^"^s —'<* ■^... LIBRARY OF THE MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE NO._2660 DATE.6.-16e.6. SOURCE.,H.SlicL__ftlJlc{ CHAPEL THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. VOLUME THE NINETEENTH. (second series.) JANUARY TO JUNE, MDCCCXLIX. LONDON; OFFICE, 24, NORFOLK STREET, STRAND, MAY BE HAD BY ORDER THROUGH ALL BOOKSELLERS. LONDON: I $ 4' ^ ', I Printed by Joseph Rogerson, 24, Norfolk-street, Strand. INDEX TO THE NINETEENTH VOLUME. (second series.) A, Agriculture, Colman's Conti- nental, 123, 205 Agriculture in the North and West of Ireland, 222 Agriculture, use of Arsenic in, 82 Agricultural Chemistry. A lec- ture by J. C. Nesbit, Esq., 223 Agricultural Chemistry, Remark on Mr. Lawes's paper on, 3, 199 Agricultural Physics, By Chas. Johnson, 388 Agricultun.l Reports, 86, 185, 283, 377, 470, 561 Agricultural Statistics, 104 Agricultural Societies — East Cornwall, 359 Highland and Agricultural, 353 Hinckley, 128, 307, 412 Sturminster, 136 Albert, Prince, in Lincolnshire, 440 Animals, the Law of Nutrition of, 269 Arable or Pasture, 266 Artichoke, the Jerusalem, in Agriculture. By J, Towers, 103 Averages, Imperial, 96, 192, 288, 382, 476, 569 B. Bark, price of, 476, 570 Barley, on the Management of, 541 Blackwood's Magazine v. Farm- ers', 446 Bread, on genuine Brown. By J. Towers, 193 Bull, Description of a Polled Angus, 383. Bull, Description of a Short Horned, 97, 289 Bull, Description of a West High- land, 1 C. Capital, on its Investment for Agricultural Purposes, 16 Carbonic Acid, on, 178 Carrots, on their Cultivation, 351 Cattle, Cross Breeding of, 77 Cattle-trade, Review of the, 87, 186, 284, 378, 470, 563 Charcoal, its Uses as Manure. By C. W. Johnson, Esq., 292 Chemistry applied to Agriculture, 390 Corn-trade, Review of the, 92, 188, 284, 379,472, 565 Cultivation, Deep, 468 Currency, per Imperial Measure, 96, 192, 288, 382, 475, 568 Education, Scientific and Agri- cultural, 42 Farm Servants, on their Con- dition, 489 Farmers' Clubs— r Bakewell, 109 Burton-on-Trent, 117 Dadington, 311 Hadleigh, 447 London, 17, 179, 3Q9, 279, 295, 399, 493 Newcastle, 509 Probus, 362, 458 Sprotborough, 463 Farming, Account of John Bam- ford's, 135 Farming, Scotch, 221 Q. D. Dibbhng in Sowing, on its Ad- vantages, 111 Draining Tool, the Upton^ 107 E. Education, Agricultural, 492 Gibbs, Esq., the late Thomas, 220 Grain and Flour Imported for one Month into the United Kingdom, 569 Grass Land and Permanent Pas- ture. By. J. Towers, 289, 384 Grass Land, on the Advantage of Breaking it up, 113 Grass Seeds, on Sowing, 411 Guano, on its Mixture with Com- post. By Cuthbert W. John- son, Esq., 100 Guano, Peruvian, 547 INDEX H. Hay Making. By J. Towers, 477 Hereford Cattle, their Milking Capabilities, 546 Hero, the Winner of the Empe- ror's Plate, Descripcion, &c., of, 306 Hide and Skin Market, 570 Hops, Price of, 192, 288, 382, 476, 569 Horses and Cattle, Cure of Frac- tured Limbs of, 453 Horticulture, Calendar of, 90, 183, 281, 373, 466, 559 Huxtable, Mr., his Balance Sheet, 138, 264 L. Labour, on Self-supporting Con- vict. By C, W. Johnson, Esq., 195 Labourers, Agricultural, 140 Land Improvement, its Profits, 487 Land, its Value in Northern Europe, 445 Law of Distraint, 84 Lawes, Mr., and T. L. C, 505 Lease, Construction of, 83 Legal — Right to remove Fruit Trees, 79 Lime, on its action as a Manure. By Cuthbert W. Johnson, Esq., 479 Lime, on the Properties in which it is present in diflferent Soils. By Cuthbert W. Johnson, Esq., 9 M. Machinery and Labour, 452 Malt Tax, 277, 364 Maltsters and Excise, 352_ Manure, Pig, 144 Manures, Remarks on. By J. E. Teschemacher, 548 Manuring, Cheap, 126, 416, 540 Meteorological Diary, 85, 182, 280, 376, 469, 264 Meteorological Summary, 181 MetropoUtan Sewage Manure Company, 266 O. Oil-cake and Corn, their Merits in feeding Cattle and Sheep, 177 Oil-cake, Guano, and Linseed, 178 Phosphate, Native, practical Uses of, 202 Pig-feeding, its Profits, 471 Ploughing by Steam, 47 Pork in the United States, 78 Potatoes, Prices of, 192, 288, 382, 476, 569 R. Reviews — Cottage Architecture, 1 80 Digest of Evidence on Tenant Right, 370 Directions for Washing with Economy, 279 Giant Sainfoin, 278 Guide to the Hounds of Eng- land, 89 Public Health v. Pestilential Disease, 278 Sportsman, 278 Royal Agricultural Society of England, 11, 269, 366, 395, 551 Running Sands, on the Improve- ment of, 482 S. Sanatory Regulations, Sugges- tions for, 81 Seeds, Price of, 96, 192, 288, 382, 476, 569 Sewage Irrigation, 385, 491 Sheep— Description of Cotswold Rams, 383 Sheep-breeding, 176 Short-horns, the Duchess tribe, 221 Small-pox in Sheep, 371 Smithfield Club Dinner, 35 Smithfield Market, 89, 142, 143 Smut in Wheat, on, 110 Soot for the Potato Disease, 398 Stallions for 1849, 454 Steam Power, its Importance as an Auxiliary in Farming, 77 Subsoiling in East Lothian, 545 T. Talbot, Earl, Memoir of, 1 Tenant-right, Evidence of Mr. Edward Page, 49 Mr. John Outhwaite, 54 Mr. Henry White, 61 Mr. Henry Kersey, 67 Mr. Wm. Shaw, 72 George Heppel Ramsey, Esq., 145 Mr. Geo. Kilby, 151 Mr. Benjamin Hatch, 156 Mr, Robert Beman, 162 Mr. John Houghton, 167 Mr. Thomas Owen, 232 Mr. James Chrisp, 234 Mr. George Turner, 242 Mr. Jeremiah Smith, 245 Mr. George Harriett, 252 Mr. Thomas Chandler, 250 Mr. Henry Blandford, 260 Mr. Thomas Swnnerton, 32 1 Mr. James Harding, 323 Mr. Thomas Carpenter, 327 Mr. Henry Higgins, 328 Mr. Samuel Mogg, 336 Mr. Francis Woodward, 342 Mr. Henry Tretheway, 348 Mr. Joseph Darby, 350 Mr. Wra. Barnes, 418 Mr. Wm. Pinches, 422 Mr. John Jephson Rowley, 426 Mr. Stephen Gibbons, 427 Mr. Thomas Boniface, 431 Major Francis Brown, 436 Reverend Christopher Neirlle, 514 Mr. John Parkinson, 518 TO THE FOURTEENTH VOLUME. Mr. Wui, Smith, 524 Mr. George Legard, 528 Mr. William Loft, 532 Mr. George German, 53'1 Mr. George Clutton, 53G Tenant Right Agreement, 490 Timber, Price of, 570 Tithe Commutation for 1849, 180 Trade, Export, of England, 207 Turnip-fly, 462 V. Vegetable Marrow, on the. By Alfred Gyde, Esq., 80 W. Wages and Pauperism of the Seventtenth Century, 267 Warren, Mr., Testimonial to, 364 Wheat, Average Price in Agri- cultural and Manufacturing Districts, 468 Wheat, Review of the Causes which influenced the Price during the year 1848, 97 Wool Markets, 192, 288, 382, 476, 569 Workhouse Fare and Prison Diet, 79 THE EMBELLISHMENTS. Portrait of Earl Talbot . West Highland Bull Short Horned Bull Dirgrain, showing the fluctuations in the average price of wheat during the year 1848 The Upton Draining Tool A Cutting Coulter Hereford Ox . Cart Stallion . Short-horned Bull The Hero Polled Angus Bull Cotswold Rams Noi'th Devon Steer Boar of the Small Breed Page 1 1 97 97 108 116 193 193 289 289 383 383 477 477 ^ * ,\ ^y. Si ft K^! 1^^ >^ 11 J 1 FARMEll'S MAGAZIl^E. JANUARY, 1819. No. 1.— Vol. XIX.] [Second Series. PLATE I.^ PORTRAIT or EARL TALBOT. ENGRAVED BY J. B. HUNT, FROM A PICTURE IN POSSESSION OF HIS LORDSHIP. PLATE 11. A WEST HIGHLAND BULL. SnSf '"i'"''^ of the second plate obtained the first prize of £20 at the Highland and Agricultural Society shuow, at Edniburgh, in August, lS4S,and was then the property of Mr. Duncan M'lwhton Beyond tlie records of history the Highlands of Scotland have been occupied by vasUier Is of oxen V uch have acquned the character suited to a country of high mountains ami healths Tie fines? and largest of the native cattle are bred m Argyleshire and the neighbouring islands. They owe this cha w'fio th ^'T''^; '^'"f'^^'T'' '^ '^'''' ^"™^'/° '^' superior lierbage on the w;stern oa t and li e-' Hifl. nn^ ' ?, '^'T^''"i'^'''" at present in their breeding. Thus it is that the variety of the western Highlands IS usually referred to as the models of the mountain breeds of that countrv 1 lie genuine west Highlanders may be distinguished by the followinffcharacterinics •'— ThpirlimT.^ n... short, but muscular; their chests wide and dee?; their ribs well arche^d, S d tl I backs as trSd't^^ in any other breed ; their neck and dewlap are somewhat coarse in the bull, but thisTs bScSh e o^^ i's mountain state ; the horns should be of good length, without approaching to the coarsen sfof the Ion TJ^n Th°T' T^^^T'fPreading. and tipped with black jU the olher point^ai" 4a Sefs" call good. Ihe breeders of the west Highlands wish to cultivate the black colour in breedinV ast lev think It indicative of hardiness, hence the greater number are of that colour. '"eeuin^, as they EARL TALBOT. The name of Talbot is one that has ever sounded well to the ear of an Englishman. From the time of the Conqueror we trace it on, reign after reign, and rarely to be found associated with anything but honour and renown for those who bore it. We think, in fact, it would be difficult to instance any family that stood higher in the estimation of the people for anything like the same lengthened period than that one it now becomes our purpose to refer to. The uses of the good citizen and the example of the true nobleman have been diflferent in diflferent ages, as necessarily suited to the especial times in which they were exercised or afforded. With a young growing country, the supporter of mere OLD SERIES.'] peace and plenty gave way before the dashing en- terprizing adventurer, who laid waste lands to make kingdoms, and M-ho was ever wiUing to sacrifice the chance of comfort to the hope of power. With an empire scarcely estabhshed or defined, such a man was the monarch's great stay and trust ; ever ready in his own person to enforce allegiance or in- crease dominion, the nobleman of our early history felt it his duty to watch and attend to remote por- tions of the country, rather than, perhaps, to give his time and care to the well-doing of his own people. The good citizen, in a word, merged into the good soldier; while his honours, though fairly fought for and hardly earned, brought more honour than benefit to the people that bestowed them. a [No. I.— VOL, XXX. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Bat the atoiy of C'inciniiatus is quite as much tliat of a wliolc country as of a single individual ; and the man, or the family, whose glory and duty it once was to devastate a tract of land, will gain even more honour now in cultivating it. The Talbot that Waverley shows us as the companion of the bold Baron of Bradwardine, or that James introduces with so much relish in his tales of our early times, will never outweigh the sober fact and useful aim that has marked the career of the Talbot we shall now proceed to. Charles Chetwynd Chetwynd Talbot, Earl Talbot, Viscount Ingestrie, in the county of Stafford, and Baron Talbot, of Hensol, in the county of Gla- morgan, a knight of St. Patrick, F.R.S. and F.S.A,, was born on the 25th of April, 1777; and is now consecjuently in the seventy-second year of his age. He succeeded his father as second earl in the spring of 1793; and married, in August, 1800, Frances Thomasine, eldest daughter of Charles Lambert, Esc|., of Beau Park, in the county of Meath. The Countess of Talbot (who died, ge- nerally lamented, in 1819) was the mother of the present Lord Ingestrie, the eldest surviving son of a large family,. In addition to the titles enumerated above, vve may state that Earl Talbot is Lord- lieutenant of the county of Stafford ; and also that he was nominated Viceroy of Ireland uj^on the retirement of the late Duke of Richmond — an office he filled for some time with every credit to himself, but to which it will not be necessary to make any further remark here. " This branch of the ancient and illustrious house of Talbot," says Mr. Burke, " is lineally descended from John Talbot, Esq., of Salwarp, grandson of Sir Gilbert Talbot, of Grafton, Knight-baronet, Knight of the Garter, and one of the most renowned warriors and statesmen of the era in which he lived — third son of John, second Earl of Shrewsbury, by his wife Lady Elizabeth Butler, daughter of James, Earl of Ormonde." In the direct line from this branch we have Charles Talbot ; constituted Lord High Chancellor of England in 1773, and elevated to the peerage in the same year by the title of Baron Talbot of Hensol. The second title and estate of Ingestrie came into the family by the marriage of John, second son of the Lord Chancellor, with Catha- rine, eldest daughter and heiress of Viscount Chet- wynd. Few of our readers will require to be reminded how great an interest Lord Talbot has ever taken in agriculture, or how much his attention and example have succeeded in advancing it. The very best proof or incentive the man of great means and power can offer is in the judicious exercise of those powers himself. Improved cultivation and im- proved kinds of stock have long been important themes for consideration with us ; it is, hov/ever, action only that can see them properly carried out ; and the way as well as the word ought, perhaps, in the first place to come from those the tenant farmer is taught to look up to. A landlord that begins improvement on his own account, not only shows his tenantry how it is to be accomplished, but brings, in a great measure, the means of doing so home to their own doors. From him they learn to look for the best breeds of cattle; in his they find the tested models for their implements, and the confirmed facts for their system. The noble owner who merely tells a district what room there is to advance, can expect little more effect from his counsel than mere words generally have. To do anything properly, as the philosopher found, he must do it himself; and we question much whether the friend to agriculture must not frame his endeavours on the same sound basis. The one captain who told his men to go along, and the other who invited them to come along, might never have better illustration than in the landlord who exhorts only, or exemplifies[_fully to the people he is placed in connection with. With Lord Talbot the more practical " come along" has been the great point from the first. The vast improvements he at once commenced and gra- dually perfected on the land he held in his own occupation, have seldom been excelled. The best proof of the efficacy of what his lordship has at- tempted in ameliorating the soil is, after all, in that neighbourhood in which he has so employed his capital and energy. We have every reason for say- ing that no man could have a higher character as a practical farmer than Lord Talbot has in his own country; while none are so ready to admit the ad- vantages he has reached as those who have been alike the first to observe, follow, and profit by them. Lord'Talbot still farms about two thousand acres of land ; to the cultivation of v/hich we would refer as a fine instance of what a man may do who has means to support his views and judgment to direct them. As a breeder of stock Lord Talbot's success has been even greater still; for many years his herd of Herefords, especially, had been looked upon from all quarters as almost unrivalled for its purity and excellence. Of this there is more immediate proof than could be well brought to the subject of culti- vation ; and the prize list of the Smithfield Club for many years in succession will bear witness how the picked judges of the kingdom confirmed the care and discrimination with which the Ingestrie produce had been reared. His lordship has equally distinguished himself at the exhibitions of the THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Royal Agricultural Society; in support of which we need only state that he took four prizes for stock at the meeting held at Liverpool in 1841. In every way, too, has he deserved this ; for be- yond the unremitting attention given to the home- herd, a heavy bidding never deterred his lordship fi'om adding to them if he tlio;ight he could do so with advantage. The bull " Washington" he bought for £1G5 ; and at the sale of that celebrated breeder of Herefords, Mr. Price, he offered £145 for a cow : two facts that alone, we think, will show tli3 spirit with which Lord Talbot has ever endea- voured to carry out his intentions. Lord Talbot was equally distinguished for his breed of Leicester sheep, which he retained in all their purity up to a very recent period. Tho land, however, ultimately' became too rich for a breeding farm ; and the herd of Herefords and flock of Leicestcrs were consequently sold off. We have not a list of the prices the sliecp fetched by us ; while of the cattle we see, though in any- thing but the best condition at the time, some of the bulls brought from forty to forty-five sovereigns each ; and one cow. Tuberose, reached fifty guineas. Lord Talbot is a vice-president and life-governor of the Royal Agricultural Society of England ; in the proceedings of which he has always evinced the highest interest, and to whose advance he has contributed some of the best and soundest support. It is, in fact, from the countenance and career of such men that agriculture will flourish. Men who arc good landlords no less, if not because they are good farmers ; and who are richly entitled to every honour we can pay them, from the advantages and exam])lc they have afforded in uniting jjowcr with practice. REMARKS ON LAWES' PAPER ON AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY. No. II. BY A FARMER. The remarks which were inserted in the " Far- mer's Magazine " for November, on the above subject, have met with a very rough reception. The motives which induced the writer to make them have been called in question. Great weight has also been laid by Mr. Lawes, in his reply, on the signa- ture assumed by the writer, by printing the word " Farmer" in itahcs ; as if it were treason for a " farmer" to examine and criticise the information offered to him by such an important personage as Mr. Lawes, through the medium of the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society ; and great surprise seems to be felt that one of that humble class should be able to enter into the question at all. But the most heinous fault is, that Mr. Lawes' opponent is an anonymous one : Mr. Lawes himself seems to feel this very bitterly ; for in the last number of the " Farmers' Magazine," in reply to the remarks of the previous month, he " threatens to leave the farmer to judge for himself, if ever his views are again assailed by an anony- mous critic," To this judgment the writer will gladly leave the question, and will continue the sig- nature assumed, because the only motive he has in this discussion is to ascertain the truth, and because his name would add no weight to his opinions ; at the same time, "it is indeed to be wished that some one whose name is known, and whose character and opinions are respected, would come forward and rescue the ' Farmer ' from error and deception." (Mr. Lawes' reply.) The only question really at stake is. What ma- nures ought the farmer to purchase ? In the December number of the Royal Agricultural So- ciety's Journal, Mr. Lawes publishes a very long series of experiments, occupying nearly one-fourth of that valuable journal, in which he endeavours to settle the matter, and comes to the following con- clusion, namely, that (see page 509) " even when in a condition of agricultural exhaustion, the suji- ply of potass by direct manures seems unessential." At page 527 he says that his experiments " show that there was no advantage derived by the use of alkaline manures." At page 561 he says "that the artificial supply of alkalies can rarely, if ever, be advocated." At page 562 he says that " the export of potass from a farm is so small, that the quantity contained in one acre of turnips would not be entirely removed under twenty years ;" and that " the alkalies, in whatever form we applied them, were always injurious to the vigorous growth of the young plant." This is part of the negative inform- ation derived from the experiments, and the only conclusion that can be drawn from such assertions is, that Mr. Lawes considered alkalies an unneces- sary, and sometimes an injurious, ingredient of artificial manures. Against this the " Farmer " has ventured to express a different opinion, and will be B 2 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. very ha])])y to leave the subject to the followiiifr trial. He will ])urcliase from Mr. Lawes or his aj^ents the superpkosphate he recominends (and which contains no alkalies), and the " Farmer" will procure a manure containing alkalies ; the best crop and following crop to decide the question. In his reply Mr. Lawes says that he does not especially recommend the superphosphate of lime as the best manure for turnips. To this the writer can only reply by directing attention to the original article, and if it does not recommend superphosphate as superior to everything else, he is at a loss to get any meaning or sense from it. To the above test the " Farmer" will, in the first place, leave the dis- pute, and after examining Mr. Lawes' reply to the " remarks," will endeavour to show some addi- tional reasons for his own opinion. Tlie first thing in the reply that requires notice is the evident soreness felt by Mr. Lawes. This may partly be attributed, as already remarked, to the fact of a farmer calling in question any opinion coming from such a source. The paper Avhich led to this discussion is the third of a series on similar subjects ; and as none of the others had been no- ticed, Mr. Lawes appears to have been taken quite aback at his masterpiece being criticised. Another reason for the soreness and temper displayed in the reply is, Mr. Lawes had evidently felt that the ar- guments of the " Farmer" were unanswerable, and that the tiaith which they exposed to view was anything but pleasant. Whether these conjectures are correct or not, such statements as the following can support no cause, namely, that Mr. Lav/es' op- ! Itonent is guilty of a " uniform and shameless avoidance of all the decencies of honest criticism," that his critic " has carefully laid his snares," and that he is " guilty of recklessness and audacity in his misrepresentations." Mr.Lawesis "atalossto understand the state of mind, &c. ;" the " Farmer" is also unable to understand " the state of mind" giving birth to the above language as anything else than one of extreme suffering and mortifica- tion. Even Mr. Lawes himself seems to think such expres"sions need an apology ; for he makes a partial one, but qualifies it by saying that such an opponent deserves them. Really, the " Farmer" must feel flattered; and it is almost worth inquiring whether the person who treats one of the class most interested in the ques- tion with so little courtesy is fit to enter into the discussion. Mr. Lawes also endeavours to throw discredit on the " remarks," by intimating that the " Far- mer" has an ulterior motive in this discussion. Perhaps he will be kind enough to prove it ? Th e " Farmer" is a consumer of manures ; and whilst even Mr. Lawes himself admits that, " connecte as he is commercially with manures, his remarks must be received with great suspicion," does it, then, need any other motive than common sense to induce a consumer of manures to examine what reason a person " commercially connected" with them has for praising one kind and condemning another ? 1st. It has already been pointed out that Mr. Lawes considers that alkalies are an unnecessary ingre- dient in artificial manures, and in his reply he en- deavours to show (•2nd) that in the original paper he recommends organic manures, such as rapecake, to be used along with superphosphate. He quotes the following sentence from his original paper (page 511), that " the mixture of mineral manures with organic gives the best result, as far as deve- lopment was concerned." Why did he not give a little more from the same page, where he says that rapecake " lessens both the weight of bulbs and number of plants F" It is rather difficult to recon- cile these two opinions. Artificial manures may contain the following substances : — 1st. Phosphoric acid ; 2nd. The alkalies, as potash and soda ; 3rd. The earths, lime aud magnesia; 4th. Organic matter, as rapecake. (a) The latter, Mr. Lawes says, " lessens both the weight of bulb and number of plants." (b) Magnesia gave no increase of crop when tried along with superphosphate. (c) Potash and soda have been shown by several quotations to be, in Mr. Lawes' opinion, unneces- sary, and, like the rape-dust, always injurious to the young plant. (d) There is then nothing left but phosj)horic acid and lime, or superphosphate. It is in vain for Mr. Lawes to reply that he does not recommend this substance ; for everything else is in some part of the report depreciated, and some evil from their use pointed out. It therefore becomes an in- teresting subject of inquiry, with which of the sul)- stances used as manures Mr. Lawes is " commer- cially connected." The " Farmer" wishes it to be distinctly under- stood that he in no way depreciates the value of superphosphate, but that his opinion is, that no farm can be maintained in permanent fertility with- out the use of the alkalies alont/ icith super])hos- phate. This then is a fair statement of the question at issue. We will now proceed to discuss Mr, Lawes and his defence. Mr. Lawes' experiments are curious, insomuch that the e.xperimental turnii)s were grown for four or five successive years on the same soil. In com- menting on the last year's growth, Mr. Lawes ad- THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 5 mits that the superphosphate, as well as all the others, gave a gradually decreasing ci'op year after j'ear. Does not this show the justness of the "Farmer's" remark, that Mr. Lawes was not "justified in drawing such strong conclusions re- specting the superior value of superphosphate," see- ing that none of the other ajiplications materially dif- fered from it in this respect ? And does it not also show that even the suj)ply of superphosphate in four times the rjuantity ever used by a farmer was in- sufficient to maintain the permanent fertility of a field, whicli it should have done if it had been all the turnip plant required ? The explanation the " Farmer" would give of this falling off is, that Mr. Lawes' field is but an exaggerated view of the ordinary farm. By removing the turnips every successive year, of course exhaustion must come sooner tlian on a farm ; but still the cases are so far similar that they throw light on each other. 