Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 24.djvu/797

Rh COUNTY.] YORK 747 south-east borders of Cumberland, forms throughout almost its entire length the boundary between Yorkshire and Dur ham. The Swale rises on the confines of Westmorland, and after a semicircular course by Richmond joins the Ure a few miles below Boroughbridge. This latter river flows in a similar direction some miles south of the Swale through the beautiful Wensleydale, and then past Jervaulx Abbey, Masham, and Ripon. After its junction with the Swale it takes the name of the Ouse, and on being joined by the Nidd passes by York and Selby, beyond which it receives the Aire and the Trent, and finally it falls into the Humber. The Wharfe flows south-eastwards from the Pennine range past Bolton Abbey, Otley, Wetherby, and Tadcaster to the Ouse near Cawood. The Aire rises in full stream from the foot of Malham Cove in Craven, and, flowing past Skipton, Keighley, and Leeds, receives the Calder at Castleford, and falls into the Ouse near Goole. The Ribble flows southwards through the district of Craven into Lancashire. The Don rises in the Penistone moors, and flowing northwards by Sheffield and Doncaster falls into the Ouse near Goole. The Hull flows southwards through the East Riding to the Humber at Hull. ,akes. The county is almost destitute of lakes, the only sheets of water of size sufficient to lay claim to that title being Semmer Water at the upper end of Wensleydale, Malham Tarn at the head of Airedale, and Hornsea Mere near the sea-coast at Hornsea. linerals. One of the chief sources of the mineral wealth of York shire is the coalfield in the West Riding, the most valuable seams being the Silkstone, Avhich is bituminous and of the very highest reputation as a house coal, and the Barnsley thick coal, the great seam of the Yorkshire coalfield, which is of special value, on account of its semi-anthracitic quality, for use in iron-smelting and in engine furnaces. The average yearly production of the Yorkshire coalfield is nearly twenty million tons, the number of persons em ployed above and below ground at the coal-pits being over GO, 000. Associated with the Upper Coal Measures there is a valuable iron ore, occurring in the form of nodules. Large quantities of fire-clay are also raised, as well as of gannister and oil-shale. In the Middle Lias of the Cleve land district there is a remarkable bed of iron ore, of which the annual production is over six million tons, the greater proportion of the ore being converted into pig-iron in Middlesbrough, by far the most important centre of pig- iron manufacture in the kingdom. Altogether the pro duction of pig-iron in Yorkshire is nearly one-third of that produced in England, and nine- tenths of the produce of Yorkshire belongs to the Cleveland district. Lead ore is obtained in the Yoredale beds of the Pennine range in Wharfedale, Airedale, Niddesdale, Swaledale, Arkendale, and Wensleydale. Slates and flagstones are quarried in the Yoredale rocks. In the Millstone Grit there are several beds of good building stone, but that most largely quarried is the Magnesian Limestone of the Permian series, which, however, is of somewhat variable quality. Mineral Yorkshire is noted for the number of its mineral springs, tpnngs. chiefly sulphureous and chalybeate, the principal, besides those at Harrogate, being Askern, Aldfield, Boston Spa, Croft, Filey, Guisbrough, Hovingham, and Scarborough. ^gricul- Agriculture. The hilly country in the west of Yorkshire, ^re. embracing the north-western corner of the North Riding and a great part of the West Riding, is chiefly pasture land, sheep being grazed on the higher grounds and cattle on the rich pastures where the limestone rock prevails. The Yale of York, with an area of about 1000 square miles, includes much fertile land occupied by all kinds of crops. The Chalk downs by careful cultivation now form one of the best soils for corn crops, the rotation being grasses, wheat, turnips, and barley. The till or boulder clay of Holderness is the richest soil in Yorkshire. A great part of the land in this district has been reclaimed from the sea, from 20,000 to 30,000 acres being protected by embankments. The Vale of Cleveland in the North Riding is well cultivated, the higher grounds in the district being chiefly pastoral. The smallest proportional area under cultivation is in the North Riding, 860,820 acres out of 1,361,664 in 1887, while in the East Riding there were 666,291 acres out of 804,798, and in the West Riding 1,210,639 acres out of 1,716,389. The proportion of permanent pasture is largest in the West Riding, 803,514 acres or about two-thirds of the area under cultivation, while in the North Riding it was 488,958 acres or rather more than one-half, and in the East Riding only 191,519 acres or considerably less than a third. On the other hand, the area under corn