CHAPTER XX.

AGRICULTURE OF THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.

In treating of the economics of a district, the first place must be given to Agriculture. Under this general heading is included a considerable variety of detail, for whatever relates to the domesticated animals that live on the surface, as well as to the surface itself, must necessarily have reference to the natural and artificial vegetation of the island. Thus the nature of the soil, the cultivation of the land, dependent as it is on climate and soil, the condition of the stock, and even the nature of the holdings of land, are matters that are all mutually dependant on each other, and all belong to the agriculture of a district, and must be considered together.

The agriculture of the Channel Islands has been recently treated of in two memoirs; one rewarded by a prize, and the other "highly commended" by the Royal Agricultural Society of England. It might seem, therefore, that there was little

* The state of agriculture of the island of Jersey was fully and admirably described by Mr. Quayle, in 1812, and his report was published by the Board of Agriculture in 1815. Much has since been changed, but it will be very long before this work becomes obsolete. The prize report by Mr. C. P. Le Cornu is published in the twentieth volume of the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society (1859). The "highly commended report" by Mr. F. F. Dally, was published separately, under the following title, "An Essay on the Agriculture of the Channel Islands, with Notes, Addenda, Tables, and an Appendix." Guernsey, S. Barbet, 8vo. pp. 87.

room for further remark on the subject; the more so, since the former (prize) report was written by a gentleman, who himself is a practical farmer on a large scale in Jersey, and the latter by one who has paid much attention to farming in Guernsey. As a subject, however, of vital importance, and one necessarily attracting the close attention of a large proportion of intelligent persons, both visitors and residents, a brief outline of the farming operations of the islands is indispensable. It will be convenient and consistent with the general plan of this work, to avoid, as much as possible, a mere repetition of what may be found elsewhere, and consider rather those branches of the subject which have been hitherto least attended to.

Soil and water being the two sources of nourishment of all vegetation, we may commence with a notice concerning these essential matters.

SOIL AND SUBSOIL.

The first fact that strikes the practical geologist as likely to influence these important elements of success in agriculture, is that the prevailing underlying rock is everywhere that variety of granite called hornblendic, and that veins as well as rock are largely characterised by magnesian minerals. That this is the case, and that magnesia is likely to exist somewhat in excess in the soil, is a matter of serious importance, and requires some preliminary consideration.

The subsoil being the result of its first decomposition, or preliminary disintegration, and thus absolutely dependant on the underlying rock, it is evident that until we know the cottents of this rock, and the circumstances under which they are likely to be presented to the agriculturist, we cannot properly understand the resources of the soil. The following tabular statement will therefore be interesting and useful, and will show clearly the small proportion of lime and potash, especially of the latter important mineral, that can be depended on in syenita

COMPOSITION OF ROCKS.

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rocks and greenstones, and the absence of the phosphates, without which no soil can be regarded as naturally and permanently rich. It will also be seen by the table, that felspar is the richest of the component parts of syenitic rocks in potash and soda, and therefore the most valuable for agricultural purposes when decomposed. The preponderance of this mineral in a decomposing state, is a fact to be noticed in estimating the value of a soil.

Besides syenites, or hornblendic and felspathic rocks, and the contents of the various mineral veins traversing the rocks, there are, at intervals, sand-stones, clay-slate, and schists, and also in Jersey certain conglomerates, for the most part siliceous. The composition of these is not different from that of similar rocks elsewhere, and while some consist of almost pure silica, others are various compounds of silica with silicate of alumina, or common clay. Lime, magnesia, iron, and water, are present in almost all. In them, however, as in the porphyritic rocks, phosphorus is absent, and potash rare. Pure silica sand, and pure limestone sand, are found near the sea in some of the islands. Large veins of mica are found in Herm and Jersey.

The soil is derived from the subsoil, which, as we have seen,

military adventurers from Catalonia and Arragon (of which Saragossa is a city), and certain Italians; certainly Florentines, but not improbably Genoese as well. The relations, however, in the quarter, are hostile. On the other hand, they had originally been friendly.

Such the generalities: viz. the existence of political relations between soldiers of the same date, in different parts of the world, in the Spanish portion of which the name Saragossa is a likely, and in the Italian portion of which the name Sarrazin is a real, fact. If Spaniards and Italians in Greece give the same names, at the same time, in such a way that they can be attributed to Spaniards and Italians in Guernsey, a presumption in favour of the common origin is, to say the least, suggested.

Now, in 1311, the formidable band of free lances, which is known in the history of Greece and the Crusades, as the Grand Catalan Company, consisting of Spaniards (chiefly but not exclusively from Catalonia), after having made themselves masters of the dukedom of Athens (founded by the Crusaders after the sack of Constantinople), finding themselves in a state of anarchy. put themselves under the suzerainty of their legitimate kings of the House of Arragon, of which they continued to be appanage, real or nominal, from 1326, until the union of crowns of Arragon and Castile. This gives us the name Saragousse as a probability; since, from that city many a name or title of these liegemen of Aragon may reasonably be presumed to have been taken.

On the other hand, about 1386, between these Catalans, and the Franks under Nerio Acciaiouli, a powerful Florentine, and Governor of Corinth, a war broke out concerning the disposal of a wealthy heiress, the daughter of Louis, Count of Salona. Nerio won, and he bestowed her hand on a relation of his own, Peter Sarrasin.

Such the small piece of outlying history which brings these two names together in Greece. It is not difficult to see how

the similar combinations might have brought them together in Guernsey. The time is the same for both, and the elements in way of geography and nationality are nearly the same.

Of purely popular legend there is, probably, more than has been either published or collected; purely popular legend meaning, not any indefinite superstition (of which there is more than enough), but special narratives connected with certain places, days, or objects. The Lives of the Saints, in a Roman Catholic country, would have given origin to several. The only one, however, in print, is the following from a Latin extract in Falle's History of Jersey. We may call it the Tale of Hambey. The legend is partly given in a former chapter.

In the island of Jersey lies a moor, or fen, which takes its name from that holy man St. Lawrence, and in this fen lay a huge serpent, which did great mischief to flocks and herds, and even to the men of the island. No one dared to attack, save only the Seigneur of Hambey. That brave knight undertook to rid the island of the pest; so he set forth in quest of the snake and took with him a single servant.

The knight of Hambey slew the serpent, and cut off its head. After that he undid his harness, and fell asleep. The wicked servant seeing this, thought that if he killed his master, and vaunted himself as the slayer of the dragon, he might woo the widow. All which he did. He murdered his master in his sleep, and then told his lady that the terrible serpent had destroyed her lord, but that he, the faithful servant, had killed the dragon. The knight, he added, had, with his last words, praised the valour and fidelity of his servant, and sent by him a message to his lady, enjoining her, as she loved his memory, to become the wife of so true a follower.

and they went together.

So the wife gave hand to the knave;

As the varlet was sleeping he was disturbed by a dream, and he cried out in his sleep, Oh! wretch that I am; I have killed my master.