1st. An ordinary crop of turnips removes from the soil of one acre, according to Fresenius — lbs. Potasli 145 Soda 20 Lime 34 Magnesia 17 are f/rown. We have shoAn that there is re- moved from an acre, by Phosphoric . ,, ,. - Alkalies. Acid lbs. 21 38 30 lbs. 2IG 110 4C8 Phosphoric acid -21G 21 Ten times the weight of alkalies that it does of ])hosphoric acid. The " Farmer" is at a loss to understand how Mr. Lawes could expect a con- tinuation of good crops by the use of super- ])hosphate alone, or e^ven from his manures con- taining alkalies in equal proportions along with superphosphate, when we find that he has been re- moving both from the experimental field in the proportion of 10 to 1, and only adding them in equal. Again the farmer would ask. Is Mr. awes justified in his conclusions respecting alkalies from such experiments ? 2nd. Such being undeniably the case with aU fields from which all the turnips are pulled, Mr. Lawes en- deavours to shift the ground of the argumentby show- ing, in his reply, that the whole of these alkalies are restored to the soil in the course of the farm opera- tions, and that still it is unnecessary to purchase any other manure than superphosphate. It is well known that it is universally the practice to apply all the artificial manure to the fallow crops; in the south of England barley follows, then clover, manured with farm-yard dung and sown with wheat. In this rotation suppose all the turnips pulled off, the barley and clover at least get no benefit from the supply of alkalies in the usual operations of the farm, because the farm-yard manme is not applied to the land until after they Tlie turnip crop .... The barley in corn and straw ) requires ) The clover requires .... In the turdj) crop in the proportion of 10 to 1, iu the barley 3 to 1, and in the clover IG to 1 ! Surely then no farmer can doubt the advantage of using alkalies along with superphosphate for his turnips when we see how much of them is removed in the following crops before any supply is given in "the operations of the farm." 3rd. This, then, is the position of a farm where the turnips are pulled off tlie land and consumed by cattle in folds. In the case of land where tlie tur- nips are consumed on the ground by sheep (which Mr. Lawes assumes to be nearly universally prac- ticable), and where nothing is sold but beef, mutton, and grain, that gentleman again attempts to prove that no other manure is necessary than superphosphate. Let us first calculate the quan- tity of the various substances removed in the grain from a farm consisting of 100 acres of turnii)3 (consumed on the premises) ; 100 acres of wheat, containing alkalies iGlbs., phosphoric acid ISlbs. per acre ; 100 acres of clover (consumed on the premises) ; 100 acres of oats, containing alkalies Hlbs., phosphoric acid 10 lbs. per acre : or — Pliosphoric Acid, Alkalies. In the 100 acres of wheat In the 100 acres of oats . lbs. l.GOO 1,400 3,000 lbs. 1,800 1,000 2,800 Here again we find that more alkali is removed than phosphoric acid. 4th. But Mr. Lawes also concludes that jthos- phoric acid is the only substance removed by fattening animals. The writer regrets that he is unable to ascertain the relative amount of the alkalies and j)hosplioric acid in the l^lood and flesh of our domesticated anim.als ; bat as Liebig has ascertained the presence of both potash and soda, the one in the flesh and the other in the blood, and as they, are known to be present in bones, the total quantity removed from the soil by fattening and growing animals must be considera- ble, when we consider the weight of cattle removed from a farm every year. The value of a crop of turnips may be estimated at £5 per acre ; in other words, whether the sheep eat them on the grovmd or cattle consume them in the fold, there is for every acre £5 of increase value e THE FARMEB'S MAGAZINE. in blood, flesli, and bones. Suppose this be reckoned at Gd. per lb., we have 200lbs. of bones, flesh, &c., removed by an acre of turnips. Asa large portion of the hay is consumed by the work- horses, suppose we reckon it at only £2 per acre (or half its value), we have in like manner SOlbs. of beef or mutton removed from one acre ; so that upon the farm of 400' acres, in addition to the 3,000lb3. of alkalies and 2,800lbs. of ph.osj)horic acid in the grain, we have removed by the — lbs. 100 acres of turnips 20,000 of beef or mutton, loo ditto hay 8,000 ditto ditto Total . . 28,000 lbs. The alkalies in this must be considerable, and the farmer would be obhged by Mr. Lawes inform- ing him where he can ascertain the amount of them present. For the present leaving this part of the question, we shall confine our remarks to the amount removed in the grain, and absolutely lost to the fari?^,. To supply the 3,000lbs. of alkalies in the way the farmer v/ould recommend there would require to be purchased between three and four tons of the salts* of jiotash and soda ; and to supply the 2,800lbs. of phosphoric acid suppose Mr. Lawes' superphosphate be calculated as con- taining 15 per cent, of phosjAoric acid (which is much more than the average), it will require nearly eight tons to maintain the farm of 400 acres in per- manent fertility, or about — Alkaline salt t5Uj)erphosphate Total . . f cwt. per acre. 2i And that, too, without ever calculating the amount 'present in the 2S,000lbs. of beef and mutton. Mr. Lawes says that the amount of potash, &c., present in the turniji may be removed in the course of twenty years. This difif'ers from Frese- nlus, who shows that the cereals would remove it ia about ten years. Suppose, however, we take the longer period, what must the condition of those farms be from whence the grain has been sold for centuries ? When pressed upon this subject, Mr. Lawes re- commends that this deficiency should be made up by the purchase of ra])e and linseed. Has he ever calculated how much of these substances would be required to keep up the fertility — Linseed contains about 1 per cent, of alkali. Rape say about sf ditto. So that to sui)ply the loss of 3,000lbs. of alkali, there vvould require 300,000lbs. == 130 tons of linseed, or 45 tons of rape, instead of three or four tons of alkaline salts, as above recommended. Perhaps Mr. Lawes will be kind enough to point out one 400-acre farm in Great Britain which pur- chases 130 tons of linseed or 45 tons of rape. It has been shown that Mr. Lawes was not justi- fied in coming to such conclusions, even from his own experiments ; and it is hoped that it is now made equally clear that he has failed to show by the review of the general operations of the farm, that superphosphate alone is sufTicient to keep the farm in fertihty-and that, too, under the most favourable circumstances ; how must it then be when the turnips are removed, and hay sold as it is over many 1000 acres in England? Another reason for adding the alkalies in a soluble state may be deduced from the nature of the turnip. It has been found that superphosphate (or soluble phosj)horic acid) is a great improvement over the in- soluble bones; and as the turnip is, of all the plants grown by the farmer, that which soonest arrives at maturity — sown in June and removed in Novem- ber— it cannot be doubted that it must be of im- portance that all the other minei'al ingredients be placed in the soil in a soluble state, more especially as ive have shown that ten times the quantity of the latter are required. If soluble phosphoric acid be useful, so must soluble alkalies. The only reply Mr. Lawes makes to the writer's assertion, that he was not justified in his conclu- sions from his experiments with alkalies, because he tried them along vi'itli hones, and in comparison with superphosphate, is, that it is a misprint, and that he meant to try them along with superphos- phate. This is a nice way of getting out of it, and is his rejily to that part of the discussion. One extract more from the reply, and we have done : — " The next table," says Mr. Lawes, " is brought forward to test the whole by the cost of the application. The ignorance or ivilfal misgui- dance which has instigated the putting of the question in this attractive form before the farmer, whichever it be, is equally despicable in such as presume to be his monitor." It was the intention of the " Farmer" to have entered on this part of the question, as he has done the previous ; but this paper is getting too lengthy, and he may surely say that " the state of mind" which could produce siich language as the above is most unenviable, and is a sure sign of being utterly unable to answer the arguments brought forward to show that the superphosphates are not the cheapest turnip pro- ducers. We repeat this conclusion, apologizing to Mr. Lawes for the presumption of a " farmer " Calculating' them as containing 30 per cent. questioning the dogmas, and exposing the igno- t The linseed is given on the authority of j ranee, of one " commercially connected " with the rape is an approximation. | ,^anures, and we here present the farmers with a Fresenius THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. summary of the experiments showing weight ap- plied, cost of application, &c., &;c. — Cost of Weight applied. Per cwt. application Exp. No. 15.— 1130 lbs. at 6s... £3 5 per acre. 16. — 1040 )> 4s... 1 17 1/.— 1290 » 14s... 7 15 18.-1156 j» Gs... 3 2 21.— 800 » 4s. 6cl. 1 11 By means of such experiments — where the quan- tity applied varies between 7 cwt. and 1 1 cwt. the cost per cwt. varies between 4s. and i4s., and the cost per acre varies between £1 lis. and £7 15s. — does Mr. Lawes arrive at the conclusion as to which is the cheajjest turnip producer ; and I need scarcely say which he says is the best in this re- spect. It is the superphosphate applied at the rate of 7 cwt. per acre, and at 4s. 6d. per cwt., and it is compared with the alkaline mixture. No. 17, which is applied at the rate of ] 1 cwt. per acre, and at 14s. per cwt. Is this a fair trial? They should, at the least, have been tried at the same cost per acre. But Mr. Lawes says that he did not wish to ascertain which is the cheapest turnip producer ; then why does he come to any conclusion on the matter? To a "farmer" it is the only part of the cpiestion at all interesting, and the writer thinks that Mr. Lawes' attachment to the superphosphate has here led him cfF his guard. He first asserts that this is not his object, and then triumphantly says that even as a cheap turnip producer the super- phosphate outstrips all its competitors. This con- clusion we have shov>'n to be drawn from very un- fair comparison, and would undoubtedly be re- versed if properly tried. The writer quoted from Liebig in support of his opinion respecting the importance of alkali; also from the experiments (but without agreeing with them), of Mr. Alex. J. Main, as somewhat strangely arriving at the directly opposite opinion from Mr. Lawes, re- specting the value of alkalies ; and from Mr. MotFat's paper on Turnip Culture, as having expressed a similar opinion to that maintained by the writer. The first, Mr. Lawes does not venture to gainsay ; on the second he says he knows nothing, so the writer would recommend a perusal ; and on the third, he says that Mr. Moffat's " conclusions can easily be shown to be owing to fallacies, and not dependent on facts" Mr. Lawes wishes for an op- ponent " acknowledged and creditable ;" and yet, though Mr. Lawes' conclusions are diametrically opposed to Mr. Moffat's, he m.erely contents him- self with .saying that gentleman's opinions are " fallacies," but not a v.-ord of argument on the subject. But it is time to conclude this part of the subject. The question is an important one ; as Mr. Lawes himself says, the point at issue is " Should arti- ficial manures for the turnij) croj) contain alkalies or not ?" Mr. Lawes has endeavoured to show that th.ey should not, first by experiment, and secondly by rea- soning from the practice of agriculture. To this we have replied — first, that his experiment was not a fair one; secondly, that his conclusions were un- warranted even by his own experiments; thirdly, that they were contrary to the principles of agriculture ; and fourthly, we have offered to leave the question to the test of experiment — as we are convinced of the correctness of our own views. As fur as possible we have avoided " presumption" or any- thing " despicable" in the discussion ; always remembering that our position is a " f.irmer," and that our opponent is Mr. Lawes ! Besides Mr. Lawes, the writer has met another opponent in the Editor of the Farmer's Journal, This defender of Mr. Lawes himself admits, as v,'e have endeavoured to show, that Mr. Lavves " pushes his deductions too far." From this the editor passes on through a sei'ies of arguments not much unlike Mr. Lawes, and to which we shall not again reply, and perhaps would scarcely have entered into the controversy, more especially as the editor says " he does not care who is right or who is wrong." Unfortunately for himself, in his zeal for the question, he makes a slight mistake in chemis- try, which, if pointed out to him, may perhaps save him a little blush some other time. One of the arguments used by the writer against Mr. Lawes, in the November No. of the Fai-mer's Magazine, is, that the mixture in which he tested the value of alkalies really contained none, as such. This the editor of the Farmer's Journ((l undertakes to prove is incorrect, in the follov/ing paragrajili. He says that 400 lbs. of bones consist of — • " Phosphate of hme 290 lbs., or 90 lbs, of lime, and 200 lbs. of Lime Sulphate of lime, &c phosphoric acid. 3S 72 400 lbs. " Now, the first effect of the mixture of the acid with this will be to charge one-half of this hme with double its quantity of j)hosphoric acid, or 45 lbs. of lime will unite with 200 lbs. of acid. The total lime that will be left for the action of the sul- phuric acid will therefore be 83 lbs. This will unite with 1 19 lbs. of sulphuric acid, and form sul- phate of lime. There will then be left 281 lbs. of acid, which will unite with 224 lbs. of soda; and assuming the soda-asli was anything like pure, there would be 91 lbs. of soda left as free alkali. 8 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Now, as a four-course rotation does not carry oif more than 54 lbs, soda, as much free alkali was added by Mr. Lawes as would supply all the crops for eight years, so that Mr. Lawes might properly call this experiment a trial of the alkalies." — {Far- 7ner''s Journal, '^ov., IS ). The writer is at a loss to know whence the above composition of bones has been procured, as it is very incorrect. It is, however, to the composition of the 290 lbs. of phosphate of lime that we would direct attention : it is not a com])ound of 90 lbs. lime 200 phosphoric acid 290 but a compound of 145 lbs. lime 145 phosphoric acid 290 And furthermore, the editor, in his innocence of soda-ash, calculates it as pure soda; whereas, the very best only contains 50 per cent., and the writer is much deceived if that sold for agricultural pur- poses contains more than 30 per cent, of real alkali. The editor makes out that when the 400 lbs. of bone-dust and the 420 lbs. sulphuric acid are mixed together, and then 315 lbs. of soda added, that there will be enough acid left to neutralize 224 lbs. of soda, leaving 91 lbs. free. This can scarcely happen when there is not more than 150 lbs. of free soda to begin v/ith, and probahly not so much. Before making his " bow" to the editor, the writer thanks him for the notice he has taken of his paper, and assures him that though he may have confuted Mr. Moffat's opinion to his own satisfaction, as he has scarcely done so to the satis- faction of any one else, the writer will allow that gentleman's opinion to stand as corroborative of his own. Also, as the said editor seems to be rather ob- livious as to the meaning of bone-dust, if he will send to any bone-mill he will soon find that bone- dust is not the animal matter of bones, but bones reduced to a state of powder ! The editor, in con- clusion, says, that " We know not who the v.'riter T. L. C. may be — he calls himself a farmer." And why should he not call himself a farmer ? It is really amusing to the writer to see how much the powers that be are startled at the idea of a farmer expressing his opinions. There can be no one to whom the question of manures can be so important as the farmer, except it be the manufactm-er : to the first, quality is the consideration; and to the second, cheapness. It was with a sincere and honest wish to procure information on this subject that induced the writer to question Mr, Lawes' conclusions and assertions; and he must now, in conclusion, also thank that gentleman for his notice of the" Farmer's" Remarks. Mr. Lawes might justly have held himself excused from answering an anonymous attack : that he has done so can only be accounted for by supposing that Mr. Lawes felt himself uncomfortably situated when fairly exhibited to the farmers whom he in- tended to enlighten. Mr. Lawes has, we believe, promised the infliction of another article on Agricultural chemistry. We are satisfied it will never see the light — the Journal of the Royal Afjricultural Society will never again be disgraced with such worthless Scientific Informa- tion. Thanks to Mr. Lawes' reply, too much at- tention has now been directed to the matter : it will never happen again. Should, however, Mr. Lawes still persist in his intention, let him take the advice of a farmer for once. 1st, Don't presume to call his writings Agricultural Chemistry ; 2ndly, Write common sense ; 3rdly, Drop the use of the follow- ing favourite expressions, as they have no meaning. For instance: — "The climatic character of the season is not only in itself a resource, but an essen- tial agent." Again, the words " agency and sup- ply" are repeated so often that we begin to think that Mr. Lawes has got an idea into his head that some such process goes on in the soil as one " commercially connected with manures" would adopt if he had a " good supply" on hand ; he would in such a case employ "agents" to assist him to dispose of his stock. The " Farmer" has heard of stimulating manures, but never of any substances acting in the capacity of bagmen before : it is a new and striking feature in agricultural chemistry. A little further on he again says : — " Were we to depend upon mere supply of constituents for actual conversion into the substance of the plant, we should expect that the farm-yard manure," &c., &c. ; " but agency as distinguished from mere supply," &c. Again (page 509) he says : — " Agency as well as supply is an essential element ; but the direct supply of jjhosphoric acid shows that it is both a constituent and an agent." It is to be observed that phosphoric acid is the only substance com- bining these two remarkable properties. The fol- lowing sentence is perfect: — " The more the nitro- genous condition of manuring prevails over the carljonaceous, the more will vascularity, and the less will special deposition, be enhanced." Was not the farmer correct when he said that Mr. Lawes' paper in many places rivalled the writings of the old alchemists in absurdity ? But in the following he even exceeds himself: — " The highly vascular seed-forming turnip is to the less vascular bulb-forming one, as the well-conditioned lireeding or working animal is to the stall fatting one." This is a nice specimen of agricultural che- THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 9 mistiy, offered in the nineteenth century to farmers hy the Royal Agricultural Society. One quotation more. He says that under cer- tain circumstances " tlaere will be found not only the actual and fixed, but also the prospectively possil)le constituents ; the latter as yet only in a vehicular condition, and little influenced by the se- lective and approximative powers of the organism." This would only be spoiled by comment. To his brother farmers T. L. C. respectfully oflfers the above remarks; and requesting Mr. Lawes not to think them jjrcsumptive or despicable, he warns him, along with some others, that unless they mend their agricultural chemistry — ■ " There is a chiel amang tiiem takin' notes, And FAITH he'll print them." T. L. C. ON THE PROPORTIONS IN WHICH LIME IS PRESENT IN DIFFERENT SOILS. BY CUTIIBERT W. JOIIMSON, ESQ., F.R.f5. It is a question of considerable importance to the ])ractical farmer, to determine the proportion in which lime may beneficially exist in a soil. It is one on which widely different opinions are enter- tained ; and yet it is on the correct determination of this that the extent either of lime or clialk to be employed must materially depend. It appears chfiicult indeed, at first sight, to reconcile the prac- tice of some of (he farmers of the great southern chalk formation — who very commonly, and bene- ficiall)'-, at once deepen their soils by ploughing to a depth of several inches below the thin surface soil, into, and turning u]) the chalk — with that of many of the north of England farmers, who have, by long- repeated dressings with lime, rendered their lands less fertile ; and who, in consequence, are too apt to believe that this is owing to the ])roportion of lime in the soil having gradually become too large. The extent to which chalk (carbonate of lime) exists in a soil, however, seems to bear a much less direct relation to its fertility than that of any other of the ordinary mineral substances of which all cultivated lands are composed. Davy long since gave the composition of several soils containing widely different proportions of carbonate of lime, yet v.-ere of well known fertility. Very recently Pro- fessor J. F. Johnston has directed his useful re- searches to the same question ; and his papers on lime abound with the most valuable and practical observations (Quar. Jour. Agri., 1848, p. 407). In alluding to the practice of ploughing into the sub- stratum of chalk, to which I have before referred, he remarks: — "When from five to seven inches of pure chalk are brought up and mixed with an upper soil of only six inches deep, it is obvious that the quantity of carbonate of lime in the mixed soil must be very great. And since these soils so deepened become, mider skilful management, more productive than before ; it is obvious, therefore, that tlie presence of a very large proportion of car- bonate of lime will not alone prevent any soil from yielding good crops." Through the kindness of Mr. Hewitt Davis in sending me a portion of the surface soil of such a field near Croydon, I have found it to contain 41 per cent, of carbonate of lime, in the form of crum- bled chalk. The natural soil of the plains of Athens in Greece, which produces excellent crops of ivheat, l)ut is liable when the dry season arrives to be covered over with a crust of sahne matter which prevents its growing grass, was also analyzed by Professor Johnston, and found to contain very nearly as much lime as the chalk soil cultivated by Mr. Davis. " We conclude, therefore," adds the Professor, "that as much as two-fifths of the whole soil may consist of carbonate of lime, without its being by this cause rendered improductive." The soil from Athens contained, per cent. — Organic matter 5.75 Salts soluble in water (common salt and sul- phate of soda). 0 0.20 Gypsum O.IS Oxides of iron 2.91 Alumina 2.35 Carbonate of lime (finely divided limestone) 38.08 Carbonate of magnesia 0.73 Phosphate of lime 0.03 Sihceous matter 50.33 On the other hand, the proportion of carbonate of lime which some soils contain is remarkable for its smallness. Thus the rich marshlands of Hol- stein and East Friesland were found by Sprengel to contain only the following amount per cent. : — The soil of the marsh lands of Holstein, only 0.2 The salt marshes of East Friesland 0.6 But, as Professor Johnston very correctly adds, "many causes may contribute to furnish such soils with a constant supply of carbonate of lime, suflfi- cient for all the demands of the crops they produce. The fioodings to which these lands are subjert, or 10 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. the supplies of water that are constantly brought Into them from beneath, no doubt contribute in a considerable degree to the permanent richness of the soU they bear. Wlien, therefore, the farmer attributes the evils of over-liming to the presence of any particular proportion of lime in the soil, he adopts a very natural, but a very erroneous, con- clusion." As I recently had occasion to remark in another agricultural periodical (Bell's Messenger), that this is not the real cause might be seen by a little calculation if the farmer only subtracted from the amount of lime applied to a soil : the proportion re- moved from it — first, by the crops ; secondly, dis- solved in the drainage waters; and lastly, the very considerable proportion abounding naturally in the most valuable cultivated soils; it would be seen that the amount of lime applied to a soil in a long course of years could hardly operate mjuriously by causing an undue proportion in the soil of this ever essentially present earth. But the correctness of the conclusion does not rest upon mere calculation. Professor Johnston (Q,uar. Jour. Agri., 1848, p. 530) has in his own practical and scientific way shown by analysis, that certain " over-limed " soils do not owe their decreased fertility to the largeness of their proportion of lime. He describes these supposed effects in someportionsof Scotland, on thin moorish soils, or on reclaimed peat, as apparent in rendering the land hollow to the tread, so much so that the foot sometimes sinks into it ; the soil is open, light, and porous. Turnips and barley grow well upon it; oats and clover refuse to yield profit- able returns. It is, in fact, too light and open for these last named crops, which require a certain de- gree of tenacity in the soil in which their roots are to fix themselves. " This condition of the soil," adds Professor Johnstone, " is usually ascribed to too large additions of lime being made, and the expression over-limed applied to land in this state seems to imply that too large a proportion of lime is still actually contained in it. With the view of ascertaining how far this is really the case, I pro- cured from BalHndalloch, in Banffshire, several specimens of soil in this light, porous, over-limed condition, in which they vv'ere incapable of growing oats and clover. The following were the results of the analysis of 100 parts of three of the specimens — No. I. No. II. No. HI. Organic matter 10.29 Soluble salts 0.45 Oxides of iron 2.49 Alumina 1.7l Carbonate of hme .... 