Page:VCH Herefordshire 1.djvu/488

 A HISTORY OF HEREFORDSHIRE The total area of Herefordshire was returned as 534,823 acres, divided thus :— Acreage not Acreage under ^_.^j^,^ Pasture »« accounted for Cultivation 135,066 399.757 i94.,6o6 205,151 The number of horses was not stated, but the other live-stock consisted of — Cattle Sheep Pigs 69,145 348,14' 36,466 In 1878 the total area of the county was returned as 532,898 acres, of which 439,944 were under crops, bare fallow, and grass, a very notable increase since 1867, but it should be remembered that at first many farmers were reluctant to give returns. Corn crops comprised 104,872 acres ; Wheat Barley Oats Rye Beans Peas 55,891 22,079 12,842 173 8,712 5,175 Green crops, 33,422 acres ; . Cabbage Vetches Potatoes Turnips and Mangolds Carrots Kohl-Rabi and other Swedes and Rape Green Crops 2,216 24,318 1,459 61 341 5,027 Then come 7 acres of flax, 5,947 of hops, 10,732 of bare fallow, and 46,121 acres of clover, sainfoin and grasses under rotation. In all 201,101 acres of arable land, and 238,843 acres of permanent pasture. The acreage under orchards was 24,979, under woods, coppices and plantations, 34,885. The number of live-stock was then — Horses Cattle Sheep Pigs 20,945 73,773 339,049 30.857 In 1880, owing to the disastrous rains of that and the preceding year, the number of sheep had decreased to 260,099, a loss of nearly 80,000, a very considerable proportion of the total decrease of 1,600,000 for England. In 1905 the area of the county in acres was — Land 536,071 and of this the total acreage under crops and grass, not including mountain and heath-land, was 449,793, made up as under^': — Mountain and Water Heath-land used for grazing 2,853 11,091 Corn Crops Wheat Barley Oats Rye Beans Peas 22,043 16,457 25,539 177 3,251 1,847 Green Crops Mangolds Cabbage Kohl-Rabi and Rape 3,041 433 in all 69,314 acres. The decreased acreage in wheat, barley, beans, and peas, and the increased quantity in oats is noteworthy. Potatoes Turnips and Kohl-Rabi ^f^'^" O'^er Swedes ^^^^^^^ and Tares Crops 1,663 16,216 3,041 433 1,646 596 in all 23,595 acres. The decrease in turnips and swedes since 1878 is remarkable, as is that under vetches, tares, and other green crops. Hops were grown on 6,851 acres, small fruit on 910, and there were 2,182 acres of bare fallow. Clover, sainfoin and grasses under rotation amounted to 35,012. The total acreage of arable land '« Arable included all corn and green crops, hops, clover, artificial grasses under rotation, and bare fallow. The pasture did not include heath or mountain land. ^' Rep. on Agricultural Returns iox 1905, Board of Agriculture. 418