Farms are in general small. Perhaps the size most com mon is from 150 to 400 acres. The principal part of the land is under tillage, and the produce in wheat, barley, and oats, is very- considerable. Wheat and barley in particular are grown here, of as good a quality as in any other part of the kingdom. In the neighbourhood of \Vheathatnp stead, great quantities of wheat have been grown for a very considerable length of time, whence this place takes its dis tinctive appellation. Indeed, in the opinion of many, Hert. fordshire was distinguished for the excellence of its tillage husbandry, even before Norfolk. Turnips and clover are supposed to have been introduced in the time of Crom well, who, it is said, gave 100/. a year on that account, to a farmer of the name of Howe. Even the judicious cul ture and application of tares were practised in this coun ty upwards of 80 years ago—at a period when they were scarcely known in any other part of England. It does not seem, however, that the arable husbandry of Hertfordshire has improved much latterly ; and the kind of plough still in general use will, with many, be deemed a proof of this remark. This plough, known by the name of the great Hertfordshire wheel plough, though of great merit and utility in breaking up strong flinty fallows in a dry season, ought certainly to be dispensed with in all the other opera tions of husbandry ; and, even for that purpose, it might be constructed in such a manner as to do its work with more ease to the horses. It is excessively heavy, and so formed, that it will not move in its work one yard with out the ploughman. The plough-shares alone weigh from 50 to 70 lbs.
The grass-lands of II ertiordshire, compared with those under tillage, are very trifling : in fact it may he said, that there is no grass district in it, except a vet y narrow mar gin in the south line, in the vicinity of Barnet, which, be ing near London, is made artificially productive, by means ,of manure brought by the hay carts. There are, how ever, some tolerably good meadows, especially those on the Stort, extending From [Jacket ell to I lertford, and those in the vicinity of the Lea, and about Rickmansworth. The many streams that flow through the county are extremely favourable to irrigation, though that sy stem is not carried to any great extent. In the south-west corner of the coun ty arc many orchards. Apples and cherries are their prin• cipal produce.
As the land in this county is chiefly arable, and the artificial grasses are cultivated almost entirely for hay for the London market, live stock is an object of very inferior considera tion. The Suffolk breed of cattle is regarded us the best. The sheep arc mostly ewes of the Southdown and Wilt shire breeds. The horses arc of various kinds, but the Suffolk punch appears to be preferred.
The principal roads in I lertfordshire, in consequence of its vicinity to the metropolis, are very good. Six great leading turnpikes pass through this small district. Many of the cross roads arc nearly as good as the turnpikes.
The great business of the county is the traffic or corn, and the malting trade. The latter is carried on to a very
great extent in the towns of Hitchin, Baldock, Royston, and Ware. Ware alone sends a greater supply of malt to London than any other place ; and it always obtains the highest price, not only on account of the excellence of the barley from which it is made, but also for the excellence of the mode in which it is manufactured. The Hertford shire malt, however, is not all made from barley mown in the county ; large quantities being purchased in all the surrounding districts, which after being malted in the towns above mentioned. is sent to London chiefly by the na vigation of the Lea. There arc very few manufactures in Hertfordshire of any consequence ; at St Albans there is a small cotton manufactory, and two silk-mills. The ma chinery of the latter is particularly well contrived. At Berkhampstead fringe lace is made ; and also a considera ble quantity of wooden shovels, bowls, spoons, Ste. In this, and some other parts of the county, plaiting straw is a resource for poor women and children. At Watford there are some silk mills, one of which is worked by the waters of the Colne ; the rest by horses. In 1803 the poor rates amounted to 71,2911.: in 1815, they had increased to 93 3301.
There arc several antiquities of great interest in this county. The British City of Verulam, on the site of which St Albans stands, is of greater antiquity than even London itself; and, under the dominion of the Romans, acquired the dignity and privileges of a municipium. In the vicinity of this place Caesar defeated Cassivellaunus ; B ?adicea conquered and massacred 70,000 Romans and Britons ; and two bloody battles were fought between the rival houses of York and Lancaster, in 1455 and 1461. The field of Barnet, between 3t Albans and London, was also the scene of a bleody battle in the destructive wars of the two houses, which proved decisive in favour of Edward IV., his great foe, the Earl of Warwick, surnamed the king-maker, being there slain in 1471. During the Saxon lieptarchy, this county was partly in the kingdom of the East Saxons, and partly in Mercia. The king of the latter resided in a castle at Berkhampstead. At this place a par liament was held in 697, and the laws of Ina were published.
William the Conqueror here swore to preserve the laws made by his predecessors. King Henry II. kept his court here, and granted it all the liberties and privileges v. hick it had engaged under Edward the Confessor ; and so lately as the reign of James I the royal nursery was established here. Upon a hill in Harborough field, near Ashwell, are evident marks of a Roman fortification, (how called Ard bury Banks,) a large square work enclosed with a trench or rampart. here the Romans had a standing camp, so advantageously situated, that they could discover the ap proach even of a small body of men at a great distance. Several Roman coins and earthen vessels have been dug up here at different times.
In 1801 there were 18.172 houses in this county, and 97,577 inhabitants. In 1811, it appears, from the popula tion abstract, that there were " '