1.4o Oxide of manganese . . — Insoluble matter, chiefly sand 81.77.. 82,79 .. 91.20' 9.54 . . 5.65 0.15 . . 0.50 3.GS . . 0.50 2.54 . . 1.11 0.G9 . . 1.10 0.72 . . — We see, then, that the largest proportion of car- bonate of lime existing in these three specimens amounted to only 1.40 per cent., and in the lowest only 0.69. Now compare that with the analysis of good soil, and see in how much larger a proportion the lime is often found in them. For instance, let us refer to the analysis of the soil and subsoil of a very productive field at Sutton, in Norfolk, made by Professor Lyon Playfair (Jour. Pi, A, S., vol, 6, p. 577). He found in 100 jjarts of the surface soil — Organic matter 2,43 Hydrate water 2. GO Carl)onic acid 0.92 Sulphuric acid 0.09 Phosphoric acid 0,38 Silicic acid and silica 81,26 Peroxide of iron 3,41 Alumina 3,58 Lime 1,2S Magnesia 1,12 Potash 0.80 Soda 1,50 Chlorine a trace Loss on analysis 0.63 100,00 In the same proportion of the subsoil — Organic matters free from ammonia . , 1,20 Hydrate water 2,60 Carbonic acid 0,04 Sihca 0 , ,- 82.55 Peroxide of iron - , 3.70 Lime 0.G9 Magnesia 1.55 Alumina 4.48 Potash 0.60 Soda 1,10 Chlorine , 1,26 Sulphuric acid 0,16 Phosphoric acid , a trace Loss on analysis . , 0.07 100.00 This valuable Norfolk soil then contained 3. 58 per cent, of lime, and even its subsoil 0.69 per cent. ; but other rich soils contain carbonate of lime in much larger proportions. The soil at Sheffield Place, in Sussex, so remarkable for the growth of fine oaks, contained 3 per cent. In the fine wheat soils of West Drayton, in Middlesex, he found more than 10 per cent. It is evident, then, that it is not the large propor- tion of lime which is added to tlie soil that causes those lands which are said to be over-limed to be impoverished. "The results of the analysis," ob- serves Professor Johnston, when commenting upon the examination of the thi-ee specimens whose analysis we have given, " show that so far fi-om the proportion of lime in the soil being excessive, it is THE FARMER»S MAGAZINE. 11 in reality deficient. The evil called over-liming is therefore, a mechanical, and not a chemical one. The extreme openness of the soil has been brought on by prolonged ploughing, and too frequent crop- ping with corn. An opposite procedure, therefore, must be adopted, and mechanical means employed, by which a gradual solidification may be eftected. For the purpose several methods are to be recom- mended— such as eating off the turnips and clover with sheep. This method is, in fact, found to solidify it at Ballindalloch, so as to make it capable of bearing oats," And as the Professor says in another place, " One of the most injurious accom- paniments of over-liming is the exhaustion of the land, which the application of lime in repeated doses for a succession of years has hitherto almost always produced. The frequent ploughing and liming have taken place in order to force from the land frequent crops of corn. While the land was becoming lighter, therefore, it was also becoming poorer, and the full results of over-liming arise out of the operation of these two causes conjoined. While, therefore, the steps above recommended are taken with the view of restoring the mechanical firm- ness, others no less necessary must be taken to bring back the chemical richness of the soil, before the highest fertility of which it is capable can be successfully secured. The ordinary way of applying the lime is to spread it on the surface of the land. This is not always the best mode. The application of lime to the soil in the state of compost, as with earth or peat, is commonly attended v/ith very beneficial results. But it is a bad practice to add it to farm-yard manures or animal substances in general. As Davy long since remarked (Elem. Ag. Chemistry, p. 320), the operation of the lime is dif- ferent in different cases, and depends upon the nature of the animal matter. Lime forms a kind of insolul)le soap with oily matters, and then gra- dually decomposes them, by separating from them oxygen and carbon ; it always destroys to a certain extent the efficacy of animal manures, either by combining with certain of their elements or by giving to them new arrangements. "Lime should never," he continues, " be applied with animal manures, unless they are too rich, or for the pur- pose of preventing noxious effluvia." "On this point," continues Professor Johnston (Quar. Jour., p. 512), " I add only one other observation, Quick- limehas the effect of disengaging and setting free the ammonia from guano, and from fermenting manures, It is a prudent, therefore, and a safer practice to apply the lime some short time before or after such manures have been laid upon the land. Where the soil is moist, and abounds in vegetable matter, there may not be much loss, should the lime and other manures come in contact beneath its surface ; but in dry soils, and on the surface of the land, the admixture of the two ought to be carefully avoided. After the lime has been some time in or on the surface of the soil, and has be- come converted into carbonate of lim,e, it can exercise no injurious effect upon any kind of manure." The results of these laborious examinations of the chemical philosojjher, will be applied by the prac- tical farmer in the way the great chemists I have referred to intended. It is an old observation, that the knowledge of a disease is more than half its cure ; and such a remark well applies to the manifold difficulties, the many inexphcable pheno- mena, by which the farmer is so constantly en- circled. To those who sometimes contend that science can afford the farmer but little aid, the sub- ject of this little paper affords perhaps a sufficient answer. The results of the several chemical ex- aminations it contains will surely serve to arouse the suspicions of even the most intense lover of entirely practical farming, that such unaided know- ledge not seldom leads its owners to conclusions ec^ually erroneous and profitless. THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND. The December General Meeting of this Society took place on Saturday, 5th ult., at eleven o'clock, in the Society's House, Hanovcr-squarc. In the absence of the Earl of Chichester, the President of the Society, the Duke of Richmond was, on the motion of Mr. Ray- mond Barker, called to the Chair. Among the Mem- bers of the Society present, we observed the Earl of Yavborough, Col. Challoner, Mr. Raymond Barker, Mr. Fisher Hobbs, Mr, Shaw, Professor Simonds, &c., &c., &c. Mr. Hudson, the Secretary of the Society, read the following Report from the Council : — REPORT. Thr. Council have to report to the Members, on the occa- sion of their present December Meeting, that during the past half-year 44 of their Members have died, and 105 have ceased to belong to the Society ; while 134 new Members have been elected : so that the Society now consists of — 91 Life Governors, 181 Annual Governors, 661 Life Members, 5232 Annual Members, and 21 Honorary Members ; making a total of 6186 Members ou the list of the Society at the present tunc. The vacancy in the Council, occasioned by the lamented decease of Mr. Harvey, has been filled up by the election of Mr. John Iloilgetts Foley, of Prestwood, M.P. In order to meet the convenience of INIembers of Parliament, the day for the jjcriodical Jleetings of the Council has been changed from Wednesday to l^iesday. Tlie Council regret to inform the Society, that in conse- quence of the great amount of unpaid subscriptions, they have 12 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. been under the necessity of borrowing money of their bankers to meet the liabilities consequent upon the York Meeting; and, in order to prevent the recurrence of a similar inconve- nience, they have empowered the Finance Committee to take immediate steps for obtaining the arrears, and for securing a more regular payment of subscriptions in future. With the same view, the Council liave resolved, that henceforward no Journal shall be sent to any Member whose subscription for tlic year is niipaid at the time of publication ; and that a list of those Members from whom any subscription shall be due on the Saturday next following the Monthly Meeting of the Council in August, shall be suspended in the Council Room, the names to be classed according to the Counties in which the Members reside, with the amount due from each placed opposite to his name. In the mean tnne, the Finance Committee are engaged in making an accurate investigation into the income and expenditure of the Society, with a view of re- porting the result to the Council. The Council would furtlier suggest to the Members generally, that it would greatlyimprove the financial position of the Society, and facilitate their pro- ceedings, if all subscriptions were paid to the bankers on the 1st of January in each year, either by a general order to the bankers of the member, or by cheque or post-office order ad- dressed to the Secretary. The Council offer to the members these suggestions with the greater confidence because they find, by their recent circular, that in a great majority of cases of arrear there is every willingness to meet the views and wishes of the Council on the subject. Tiie Council have the satisfaction of finding that the Treasury Regulation to which they alluded in their last report, for the transmission of books through the post-office directly to the parties addressed, is likely to prove an invaluable aid in the immediate and certain distribution of the Journal among the members, however remotely situated, and free of charge. The first issue of the Journal in August last, under these new re- gulations, has most satisfactorily proved their advantage. The Country Meeting held at the City of York in July last has realised the most sanguine anticipations of the Couucil, in the amount and quality of the exhibition, in the success of the practical trials iji the show-yard and in the field, and in the ample means of mutual interchange of opinion and detail of personal experience aiforded by the assemblage of so large a number of visitors to that meeting from every part of the coun- try. In addition to these favourable circumstances, the meeting was honoured by the presence of his Royal Highness Prince Alliert, who both attended the mecthig as a governor of the Society and graciously identified himself with its objects by evincing a lively interest in the whole of the proceedings. The Council, on leaving York, conveyed to the;Lord Mayor and the Authori- ties of the city, and to the Local Committee, and others who had zealously co-operated with the Council in promoting the success of the meeting, an expression of their best acknowledg- ments for their kind exertions on the occasion. Although the receipts at the show-yard were very great, and £1,000 was lilierally presented to the Society through the authorities of the city, the outlay required for so extensive an assemblage of implements and cattle, and for the elaborate and highly satis- factory trial of implements on the occasion, has proved so gi-eat that over and above the £1,383 awarded in prizes for implements and stock, the excess of expenditure over receipts on account of the York meeting amounts to £1,120, as will be seen by the following tabular statement, in which a compari- son is instituted between the result of this and former meet- ings. Year of Meet- ing. Locality. Entries of Stock. Entries' of Re- Imple- ceipts. ments. Expen- diture. 1839. . 1840. . 1841.. 1842. . 1843. . 1844. . 1845. . 1810.. l847. . j84S.. Oxford Cambridge . . Liverpool .... Bristol Derby Southampton.. Shrewsbury . . Newcastle . . Northampton . York 249 352 319 510 730 575 437 013 459 724 £ 23 2394 36 3416 312 1 4106 455 4202 508 3390 948 4929 942 j 3662 735 4119 1321 1 45G5 1508 '[ 4831 £ 2088 3589 5052 4775 5090 5730 5106 4866 4863 5957 The Council have the gratification of reporting that the suc- cessful issue of the implement trials — a result so long desired but only imperfectly obtained at former meetings, was mainly owing to the untiring energy with which the Stewards of that department, the Judges, and the Consultir.g Engineer, acted in concert for the attaiinnent of that great object, by bringing to the test of practical trial those recommendations of the Imple- ment Committee, cf which Colonel Cliallouer, as its Cliairinm, had reported on a former occasion to tlie Council. In order to give Jlr. Thompson an opportunity of collecting the mate- rials for his Report upon the Exhibition and Trial of Imjile- ments at York, for publication in the Society's Journal, Jlr- Shaw, of Northampton, kindly undertook to act as an addi- tional Steward of that department, and rendered to the Society services no less efficient than he had so willingly given at Northampton last year, in promoting the convenience of the Stewards of Implements on that occasion ; and the Council have conveyed to him their best thanks accordingly. The lion. Captain Dudley Pelham, R.N., has kindly nndertaken, at the request of the Council, the duties of a Steward of the Implement Department, in the place of Mr. Shelley, who, after a long period of efficient service, retires this year by rotation. The Society are much indebted to Professor Johnston, of the University of Durham, and to Professor Simond.% of the Royal Veterinary College, for their kindness in delivering two'valuable lectures before the Society, during the York meeting. On occa- sion of the present December meeting, Prof. Simonds has again favoured the Society by delivering before the members, in the rooms of the Society, two other highly valuable and interesting lectures. The Council have already made their preliminary arrange- ments for the Country Meeting to be held next year at Nor- wich. From the facility of access to that city by sea, the rapidly extending radway accommodation throughout the eastern districts of England ; from the character of the stock, and the high reputation of the agriculture in Norfolk and the adjacent counties — they have every reason to anticipate a meeting in no way second in importance to those that have preceded it. The Council have already voted prizes for the Essays, Implements, and Stock of next year, to the amount of nearly £2,000 : of the two former of which the lists were published in the last Journal ; while the Prize Sheet for the Live Stock was on Thursday last determined in accordance with the bye-laws, has since been printed, and now lies on the talde for the information of members. The Judges havingexprcssed a desire for an extension of time for their trial of the implements, without entailing on the exhi- bitors any additional loss of time or expense, it has been found necessary to devote the whole of the Tuesday in the week of the Show to that important purpose. The first day of public admission to the implement yard will, consequently, be on Wednesday, the principal day of the Show being as heretofore on the Thursday. The public working of the implements in the field will therefore be omitted, it having been found by ex- perience quite impossible to conduct that exhibition in a man- ner satisfactory either to the public or to the implement makers. The Council have renewed for another year the grant for carrying on the analysis of the ashes of plants, a research which they fully believe will eventually lay the foundation for a secure progress in our knowledge of the conditions of vege- table growth, and the most economical and efl'ectivc means of promoting it in our crops. In conclusion, the Council have every reason to view with satisfaction the steady advancement of the Society in its sphere of \isefulness, and its combining by its central iiillucnce the efforts of Societies of a kindred character throughout the kingdom, for agricultural improvement and the public good. By order of the Council, James Hudson, Secretary. London, Decenihcr, 1848. Tiie Report was, on the motion of Mr. Tweed, se- conded by Mr. Wingate, unanimously adopted. Mr. Raymono B.vrker then read the following statement of the receipts and expenditure of the Society during the first half of the present year, and the speoial balance sheet of the York meeting account ; — THE lAllMER'S MAGAZINE. 13 I.— HALF YKAKLV ACCOUNT ENDINGI JUNE 30, 1818. KECiai'TS. J5iih\ii -c ill till! liaiiJs of the Ijaiilicrs, January 1, 1848 £llt)G 3 1 Balance in the haiiJs of the secretary, January 1, lSi8 35 11 C 1 )ivi(lends on stock 1 •'Jti 0 2 Life composition of .'jovenior 50 0 0 liifc compositions of members 180 0 0 Animal subscriptions of jjoveraors C 10 C 0 Annual subscrintions of mcml)ers 20G1 7 0 Sale of Journal' 165 IG 9 Sale of cottage tracts 2 5 8 Fines for non-exhibition at the country meeting 11 15 0 JNIarquis of DownsUire's addition to flax-prize. . 30 0 0 Yorkshire Agricultural Society's advance on account of prize reports 100 0 0 Snbscription from York towards the expenses of the country meeting of 1848 1000 0 0 Amount of sums paid in error, or by parties un- known, to the Society's account with their bankers 10 7 0 £5549 11 1 PAYMENTS. Piirchasc of stock £742 0 0 rernnneut charges 270 12 G Taxe j and rates 18 2 2 I'lstablishraent 528 4 4 Postage and carriage 20 6 5 Advertisements 4 12 0 Expenses of Journal 14G2 2 9 I'lizcs 210 0 0 I'ayments during the half year, on account of the country meetings G92 8 11 Analyses of ashes of plants 280 0 0 ]!e|iayment of sums transmitted by bankers and others, in error 9 5 0 Amount of miscellaneous items of petty cash.. 4 13 0 Balance in the hands of the bankers, on the 30th of June, 1818 1294 13 9 Balance in the hands of the secretary, on the . 30thof June, 1848 12 10 3 £5549 11 1 Examined, audited, and found correct, this 8th day of December, 1848. (Signed) C. H. Turnei;, C. tl. Turnei;, "i Thomas Knicjiit, J Auditors on the part of the Society. (Signed) Thomas Raymond Barker, Chairman,"! y Thomas Austen, I p C. B. ClIALLONER, ^ ^°"^" Henry Blansharu, mittce. n.— SPECIAL COUNTRY MEETING ACCOUNT: YORK, 1848. RECEIPTS. ^Subscription from Y'ork £ 1000 0 0 Pavilion dinner tickets 513 10 0 Council dinner tickets 279 6 0 Show-yard receipts 2664 14 0 Sale of catalogues 365 14 6 Sale of council badges 7 15 0 Excess of payments over receipts on account "J of the York Meeting, chargeable on the > 1126 8 7 General Fund of the Society } £5957 8 1 PAYMENTS. Council iliancr £277 10 0 Pavilion dinner 540 0 0 I'avilion contract for works 671 5 0 Show-yard and trial of implements 3080 5 1 liondon police 231 ] 0 0 Judges 337 0 0 ('onsulting engineer 46 15 0 I'rintiiig, &c., of catalogues 295 13 5 General printing 193 11 6 Stationery 20 12 5 Advertisements 173 4 5 Postage, carriage, and travelling expenses .... 35 16 6 Oliicial stair charges 37 17 3 Porters in charge of rooms 3 3 0 Council badges 5 1 6 Fire Brigade 5 0 0 Extra clerics 2 2 0 Horses for police , 1 1 0 £5957 8 1 Signed, Thomas Raymond Barker C. B. Challoner. The Earl of Yarborough in moving that the Report of the Auditors be received and adopted, stated that he thought the expense of printing and publishing the Journal of the Society should be curtailed, if possible. He was duly sensible of the importance of the publication of the Journal, and fully appreciated the merits of that publication, but he thought that X'1,4G2 2s. 9d., which was the cost of the Journal during the past half year, might, by a more judici- ous and economical arrangement, be considerably lessened (Hear, hear). Although it was impossible to over- estimate the advantages to the cause of agriculture, whicli were produced by the publication of tlie Journal, still it could not be denied that year after year the expense of that pubUcation was increasing, and that the funds of the Society were continually drawn upon to pay for the ex- pense of a publication which should from its circulation and the profits derivable from its sale, pay the expense of getting it up. He thought that while the members of the Society should receive the Journal free as heretofore, non-subscribers should be called upon to pay a higher rate for its purchase. Colonel Challoner expressed bis satisfaction tliat the noble lord had called the attention of the meeting to this important subject. As the Journal was at present published, non-subscribers had an advantage over subscribers, and received the Journal at a less cost than those who constituted and formed the Society. It was a subject deserving of the attention of the Society, and he hoped that arrangements would be made which, without deteriorating from the utility of the Journal, would enable the Council to give that publication the same circulation as at present, without its being a draw- back on the funds of the Society. Mr. Ray-mond Barker stated that it should be borne in mind that 6000 copies of the Journal on each publication were printed for distribution among those members whose subscriptions to the Society were not in arrear. Although every care was taken to guard against a lavish expenditure of the funds of the Society, it had been found necessary to draw upon their per- manent funds, so as to meet in advance the expense of the publication of their Journal. As the Journal was a matter in which the farmers of England were peculiarly interested, he trusted that while the expenditure was kept within reasonable limits, nothing would be done to impair its value to the members of the Society. As he was on the subject of finance, he might take the liberty of stating that although there appeared to be great 14 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. eagerness ia certain localities to have cattle shows under the auspices of the Society, the localities benefited by such shows did not contribute their fair proportion of the expense. In proof of which he might mention, in reference to the show of the present year at York, that the Society was ^"'1,120 out of pocket, besides giving 1,500 guineas for prizes. A considerable, and as he thought an unnecessary, part of the expense incurred at the country shows arose from advertising in the local papers. That expense was, in his judgment, in a great measure uncalled-for and inju- dicious. If they gave publicity to their advertisements in the Mark Lane Express and other London and re- cognized agricultural organs, they could accomplish all that was necessary, and save much expense. The Duke of Richmond said, that from the Report which had been read they learned that their expenditure exceeded their income ; and, under these circumstances, it was their duty, as members of the Society, to act with the same caution which a private individual would be expected, and ought to do under similar circum- stances, and that was, to reduce their expenditure so as to make it less than their income. Mr. Fisher Hobbs stated that he considered the charge for the attendance of the police at the annual exhibition greatly beyond what was warranted or ne- cessary. Mr. Raymond Barker was of opinion that it was necessary that the strictest possible precautions should be taken to protect the public, who attended at the shows, from plunder. Mr. G. Dyer thought the prizes offered by the So- ciety for stock in many cases extravagant, as the object of competition was the honour of gaining the Society's prizes ; but as the Journal could be read by all the mem- bers whether they were able to attend the Annual Country Meetings or not, in any particular year, he hoped that no expense would be spared to sustain its high character. Mr. Shelley said that a very large proportion of the expense attending their country shows was ab- solutely necessary. It was essential that prize lists should be published, that programmes of the Society's intended mode of operation should be issued, that certi- ficates should be published, and that information should be given to the exhibitors and the public as to the time and mode of conveyances to and from the show. In looking to the expense incurred for this object, the meeting should look at the necessary consequence and importance of the object rather than the mere result in figures. Mr. Fisher Hobbs was glad that the subject of finance had been so prominently and specially brought under the con- sideration of the meeting, and he hoped that a beneficial result would ensue from the conversation which liad taken place. Mr. Shaw : It was an almitted principle amongst men of busniess that attention should be given to small matters ; inas- much as such items, in the aggregate, made a large amouut ; and heuce the importance of attending to the subject that had just been adverted to : but there was one very large amount to which no reference had been made, and whicii he considered deserving of the most serious attention of the society. He alluded to the expense of the show-yard, for which £3,000 was charged in the present year's account. He was much afraid that the implement yaid was made a show-yard of, and not a yard for the exhibition of the most useful agricultural implements. It was almost impossible to go into any part of the country in which the Society's prizes for implements were not generally diffused ; in fact, they were now so numer- ous as to detract from their value, and tended to bewilder, rather than to guide, the purchaser of implements ; and he was of opinion that the Council ought to limit the number of prizes for implements, so that they might be good and few, and use greater discretion and caution hi their award. The Auditors' Report was then agreed to, and on the sug- gestion of the noble Chairman, thanks were passed to the Auditors. Upon the motion of Col. Challouer, Messrs. Knight and Turner were re-elected Auditors. ilr. Raymond Barker having stated that IMr. Tawney, on account of the imcertaiuty of his state of health, could not any longer continue as one of tlie auditors, Mr. Trinder proposed that Mr. Robt. Beman, of Donnington, ia Glouces- tershire, be appointed an Auditor in his stead. This motion was unanimously agreed to. The