Gloucestershire

To the westward of the Cotswold Hills, and in clining to the northwards, the rich vales of Evesham, Gloucester, and Berkley, are spread. The agricul tural system which is practised, though it has some variations, is generally similar. The Vale of Eves ham, a considerable part of which is in Worcester shire, is watered by the River Avon, and is highly productive in corn, pasture, and fruits. On the ara ble lands, the most general rotation is a clean fallow; then barley or oats; next beans or clover ; and, last ly, wheat. The wheat is generally sown in Novem ber or December, the produce is commonly abun dant, and the grain is of the best quality. The dis trict is well wooded. The hedge rows are filled with elm, oak, ash, and maple trees, and the apple and pear trees are abundantly scattered in the fields, as well as in large orchards, near the villages. Cider and perry form very valuable portions of the pro duce of each farm. The proportion of arable land is small; the rich pastures feed numerous cows ; and butter and cheese are the articles on which many farmers almost wholly depend.

The vale of Gloucester is in the form of an arch, of which the river Severn forms the chord. It is protected from the cold northerly and easterly winds by the Cotswold and Stroud hills, and hence is well adapted for the growth of fruit trees. Though there are now no vineyards, William of Malmsbury, in the twelfth century, said, " No county in England has more numerous or richer vineyards; or which yields grapes more abundantly or of better flavour, as the wine is but little inferior to that of France in sweet ness." The apple and pear trees of the district yield, however, most profusely, liquors which, in the estimation of the inhabitants, are far preferable to any wine from foreign countries. The soil of this vale is generally of a rich sandy loam, on a very re tentive and tenacious subsoil of clay. Fallowing is deemed indispensable on all the arable lands, which are thrown in very high ridges, about eight yards in breadth, with furrows between them, from twenty four to thirty inches deep. Barley, oats, clover, beans, and wheat, yield most abundant crops, and of the best quality. The greater part of the land is, however, in permanent pasture, receiving no other manure than the feces of the cattle that are grazed cn it ; and, in some instances, the rich sediment deposited by occasional inundations. The meadows feed numberless cows, and the dairies, besides the cheese, whose name is derived from this county, furnish large quantities of butter, fatten many calves, and, with the whey and butter-milk, rear and fatten great numbers of swine. The swine are of a peculiarly large breed, and the market for them at Gloucester is by far the most considerable in the kingdom. The fattening of them does not, however, wholly depend on the dairy, but large quantities of oil-cake are applied td that purpose. The cheese denominated Gloucester has long en joyed great celebrity both at home and abroad. It is usually made in the summer months, from May to October, inclusive. Th•number of cows belonging

to individuals seldom exceed from thirty to forty. The uniformity of the quality is such, that the fac tors, who are the middle men, contract for the whole produce of the dairies without examining them, knowing the value of the cheese from the quality of the land on which the cows are pastured.

The vale of Berkley is separated from that of

Glou cester by a natural intersection, and, like it, is bounded to the westward by the river Severn. Its surface is more irregular, but though the undulations are numerous, they are not excessive. The hills are hung with beech trees, and the face of the district is both rich and picturesque The soil is uniformly fertile in a very extraordinary degree. Nearly the whole is rich pasture or orchard, and the arable land does not form one-seventh part of the valley. The soil is a rich fat loam, occasionally mixed with a prolific clay, and generally resting on a retentive subsoil. The dairy farms are of smaller extent than in the adjoining vale, but they far excel them in the proportionate quantity of the cheese they yield, and the quality is also much superior. The cheese, com monly denominated double Gloucester, is almost wholly made in the vale of Berkley, and in the neigh bourhood is known by that name. It is usually made in the months of May, June, and July, in dairies, where, later in the summer, a thinner kind is ma nufactured. Its excellence depends on attention to its management, as well as on the quality of the land on which the cattle are fed. The quantity of cheese made in this vale is about 1200 tons annual ly, and each cow is estimated to yield 350 pounds.

The western side of the Severn is principally oc cupied by the forest of Dean. It abounds with ex cellent oak and beech trees, and produces abun dance of cider, especially one kind called Stire-ci der, which is highly valued. The forest formerly contained 48,000 acres, but has been diminished by several royal grants; it is, however, now a most im portant district on account of the large ship timber which it produces. It abounds with coal and with iron ore, and the miners are regulated by peculiar courts.

The most remarkable curiosities of this county are the Roman antiquities at Woodchester, which have been accurately described by that indefatiga ble antiquary Lysons ; the Roman roads, which tra verse it in various directions ; the numerous antique coins which have been frequently found in the fields ; the vestiges of ancient fortifications, and the ruins of monastic edifices.

This county has long conferred the title of Duke on a member of the royal family. it gives the title of Marquis of Camden to the family of Pratt, that of Earl Berkeley to the family of Berkeley, and that of Baron Shireborne to the family of Dutton. The number of noblemen and gentlemen's seats in this county is very considerable. The most remarkable are Badminton, Duke of Beaufort ; Barnsley Park, Mr Musgrave ; Batsford Park, Lord Redesdale ;