The cultivation of the soil has probably been carried on, to some
extent, since the days of the people who made the stone implements,
though they doubtless chiefly concerned themselves with the chase. The
early inhabitants lived partly on the chalk land and partly on
the banks of the rivers. The art of cultivation no doubt spread by
degrees amongst the natives, and not only the flat chalk surfaces
but even the steep sides of the downs were brought into service, and
they may be seen now scored with horizontal terraces in many places,
partly the result of cultivation in long strips on the hill side,
and partly made intentionally to assist cultivation. Terraces of this
kind are found in many parts of England and are known as "linchets" or
"lynchets." They form a marked feature in the landscape, near Compton
Beauchamp for instance, and were at one time thought to be old sea
beaches, but this was an error; the sea had nothing to do with their
formation. They are cultivation terraces in most cases, though in
some instances they may be, at least in part, due to landslip or to
a natural accumulation of rain wash.
During Saxon times the greater part of Berkshire came under
cultivation, and agriculture has ever since been the main industry
of our county. The Vale of White Horse and its neighbourhood is one
of the most fertile tracts in England, and there is also some rich
pasture land on the alluvium by the rivers at Abingdon, Purley,
Newbury, Woolhampton, Theale, Reading, and Twyford.
In the eighteenth and the early part of the nineteenth centuries
corn-growing was very profitable, and a great deal of land was laid
down in corn, some of it being far from suited to the purpose. In
later times the profit on corn has been reduced and some of this land
has been turned to other uses or has gone out of cultivation. In 1905
the area in Berkshire devoted to corn was 98,968 acres, and in 1908
the area was 96,169 acres, a reduction of 2799 acres. The reduction
was mainly in the crop of wheat, there was only a slight reduction
in barley, whilst there was an increase in the amount of oats. The
relative amount of wheat, barley, and oats grown in 1908 is shown in
the diagram at the end of this volume.
Berkshire is not one of the great fruit-growing counties. In 1908
the acreage returned as orchards was 2942.
The total amount of arable land in the county in 1908 was 179,047
acres. This includes the land under clover, sainfoin, and grasses under
rotation 35,760 acres. The area of permanent grass was 175,017 acres,
making a total of 354,064 acres under either crops or grass.
At the present time the production of milk is one of the most important
industries of the county, the chief dairy district being the northern
part and the tracts along the rivers. In 1908 the number of cattle
in the county was 48,118. A cheese like single Gloucester is made in
the Vale of White Horse.
The number of sheep in Berkshire was returned as 167,413. They do
not belong to the breed formerly known as "Berkshire." This was a
large animal with black face and black or mottled legs, which is now
replaced by other kinds. The county has long been famous for its pigs,
which numbered 26,171 in the year 1908.
In former days the vine was cultivated in Berkshire, and a little
vineyard existed as late as the reign of George III outside Windsor
Castle and to the east of Henry VIII's gateway. We also find mention
of vineyards at Abingdon, Bisham, Burghfield, and Wallingford.
The number of men engaged in agriculture in Berkshire was 14,918 at
the time of the last census.