Earl of Yarborough proposed that the thanlhich I started. Mr. Clutton is asked — • In the county of Surrey is not there a tenant-right existing to a very great extent ? Yes. What is the prevailing custom of compensation that exists ? I will describe to you the custom. Do so, if you please ? Where the full custom of the county is spoken of, and where the tenant speaks of being paid a full valuation, according to the custom of the country, that means that he is paid for dressings, and half-dressings, of dung, and lime, and sheep foldings, for ploughings and fallows, including the rent and taxes of the fallows, half-fallows, and lays. Naked fallows ? i'es, whether naked or otherwise ; seed sown with the spring corn. That is the seed of the clover or rye-grass ? Yes ; the underwoods down to the stem, hay and straw at a feeding price, the hay and straw being at a market price where the half dressings are not paid for ; these valuations are settled by two valuers, or their umpire. Have you stated to the Committee the ■nhole of the articles for which compensation is generally given in Surrey ? Yes, by custom. You have stated it promotes a system of fraud and false- hood among the farmers, and even extends to the labouiers ; will you state in what way it has that effect ? It takes place principally iu the half-dressings; by which I mean, and which is generally meant in the county, those manurings from which only one crop of corn has been taken. Where manure has been put on at a distance of time it is exceedingly difticult to check the quantity or quality of the dressings, and we find that very false returns are made of it. Both of the quantity aud of the quality? Yes; both of the quantity and of the quality. You find in many cases where farms are about to be given up, they scatter down an inferior aud smaller quantity of manure, aud claim for it as dressing ? They work up to a quitting. They work out a false account ? They work out the farm, and put in inferior manure. To receive payment for it as if it were of good quality ? Yes ; having been so imposed upou at starting, they feel justi- fied in playing the same tricks upon their quitting ; it is fre- quently done. Where the tenants have a right of rerauueration for dress- ings and half dressings, are they paid for the cake as well ? THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Taey are paid for the manure, the vahie of which is therehy increased. The vahie of the cake is taken in the value of the manure ; Yes, but not as a proportion of the cost of the cake. In consequence of the extended use of cake, has it risen in price to the consumer ? Yes. Do you attribute it to that cause ? No doubt. AVith regard to manures, do you find that there is any diffi- culty in ascertaining the value of manure when it is in tlie yard ; it is more in the half dressings and the whole dressings that you think the difficulties and disputes occur ? There is not much difficulty in ascertaining the value of the manure while it is in the yard ; there is a great deal of difficulty in ascertaining the value of the manure after it has been carried out and mixed with the soil, even that from which no crop has been taken ; the difficulty is increased of course with half dressings. Do you find a disposition among the tenantry to lessen those payments, by desiring the landlord to take the dressings and half dressings ? They are desirous of having them bought up. Again, Mr. Glutton says — Then as to the half-dressings, meaning dung applied in a former year, you stated you had great difficulty in ascertaining the quantity and quality that had been applied ? Yes. Inasmuch as it has been made on the premises, you have no test to go to — no tradesman's or merchant's bill, as you would for bones, but you are obliged to rely upon the e\ideucc of the tenant and his labourers ? Yes, That you consider an objectionable custom ? Yes. With regard to the payment for naked fallows, though they belong to rather an obsolete mode of farming, probably it has a fair though unavoidable claim, as long as that system exists ? Yes ; naked fallows are not very much practised ; but whether they are naked or bearing a green crop, they are equally paid for. Is it not the case, that in other counties, where root crops have been substituted for tlie naked fallows, though the ploughings and harrovvings may be allowed for, no one wouhl think of allowing for the rent and taxes on the turnip crop ? No, I think it is peculiar to Surrey. Tlierefore that is a claim arising out of an old practice of farming, which, although the motive is gone, has somehow or other been allowed to contuuie in Surrey ? Yes. Then of course you consider the half-fallows still more ob- jectionable and unreasonable ? Yes, I do. And what you chiefly object to in the custom of Surrey is th.e half-dressings and the half-fallows ? Yes, that is the prin- cipal objection. Do you find that appraisers are appointed by tenants to go over the farms, and tell them liow to make a high valuation ? Yes. You have known that ? Yes. To make the highest possible charge ? Yes ; they go over to tell those tenants how they may get up their valuations. You have found that those allowances have beeii so onerous on the incoming tenant, that in some instances landowners have been induced to buy them up, and discharge their estates, because they were found practically to limit the choice of tenants, and to lock up the capital of those who had been in- duced to take their farms ? That has been done extensively. 1 That lando.vners have bought them up ? Yes, particularly the half-dressings and half-fallows ; those being the items of valuation in which the tenant feels he is most liable to be im- posed upon, and where there is the least check. You say it has limited the choice of tenants and locked up capital ; do you mean that farms are not so readily let m Surrey, owing to this heavy tenant-right ? It has a tendency to lower the rents of the farms. Do you find the rent of land in that district is lessened as compared with other parts of England where you have been employed as an agent ? Yes. Within your own knowledge you state that fact ? Un- doubtedly. Now, I would have you pay particular attention to that point. That is the material difference between these valuations and the system of tenant-right as we under- stand it. The farmer should in all cases be required to produce his bills, and to show what quantity of cake and bones had been used ; but in the case referred to by the witness, it does not appear necessary that it should be shown that any artificial manure at all has been purchased and applied. Anything that can be scraped up in the shape of manure, anything which can possibly be called by the name, is spread over the land ; a charge is made for dressing or half dressing, and there is no possibility of ascertaining anything with respect to the value ; custom gives effect to the charge. After being asked the question vfhich I have read, with respect to tradesmen's or merchants' bills, Mr. Glutton's exami- nation continues — Do you not find that the disadvantage of the Surrey tenant- right is, that the same money is paid for the bad farming as for the good farming ? Yes. That is the mischief of the tenant-right in Surrey ? Yes ; if the paying for the tenant-right ensured our getting what we pay for, there would be no objection to it ; but we know from practice that it is not possible. A Mr. Boniface, of Sussex, who is the agent of the Duke of Norfolk, is then examined. He is asked — Then the payment for dressings is for the manures ? Yes ; made on the land, and from which no crop has been produced. Half-dressings comprise the dung from which one crop has been produced. So vyfith regard to lime, where no crop has been prod\;ced, or if it be in the heap on the farm, it is paid for at tiie full cost. If it has produced one straw crop, then it is half the cost. Yon say that you have a difficulty so.metimes in ascertaining what is the real claim for half-dressings? Yes. What was the nature of the half-dressings ; was it dung employed '? Dung and lime. The difficulties I have ex- perienced have been, first, as to the quantity applied, as to which yoti must take the statement of the person interested ; and the next difficulty has been as to the quality of it. Those were manures that had not been purchased ? Manures that liad not been purchased. Where of course no bills could be brought forward to corro- borate the statement ? Yes, just so. So that, you see, these gentlemen, both of whom were called, as I said before, for the express purpose of da- maging the real que.-tiou of tenant-right, point out most clearly the distinction between the one and the other. They say, that wherever evidence can be ad- duced, such as that of the bills, as to any expenditure for artificial manure or for cake upon the farm, they find no difficulty in estimating the value ; they say that they are sufficient judges of the value of manure to set a pro- per value upon it where cake has been used. But the great complaint which is made has respect, it appears, to claims made where, as it is here pithily expressed, no vahie has been received. Now, with respect to the ma- nure and the labour — the two prir.cipal things to which I desire to direct attention in reference to the question under discussion — I will just read one or two sentences from the evidence of Mr. Heseltine, of Lincolnshire, who is, I dare say, personally known to a great many gentlemen in this room ; at least he is well known in Lincolnshire as not only an extensive but an experienced farmer. In a few words, this gentleman shows the Lin- colnshire system to be, in two or three important parti- culars, that which I contend the general system ought to be — that for which the objectionable customs in the counties which I have named ought to be exchanged. With respect to labour I find the following question : — " The out-going tenant ploughs up the whe-it stubbles .'" The answer is, "If he agree with the in-coming te- nant." So that it is a matter of agreement ; and in such a case there can be no doubt that the in-coming tenant will lake care to have an arrangement by which he will have work properly executed, or value received, for his money. The custom, so far as I can understand the 1 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 27 expression, comes into operation only when there is no j in-coming tenant. " If the out-going tenant had ploughed, lie would be allowed to receive according to \ the custom of the country." That follows the answer which I have just read — " If he agree with the in- coming tenant." So that it is perfectly clear that where there is an in-coming tenant the custom does not come into operation ; but if there be an in-coming tenant, the out-going tenant who has ploughed is en- titled, according to the custom, to be paid. The witness adds, " The out-going tenant would be paid for all the labour he has done upon the farm consistently with good husbandry." Now there is the material distinction. Although there is a custom existing in Lincolnshire by which the out-going tenant ploughs, yet that ploughing is the subject of an agreement between him and his suc- cessor, if there be one ; and this a^ain is further qualified by the stipulation that the labour performed must be " consistent with good husbandry" (Hear). Now the evil of which I have to complain in reference to this question is, in fact, a very simple one. You are of course awaie that when the question was placed upon the card, the evidence from which 1 have quoted had not been given. My opinions on the subject were based upon Messrs. Kennedy and Grainger's work, published some few years ago. What I desire to fix your attention upon this evening is, the contrast between the two sorts of tenant rights. In the one case there is no means what- ever of ascertaining what is the quality of the manure, or what quantity has been put on the land ; neither is there any means of rscertaining whether the work has been well executed or not. On the other hand, under the system of tenant right which we advocate, you can have information on both points. By the production of the bills, and from the testimony of experienced men, you have evidence as to the outlay which has been made ; and as regards Lincolnshire, which I hold to be at the present moment the county to which, above all others, we may look for an example of what tenant-right has done and what it can do — in the case of Lincolnshire, I say, you have it clearly pointed out to you, that though there prevails a custom which gives the in-coming ten- ant payment for labour, the matter is still open to an arrangement between the out-going tenant and the in- coming tenant ; and, at all events, the work must be performed consistently with good husbandry. Gentle- men, I intimated to you at the outset, and I beg now to repeat, that I have always felt that this question is one which should be dealt with by men practically engaged in the profession of valuing ; but, having taken great interest in the question of tenant right, and having at length be- come convinced that there was great mystification with respect to the two species of tenant-rights, if I may so term them — the one of which I call tenants' rights, the other I designate tenant-right — I thought it would be useful to aflford a body of men like yourselves an opportunity of considering the subject, and of eliciting that infor- mation which we are anxious should emanate from this club, and go forth to the agricultural world, in order that all may in future be able to distinguish between that which is good and that which is bad under the name of tenant right. And I have been confirmed in my opinion as to the propriety of the course which I have taken — however imperfectly I may have performed the task — by the circumstance which I have just mentioned, namely, that there has been lately the most ingenious at- tempts to mystify these two questions, and to damage the real question of tenant right, that the ingenuity of fourteen or fifteen experienced members of Parliament could possibly have devised (Hear, hear). Gentlemen, having made these lemarks, I shall sit down, fully con- vinced that the discussion on this subject will call forth, from practical men, observations and information of far greater value than it has been in my power to place be- fore you. The Rev. J. R. Warren said : I consider the ques- tion which has been introduced this evening a very im- portant one, afTecting, as it does, not only the tenant, but the landlord. I am glad to find, too, that the ques- tion of tenant-right — using that expression in its com- mon acceptation — is now resolving itself into a question of fair dealing, as between tenant and tenant, as well as between landlord and tenant. It is a question which we ought to consider in a temper which at all times becomes those whose grand object as agriculturists it should be to increase the produce of the land fairly, honourably, uprightly, and for the benefit of the people at large (Hear, hear). It strikes me that, in the way in which the subject has been introduced by Mr. Shaw, it is fairly open to discussion as a question between tenant and te- nant, so called. And I would, iu a very humble spirit in reference to this matter, appearing here in the double capacity of landlord and tenant, submit to you whetner, when we are considering this question, we should not, first of all, endeavour to cast out the beam in our own eye, before we attempt to remove the mote out of our brother's eye. If we enter upon the discussion of the question without such a feeling, we shall be very apt to be misled. I have often felt, and I do feel more and more strongly, when I hear this subject discussed as it affects the rights and interests of agriculturists, that they of all others ought in this country to be upheld and respected ; for they are the labourers in the soil, and it is the soil which maintains the people (Hear, hear). I think, therefore, that all matters relating to the cultiva- tion of the land should in these troublous times have precedence. The great point now to be considered is the rights of tenants— tenants so called, in respect of their holdings. But we have also to regard the rights of property. We are not by any means to overlook the way in which parties become tenants (Hear, hear). The landlord has surely a right to deal with his property fairly towards himself; but then he is also bound not to abuse his property to the hindrance and hurt of those who depend upon it for their living. And when we look to the landlord for the occupation, we have a right to say to him, " You should mete oul, to us the same measure that you expect to be meted withal. You ought not to receive our money, in the shape of rent, unless you give us a fair opportunity of making that rent, as we are bound to do" (Hear, hsar). I speak rather feelingly on this subject. I am the occupier of some land, which is as good as any in the county of Essex. Some of the land which I hold wes formerly said to be the garden of Essex ; but I do feel — I feel it as a Christian minister ; and I do not say this at all out of disrespect to a man who is now departed, but with a view of speaking the truth. I say it is a cruelty to have land on any terms, good land, some of the best in the county, so managed, that it requires years to put it into such a condition as will grow you a fair return for your outlay. I mean, of course, a fair rent to the landlord, and that remuneration to the tenant which he ought to receive : for you are not to " muzzle the ox that treads out the corn." The tenant has a right, in my humble judgment, even before that of th3 land- lord— a right to be paid for the sweat of his brow (cheers) ; but, at the same time, it is not for a moment to be supposed that the landlord is not to be respected also in all his rights (Hear, hear). The point to which I would especially direct attention is the way in which land is managed. As regards my own farm, when I first oc- cupied it, its condition was very similar to that described in the quotations which Mr. Shaw has read to us. I had a quantity of straw, such straw, indeed, that it was almost a shame to call it by that name. When I went 28 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. into a field to shoot, a year before I took the farm, I was up to my knees in weeds ; and I give you my word of honour, and my bailiff would give evidence to the same effect, that when I burnt the weeds, in a field of ten acres, to which I more particularly allude, I spread ten loads of ashes per acre ; you may imagine, therefore, how many cart-loads of weeds there must have been in that field. As to the manure to replenish the earth, the straw was thrown down, and, there being no stock scarcely, beyond cart-horses, this manure was valued to me as good manure; whereas any chemist, after analyzing it, would have declared that it was worth little more than the ashes of the straw would have produced. Consider the case of a tenant having to pay for such manure as manure of the best description, and that, too, in the very first year, which is the most difficult of all to any tenant, because he has so much to pay on entering into possession. Nay, if he have not a good season, this payment throws him, as it were, on his haunches, and he scarcely knows how to proceed. Under such circumstances, he has the greatest difficulty in obtaining any assistance ; for the condition of the land is well known, and every one is aware that it cannot produce in the next year, or perhaj)s for years to come, what it ought to produce, con- sidering the outlay necessarily made by the in. coming tenant. I do consider that it is very important to con- sider what is the condition of the manure when you take a farm ; I do not hesitate to say, as regards this sub- ject, and I think this point ought to be more fully under- stood, that landlord and tenant should be as one when they have to come before a court of justice. If a tenant abuses the land, tenant-right would surely give the pos- sessor or the in-coming tenant a right to compensation for the damage which has been done. If there is to be justice at all, justice should award damages for injury done to the land. Whether it be one talent or ten talents, you have no right to abuse what has been entrusted to you ; you must employ it for good; and if you bury it in the soil, you must expect to have it taken from you. But if you do worse than this, if you leave the land in such a condition that if the in-coming tenant farm at all he can only do so at a loss, he has surely a right to a remedy. Some gentlemen have exclaimed this evening at the idea of such a return as 10 per cent, being ob- tained by tenant farmers ; considering that we are told in Scripture that some talents produce ten, twenty, and one hundred-fold, I should think it strange indeed if we could not command so small a return as 10 per cent. ; and I cannot but conceive that nothing but gross mis- management could prevent us from doing so. Surely such a state of things could only arise from the want of due consideration from the profligate state of the times. It is to be feared that many men, who would have abund- ance and to spare if they would but take care of it, waste more than they consume, and then complain that they have too little ! Of course, while we consider tenant-right in reference to the public we ought also to consider it in reference to private parties. The ques- tion is one which should be dealt with fairly, and 1 do think that if we are to have a jury of disinterested men, it must be formed of half and half. (Hear, hear, and laughter.) When the land is in such a bad condition as we know it must have become in some parts of the country, through the customs which prevail to the in- jury of such property, how, I would ask, are you to find new tenants for it .-' Is it to be expected that the land- lord will buy up the valuations, if I may so express it, in order to blind the eyes of the in-coming tenant? It never ought to be so. Except under peculiar circum- stances, the landlord ought not to be expected to buy up tillages. There is one point in reference to tillages which Mr. Shaw has not touched upon, though, in my opinion, it is extremely important ; I refer to the manner in which the work is performed. There are two ways of doing such work ; if you plough well, deep-stir the land, and have proper grubbers, you get from the land a suf- ficient amount of produce ; but if you do the work at a bad time out of spite to the landlord ; or if, again, being dissatisfied at having to go out of possession, you neglect cultivation, and do not care whether the work be well or ill performed, great injury will generally arise ; and it is very important that the in-coming tenant should know how the tillages have been performed. I would only say, in conclusion, that it appears to me that the difficulties in the way of the in-coming tenant are considerable ; and I do think that, considering the in- creasing population, there ought to be a commission appointed to go round and procure by day information to be discussed, if they please, at night. At all events, I wisli to see all parties awake and alive to a question which becomes so important when we see the population increasing by thousands ; and I would add, that we ought to consider this increase a blessing, instead of turning our population out of the country, as it were, to go and seek a living abroad. Let us aim at such a state of tilings that we shall be able to say, " Blessed be God, that wiih an increase in population He has given us an increase of happiness ;" and, if we are guided by what we read in Scripture, we shall come to the conclusion that such is the proper result. Mr. Beadel said : Mr. Shaw, in introducing the subject, let fall some observations which have induced me to rise on this occasion. He said the subject was one which belonged peculiarly to valuers ; and as I happen to be included, whether fortunately or otherwise, in that class, I feel bound to make one or two remarks. In doing so, I will endeavour to confine myself as far as possible, strictly to the subject stated on the card, leav- ing other subjects, or other ramifications of this question, to be discussed on future occasions. The question, as stated by Mr. Shaw, is, " The pernicious consequences resulting from the payment by the in-coming to the out- going tenant for tillages and manure made on the farm, according to the customs of some districts." If I rightly understand Mr. Shaw's meaning, his observa- tions applied particularly to three counties — Kent, Sur- rey, and Sussex. lie certainly glanced also at Lincoln- shire as a pattern (laughter). He first endeavoured to draw a distinction — and I think the distinction is a marked one — between what he has designated this even- ing as tenants' rights and tenant-right. Now, whatever I may think on the subject of tenant-right, I will re- serve my opinions on the question for a future occasion, and will confine myself to what is mentioned on the card, namely, tenants' rights; that is, all such matters and things as the out-going tenant expects to be paid for by the in-coming tenant. Mr. Shaw considers that the custom which prevails in this respect in the three coun- ties specified is objectionable, and I am quite sure that in this opinion every Englishman will concur when he knows that what the tenant is called upon to pay for is what he can neither see nor value. I think there can be no difference of opinion amongst us on this point ; but it must be exceedingly objectionable that a person hiring a farm, on coming into possession of that farm should be called upon to pay for that which lias been done without seeing it and being able to form an opinion of its value. I quite agree in the evidence given by Mr. Glutton that there is a great deal of deceit frequently practised in reference to such matters. It so happens that I have been engaged professionally both in the county of Surrey and in the county of Sussex, and I have frequently assented to things without feeling at all certain that I was doing right : but there was no avoid- ing it, because no direct evidence could be obtained (Hear, hear). The next point which