crops in the West Riding was 208,890 acres, in the North Riding 197,846 acres, and in the East Riding 254,162 acres. Wheat in 1887 occupied 66,341 acres in the East Riding, 38,437 in the North, and 58,659 in the West ; barley 64,042 in the East, 61,367 in the North, and 54,592 in the West ; and oats 101,410 in the East, 85,554 in the North, and 81,314 in the West. Rye, beans, and pease occupied comparatively small areas. Liquorice is grown in the neighbourhood of Pontef ract. Flax is still grown, but occupies a comparatively small area, only 868 acres in 1887. Green crops in the East Riding occupied 110,806 acres (potatoes 12,956, turnips 75,590, mangold 5297, carrots 613, cabbage, &c., 7419, and vetches, &c., 8931), in the North Riding 78,689 (potatoes 11,246, turnips 58,121, mangold 2379, carrots 110, cabbage, &c., 3329, and vetches, &c., 3504), and in the West Riding 99,596 (potatoes 23,044, turnips 62,079, mangold 3331, carrots 250, cab bage, &c., 2219, and vetches, &c., 8673). Clover and rotation grasses occupied in the East, North, and West Ridings 92,982, 71,846, and 85,075 acres respectively, and fallow land 16,388, 23,460, and 13,141 acres respectively. The areas under orchards in 1887 were in the East Riding 849 acres, in the North 1015, and in the West 1694, the areas under market gardens being 520, 369, and 2652 acres, under nursery grounds 104, 154, and 807 acres, and underwoods (in 1881) 14,480, 49,106, and 66,014 acres respectively. Horses numbered 38,046 (23,508 used for agriculture, 14,538 un broken horses and mares kept solely for breeding) in the East Rid ing, 40,384 (26,026 used for agriculture) in the North Riding, and 53,149 (35,180 used for agriculture) in the West Riding. These horses are only such as are returned by occupiers of land, and do not include the large number used for commercial purposes. The draught horses are generally of a somewhat mixed breed, but the county is famed for its breeds of hunters and of carriage and saddle horses. A breed known as Cleveland bays is much used in London carriages. Horse-racing is a favourite Yorkshire sport, the principal stables being at Malton, Beverley, Doncaster, and Middleham. Cattle in 1887 numbered 86,169 (26,211 cows and heifers) in the East Riding, 162,462 (54,111 cows and heifers) in the North Riding, 264,876 (122,457 cows and heifers) in the West Riding. The breeds of cattle are not much attended to, the custom in the hilly districts, in both the West and the North Riding, being to purchase lean cattle at the northern fairs to fatten for the Lancashire and York shire butchers. The Teeswater breed is, however, on the increase in Yorkshire. In Holderness there is a short-horned breed, chiefly valuable for its milking qualities. Cheese-making is largely carried on in some districts. Sheep in 1887 numbered in the East Riding 429,252, in the North Riding 638,320, and in the West Riding 646,809. The Leicester, the Lincoln, and the South Down, and crosses between the Cheviot and Leicester, are perhaps the most common breeds. The old Wolds sheep have also been improved by crossing with Leicesters. The total number of pigs in the East Riding in 1887 Avas 46,332, in the North Riding 48,990, and in the West Riding 71,887. Though the large long-eared breed is still kept, the small breed is that chiefly in favour. Large numbers of pigs are kept at the dairy farms and fed mainly on whey. York shire bacon is famed for its flavour. According to the latest landowners Return, 1873, the East Rid ing was divided among 19,576 proprietors, possessing 710,733 acres at an annual value of 2,032,195, or about 2, 17s. 2d. per acre. There were 15,012 who owned less than one acre each, and there were 4049 acres of common lands. The following possessed over 10,000 acres each : Sir Tatton Sykes 34,010 acres, Lord Londes- borough 33,006, Sir G. Cholmley 20,503, Lord Wenlock 19,453, Lord Hotham 18,683, W. H. H. Broadley 14,208, William F. Bethel 13,396, Lord Leconfield 13,247, Lord Middleton 12,295, Crown Property 12,230, Viscountess Downe 11,595, and T. A. C. Constable 10,981. The North Riding was divided among 16,313 proprietors, possessing 1,278,884 acres at an annual value of 1,841,945, or about 1, 8s. 9d. per acre. The following owned over 10,000 acres each : John Bowes 48,887, Lord Feversham 39,312, marquis of Ailesbury 15,370, Lord Bolton 15,419, A T iscount Downe 15,271, earl of Carlisle 13,030, Sir G. 0. Wombwell 11,912, Lord Londesborough 11,884, Mrs D. Harcourt 11,442, Mrs J. T. D. Button 10,902. There were 10,115 proprietors who possessed less than one acre, and the area of common land was 247,409 acres. The West Riding was divided among 76,913 proprietors, possessing 1,632,259 acres at an annual value of 8,199,840, or about 5, Os. 5id. per acre, the large rental being due to the increased rent of land in towns. There were 59,496 proprietors who owned less than one