There were so many sedan chairs and coaches
for hire in London that the watermen lost business. All hackney
coaches in London or Westminster were required to be licensed and
marked with their owner's distinctive mark so that complaints
could be made. Their maximum rate was 10s. for a 12 hour day, and
18d. for the first hour and 12d. for every hour thereafter.
Licensed coachmen were not allowed to practice any other trade.
The coaches paid the commission 5 pounds yearly. Hay sold along
the road brought 6d. per load, and straw 2d. per load, to the
commission. There had to by paid 3d. for every cart load of hay
sold at the hay market and 1d. for every cart of straw, to go
towards paving and repairing the hay market street. Overall,
agriculture improved. Fields that would have been left fallow were
planted with new crops which restored indispensable chemical
elements to the soil. At the same time, they supplied winter food
for stock. The size and weight of animals for slaughter grew.
There was so much stock breeding that it was more economical for a
family to buy meat, milk, and eggs, than to maintain animals
itself. There was an explosion in the growing of beans, peas,
lettuce, asparagus, artichokes, and clover. The demand for food in
London and other urban areas made enclosure for crop cultivation
even more profitable than for sheep grazing. The government made
no more attempts to curtail the enclosure of farm lands.
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