I gathered frotn THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 29 Mr. Shaw was this — that what you can look at and handle there can be no objection to pay for. Now this was consolatory to me as an Essex man. In that county we do not pay for anything but that. Though I would not pretend for a moment that Essex can vie with Lin- colnshire, yet I must say that we do not there pay for half- dressings and half-fallows, and in some very large districts it is not customary even to pay for labour and manure. I do not find as the result of my experience that this circumstance at all militates against good and husbandman-like cultivation of the land (Hear, hear). Mr. Shaw suggested that the landlord was the proper party to buy up tenants' rights. Now on that subject there may be some difference of opinion ; but it really appears evident to my mind that landlords are the only parties who can buy them up, and for this simple rea- son : the valuations, whatever they may be, upon a farm have grown out of a custom, and the custom could not be taken to any one but the party who originally let the land to the holder. It is exactly like the case of a rec- tory and a vicarage. A vicarage is in fact something which was granted away from a rectory, and a similar observation will apply to the custom of which I have been speaking. I perfectly agree, therefore, with Mr. Shaw that the landlord is the proper party to buy up the valuations, and I am also satisfied that the sooner landlords do buy them up and put an end to the present system the better will it be, not only for the tenantry, but also for the proprietor. For it is to be remembered that it is not live but dead capital which we are now considering. It is capital which does not fructify ; it is comparatively unremunerative, and it remains just where it is until the in-coming tenant becomes an out-going tenant, and having been, as it were, cheated himself, has an opportunity of returning the compliment by cheating the gentleman who succeeds him (laughter). If the landlord were to buy up such matters he would secure a better class of tenantry. A person who comes to look at a farm in this position finds that it will take so much more capital than another farm of the same extent, and this may deter him from taking that which is offered. By abstracting so much from the floating capital you prevent the farmer from employing his capital bene- ficially to himself and the landlord. The landlord him- self is injured, for every man must admit that if a farm is well and properly cultivated the landlord is as much benefited as the tenant. We all know that if we have a poor farm of our own, that which prevents us from keeping up the rent is its bad condition. If it were pro- perly cultivated, the manures properly made, and the fallows properly done, there would be no trouble in letting it, because the inert capital required would be so much less than in the case of a farm out of cultivation, and because you would not have to live so long upon trust. I am now stating my own opinion as the result of experience, and I am quite willing to be a target for others to shoot at (Hear, bear). I will not, however, trouble you with many more remarks. As regards the difference between tenants' rights and tenant-right it has been drawn by Mr. Shaw, who has stated that by the former he means those things for which the in-coming tenant has to pay on entering into possession ; whereas, the mat- ters included under the term tenant-right possess this advantage over those just mentioned, namely, that they are tangible, permanent, and visible. So far tenant- right may be entitled to consideration but that the two things are not identical, I deny. I do not go the length of my friend, Mr. Shaw, in asserting that the gentlemen who examined the question in the House of Commons, by amalgamating the two questions, as it were designed to throw dust in our eyes ; but it is quite certain that, in what they said, they were talkuig about tenants' rights, and that in doing so, they did, in fact, confound them with tenant-right. That subject may, however, be dis- cussed at some future time : I refrain from entering into it at present. I will only say, in conclusion, that the more you reduce the amount which the tenant has to pay on taking possession of a farm, the more you re- duce the necessity for his advancing a large amount of capital which is to be inert, the more will you benefit the tenant, and in so doing, benefit the landlord. Mr. Stokes : Suppose you do not find a tenant for a farm when it becomes vacant, who, in that case, pays the tenant's rights ? Mr. Beadel : The landlord. That occurred in two instances last Michaelmas. We were not able to let the farms, and the landlord paid, not tenant-right, but tenants' rights ; that is, he paid the valuation which would have been paid by the in-coming tenant had the farm been let. Mr. Lattimore : There is one point on which I certainly agree with Mr. Beadel, and that is, that the getting rid of the troublesome question introduced this evening rests entirely with the landowners. The ques- tion before us is simply this, whether the existing custom, which has nothing to do with tenant-right (Hear, hear), and which has been suffered to grow up by the consent of the landlordand the passive assent of the agent, is attribut- able, as a fault, to those parties or to the tenant, who, in order to get possession of the farm, is obliged to sub- mit to the condition imposed. I know, from practical experience, or at least on the testimony of friends of my own, who have gone into Surrey, the pernicious effects of entering upon farms under such circumstances. A gentleman on my left (the Rev. J. B. Warren) has made some observations with respect to the former bad con- dition of land to the possession of which he himself has succeeded ; this land being, I believe, in Essex. Now, I would just put this question to that gentleman— under what circumstances was the land in question held by the previous tenant ? If we can learn from him upon what terms the former tenant held, we shall be able to judge better as to the merits of the case, and we may think that some additional rights were necessary to enable the party to cultivate the estate in a proper manner. The Rev. J. B. Warren : He and his father had been tenants for 20 or 30 years. Mr. Lattimore : On what terms ? The Rev. J. B. Warren : The terms were most liberal. Mr. Lattimore : Was there a lease .'' The Rev. J. B. Warren intimated that such was the case. Mr. Lattimore : This is almost the only case of the kind of which I have heard. Such cases are certainly the excejition, and not the rule. The observation was made by one of the preceding speakers, that a tenant could not obtain an advance of money upon a farm in such a condition as that described. Now I would put it to you whether, under present circumstances, this object is likely to be effected. The existing state of the law is well described by the evidence of Mr. Stewart, who is certainly an impartial witness. He says, the old notion was that the agricultural tenant was a mere husbandman of the land, and his claim as regarded his holding was an exceedingly weak one ; long terms, or leases, being looked upon generally with suspicion. Now, under those cir- cumstances— and mark, it is to a great extent the present state of the law — you can hardly expect any man to exert himself to put land into a good condition ; into such a condition, that is, that the successor may lake pos- session with advantage to himself. To illustrate this, I would mention a case which lately came under my own notice : I was in Scotland last year, when a lease ran out which was held by an excellent practical farmer ; and 30 THE FARMER'S MA.GAZ1NK. this gentleman found that, in consequence of the high condition of the farm v/hich he had occupied, so high were the biddings at the end of the lease, that there was no chance whatever of his remaining in possession ; and he was, therefore,. compelled to quit the farm. Now the position in which that gentleman was placed certainly Operated upon the minds of his brother farmers in the TiOwlands. They said, " We have heard a good deal of tenant-right, and it is surely wanted here : such a tenant-right as all honest men would desire to carry out." Every one saw, in fact, that what was wanted to com- plete a good system of cultivation in Scotland was an equitable tenant-right ; that while leases laid a good foundation, something more - that which is called tenant- right — was necessary to secure fertility to the Sdil (Hear, hear). If a law had existed, under which tenant-right was enjoyed, perhaps we should not have heard, this evening, the complaint as to the former condition of cer- tain land in Essex. I, for one, am not prepared to ad- mit that we should be justified in passing a severe vote of censure on any man for leaving land out of condition, unless we had ample proof before us that he had full security for any outlay, and could therefore entertain a just confidence in making it. Now the same gentleman to whom I have just referred has made some remarks with respect to the rights of landlords. I am quite sure that we wish for equal justice to both parties (Hear, hear). As observed by Mr. Beadel, the landlord would be benefited by an improvement in the position of his new tenant, if I should not rather say by the enjoyment of security on the part of the old one. But I would just ask whether the landlord may not give all that can be desired. The Chairman hoped the speaker would endeavour to confine himself to the real question before the meet- ing. iVIr. Lattimore : I will do so : I believe the question is the pernicious consequences that result from the ex- isting state of the law. Now 1 believe the law has grown up from the want of an equitable acknowledgment of the rights which attach to the tenant farmer's capital. As to the mode of getting rid of the evil, it rests with the landlord himself. I frankly admit that on reading the question as it stands on the card, it appeared to me to have a somewhat contradictory character, and to be somewhat calculated to mislead landlords. A sort of reply appears to be furnished by the evidence of Mr. Glutton. I thought, when 1 read that evidence, that it evinced a little bit of the science of land-craft ; we have had priest-craft and king-craft in other ages, and I thought within myself, " This, perhaps, is the age of land-craft" (laughter). Mr. Glutton's evidence went to show the difficulty of doing justice to the landlord. Now, I agree with Mr. Beadel that the landlord would always be benefited by doing justice to the tenant ; and if there be any absurd custom in existence which ope- rates against the tenants' interest, the removal of it is the best way of doing justice to the farmer, always re- membering that two blacks can never make one white. I argue, then, that it rests entirely with landlords and their agents to get rid of this obstruction, and to put us on a sound and equitable footing. As regards the claims of the out-going upon the in-coming tenant, I maintain that there should be one simple, general law. As there is a law of debtor and creditor to regulate the ordinary commercial transactions of the day, so also should there be a law with respect to the question under considera- tion ; which would prevent all mistakes about the value of what is paid for. As " value received" for "goods delivered" must be expressed in commercial dealings, so should there be "value received" in the case of the farm ; the evidence of practical men being required to settle the claims of the out-going tenant in respect of improvements on the estate. Now, gentlemen, if we divest our minds of the mystery in the evil sometimes involved in reference to this question, we shall come to the conclusion that if any evil exists under the present system it is not in the power of the tenant to remove it ; and I will venture to remark, as regards the districts where these various customs have grown up, that the majority of farmers whom I know would be glad to get all the farms to be disposed of to-morrow, if they could have secuiity for the outlay to be made upon them. What a man has bought he has a right to sell : this has been said by candidates at an election (laughter). If we can get this matter sim- plified, and placed on a solid and substantial footing, we shall have the brushwood cleared away, upon which we may plant the stately oak, which would grow up for the honour and advantage of this country (cheers). Mr. Hawkins : We are in Suffolk in the same posi- tion as they are in Essex ; we only pay there for what we receive — mucks, tillages, &c., and I think it is fair that the tenant should receive remuneration on that ac- count. On some farms it is, I know, the custom to perform only a part of the tillages. On the estate upon which I reside we only give two clean earths and a half. Mr. Hawkins then alluded to the remarks of the Rev. Mr. Warren in reference to the bad condition of a farm in his occupation, and deprecated the making of such remarks. The Ghairman interfered, and deprecated all allu- sion to matters of a personal nature. Mr. Hawkins : In some parts of Suffolk the manure made in the last year belongs to the landlord ; but I think the system pursued is rather reprehensible, for the tenant who goes into possession of the farm often finds very little manure, and what there is, is of such a de- scription that it is hardly worth having. The tenant would be in a much better position if, instead, he had to pay for manure which was made for him. We all know that where you pay for seeds, tillages, hay, and thrashing to the out-going tenant, it is natural for the farmer to make as much as he can at the expiration of his term ; I do not say unjustly, but in fairness to him- self. A grazing farmer will not keep so much stock in the last year, when there is no tenant right, as he other- wise would. This circumstance must, of course, induce him to mow more of his seed for hay, and to leave a larger crop than the in-coming tenant requires. There are undoubtedly some things which require to bealtei'ed, but I do not think that in my county we pay, as a ge- neral rule, for more than we receive. Mr. Bennett : In proceeding to address to the meeting a few observations on this subject, I experience consider- able embarrassment, inasmuch as 1 concur, to a great ex- tent, in the opinion of Mr. Lattimore, that the evil which has been stated from the chair is one which land- lords have it in their power to remedy. I foresaw that, when I first saw the printed announcement of the sub- ject of this evening's discussion. The matter does not appear to affect the farmers of England in general, but it places them in difficulties as regards theirremovalfromone part of the kingdom to another. It is very important that they should know what customs prevail, and what they would have to pay out of their own latitude. Last summer I was called upon to go over a farm in the neighbourhood of Epsom, and a very valuable farm it was. However, it was ascertained that the terms on which a tenant left were so favourable to him, and so un- favourable to the incoming tenant, that it would require a capital larger by i;*!, 500 to take it than it would require to enter upon a farm of the same size in Bed- fordshire or the midland counties. Under such circum- stances I felt called upon to address the landlord as to the impolicy of losing a most desirable tenant (for such THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 31 was the result) through such a state of things, and I put it to him whether it was not desirable that he should buy up such extraordinary tenant's rights, and thus ena- ble a person to take the farni under the same circum- stances as he might take one in other parts of the king- dom. But gentlemen are not always disposed to give a thousand or fifteen hundred pounds without appearing to receive any value. Considering that it is merely a question of an extra amount of capital to be found by the tenant, you will not find many landlords dis- posed to purchase tliese tenant's rights. The sub- ject may be looked upon in two points of view. The custom is not so mischievous to the landlord as it may at first sight appear. No one but a man of capital can take a farm so situated. So far, there is an ad- vantage to the landlord : a person without capital can- not creep into a farm under such circumstances, and thus the landlord enjoys greater security than he other- wise would do (Hear, hear). I do not regard that result as detrimental to the interests of agriculture. It is, however, desirable to have a greater evenness of custom throughout the country ; and that a man should, on going into a farm, have " value received" for what he pays is only common justice ; but I am not prepared to go so far as our excellent Chairman did in saying that a party has the same claim whether he have done his woi'k badly or not. I never would be a party to the paying of the same amount for work performed in a wretched and slovenly manner as for work performed in a husband- like manner (Hear, hear) ; and I cannot understand how any one would think of thus fooling his money away. If a party called that ploughing which, in my judgment, was not ploughing, I should deal with the case ac- cordingly. Let him call it what he pleased, it would be matter for consideration. There is no tenant-right that you can conceive under which we should not be open to difficulties of that kind : even supposing the Legislature were to pass an act establishing the principle of the right of the tenant to payment for unexhausted improvements, it must always be open for the consideration of men of business whether a claim was just or merely a visionary one, which could not be supported. I think that rather more has been made of what a man has frequently to pay than circumstances altogether warrant (Hear, hear). Mr. Shaw has made a remark in which I most fully agree, as to the desire which was manifested to swamp the question of tenant-right when it was before the Legislature last year. The kind of questions which were put shewed clearly enough that the object was to throw discredit on the whole question ; and every person who was examined before the committee, if he would honestly state his feelings, must confess that he never went into a court of justice where he was more severely cross-examined than he was on the question of tenant-right (Hear, hear). There did appear to me to be more of that than a fair and proper enquiry would warrant. There seemed, in fact, to be a great desire to damage the question altogether, and to shew its utter impracticability (Hear, hear). It is stated, gentlemen, that the thing is impracticable — that the question of get- ting fairly at what a man ought to pay for is impractica- ble. Why the same thing was said with regard to the commutation of tithes (Hear, hear). And why did Parliament interfere in that case ? Was it not because justice and the proper cultivation of the soil required it? Was it not that squabbles between the owners of land and the occupiers of the soil might no longer take place, and that if men will not come voluntarily to what is right and fair, the legislature must bring them to it .' (Hear, hear). I contend that if, as farmers, we can shew that we have invested anything in the soil which we have not had an opportunity of taking out of it, we are the creditors of the landlord and the public (Hear, hear). If after tenant-farmers have expended woney in the improvement of the soil, any circumstance arises to cut oft" their connection with it, and they have no op- portunity of taking out of the soil vfhat they have in- vested, the common law of the land ought to give them a fair and equitable remuneration for what they leave to their successors. Gentlemen, to say that the object is impracticable, is to say what is not true, and it is to throw dust in the eyes of the farmers of this country. I say it may be done — done with as much justice to the landlord as to the tenant. I fully concur in the obser- vation which has been made, that we ought to look at both sides of the question. I know that a landlord may be, and is, damaged by bad and slovenly cultivation ; and, as I have stated before, I see no objection to strengthening the landlord to secure good farming. But there is no fairness in merely calling upon the tenantry to cultivate the land well, as is done at agricul- tural meetings throughout the country. It frequently happens that when a landlord's health is proposed, he will toast agriculture and exhort tenants to good firm- ing ; but then he refuses to give them security for good farming — we will not go into that question ; and this, I think, is a fair ground of complaint against himself (Hear, hear). A circumstance occurs to my mind at this moment, which I think did much to direct the at- tention of your Chairman to this subject of tenant-right. Some years ago, Mr. Shaw came down to Bedfordshire, and he took an opportunity of catechising a party whose land, after being ploughed, exhibited a great many shoe- strings, which, he said, he had not expected to see in Bedfordshire. After he had made a few remarks of that kind, some of us, who felt the spirit of John Bull rising within us, turned round and asked him whether there might not be some cause for what he found fault with. One gentleman, a landlord, stated thnt having been accustomed to foUow the hounds, he had not till recently been aware that there was so much bad farming on his estate ; it had not produced, he said, more than £4 per acre, but having then got a farm into his own hands he had made it produce four times that amount. The question of the position of the tenant was then entered into, and it was ad- mitted that if he had in fact done his utmost to improve the sod, the landlord mighttake possession of every penuy's-worth; so that there would be no just right to call upon the tenant to improve uutil he had obtained security. There is one subject I feel liound to introduce, rather as a matter for inquiry than with any other view. When the subject of the diseases of cattle was brought before the last meeting, a gentleman pre- sent happened to say that he thought it was a dreadfid thing for the farmers of England that such a horrible cattle-plague should be allowed to extend through the kingdom. On mak- ing this observation he was called to order. Now if at an or- dinary meeting of this kind farmers are not allowed to go into the consideration of an evil which is the greatest ever known in this country, being no less than the poisoning of the beau- tiful flocks of this country — if farmers, I say, are not allowed to make the sliglitest reference to such a matter, I must say I think that some alteration is necessary. I do not know whe- ther a fresh constitution of the Farmers' Club will be required, but I am certainly of opinion tiiat matters immediately con- nected with the well-being of the farmers of this country are proper subjects for discussion. The Chairman : Gentlemen, I am quite sure you will excuse me for a moment. If Mr. Bennett refers to the report, he will find that the observation about not alluding to politics did not come from the chair. When I addressed the meeting after the discussion, I said that I would not follow my friend by introducing politics ; but the remark with respect to politics, of which he com- plains, was made by another party. W'ith respect to the powers of this club, it has a perfect right to discuss any question. I consider that, having fixed a subject for discussion, however extraordinary it may appear, it has a perfect right to discuss it. But I am quite sure Mr. 32 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Bennett will agree with me that we best promote the objects we have in view if, when we have agreed to dis- cuss one question, we do not go into another. (Hear, hear.) The question which we had to discuss on the night in question was pleuro pneumonia, in respect of its treatment medically, scientifically, and practically. It was not whether it be proper to import foreign cattle, or whether the disease did or did not arise from a change in the laws ; and I consider that if I had at once stopped any attempt to introduce such a subject as that, I should have been performing my duty much better than I have done to-night, in suffering two or three speakers to di- verge from the matter in hand. Mr. Parsons : Being the only representative of Sur- rey in this room, I feel called upon to notice the slur cast upon that county with respect to its customs. The customs of Surrey have not, I think, b';en fairly stated. I have heard a good deal said about dressings and half- dressings, and Mr. Beadel has told us of a farm in the neighbourhood of Epsom where the payments required to be paid to the outgoing tenant were exceedingly heavy. I do not think the customs are understood. Having been born and bred in the county of Surrey myself, I must say that they are not those which have been de- scribed this evening. As regards the precise question before us this evening, I must say that 1 do not see how any pernicious consequences are likely to arise from the fact of the incoming tenant paying for seeds. The ave- rage payment is £5 per acre for the turnips and the seed, and pernicious consequences I cannot admit. Good certainly arises from the custom, as regards the relation between landlord and tenant. In the first place, the fact of a tenant paying for seeds on a farm shows the landlord that he has sufficient capital, and I cannot ad- mit that capital so employed is dead. I say it is most necessary and useful that the incoming tenant should pay for such valuations, even for the sake of keeping up goodwill between landlord and tenant ; and I believe that if this custom were abolished, great injury would arise from the abolition, as regards the agricultural in- terest. This, surely, ought to be avoided. We are already overburdened with poor-rates and other incum- brances ; and instead of raising discontents amongst each other, we should try if we cannot agree among our- selves to act for the common benefit. The season has been a most adverse one, and the law has been so much altered, that we scarcely know