The Oxford Canal, the only one in the county, commences at Long ford in Warwickshire, where it unites with the Coventry Canal. It enters Oxfordshire near the northern extremity of the county, some miles north of Banbury, and follows the valley of the Cherwell south ward to Oxford, where it terminates in the Thames.
The county is well provided with common roads. The principal coach-roads are the following :—The road which enters the county at lienley-upon-Thames, and runs through Bensington to Oxford, and thence by Witney into Gloucestershire; the road which runs by Tetsworth and Shotover to Oxford, and thence by Woodstock to Gloucestershire ; the road to Birmingham, which runs through Bicester and Banbury.
The Great Western railway runs for about three miles along the left bank of the Thames in this county, passing through Goring and South Stoke ; and from the Didcot station, which is in Berkshire, a line runs northward.to Oxford and Banbury, whence it is continued by Leamiogton and Warwick to Birmingham. The city of Oxford ie connected with the London and Birmingham line at Bletchley by the Buckinghamshire railway, which passes through Bicester and Winslow, where it is joined by the Buckingham and Brackley line, which runs north-west through these towns to Banbury. Oxford is also connected with Worcester and Wolverhampton by the Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverbamptou railway.
Climate, Sod, Agriculture.—The olimate of this county is, on the whole, colder than its situation in the central part of the island would lead one to expect ; still the county may be reckoned amongst the most productive agricultural counties of England, and some of the land is of a quality which can scarcely bo surpassed anywhere.
The soil may be divided Into four distinct classes—the rich rod loam, the stonebrash, the chalky and the irregular learns, and sands and gravels, which cannot be classed with any of the foregoing. The red land Is partly In old grant, in which state it Is very valuable, and partly cultivated as arable land. The stonehraah district, which extends from the borders of Gloucestershire across the country to the north of Oxford and Witney, is of inferior fertility to the red land; but it la easily worked, and, having a porous subsoil, it is not often injured by rain. The soil is formed of decomposed chalk and sand
stone. The chalk district, in the south-east of the county, is generally covered to a certain depth with a light calcareous loam. The low lands in the valleys through wbioh the rivers flow are in many places covered with the finest herbage, and maintain much cattle. A part also is cultivated as amble land, and produces great crops of barley, clover, beans, wheat, and turnips. Besides these distinct soils, there are many of a mixed nature varying in texture and quality without. any regularity. Where they rest on a porous subsoil, they are mostly fertile. Some few consist of poor sands or wet clays, which form the extremes, and are very unproductive until they are corrected and improved by marling or draining.
The farmers of Oxfordshire, as well as of most other parts of England, have very generally adopted the modern system of cultivation by rotation of crops, and new or improved implements of husbandry are generally in use. All the usual crops are raised.
The fatting of calves, by allowing them to suck the cows, is pre ferred by some fanners to making butter. On the butter-farms many pigs are fatted on the skimmed milk. The farm-horses in Oxford shire are mostly good and active. The cows are of various breeds; Devonshire and Alderncys are common. The improved shorthorns are the favourite breed both for the dairy and for calves. Sheep are an important object with the Oxfordshire farmer, and are in general well managed. Large hogs are prized ; enormous boars are reared and fatted to be converted into brawn.
Divisions, Towns, &a—Oxfordshire is divided into 14 hundreds, as follows : —Bampton, went; Banbury, north ; Einfield, south-east ; Bloxlunn, north ; Bullingdon, central and east; Chadlington, north west; Dorchester, central; Ewclme, south ; Langtree, south ; Lewknor, south-east ; Pirton, south-east ; Ploughley, north-east ; Thome, east; Wootton, central; and the city and liberties of Oxford.