Book excerpt: In Behind the Plough, agricultural historian Nigel Agar surveys a century of agricultre in Hertfordshire, the first time such a history has been written. The 19th century saw changes in agriculture just as dramatic as the developments taking place in industry. Throughout the period under consideration, Herrtfordshire was almost entirely rural but its proximity to London meant that it was in no sense isolateed. Indeed, the needs of the capital influenced the way agriculture was carried out in the county.