what is our real position : we cannot tell how farming accounts will stand next year ; but there is every reason to believe that they will be worse rather than better. I must say that I think it would be better to let the subject alone till we see how the new law, which comes into operation next year, will affect the interests of the tenantry. Mr. Mechi : What about long fallows and hard dres- sings ? Mr. Parsons : I beg to say that they do not consti- tute the general custom. I wish to observe, as regards draining, that the practice is either for the landlord to drain, as the Duke of Bedford does — in which case he charges 6 per cent, on the amount he expended — or the landlord finds the materials. I refer to two landlords especially, Col. Wyndham and the Duke of Richmond : (Jol. Wyndham does all the draining himself, and charges nothing : the Duke of llichmond you all know to be a good landlord : I need not, therefore, say anything about him. I do not wish to see landlords and tenants divided ; I would rather see them acting together ; and I must repeat that the county of Surrey has been much misrepresented, as regards the customs which prevail in it. Mr. BoDDiNGTON : T beg leave to offer a few obser- vations on the subject under discussion, I must say, that when I first saw the card I felt that the Committee intended to make the question a grand matter of agita- tion, and the Club itself a sort of centre or focus for that agitation. But in the modified form in which the question has come before us to-night, it does not appear as though there would be any great degree of agitation : in fact, in its present form, I think the question is a very harmless one, and I think it is very doubtful whether any act of Parliament will be passed in refer- ence to it ; and even if there be, I do not see how jou are to set aside private arrangements between landlord and tenant. I think that the putting of the question in the form in which it appears before us will divest the minrls of landlords of any apprehension which they may have entertained, that you intend to have a finger in the pie, or, in other words, to touch the fee simple. I cer- tainly think a great deal of unnecessary apprehension has existed. A gentleman remarked (referring to Mr. Mechi) at the dinner last year, that tenant-right was a mistake. Mr. Mechi : I never said so. The Chairman : We are discussing custom.s, not tenant-right (Hear, hear). Mr. BoDDiNGTON : Then I repeat my opinion, that the question as it stands is a most harmless one. Wherever I go I find that tenants are pretty well satisfied : they do not express any desire for an altera- tion ; and I think that ultimately this question of tenant-right will be entirely swamped by that vi'hich we shall have to discuss before long — of tenants' wrongs (Hear, hear). Mr. Mechi : I have only one word to say. In the county of Surrey it has been found practically that the compulsory allowance made for a certain number of ploughings is occasionally very injuiious to the in- coming tenant ; for there are many persons who prefer growing a heavy mangel wurzel crop on a single plough- ing, and it is not right that such persons should be com- pelled to pay for five ploughings. That is one case in which compulsory payments act very injuriously. Mr. Parsons : I believe that it only occurs where it has been mentioned in the lease. Mr. Mechi : I have always understood that it is the custom of the country. Mr. Ellman : I have been waiting some time in the hope that some of my brother farmers would be induced to take part in the discussion, and anticipate what I had to say. But as that has not been done, and as allusion has been made to Surrey, Sussex, and Kent, perhaps it would not become me to leave this room without taking part in the discussion, and introducing what I think ought to be urged. As the three counties mentioned are more injured, if there be any injury, than other parts of the country, it does certainly appear to me astonishing that there are not more individuals here to-night be- longing to those counties to take part in the discussion. I do not mean to infer from that, that the farmers of Kent, Surrey, and Sussex, are lukewarm ; neither do I intend to imply that the question which has been intro- duced is not worthy of their attention. But, gentlemen, we have . been stirred up to the quick for so long a time that we cannot safely trust ourselves to enter upon any question lest we should diverge into what some persons might call a political topic. I do not understand so much the difference between tenants' rights and tenant-right as some gentlemen who have spoken to- night. I must confess that I was somewhat startled, as His Grace the Duke of Richmond once was, at the v.ord "tenant-right;" but when I heard the explanation of the Chairman that it was not intended to discuss the question which has been agitated so much throughout the country, namely, the tenant-right question, which has been taken up by two different parties in a very different sense, and perhaps !,with very different THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 3;; feelings, I felt that I had been mistaken in my apprehensions. I do believe that the question has been misunderstood, and I am exceedingly glad to find now that the word employed on this occasion has reference to the settlement between the outgoing tenant and the incoming tenant. Perhaps I should have been better prepared to go into the question if si different word had been employed ; and if the matters in question had been introduced, not as tenants' rights, but as matters of custom in the counties in question. With regard to the custom in the county of Sussex, I do not think we have there so much to complain of as regards the payment for valuations by the incoming tenant ; we have not so much to find fault with in that respect as we have in reference to some other matters which afiect us in that county. Now, being myself a tenant, having been so for some time, and being also a small landlord, I confess I do not see that any great hardship is at pre- sent inflicted on the tenant ; nor do I think that the tenantry generally in Sussex would be very much bene- fited by a change in the system. The system prevailing in Sussex appears to me not to be one which any person, having entered into an agreement, can fairly complain of. He enters into the question before he engages the farm ; and he thus knows perfectly well what he has to trust to, and what he has to pay. He knows very well that if the landlord were to take the payment upon him- self, he would charge the tenant with the amount ; and whether he pay the landlord, or whether he pay the out- going tenant, makes very little difference to him. But, if I understand the matter rightly, fault is found that there is a want of capital to pay these valuations. I perfectly agree with the opinion of Mr. Hine, as ex- pressed in his pamphlet, that farmers have not that capital to invest in the soil which manufacturers can command. That is the mischief — the want of capital. Well, then, if it turns upon capital, we must consider why it is that tenant-farmers do not possess capital; and how am I to consider that question without going away from the subject of valuation. But I will not depart from this subject ; feeling quite sure that if I were to mention anything about Sir Robert Peel's bill of 1844 the Chairman would stop me. But it is impossible to discuss this question fully if we are confined to what are commonly called " tenants' rights" (Hear, hear). I perfectly agree with my friend on my right that the qu stion is a perfectly harmless one, and I think per- sons will consider us lukewarm in the cause for enter- taining so harmless a question. For reasons, into which I need not enter, there is not at present the best feeling between landlord and tenant ; and, perhaps, the more we go into questions of this nature the less likely is it that there will be any improve- ment in that respect. I believe the whole of the aristo- cracy would be most ready and happy to meet us in order to settle this question, but they know not how to do so (Hear, hear). Perhaps they have not studied the question of valuations. It is only for want of know- ledge on the subject that they do not meet us, I think if we could bring it home to their minds that it is neces- sary to have some alteration on the subject of these valuations, or anything else, they would be perfectly ready to meet all our reasonable wishes. 1 repeat that, so far as the county of Sussex is concerned, I do not think there is anything to complain of with regard to the pay- ments by the tenant ; but at the same time it would be exceedingly useful if in the county of Sussex, as well as in any other county, the landlords would lend the tenants a portion of the capital necessary on taking to the farm (laughter), I should be very glad, for example, if a landlord would relieve me from the expense of valua- tions (laughter). It is perfectly right for him to do so if he thinks proper, but I do not think it would be right for me to require it, or to attempt to enforce it from him after entering into an agi'eement (Hear,' hear), I hope that this question will be settled without quarrel- ling with landlords, for I believe that landlords are dis- posed to meet us amicably, at least through their agents. Mr. Mechi : Give us your opinion of dressings and half-dressings, Mr. Ellm.vn : As I said before, there 'is nothing in the county of Sussex to be complained of, except that the farmers of the county, like those of many others, have not sufficient capital to farm the land. With regard to dressings and half dressings, I decidedly consider that if I had been at the expense of dressing my land for wheat, which is the practice in the Weald; of Sussex, having sown in the spring of the year the seeds, I consider that those seeds would be much benefited by the manure. If the taking be at Lady-day, there is of course a clear ad- vantage to the in -coming tenant, and he has a right to be paid. If, on the other hand, he takes, at Michaelmas, such manures as would benefit the in-coming tenant he expects and is willing to pay for. I am not sure that the valuation should not take into account other unex- hausted improvements in the land. It appears to me to make no difference whether a man, in the case of 20 acres, only exhausts ten, or whether he expends ^50 in draining ; in either case he is equally entitled to receive payment for what he has done. It matters not what it is ; the in-coming tenant or the landlord must be bene- fited by the improvements which the out-going tenant leaves on the farm, and I consider that all these things should be included in the valuation. I believe that if we were to talk a little of security, which some per- sons call tenant-right, in which the whole community is interested ; if we were enabled to obtain security for all the improvements which, as tenants, we effect and leave behind, there would not then be so much complaint about the payments made by the incoming tenant to the outgoing tenant. Let the question be put fairly before the community at large. It is not, in fact, a question which is confined to landlord and tenant as regards the interest which should be felt in it ; it extends to all classes ; and I believe that if there were a general dispo- sition to deal with it in the right spirit, a conclusion would soon be arrived at. I have spoken to landlords as well as tenants on this subject ; and I have found the former as much disposed to give, as the latter are to de- mand, security : they appear, in fact, equally anxious for the settlement of this question. I do not apprehend that there will be that difficulty in settling the general question as some people imagine. But as regards the valuation question, it should, I think, have gone a little further, and included all unexhausted improvements, whether paid for by the incoming tenant or by the land- lord, Mr. Carter : I feel called upon to make a few re- marks with regard to the county of Kent. We have heard that county connected with Sussex and Surrey. I am happy to tell you that the customs and covenants ex- isting between landlords and tenants in the county of Kent are most beneficial in practice. We are not there subject to any half-fallows or half- dressings ; we are merely called upon to pay for workmanship, Mr. BoDDiNGTON : Does the in-coming tenant take to the whole of the wheat crop ? Mr. Carter : We leave at Michaelmas, and conse- quently there is no occasion for that. It is not done ex- cept when it is matter of arrangement between the out- going tenant and the in-coming tenant. Perhaps the Weald may constitute an exception, but in the greater part of this county, certainly in all that part which is best cultivated, the custom is what I have stated. Mr. Ho BBS : When I entered the room I had no in- 34 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. tentioa of addressing the meeting, feeling quite sure that the subject would be so well introduced from the chair that no explanations would be required from me. But as most of the gentlemen who have spoken have so much connected the subject of tenants' rights jwith that of tenant-right, I feel called upon to make a few remarks. I am not surprised that gentlemen should have taken the course they have done, for I agree with Mr. Ellman that the subject of tenant-right is the most important one that we can discuss at the present time. Never- theless, I do consider that it is the duty of the Chairman to see that we confine ourselves as much as possible to the subject on the card, namely — " The pernicious con- sequences resulting from the payment by the in-coming tenant to the out-going tenant for tillages and manure made on the farm." It would appear from the wording of the question that the Chairman is aware that it is in some districts called " Tenants' rights," otherwise 1 am quite satisfied that he would not have introduced it in the manner that he has done. I am quite sure that those who have taken up the important question of " Tenant Right," would not have used that term this evening if they had not found it generally employed in the districts where the customs which have been referred to are found to exist. It was more with a view of explaining the difference between the two kinds of tenant-right, than from any other motive, that such a course was pur- sued. I was not present when Mr. Shaw introduced the subject this evening ; but from the remarks which have fallen from members of the club, who have spoken this evening, I gather proof that the committee did right in determining to bring the subject under our notice. Not two gentlemen who have spoken this evening have given a similar account of the practices which prevail in their districts ; therefore I conclude that the matter is one requiring alteration, and worthy of the attention of the club. I think you will all agree with me, that the main object whichwe should keep in view is, the affording facili- ties for the investment of more floating capital in the soil. It has, I believe, been stated by Mr. Shaw, that a great part of the capital of the tenant-farmer is invested as fixed capital by the payment of tenants' rights in those counties where the practice prevails to such an extent ; and if, as I believe to be the fact (and I think all present will agree with me on this point), if it be a general com- plaint in the country that there is too little floating capi- tal invested in the soil, it is clear that by liberating a portion of the fixed capital, and turning it into floating capital, we shall have done something towards obviating the evil complained of. If a portion of the capital so situated were released, and brought into operation in some other form, there can be no doubt that the whole country would reap the benefit. But, gentlemen, I will not detain you any longer at so late a period of the evening, particularly as many of you have to attend a lecture of the Royal Agricultural Society. Let me say, in conclusion, that I agree with Mr. Beadell that this question is an important one, even in relation to landlords ; and where landlords have capital at com- mand, I think they would do well to employ it in re- leasing their tenants from this burden on their capital. I know that in my own county, for example, farmers are frequently called upon to make four or five plough- ings, whereas in growing green crops, such as mangel- wurzel, if they were allowed to resort for that purpose to improved methods of husbandry, the result would be more beneficial to the landlord, to the tenant, to the labourer, and to the public at large. Mr. Ellman has mixed a good deal to-day with the landlords in the show-yard ; and I am glad to find, from his statement, that the landlords, as a body, are ready to meet us on the question of tenant-right. Mr. Ellman : I would not have it supposed that I am come from the landlords to state on their behalf that they are prepared for a settlement of the question (" Hear, hear," and laughter). I tell you candidly that I have always been against them on the question of tenant-right ; and I must say that, whenever I have in conversation explained the nature of what was de- manded, I have never met with a single landlord who has not acknowledged that the tenantry in general stood in need of greater security. Mr. Wm. Shaw : I come from Northamptonshire, and I have only one or two words to say on this subject. I must say, first, that I think if by means of the im- provements of the day, one good scufling be sufficient, it must be very absurd to have four or five ploughings. I cannot defend the custom of my own country, for it is one under which a tenant who leaves a farm in a bad condition receives just the same as another tenant who leaves his in a good condition. I think it is much to be regretted that, in any part of the country, a person who drains his land, or feeds his cattle on oil-cake, should re- ceive no more than one who has farmed in the worst manner. Mr. Walton said : I represent Hampshire ; and, though, in my opinion, there is no tenantry superior to that of my own neighbourhood— (I live near Win- chester)— yet I regret to say that we have no security. Even two years' manure we are compelled to leave behind ; we receive nothing except for sanfoin. It is, in my opinion, much better for a farmer to pay for improve- ments effected on a farm, when he enters into possession, than to take a farm in bad condition without having to pay for improvements. We want a remunerating valua- tion for what is left. I have known many in-coming tenants take to farms which have been badly managed, which have required much more capital to bring them into good condition than would have been necessary to pay for two years' unexhausted improvements. It is my firm conviction that if landlords paid a fair proportion of the taxation of the country, and if the forests which abound were cleared, there would not be so many poor for us to support. The Chairman, in replying, said : I am very glad that Mr. Hobbs has reminded me that many of us may be desirous of going to the lecture of the Royal Agricultural Society ; independently of which, the time has arrived when we usually close our discus- sions. I will not occupy your time with more than two or three sentences. I, for one, feel very much grati- fied at this evening's discussion, although I dare say many of you feel disappointed ; and sure am I that those who think this subject quite a harmless one feel most disappointed. (" Hear, hear," and laughter.) There are some circumstances which have afforded me great satisfaction, and none so much as this : that with all the desire which gentlemen have evinced to keep close to the question, they could not possibly keep away from that paramount question which we have not been discussing to-night. (Hear, hear.) That circumstance shows that I was, to a certain extent, right in putting this question on the card, and thus endeavouring to keep up the spirit of the real tenant-right ; and if this question be such a harmless one, I trust it will at least do no harm. (Hear, hear.) There is one mistake which I am anxious to correct. It has been said that I have charged gentlemen who appeared before the Committee of the House of Commons with having sought to dis- tort the question of tenant-right, and to throw odium on it through the medium of tenants' rights. Now I should be sorry if such a statement went forth uncon- tradicted. If I said anything which bore that construc- tion, I must certainly have expressed myself very im- perfectly. What I said was, that certain witnesses ap- peared to have been called for the purpose of mystifying THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 36 tenant-right, and in order that pers )ng miglit not see the difference between tenant-rigtit and tenants' rights. It was against the leaders that I made my charge, and not against the gentlemen who gave evidence. I gave Mr. Glutton full credit for having delivered liis evidence lilce a man of business, and I liave not the slightest doubt that ever5'tliing which he stated, so far as his knowledge extended, was correct. At all events this discussi'in has given gentlemen from Sussex, Surrey, and Kent, an oppoituuity of speaking on this question; and one thing is now clear, viz., that if the customs of those counties are as good as some have de- scribed them to be, those of a very large portion of the country are very bad indeed (Hear, hear). I was also very glad to gather from Mr. EUman — and I cannot suf- fer that to pass unnoticed — that a change is taking place in the minds of the landowners in reference to the question of tenant-right. Of all things, that is what we are most anxious to see : and if he can by his eloquence induce landlords to consent to an alteration, I am quite sure that we cnuld not do better than by putting our hands into our pockets handsomely remunerate him for his services in prevailing upon landlords to give security to the tenant farmers. 1 do not know whether any gentleman is prepared with a proposition ; but, if not, I wish to submit one, and I would remark that it applies especially to those districts which I have named. What I pro)iose is affirmative of the question on the card: " That certain payments by the in-coming to the out-going tenant for tillages and manure made on the farm, according to the customs of some districts, and commonly called ' Tenants' Rights,' in the opinion of this Club are pernicious in their consequences." Mr. W. Bennett suggested that the word " cove- nants" should be substituted for " Tenants' Rights." Mr. Thomas : Before you put the question, Mr. Chairman, I would remind you that it is taken for granted in the resolution that tenant-right is the panacea for all the evils which have arisen. I have not heard, since I took my seat in this room, a single word about the propriety or necessity for leases. The Chairman : That is a distinct question, Mr. Thomas then read the question on the card, and said : 1 considered that one of the questions to be mooted this evening was whether any alter. ition could be recom- mended by this Club in the mode in which tennnts leave tlieir farms ; but when I allude to this subject I am told that I am perfectly out of order. The Chairman : I did not say that you were per- fectly out of order. I thought you were going to enter on the question of leases, and it was solely with a view to prevent that, that I interrupted you. Mr. Thomas : I regret that the opinion of an honest tenant farmer should be stifled, but 1 bow to your de- cision. After some conversation, the following tesolution was adopted unanimously :- — " That there are certain cus- tomary payments by the in-coming to the out-going te- nant in some districts which are pernicious in their ope- ration." This terminated the discussion. THESMITHFIELD CLUB DINNER. The annual dinner of the Smithfield Cattle Club took place on the 8th December last, at the Freemasons' Hall, Great Queen-street. His Grace the Duke of Richmond, the president of the club, filled the chair, and upwards of 150 gentlemen surrounded the festive board. The noble chairman ^Yas supported on his right by the Earl of Yarboroui^h, late President of the Roval Agricultural Society of England, and by the Earl of Chichester, the pi^sent President of that Society, on his left : and amongst the general company assembled we observed — The Hon. Dudley Pelham ; Lord William Lennox ; Sir F. Lawley ; Colonel Sibthorp, M.P. ; Major-Gtneral Wemyss; Hon. H. W. Wilson; J.V.Shelley, Esq.; H. Wilson, Esq. ; Harold Littledale, Esq. ; John Kinder, Esq. ; T. R. Barber, Esq. ; H. Brandreth, Esq. ; W. F. Hobbs, E.