, at the latter part of the 17th century, travelled through Oxfordshire he found the farmers unskilful, boorish, and sordid. Few circumstances of enquiry can be more pleasing than those which involve the progress of human intellect. In a great degree narrowness of idea seems now thrown' aside with the old common-field system, and only a relic of that sordid race remains to gloat over the pseudo-freedom of a comparatively few unenclosed ranges. The land Dr. Plot describes as scantily manured, and injudiciously cropped. The fallows were frequent, and folding with sheep appears to have been only partially used. Turnips (though they had been for some years known in Norfolk) were not adopted. There was a great deal of seed sown per acre, and a very disproportionate quantity reaped.* Improvement must be supposed

to

The following statement, from Plot's Natural History, published in 1677, will convey some idea of the practice of Oxfordshire husbandmen in the 17th century. "The Clays they sow with wheat, and the next year after with beans, and then, plowing in the bean-brush at All Saints, the next year with barley; and then the fourth year it lies fallow, when they give it summertilth again, and sow it with winter corn as before. But, at most places where their land is cast into three fields, it lies fallow in course every third year. As for the chalk band, though it requires not to be laid in ridges in respect of dryness, yet of warmth it doth. When designed for wheat, which is but seldom, they give it the same tillage with clay, only laying it in four or six fur. rowed lands, and soiling it with the best mould, or dung, but half rotten, to keep it from binding, which are its most proper manures, and so for common barley and winter vetches, with which it is much more frequently sown, these being found the more suitable grains. The red land," (known by modern practice to be the best in the county) " like clay, bears wheat, miscellan, barley, and peas, in their order very well, and lies fallow every other year where it falls out of their hitching." The stonebrash land, likewise, "lies fallow every

other

to work slowly with men habituated to ancient prejudices, by a want of extensive intercourse; but within the last forty years the frequency of inclosures has worked a change much more rapid than could be expected.

Where the soils are so various there necessarily cannot be any uniform course of husbandry. In the red-land district the following is the most approved course of crops: 1. Turnips. * 2. Barley, or spring wheat. 3. Clover. 4. Wheat. 5. Beans, or peas. 6. Oats. The general rotation on the stonebrash lands is: 1. Turnips. 2. Barley with clover, rye-grass, or trefoil, or mixed. 3. 4. Clover, &c. as above, either for one or two years, as the plant will continue. 5. Wheat, on once plowing. 6. Oats, peas, or beans. 7. In many places a part is continued on sainfoin till the plant is worn out. The Chiltern district has a near resemblance to that of stonebrash, in the circumstance of doing equally well for turnips, wheat, and sainfoin. On many of the hills they sow: 1. Turnips. 2. Barley. 3. Clover, or trefoil, and ray-grass; and, if to be kept three or four years, white clover is added. 4. Wheat, and those who are not so correct as others, add, 5. Oats, or barley, peas, or vetches.

Among the crops only partially cultivated may be noticed Lentils, of which pulse" there is a scattering, though not considerable." Rape, of which some is found on the rich red land, north of Banbury. One cultivator mixes rape with tankard turnips, for the use of his weaning lambs. Cabbages, planted only in a few instances. Carrots, which have been grown by several persons as food for horses. Potatoes, not grown on a large scale, though they appear to be advancing in estimation as an object of agriculture. Chicory, drilled in poor land for the feeding of cows, sheep, and pigs. Burnet has been tried by more

VOL. XII.

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than

other year, except where it falls among the peas quarter, and there, after peas, it is sown with barley, and lies fallow but once in four years."

The ruta-baga, or Swedish turnip, increases in reputation on every trial, and is to be seen in all parts of the county.

than one person, but did not answer expectation; and Rhubarb is grown near Drayton with some success. Dr. Plot remarks the frequency of Hemp in Oxfordshire; and, even within the last forty years, many cottages possessed a plantation; but now it is almost entirely banished from the county. Flax, formerly raised in large quantities, is now cultured only in one neighbourhood; and there it is raised on boggy land for the object of seed, which is used in fattening oxen. Hops are very rarely met with, and never in large quantities. Dr. Plot saw saffron growing in many places, but now it is utterly neglected.

TILLAGE, &c.

The ancient system revived of oxen for the purpose of tillage, instead of horses, is practised to a considerable extent; and, where no prejudice exists, with much success. In the vicinity of Burford almost every farmer uses oxen, and finds that they are capable of as much labour as horses, and cost much less in keeping. Of the different breeds the Herefordshire is preferred. The general practice of the county is to plow deep, which causes the farmers, without exception, to use either three or four horses in a plow-team (where oxen are not adopted); an extravagauce very reprehensible in the opinion of the surveyor appointed by the Board of Agriculture; but, as that surveyor has chiefly experimented on the light soils of Suffolk, the Oxfordshire husbandmen do not seem inclined to receive his opinion as quite satisfactory. The practice of drilling is in its infancy in the county, but appears likely to become more general.

MISCELLANEOUS AGRICULTURAL REMARKS.

The advantage of paring and burning is almost generally acknowledged, in regard to fresh inclosures, especially where they run on furze-lands; and some farmers break up sainfoin and clover with this practice. Except on new land, burning is, how† ever,