A general View of the Agriculture of the County of Huntingdon (for the consideration of the board of agriculture)

By R. Parkinson, 1813

Except where noted otherwise, all entries below are those that appear in the survey for Somersham Parish


Soil
1,000 acres clay
200 acres gravel
200 acres are sandy
1,400 acres fenny


Estates
Messrs Farmer, Ansell, Ibbott, Leeds, Ilett, Wilson, George Thompson, Bishop of Llandaff


Tenures
All the fenlands are freehold and some of the uplands, the remainder copyhold.


Principle Houses
George Thompson Esquire


Buildings
Somersham
Farm Houses 40
Dwellings 80
Cottages 120
Repairs By landlord

Pidley
Farm Houses 6
Dwellings 30
Cottages 15
Repairs By landlord

Colne
Farm Houses 12
Dwellings -
Cottages 50
Repairs By landlord


Size of farms
Ranging from 50 acres to 500-600 acres
Rent per acre
15s Fenland
25s to 30s highland


Implements
At Somersham and other parts of the county, besides the ploughs which I have described at the beginning of this section, the Mole Plough has been used for draining.
Rollers
Square rollers made of very light wood are used in Somersham.
Thrashing Mills
At Somersham there is one made by Yellowley, a person named Spalding had one of these machines in agitation, which had a very promising appearance.
Winnowing machines
There are some on a very improved principle at Somersham and very superior to most in general use, made by Wilson of Lynn Regis.


Enclosures
Somersham is enclosed in the highlands by quick hedges and in the fens by ditches, into fields from 10 to 30 acres.


Ploughing
By 3 horses abreast and a driver, plough 3 times for fallow.


Fallowing
Summer fallows are not necessary


Course of Crops
Pare and Burn, then cole or rape seeds, oats then ray grass (two bushels per acre). Then take up (and start) again.


Manures
Somersham – yard dung, paring and burning is very much practised and approved.


Seed and produce (in bushels):
Somersham
Wheat 25
Barley -
Oats 48
Beans -
Cole Seed 24

Pidley
Wheat 20
Barley 28
Oats 36
Beans 16
Cole Seed -

Colne
Wheat 20
Barley 28
Oats -
Beans 20
Cole Seed -



Artificial Grasses
Somersham – Ray grass
Pidley – red clover and ray grass
Colne – none


Gardens and Orchards
About 10 years ago the late Jonathan Ilett Esq. planted a fine orchard on fenland with most sorts of the best fruit trees and they thrive and prosper much and bear well. And so they would in all the Fens now they are well drained.
In the year 1806, William Margetts Esq. planted on his estate in the Parish of Somersham an orchard of 16 acres of land with all sorts of the choicest fruit trees: apples, pears plumbs(sic) and cherries; on the outside of which there is a border of red filberts(hazelnuts) mixed with orlean(probably a reference to a French apple) and greengage plumbs, and the western side is planted with swan egg pears to preserve the orchard from being injured with the west winds.
In a close adjoining to Mr Margetts orchard, in that same year 1806 the Rev. John Ingle, a dissenting minister planted an orchard of 18 acres with all sorts of the choicest fruit trees which are bordered round in the same manner; the trees are very healthful and promising. The soil is loam and unless the substratum is unfavourable, there is no fear of their thriving.


Paring and Burning
Mr John Ilett (son of Jonathan referred to above) of Somersham approves of paring and burning fenland once in six years, taking the following course of crops:
After paring and burning sow rapes. If they prove strong and good eat them off by sheep and let them stand for seed. Then take oats, then barley sown with 14 lbs of red clover, some also sowing five bushels of hay seed per acre but others with one or two bushels of ray grass instead. These seeds are generally eaten off by sheep during the whole time the land lays in that state, though some mow them in the first year and then keep them for 3 or 4 years after which they pare and burn again.
Mr Ilett is of the opinion that 2 years is long enough to let the fens lay in grass, as when it lays longer it is very apt to get full of grubs. Some in that case fallow the land all summer for the purpose of giving the roots an opportunity to destroy the grubs. Some also sow the fenlands, when infested with grubs, very late; finding that the late sown crops are not so much injured by the grubs as the early ones especially, if the wind should have remained any length of time in the North. The late sowing, it is very probable, may be a means of preventing the devastation occasioned by the grub which, as I have mentioned already, springs from a fly. It may therefore get into the fly state before the sowing begins, or at least the greater part of them may. As to the observation respecting the north wind, that can only affect them in that they may not work about so freely in such cold weather as they do in hot sunny days.


Cattle and horses:
Somersham
Breeds Short horns
Cows 87
Stores 119
Calves reared 40
Horses
Breeds Cart
Horses / mares 148
foals 29

Pidley
Breeds Yorkshire
Cows 45
Stores -
Calves reared -
Horses
Breeds Cart
Horses / mares 40
foals -



Sheep and hogs
Somersham
Breeds Lincoln and Leicester
Fleeces to a todd 4
Number of sheep 1,000

Hogs
Breeds Mixed
number 90

Pidley
Breeds Lincoln and Leicester
Fleeces to a todd 4 to 5
Number of sheep 1,000

Hogs
Breeds Berkshire – very good
number 200



Hogs
At Pidley one farmer breeds many hogs, very good ones of the improved Berkshire breed: whilst I was there I saw one killed which had been fattened on milk and corn at a very early age and it proved uncommonly good; the store stock fed partly at the barn door, partly on tares and other green food and many of the breeding sows were by such means in very high condition; indeed fatter than they ought to be to be prolific, as when they are so fat they neglect their young ones at a very early period and take the boar, an almost unavoidable fault of this famous breed of pigs.


The Poor
Workhouses are famed at Colne and Somersham, at the former at 2s per head per week and at the latter 2s 6d per head per week. Box clubs are much approved and therefore encouraged.


Roads
In Somersham roads are very good, a turnpike (runs) through the parish.


Price of labour
12s in winter and 15s in summer and two pints of beer; 17s per week and meat and drink in harvest.


Fairs and Markets
Somersham: fairs on the 23rd June and 15th November chiefly for pleasure. Market weekly on Fridays not much attended.
Bluntisham cum Earith: Fairs for all sorts of cattle on the 4th May, 25th July and 1st November.
Ramsey: fair on 22nd July for pedlars ware. Market weekly on Saturday.
St ives: Fairs on Whitsun Monday and on 5th October for all sorts of cattle etc. and cheese; Market weekly on Monday for cattle corn etc.