«n. ; Messrs. T. Umbers, Stokes, Grant- ham, Willinton, Muskett, J. Webb, S. Webb, C. Thompson, W. Shaw, &c. The cloth having been removed. The noble Chaiuman rose and said: Gentlemen, I rise to propose to the members of the Smithfield Cattle Club, and to their friends here assembled, that they should drink to the health of our gracious sovereign the Queen (cheers). Gentlemen, her Majesty has always proved herself to be most anxious for the welfare of her people, and in her domestic life she has practised all those moral and religious duties which adorn womankind (cheers). Loyal, we the Smithfield Cattle Club, and I may say too the farmers of England, e^er have been, and I believe ever will continue to be (cheers). Gentlemen, amidst the wreck of monarchies, the confusion and the anarchy which unfortunate'y prevail in so many parts of the civilized world, we, 1 think all of us, have deep rea- son to be grateful to an all-wise and gracious Providence that our lot has been cast to live in the land governed by Queen Victoria (cheers). Proud, gentlemen, we must be of our free institutions, which I hope and trust, and confidently believe, will long preserve the monarchy of this great empire for the weal of all classes of our fellow- subjects, in peace and good order. Gentlemen, I give you with three times thn e " The Health of Queen Victoria," and may ^he long reign over a free, a happy, and a contented nation (cheers). The toast was drunk with three times three and one cheer more. The Chairman. — The next toast upon the list which I am about to propose to you, is " The Queen Dowager, his Royal Highness Prince Albtrt, the Piince of Wales, and the other Members of the Royal Family." It gives me great satisfaction at all times to propose at any meetings in t'.iis country the health of the Dowager Queen of England, who is so well known, even in the remotest parts of the country, for the universal kind- ness of heart which she has ever exhibited (Hear, heat). Gentlemen, I am happy to give Prince Albert, and 1 re- gret that it was not in the power of her Majesty and Prince Albert, this year, to attend our show-yard. I am delighted tO say that Prince Albert continues to support the Smithfield Cattle Club in the best manner in which he can do so ; because, depend upon it, that the example of an individual in high station, who sends his stock to be exhibited at our show-yard, is likely to be followed ; and I am delighted to find that Prince Albert has gained some of your premiums on the pre- sent occasion (cheers). Gentlemen, with respect to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, one whose fate hereafter is of deep importance to this country, I look with confidence that, coming from a good stuck and well educated, he v.ill prove himself worthy of his illus- trious parents, and govern the country hereafter in the only way in which it can be governed (cheers). The D 2 36 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Duke of Cambridge and the other members of the Royal the committee this morning, and upon being asked Family, the sons of George III., ever have felt the deepest interest in the agriculture and agriculturists of this country ; and I am happy to have seen the Duke of Cambridge so well, and enjoying so much the show- yard as he did this year (cheers). Gentlemen, it is not necessary for me to detain you further than to ask you to drink to "The Healths of the Dowager Queen, his Royal Highness Prince Albert, Albert Prince of Wales, and the other Members of the Royal Family." — The toast was drunk with three times three. The Chairman. — Gentlemen, the next toast that I am about to propose requires no preface from me, for your attendance here to-day proves that you are deeply interested in the success of the Smithfield Cattle Club ; deeply interested, because you beli.^ve that the exertions of this society do tend to the benefit of all classes of the community (cheers). Gentlemen, the show this year, as I am informed by those who are more competent than I am to give an opinion, is what would be called a " good show.'' But we cannot say that, in all classes of the cattle, we may not upon some former occasion have had an equal, if not a better one ; but if I bow, as I do, to the opinion which has been expressed by the practical farmers, and those who have visited the show, with re- spect to the cattle, I think there is hardly one who visited that exhibition who was not pleased to see so very good a show, and so great a competition in the sheep classes. Upon the whole, then, I believe it to have been a good show ; and 1 think the meeting here assembled proves that the society is going on well. But in these days, when men require more than the outward show to be convinced whether a society is sound or not, I may tell you that I heard to-day, with the greatest possible satisfaction, of the flourishing state of our funds (cheers). Gentlemen, I bilieve that the premiums which have been advertised to be given in the year 1849 will be paid without trenching at all upon the subscriptions of that year. And that is what I conceive to be trading upon a good and a ssund basis (cheers). For many years I have had the good fortune to be present in your show, yard, and at meetings here, and I may say that I have ever found the members of the Smithfield Cattle Club most anxious that justice should be done to all competitors that came into th'yiird; but in giving this toast loughtperhaps to state thatin suchasociety as this, whetherflourishina;or not, when animals are brought to the show for exhibi- tion, we cannot be certain that amongst some of them one black sheep may not be found (Hear, hear). Gentlemen, the Smithfield Club, upon the advice of their stewards and their judges, found that great doubt was entertained as to the a^e of some of the stock exhibited in the yard ; and they therefore pursued that course which I am sure you, as Englishmen, will th nk was the only one which they ought to follow. They called upon the individual who v;as so charged. They read to him the charge thiit had bi-en made against him. They told him that, in accordance with the precedents of this club, upon such doubts being expressed (not by unsuccessful candidates, permit me to say, but by the stewards and the judges — men of the highest honour and integrity), they had ap- pointed a committee to investigate the case. I, as the preside :t, called in the individual. I stated to him that a committee would meet, and that he ought to be pre- sent to produce his evidence ; and I recommended him at the same time to bring before that committee the books which he might keep. He replied that, after what occurred la^t year, and as great suspicions were then en- t rtained, he had taken care to be quite right upon the present occasion, and would produce his books. The committee was appointed. He met them this morning. He produced the feeder of his pigs (Hear, hear). Gentlemen, he is not a farmer (cheers). Well, he met for his books he said he kept no hooks at all, and no memorandums. The committee inquired into the particular case before them, and called his feeder, and then the exhibitor, and upon his own evidence they were unanimously of opinion that he should be disqualified from taking the prize, because he had made a false return. The club then, I think most rightly and fairly, called him into the room, that he might hear the report read, and every word of the evidence which his man, in his absence, had given. He came ; and upon his own evidence he was proved guilty. I deeply regret that this circumstance should have taken place ; but the committee — and I entirely concur with them — thought that, if fraud exists, it is our business boldly and manfully to state to the world who the man is who disgraced the cla^s he belonged to, and the club of which he was an exhibitor (Hear, hear). Gentlemen, he was not a member of this society ; but I will narrate to you one part of the evidence, and will then leave it to the practical farmers whether they have any doubt upon the subject. He showed in two classes : in the first class he would have gained the gold medal, and the first premium. They examined him in reference to that ; his story was a pretty fair one there ; though, by- the-bye, it is not corroborated by his man, who did not hear the evidence which he gave. But then the com- mittee most properly thought it right to test the other, in which he would only get the second prize ; and there he admitted that the young sow had had pigs four days old, though he admitted signing a certificate that the pigs out of that sow were 14 weeks old, and that the sow had gone 16 weeks with pigs (laughter). Now, if anything in the world could be a better proof that " honesty is the best policy," it is the very case which I have now stated to you. I have thought it right to state this in giving the toast of " Prosperity to the Club," though of course it will be referred to in the award and report that will be made ; because one of the only objections that I have ever heard made against premiums in agricultural societies is that they are liable to fraud. But there is no transaction of human life that is not liable to fraud ; and if I prove to you that fraud has been committed, that it has been discovered ; that it has been shown up, if I may make use of that expression, I think you will have reason to believe that the success of the Smithfield Cattle Club will continue. So long as the club is sup- ported by the practical tenant-farmers of the country I have no doubt it will succeed, and I believe that the great body of them will agree with me in opinion that it is likely to promote great good in the country (cheers). I give you, therefore, with the utmost satisfaction, " Success and Prosperity to the Smithfield Cattle Club." — The toast was drunk with three times three, and one cheer more. The Chairman then read the judges' award of prizes, and handed the several amounts to the respective winners. He next proposed, " The Health of the Successful Com- petitors in the Classes for Oxen and Steers," coupling with the toast, " The Earl of Leicester." — The toast was drunk with all the honours. The Chairman gave, "The Successful Competitors for Cows and Heifers," and " Mr. Mann, of Fenny Stanton, who had gained the gold medal." Mr. Mann returned thanks, and, in doing so, recom- mended the tenant-farmers to resort to the use of good bulls as one of the best means to improve the breed of their cattle (cheers). The Chairman proposed, " The Health of the Suc- cessful Competitors in Long-woolled Sheep ; " and Mr. Wood acknowledged the toast. The Chakman then read that portion of the report THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 37 which stated that the 10/. prize awarded to Mr. Whit- field had, for the reasons adverted to la his speech, bern given to Prince Albert ; and that the gold medal, also awarded to Mr. Whitfield, had, for the same reasons, been given to Mr. Barber (cheers). His Grace next gave " The Successful Competitors in short-wooUed Sheep, and Mr. Samuel Webb." Mr. S. Webb responded to the toast. Although he intended, at least for a time, to discontinue exhibiting his sheep, he should still remain a subscriber to, and member of, the Smithfield Cattle Club (cheers). The Chairman gave " The Health of the Success- ful Competitors in Pigs," coupling with it the name of General Wemyss. General Wemyss acknowledged the compliment. As regarded his Royal Highness Prince Albert, whom he had the honour of serving, he believed it was not gene- rally regarded as in accordance with etiquette to notice any member of the Hoyal Family as a subject ; but he was sure his Royal Highness had given sufficient evi- dence to the agriculturists of England that he felt the warmest interest in their prosperity (cheers). The Earl of Chichester. — Gentlemen, I have been requested by the committee to propose to yoa "The Health of the President of this Club" (cheers). 1 was a little surprised at finding that so young a member as myself should have had intrusted to him such en im- portant toast ; but probably the committee were aware that, though a new member, I was not a new acquaint- ance of your noble president, but had had ample oppor- tunities of knowing the value of his services, and ot ap- preciating the wisdom of your selection in appointing my noble friend as your president (cheers). Before I had any connection with your proceedings I felt assured that this institution was one which claimed the active support of every true friend of British agriculture (cheers). I feel proud, therefore, at having the honour of being a member of your institution, and I shall al- ways give my humble support to the promotion of that prosperity which, I am glad to hear, still attends the so- ciety. With these few remarks I call upon you to drink, "The Health of my noble friend the Duke of Richmond." — The toast was honoured with three times three and one cheer more. The Duke of Richmond replied to the toast. — 1 have never (said his grace) been of opiiiiou that the agricultural interest was the only one which ought to be considered in this great country ; but I have always maintained the opinion that upon the prosperity of the a<(ric\iltural interest was based the welfare and prosperity of all classes of the community (cheers). I am one of those who wish well to the manufacturing interest of our country. They are our great consumers. They are our fellow subjects. They pay allegiance to the same Sovereign. They are proud of the same institutions. Without their welfare, without the welfare of the commercial interests of this great country, we, the farmers, should indeed be at a loss ; but, gentlemen, I cannot understand why the three great interests of our national industry should not be combined, one and all, in support of the basis of all, which is the agricultural interest of the country (cheers). I caunot better explain my views upon agricultural improvement, than by saying that I have witnessed in the last ten or twenty years very rapid strides towards that improvement. I see land which formerly could hardly be called cultivated, by a thorough good system of drain- ing made to produce nearly double the crop that it did before. I believe that draining has been adopted to a very great ex- tent ; but I wish to see every acre of land that will pay for draining ultimately subjected to that process (cheers). And here I appeal to the raonied interest of the country whether they had not better invest their capital in companies whose ob- ject is to promote drainage in their own country, than embark in speculations in far distant climes (Hear). When I speak to you of drainage I do so as a practical farmer, because I have a property in Scotland which I have largely drained; but I feel that if I had treble the capital I possess, I could make more money than most of the City men do now — that is, taking into considera- tion their bad debts, which could not exist if they lent their money to the landed proprietors, who are willing to give them the first security for it. Whenever I travel about the country, it is my pleasure, as it is my habit, to go and visit the farms in the neighbourhood where I may for tiie time be staying; and I went the other day into a county (Lancashire) which is not famous for its farming ; but I there saw some of the most astounding proofs that I ever saw of draining upon moss land. There were large tracts of country which formerly no horse could go over, and upon which I saw stubble which proves that the best of crops had been grown there, and a field of Swede turnips which would not disgrace some of the best land in Sus- sex (Hear, hear). I have made these remarks because I am sa- tisfied that nothing is so calculated to give employment to the agricultural labourer, and to promote the interests of agricul- ture, as bringing new laud into cultivation, and well draining thj laud which is in cultivation at the present moment (Hear, hear). There is not a gentleman here who can go to his home without seeing very many acres on his farm which would well repay the outlay for drainage. One other point to which I would advert, is that no farmer can properly farm lanil if the fields are not of a proper size (cheers). If the landlord will consent to drain he must cut down the ash trees; but if he will not do that I venture to say that those trees will effectually check every drain which he makes upon a field (Hear, hear). In conclusion, I thank you for the compliment you have paid me, and I trust the Smithfield Cattle Club may long continue to prosper (loud cheers). His Grace then proposed " The health of the Vice-Presidents, and particularly the Earl of Yarhorough." The Earl of Yarborough, in replying to the toast, said that he did not know that anything had made hiui more alive to the importance of agriculture than the circumstance that, when a young man, he left Lincohijliire, and went into Devon- shire to study, and, in doing so, left very large fields, to see the evils of very small fields (Hear, hear). In Devonshire he saw the inconveniences to which the farmers were subjected by havin- fields that were too small to be well cultivated, and so environed by hedge-row timber that neither sun nor air could get into them. This was generally acknowledged to be an evil ; and he hoped the day would soon arrive when it would be completely remedied. With regard to drainage, if encouragement were but given by the landlord, it was quite clear tliat the occupier was fully alive to the advantage to be derived therefrom. But to help him (continued tlie noble Earl), there must also be some security that the labour he is to bestow brings a return for his benefit, and gives him ample encouragement to prosecute improvements. I feel the im- portance of this, inasmuch as I happen to have properly in a county where this principle has been generally acknowledged, as well as property in a country where, though it may be ac- knowledged, it has never been practi-ed. I hope, however, thit the day is corning when it shall not only beacknowleilged, but when the landowners shall be ready to act up lo it; for I am certain that it is for the interest of the landowner, for the interest of the occupier, and for the interest of all classes of the community, that they should do so (cheers). The noble earl concluded by again thanking the company for unnkiiig his health The following toasts were then proposed from the chair : — " The Judges," acknowledged by Mr. T. Umbers. " The Stewards." Mr. Fisher Hobbs, in returning thanks, said : My lord Duke and gentlemen, as senior steward I beg to return thanks on behalf of myself and my brother stewards for the honour you have done us in proposing our healths, and for the manner in which that toast has been received. I have used my utmost endeavours during the three years I have been m office to maintain the character of this Club ; to effect which, I hold that part of the duty of the stewards, which consists in the appointment of the judges, to be the most important. I this year selected Mr. Chapman, a man of known integrity, and considered to be one of the best, if not the best, and most experienced judge of cattle in England. The gentlemen who were associated with him, Mr. Umbers and Mr. Loft, are also men of high standing and reputation ; and I am fully warranted iu stating that their decisions have been based upon the soundest principles of judgment, honour, and integrity. I am glad to find that the opinion hitherto expressed by the public press, ridiciding our exhi- 38 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. bition of stock, is becoming changed. And I feel persuaded that the more they mix among ns, and the more they enquire into, and the better they understand our motives, the more highly will they appreciate the objects sought, and the benefits resulting from the opeiations of this club. It has been boldly stated that the falteiiing of the animals exhibited at this show resu'ted in serious loss to the feeder. 1 hold in my luuid a correct and detailed statement of the cost of rearing and feeding the animal which took the gold medal last year, and I am pre- pared to show there remains, after paying all expenses, a profit of five pounds to the feeder. In retiring from the otlice of steward, I beg to assure you that I shall continue to do every- thing in my power to promote the interests of the club. Thanking you for the honour you have done me and my brother stewards, I have the honour to drink all your healths. " The Honorary Secretary, Mr. Braudreth Gibbs, to whom they owed a debt of gratitude for the time and attention he had devoted to the interests of the club." Mr. Brandreth Gibbs acknowledged the toast, and con- gratulated the Club, not only on the state of its finances, but on the popularity it had attained, numbering as it did amongst its exhibitors alike the prince, the noble, and the tenant- farmer. An additional cause for congratulation was the re- turn of their noble president, the Duke of Richmond, whom they were all delighted to see amongst them once again. In concluding, he could assure them tliat his services as their secretary were entirely and cordially at t'leir disposal (cheers). " The Health of Mr. Brandreth, the Father of the Club." Mr. Humphrey Bhandbeth, High Sheriff of Bedford- shire, returned thanks on behalf of his father. The President, in proposing "Success to the Royal Agricultural Society," with which he coupled the Earl of Chichester, President of the year, observed, that although the noble Earl had not been in the habit of attending meetings of this Club, still he was associated with agricultural meetings in his own county. As an old friend, and knowing hira to be zealous in the cause of agriculture, he had great pleasure in proposing him to fill the office of President of the Royal Agricultural Society, and he felt convinced that he would give the utmost attention to the duties of his office. His Grace adverted to the origin of the society, stating, that having witnessed the operations of the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland when residing there, he thought it strange that there should be no snch Society iu England ; he named the subject to his friend, the late Earl Spencer, who brought the subject forward at a meeting of the Smithfield Club in this room. He himself had supported the proposition of his noble friend, which was also at the same time further advocated iu an eloquent manner by their late lamented friend, Mr. Handley; and assisted by Mr. Shaw, whom he saw at the bottom of the table, the Society was thus brought into existence. He might therefore state that the Royal Agricidtural Society had emanated from the Smithfield Club. He need scarcely enlarge upon the bene- fits which that Society was conferring upon agriculture. After some further remarks. His Grace concluded by proposing "The Royal Agricultural Society of England, and the Earl of Chichester." The Earl of Chichester returned thanks, and said that if he were not to make a few remarks in acknowledgment of the toast, he might appear ungrateful for the honour which had been conferred upon him, and which he could assure them he felt most deeply, however unworthy he miivriters, who. although young men, have distinguished themselves by uniting scientific and literary attainments with practical knowledge of agriculture, will be a suffi- cient guarantee for its utility. As a specimen of the useful information contained in the work, we subjoin the following comparison of the cost of thrashing by steam-power and horse-power : — Steam Power. Purchase of a 6-horse steam-engine (210?.), and a £ s. d thrashing and dressing-machine (85i.) . . 295 0 0 One year's hiterest at 10 per cent. . . . . 30 0 0 2i per cent, for repairs 7 10 Yearly charge on 5,000 coombs corn . . £37 10 0 An average Day's Work of Mown Wheat or Barley, 80 1 man to drive engine 1 ditto to feed machine Young man to untie 2 men on stack, at Is. 8d. 1 man and 1 girl to put straw out of the barn 1 man to pitch straw 1 ditto to load A girl to riddle spoutings . . 1 man to attend to chatf, corn, and colder 8 cwt. of coals Interest on capital and wear and tear of machine, at IJd. per coomb* coombs. £ s. d. 0 2 G 0 2 6 0 1 6 0 3 4 0 2 6 0 1 8 0 1 8 0 0 9 0 2 0 0 18 0 6 5 0 1 4 0 10 5 0 80 coombs . . 5d. per coomb. £1 14 5 Horse Power. Purchase of a 6-horse power portable thrashing- £ s. d. machine, &c. . . . . . . . . . . 90 0 0 One year's interest on ditto, at 10 per cent. . . 9 0 0 2,5 per cent, for repairs . . . . . . ..250 Yearly charge on 5,000 coombs corn . . £11 5 0 Average Day's Work of Mown Wheat or Barley, 65 coombs. 8 horses, at 3s. per day 1 man to drive horses 1 ditto to feed machine . . Young man to untie 2 men on stack 4 straw-shakers — 2 women at 9d. And 1 man 1 man to pitch straw 1 ditto to load 2 men to riddle 1 girl or boy to fill sieves 1 man to turn dressing-machine 1 ditto to fill ditto 1 gill to potter 1 boy to clear away corn 2 8 5 Interest on capital, and wear and tear of machine, at OJd per coomb 0 2 8^ £ s. d. .. 1 4 0 ..0 1 8 ..0 2 G .. 0 1 0 .. 0 3 4 .. 0 1 G .. 0 1 8 .. 0 1 8 .. 0 1 8 .. 0 3 4 .. 0 0 9 ..0 1 8 .. 0 1 8 .. 0 0 9 .. 0 0 9 65 coombs Over 9d. a coomb. £2 11 li * A slight allowance is made in consideration of tlie steam being employed for other purposes than thrashing. 