AGRICULTURE of the Southern Counties as ' the best soiled plot of chalk hill this country possesses,' and contemporary writers on husbandry spoke of the island as ' one of the finest gardens in the kingdom.' Though the natural fertility of the soil may be inconsiderable it has for centuries been maintained at a high standard by copious manuring, the seaweed left in large quantities by the tide being much used for the purpose. This systematic improvement of the soil origin- ated with the religious fraternities which at one time held a considerable portion of the island, and were the pioneers of good husbandry. The area under cultivation at the present time is 22,000 acres, of which precisely two-thirds are arable. Generally speaking there is no special rotation. Barley is the staple crop, being grown on upwards of 3,000 acres. The grain is heavy in yield and of the finest quality. Fre- quently two barley crops are taken in succession. Oats and wheat are largely grown, as also are roots, potatoes and peas. Lucerne, a valuable fodder crop the cultivation of which in England is mainly confined to the south-eastern counties, is grown on a considerable area in Thanet. It has been cultivated as a field crop in this country for about 150 years. It thrives well on calcareous soils, is a deep-rooting plant, and for the maximum yield requires dryness and warmth. Canary-seed was at one time cultivated for domestic use and export. It was sown broad- cast on land previously laid up in furrows 11 to 12 inches apart. The crop came late to harvest and yielded about four quarters to the acre, the offal making excellent horse-fodder. Its cultivation, as well as that of caraway and coriander seed, has now almost ceased, but a few other kinds, such as radish and flower seeds, are still grown. Hops of fine quality are grown in the parishes of Monkton and Minster. There is also a fair amount of fruit in the sheltered parts round Minster and towards Ramsgate, but not elsewhere. As regards live stock there are in June about 1,000 horses, 3,000 cattle, 17,000 sheep and 3,000 pigs. The majority of the cattle are cows and heifers, large dairies being found in the vicinity of the various water- ing-places, near which also market-gardening is somewhat extensively carried on. The hold- ings in Thanet are generally small. Of those above one acre the average size is 60 acres, and three-fourths of the total number do not exceed 50 acres in extent. Sheppey. — Sheppey is an island of about 22,000 acres, or three-quarters the size of Thanet, and is separated from the mainland by the Swale. From ancient times it has been renowned for its sheep and wool, deriving, in fact, from these products its name of ' Scaepige ' or 'Ovinia.' The soil is principally strong clay and stiff loam of the London clay, generally very heavy to work, but in the south and west there is some alluvial soil affording good marsh pasture. Sixty years ago Buckland described the cropping as usually six-course : (i) Summer fallow, wdth dung, chalk, or lime ; (2) beans ; (3) wheat ; (4) beans and clover ; (5) wheat ; (6) oats. In some cases the bare fallow was superseded by tares, potatoes, mangolds, carrots, etc., but turnips were not generally grown. At the present time the course of some farmers is as follows : (i) Spring tares, after which the land is ploughed well and ridged for the winter ; (2) barley or oats ; (3) beans, with a good dressing of farmyard manure ; (4) wheat with seeds ; (5) wheat ; (6) oats or barley. Other farmers take wheat followed by barley or oats, then beans, peas or clover, afterwards wheat, barley, beans or tares. There are some 6,000 acres under arable cultivation, of which one-half is devoted to wheat, oats, barley and beans ; the yield of the grain crops is above the average of the county. Lucerne is somewhat extensively grown as a fodder crop. In June 1906 there were on the island 21,000 sheep (or one to every acre) besides 2,300 cattle. There is only a trifling extent of fruit-land, the soil being generally too cold and wet. Hops are not grown ; a small area was planted in the parish of Warden about twenty years ago, but they were very soon abandoned. The farms in Sheppey are relatively large, averaging nearly 200 acres, and it is stated that land has depreciated in value to a greater extent in Sheppey than in any other part of Kent, the decline being put by Sir Charles Whitehead at over 50 per cent, since the prosperous time of arable farming. The Hundred of Hoo. — This is a peninsula projecting between the Thames and the Medway. With the Isle of Grain it has about the same area as Sheppey, which lies immediately to the east, and to which it presents somewhat similar characteristics. The soil is clay and loamy clay on the alluvium near the rivers and on the London clay in other parts, and is in some places very difficult to work in wet seasons. There is a larger extent of ploughed land than in Sheppey — about 9,000 acres, and the yield of grain is heavier. The principal crop is wheat, but the areas under potatoes, barley and oats are not much smaller. Wheat does well, and barley gives very fine crops, but the best malting barley is only obtained from soils of medium texture. Peas are much grown for podding ; radish, mangolds and turnip seed are also largely grown, and green vegetables are cultivated for market. A fair amount of fruit