42 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. SCIENTIFIC AND AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION. MESSES. NESBITS' ACADEMY, KENNINGTON, NEAR LONDON. On Thursday, December 14, a most iuterestiug examination of the pupils of the above Academy took place in the school-room, in the presence of a number of ladies and gentlemen, who had been especially invited to attend. The room was, in fact, well filled ; and, from the interest manifested throughout by the audience, it was evident that the efforts of the Messrs. Nesbit in the cause of agricultural and general education had not failed to be duly appreciated. A printed programme of the proceed- ings was distributed amongst the company, comprising recita- tions of choice selections from the English classics, and an examination in Botany by C. Johnson. Esq., of Guy's Hos- pital; in Mathematics and Natural Philosophy, by J. Imray, Esq , M.A. ; in Geology, by John Morris, Esq., F.G.S. ; and in Chemistry, by A. W. Hoffman, Esq., Ph. D., Professor of Chemistry in the Royal College of Chemistry. Amongst those who were present, were C. Copeland, Esq., M.A., of Kenuiugton ; John ]\Iatson, Esq., of Hackney ; J. Morris, Esq., F.G.S., of Kensington; J. Imray, Esq., M.A. ; W. T. Iliff, Esq. ; John I\Iease, Esq. ; F. Rowton, Esq. ; C. Johnson, Esq., Professor of Botany, at Guy's Hospital; G. Whiting, Esq,, Editor of the "Maidstone Gazette; W. Shaw, Esq , Editor of the " Mark-lane Express" ; H. Trumper, Esq., Buckinghamshire ; James Agate, Esq., Horsham ; R. Prosser, Birmingham ; Crlass, Simpson, and Hooper, Esqs., &c., &c. It had been announced that C. Pearson, Esq., M.P. for the Borough of Lambeth, would take the chair at sis o'clock ; but Mr. Pearson not having arrived at half-past six, Mr. Nesbit said he was confident that something unex- pected bad cecurred to prevent the attendance of Mr. Pearson at the hour for commencing. In order, however, that there miy;ht be no furtlier delay, he would suggest that Jlr. Rowton should take the chair. ]Mr. IIowTON having complied with this suggestion, said that, after the delay which had already taken place, he would not detain the meeting by making a speech, but would at once^all upon his young friend. Master C. Agate, to recite an opening poetical address. Master C. Agate then recited a poetical address, appro- priate to the occasion, written by Mr. Rowton. The following selections were then recited : — Glenalvon and Norval (Home), by Masters Ilutley and Trumper ; Le Meu- r.ier sans souci (Audrceux), by Master Jlifif; Marmion'a Defi- ance (Scott), by Master Matson ; Absolom (Willis), by Master E. Agate. ' Eacli of the above recitations elicited warm plaudits from the meeting. An examination in Botany was then conducted by Charles Johnson, Esiq., of Guy's Hospital. Mr. Johnson said that, as he had ah-eady examined this class at length on the subject of Botany, lie should only then put a few general questions to the pupils, m order to ascertain whether they retained what they had acquired. The examination in Botany was then proceeded with. It comprised questions as to the grand divisions of the flowering plants ; the properties and characteristics of tiic rosaceous plants ; the subdivisions of different plants, and their several peculiarities ; and other questions of a similar character. The answers were given with marked promptitude, and in no in- stance appeared to require correction from the examiner. At the close of the examination, Mr. JoiiNSO.N' said: I have to announce to the company that from a previous examination of the pupils on Saturday last, I found that Master C. Agate and Master L. Cottingham had distanced their competitors in the race ; and that I liave adjudged to them the prizes. Only a single prize was in the first instance offered by Messrs. Nesbit ; but in consequence of these two young gentlemen approaching so near to each otiier in the progress which they have made, it has been de- termined that two prizes shall be given (cheers). To the state- ment that these two have distanced their competitors,, I should add that, generally speaking, the pupils have acquired quite as much knowledge of the subject as it was possible for them to attain during the short time that many of them have made it their study (applause). The Chairman : We are now, ladies and gentlemen, to have a debate on the question — " Are the mental capacities of the sexes equal ?" I have no doubt you all feel with me that there is somethi:ig barbarous in disputing at all on that ques- tion ; and that it is almost a pity such a question should ever have been debated (Hear, hear). Still, as the question has been and is discussed, the young gentlemen appear before us as adventurous young knights who are ready to break a lance ; and I trust you, ladies and gentlemen, will all, with their as- sistance, arrive at a just conclusion (laughter). It was then formally proposed by Master Thome, seconded by Master Trumper, and carried unanimously, that Master Hutley should take the chair. This was the prelude to a dis- cussion, which was carried on in a very animated manner ; and the various points of which, as they were successively put forth by the disputants, received due acknowledgment from the assembly. After a pleasing display of juvenile eloquence, a proposition was carried mianimously, to the effect that the mental capacities of the sexes are equal. Charles Pearson, Esq., M.P., having entered the room during the progress of the discussion, at the close of it Mr. Rowton vacated the cliair in order to make room for him. Mr. Pearson then said : Ladies and gentlemen, I may safely assure you that the hour at which 1 have arrived la not indicative of the habits of my life. Since I have been con- nected with this borough, and even with t'ne corporation which I have the honour to serve, 1 have scarcely ever been too late for any appointment ; nor should I have been so this evening had I not by mistake entered the engagement in my memo- randum-book for seven o'clock instead of six (" Hear, hear," and cheers). However, the loss is mine. T have been here long enough to listen to a very spirited debate, conducted ac- cording to the best principles observed in the greatest houses in this country — (laughter) — and I can only say that these young gentlemen have manifested an aptitude for discussion which does great credit both to themselves and to their in- structors (Hear, hear). I confess that in the early part of the debate I thought the fair sex rather roughly treated — (laughter) — however, the cause of that was perhaps explained by one of the very acute speakers towards the close, when he told us that those who w^ere describing the fair sex disadvautageously had an interest in giving the preference to their own (laughter). I could not help thinking of the fable, w ith which I daresay you are all acquainted, that an artist having painted a lion being conquered by a man, he stepped out of the room, when a lion looked in. Seeing the picture the animal said, " Ah I this is all very well : but it must be recollected that if a lion had painted this, he would have represented a lion conquering a man" (laughter). So also if an assemblage of young ladies h:id discussed this question, and if, without being perceived by them, we could have heard what they said, I daresay they would not have shown any mental inferiority in their manner of dealing with the subject (Hear, hear). However, the gallantry of our young friends came to the aid of tlie ladies ; and, whatever prejudice might do at the beginning, gallantry settled the question in the end. 'We all know that ultimately our friends did full justice to the female sex. Whether the young gen'lemau who said, " We will take this to our hearts," meant by that to give a pledge that he and his fellow-pupils would by-and-bye take the ladies to their hearts, I cannot determine (laugliter). The mathematical examinalion will now take place. I most earnestly request the gentleman who conducts it, not to throw any part of the duty ou the Chairman. Edu- cation has inarched ou with such rapid strides since I was en- gaged in my juvenile studies, that I must confess myself utterly incompetent to take any part in the examination, I THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 43 recollect being present ouce at an examination in one of our model schools, when a learned bishop who stood beside me said to me, "Mr. Pearson, will you examine the boys?" I re- plied, " So long as they do not examine mc, I shall feel very much obliged to them" (laughter). From tlie specimen which I had witnessed, I really felt that the right rev. prelate himself might have stood in a bad position if he had been examined by, instead of examining, his young friends (Hear, hear, and laughter). John Imray, Esq., M.A., the mathematical examiner, said : Mr. Chairman, although you have professed your want of acquaintance with this science, let me say that you have shown what constitutes the principal element of mathematics — namely, good common sense ; the science of mathematics being intended to draw out that part of man's nature more than any other. Mr. Imray then put to the pupils a number of ques- tions, embracing some of the most useful points in the sciences of mathematics, natural philosophy, &c., not omitting the methods of ascertaining the superficial and soUd contents of different bodies. In this case, as in the previous one, the re- sult was highly creditable to the pupils. At the close of the examination, Mr. Imray said : I consider the questions which I have already put perfectly sufficient. Before I sit down I must mention that on Friday last I gave the boys a very long and difficult examination, and was highly satisfied with the manner in which they acquitted themselves. I per- ceived that they had not got mathematics, as it were, by rote ; but really knew the meaning of what they had been taught, hav- ing been instructed upon a system which is far better than that followed by the majority of teachers. I submitted them to an examination, as I have done now, by voice. I afterwards gave them a few exercises in writing ; and I must say that amongst those who did best in both these cases, IMaster Charles Agate signalized himself the most. Not that the others were mucii inferior ; but still he was the best, and I believe, therefore, that the prize in this class has been awarded to him. The Chairman : We are now about to have another proof that devotion to the severer studies has not disqualified for the lighter kinds of proficiency. Master C. Agate, who won the mathematical prize, and is, as we hive heard, among the good the best, will commence. The following pieces were then recited : " King John and the Abbott" (anonymous), by Master C. Agate ; "The Burial of Sir John Moore" (Wolfe), by Master Whiting; " Adieux k la Vie" (rjilbert), by Master Hutley; Scene from "Cato" — the dialogue between Cato, Sempronius, Lucius, Decius, and Junius — (Addison), by Masters L. Cottingham, E. Agate, Trumper, Hutley, and C. Agate. The last recitation at this period of the evening was that of "The Well of St. Keyne" (Southey), by Master Matson, which elicited special marks of approbation from those assembled. J. Morris, Esq., F.G.S., then conducted an examination in geology. Tlie questions had reference to the object of the study ; the different classes of rocks, stratified and uustrati- fied, togetlier with their position on the map ; the fossils found in rocks of various cla3-:es ; the geological positions of coal, salt, gypsum, and the chief minerals of this country ; tlie principal divisions and properties of the cretaceous group ; the depositions of substances useful in agriculture, and the at>ricultural capabilities of different soils ; the geological peculiarities of the east and south-east of England ; the charac- teribtics of the Weald, &c. The Examiner said at the conclu- sion, ladies and gentlemen, I last Monday subjected the pupils to a long and careful examination ; and I may say that I found thein taking a deep interest in natural science ; so dei.'p an inter- est, in fact, that I trust it will prove of the greatest service to them in their future career. Besides affording us amuse- ment this eveuiug, they have also shown their aptitude for picking up information. I may myution that between the Masters Agate and Cottingham the competition for merit was so great that I found it difficult to decide ; but having given them a scries of written examinations. Master E. Agate appeared to me to have answered them in the most clear and satisfactory manner. I thought therefore that to hiuithe prize ought to he awarded (Hear, hear). Thj Chairman said : I am sure we are all delighted to observe that this branch of science, geology, is receiving in- creased attention in the present day. It is a matter of great importance to all of us that we should have the wealth of the earth developed for the benefit of man ; and to these young gentlemen the study is of infinite value. When we find that the population is increasing at the rate of upwards of a thou- sand a day, and is pressing on the means of subsistence in a manner which sometimes threatens the nation with the most severe distress, if not with the dissolution of the bonds of society, we cannot but feel that attention should be directed to the increasing by all possible means the productiveness of the earth. We have been told that he who causes two blades of grass to grow where one only grew before, is greater than the conqueror of nations. 1 believe that the study of che- mistry in connection with agriculture, and the scientific exa- mination of the geological properties and qualities of the earth, mil furnish us with such advantages that practically we shall have not only two blades of grass growing where one only grew before, but a dozen ears of wheat where only one ear was before obtained (Hear, hear). I recognize in the case of some of these young gentlemen the names of per- sons who have distuiguished themselves by their practical usefulness in society. The name of Hutley is one which many of you well know, and I believe the young gentleman present (referring to Master Hutley) claims kindred with tlie gentle- man to whom I allude. England has long boasted of her farming superiority. I imagine that now she will add another sprig to her wreath, and that, by combining scientific research with great practical industry and experience, the agricultural interest wdl attain a yet higher position. (Cheers.) I think it desirable that we should give this ex- pression of opinion, seeing that the young gentlemen do not devote their time merely to studies of an ornamental charac- ter, but address themselves here to objects which are really useful. (Cheers.) Whether their names shall hereafter be written in the book of time as doing honour to their race here, or whether they shall transfer the knowledge they may acquire to other countries, they may rely upon it that the information which they are now attaining will be of great advantage to them in whatever country or position they may be placed. (Hear, hear.) Public attention is now fixed upon emigration; and it may be that some of these young gentlemen will in after times be the founders of families in a portion of our colonies. " Dwell in the land and verily ye shall be fed" is a pro- mise which I believe however will not fail us in the present day. I think that the broad acres of this land are capable of sup- porting twice the amount of the present population, provided science, industry, and capital be combined for the purpose of developing the resources of the nation ; but still, whether they reside at home or abroad, tiiese youi'g gentlemen will find that in drinking here of the fountain of useful practical know- ledge, they were partaking of that which must be of in- estimable advantage to them at all periods of their existence. These young gentlemen, after indulging us with specimens of their proficiency, in geology, are about again to gratify us with some of the lighter forms of eutertainiueiit. The following recitations were then excellently delivered : — "Lochinvar" (Scott), by Master E. Cottingham ; "Paddy Dun- bar" (Hughes), by Master E. Agate; "Beth Gelert, or the Grave of "the Hound" (Spencer), by Master Freestone ; " Ben Battle" (Hood), by Master Trumper; " The Ocean" (Byron), by Master L. Cottingham ; and the " Jackdaw of Kheims" (ingoldsby), by Master Hutley. Mr. J. C. Nesbit then said — Ladies and gentlemen, I am sorry to tell you, that owing to the circumstance of Dr. Hoff- man's removal from his present residence, it is impossible for him to give his attendance here this evening for the purpose of conducting personally the examination in chemistry. But, in fact, he examined the pupils in their chemical studies last Tues- day evening, devoting several hours to the task, and he has made the award which was necessary to enable us to decide who shall have the prize. I will, with your permission, put a few questions to the pupils myself, in order to show you that they really understand the subject; but, of course, an examination conducted privately, and at much greater length than it could be on such an occasion as this, is much more satisfactory for the purpose of determining the relative merits of the pupils. Let mc first read the following letter from Dr. Hoffman. " Koyal College of Chemistry, Loudon, Dec. 13th, 1848. "Dear Sir,— I have carefully examined your pupils in qua- litative analysis, both verbally and by means of written ques- 44 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. tions, and have found them very much advanced in this branch of chemistry. " I consider it my duty to mention the names of Messrs. C. J. Agate (first prizeman), Lewis Cottingham and G. Whiting, in particular, as liaving been prominent in tne examinations. Unable to attend at the public examination, I may be allowed to congratulate you on the system of instruction which you have introduced into your academy, and ou the success with which your endeavours have been attended. I am, my dear sir, yom-3 faithfully, " A. W. Hoffman." The prize, therefore, has been awarded to my friend Mr. C. Agate, although Master L. Cottingham and Master Whiting are both mentioned by Dr. Hoffman as having approached very near to him in point of excellence. The examination, conducted by Mr. Nesbit himself, com- prised questious as to the modes of detecting manganese, nickel, cobalt, zinc, baryta, strontia, and many other sub- stances ; and also the quantitative estimation of phosphoric acid and the phosphates. The answers of the pupils were prompt and decisive. Mr. J. C. Nesbit. — Mr. Chairman, ladies, and gentlemen, I do not think it necessary to intrude auy further upon your time with our chemical examination ; because I consider that the pupils having undergone a lengthened examination from a gentleman so well known as Dr. Hoffman — a gentle- man who is himself one of the first professors of chemistry in this country — being a pupil of Liebig, and having conducted the laboratory at Giessen for many years — the good opinion, I say, wliich he has expressed is sufficient to shew that the knowledge which the students have acquired is anything but superficial (Hear). I would take this opportunity of making a few observations with regard to the general progress of these young gentlemen, and the manner in which they have been taught. With respect to the study of chemistry, I think we have done a great deal more within the last year than has yet been accomplished in any other similar establishment, or by the same number of pupils. During the last twelve months we have undertaken and prosecuted an investigation of very great importance to agriculture — no other than the analyzing of the fossils of many, if not of most, of the strata of this country, in order to discover the phosphate of lime or earth of bones — a substance so valuable to agriculture, that, by its as- sistance, the growth of a good crop of turnips may generally be secured. During the progress of this investigation, the pupils have pertormed upwards of 300 quantitative analyses, or analyses by weight ; and the results have formed the subject of two communications to the Chemical Society, and have been read before the members ; while another paper has been com- municated to the Geological Society. I need not mention the average age of these boys ; but you at once perceive that they are too young to have entered long on a career of scientific study, and you therefore feel that they have been dili- gent, and have employed well the opportunities which they have here possessed. It must be remembered that their time has not been devoted solely to chemistry. As you have seen this evening, mathematics and botany, and the general studies included in a good education, have not been neglected ; and I may here mention, that in the surveying and engineering de- partments, the pupils have, during the past year, had many weeks' open air exercise in levelhng, railway engineering, and surveying, and that, in fact, a portion of Kennington, amount- ing to nearly SO acres, with the houses, streets, gardens, com- mon, and other grounds, &c., has been accurately surveyed and planned by the pupils themselves, under the able direction of Mr. Cregan. With respect to botany, it is not necessary for me to offer any observations, the good opinion of Mr. Johnson being quite sufficient ; and I dare say the gentlemen who examined the pupils in mathematics and geology will, by and bye, make a few remarks with respect to their advance- ment in these sciences. I wish here to add a few words myself on the principles of education. I believe that these principles are not at present so well understood in this country as they ought to be, either by teachers or parents (Hear, hear). With a great majority of the po- pulation of the three kingdoms, the three R's — reading, 'riliiKj, and 'rilhmetic (laughter) — constitute the sole idea of education. Now, however essential a knowledge of these subject* may be, it is only a means to an end (Hear, hear) — they are only the instruments by which a real educa- tion may be obtained : for education consists, in my opinion, of such a course of study as shall discipline the mind, teach it how to think, and bring it into the best possible condition for acting, in the affairs of life, with energy, decision, and success. In order to effect this purpose, it has been usual to insist upon the studying of the dead languages. Latin and Greek have been used in this country as means of disciplining the mind and cultivating habits of thought : they have, too, cer- tainly, been applied with considerable success ; but it so hap- pens, that however well the mind may have been thus disci- plined, still, as regards the great mass of the population of this country, as respects those who are engaged in manufactures, and trade, and agriculture, the knowledge acquired by the study of the classics is of no use whatever, when they come to take part in the affairs of real life and business. Now, gen- tlemen, I have thought that, in the study of natural science, in the study of the works of the Almighty as displayed before us in nature, we have that which is capable of giving to the mind an equal, if not a superior degree of discipline, to that which it ob- tains by the study of the dead languages, and at the same time of conferring on those who engage in it avastamountof information which will be practically useful to them when they enter the arena of life, whether they shall be engaged in the pursuits of commerce, agriculture, manufactures, or the arts. It is with this view that I have endeavoured to substitute, as it were, to some extent, the study of natural philosophy, chemistry, geo- logy, and botauy, for those studies which still, I regret to say, profitlessly occupy so large a portion of the student's time ; and while I would not for a moment depreciate tlie value of a proper amount of classical literature, yet I do contend that the very long period which is usually devoted to such studies in- volves, in most cases, a lamentable loss of time, particularly as the period occupied in education is, in many cases, unfortu- nately so exceedingly limited. If youth devoted less time to tlie study of Latin and Greek, and more to natural science, they would enter the busy world with minds more enlightened, disciplined, and alert, and with knowledge more useful to them- selves and to others. I believe that the study of natural sci- ence will both discipline the mind, and be useful to tliose who devote themselves to it in their subsequent career. I have no doubt that one or two of our friends will make a few observa- tions on this subject. Allow me to make one more myself be- fore I conclude. It is, that in the case of the mathematical examination, one young gentleman honourably retreated in consequence of the superiority of his knowledge to that pos- sessed by the younger members of our community (cheers) ; a gentleman who having devoted a great portion of his time, having in fact almost exclusively directed his attention to the study of mathematics, has mastered that science to an extent surpassing the progress of any of the other students. I speak of my friend Mr. George Whiting. I think it right thus pub- licly to announce that had Mr. Whiting been examined with the younger boys he must have taken the prize, being far su- perior to them in that respect. He withdrew from the contest, well knowing that his mathematical abilities were of such a high order that it was not necessary or fitting for him to contend with his fellow pupils (cheers). John Matson, Esq., Hackney, here rose in the body of the room, and said — Mr. Chairman, I beg pardon for intruding npon your attention, but I think it riglit that I should bear testimony to the very excellent manner in whicii my boy has been educated in this school. He has been here but little more than six months, and I am happy to say that so much has he profited by the instruction he has received that some time ago he delivered a lecture to the Literary and Scientific Institution of Hackney, and Mr. Rowton will bear testimony to the manner in which he acquitted himself on that occasion. Mr. Rowton : I feel called upon, after the appeal which has been made to me by Mr. Matson, to state what was my im- pression with regard to his son's lecture. A few weeks ago I attended the lecture delivered by Master Matson at the Lite- rary and Scientific Institution of West Hackney, of which I have the honour to be President ; and I must acknowledge that the lecture was distinguished by a remarkable amount of know- ledge, by great skill in detail, and by uniform success in a large number of experiments; not one of the experiments failed (Hear, hear). Tlie lecture was likewise distinguished by a pleasing manner in the speaker, which reflected great credit on those who had trained him. W. Shaw, Esq., of the Strand (editor of the Mark Lane Express), said : Sir, I should feel that I were unworthy of be* THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 45 ing my friend's guest on this important occasion, if I did not offer two or three remarks upon what 1 have had the gratifica- tion to see and hear this evening. I assure you it has called up many pleasing recollections ; and I have reflected with con- siderable regret that when I was of the age of these lads, gene- ral education had not taken that turn which it now seems to be doing. Then, as my friend Mr. Nesbit says, we were nailed down to Greek, Latni, and mathematics, and had very little time for the acquisition of general knowledge. I think we are exceedingly indebted to those who, like our friends the Messrs. Nesbit, are infusing into our general system of educa- tion tliat species of knowledge which cannot fail to become practically useful in after life. I cannot help congratulating you, as a portion of this great nation, that in one of those higiier spheres which we are proud to look up to, for both those who have been members of the universities, and those who have not, look up to them with respect — I am glad to find that in the university of Cambridge there has lately been an intima- tion given, that the system of education at present existing there is about to be reformed, and that that species of general knovvledge which has been adverted to this evening will in future be attended to by tliose who have to fill the highest posi- tions in this country (cheers). Such a fact cannot fail to interest all classes ; and I agree with our friend, Mr. Nesbit, that there is nothing like practical knowledge, knowledge which will be useful in after life, as the basis of general educa- tion. I also congratulate Mr. Nesbit on his success in another point of view, namely, in reference to agriculture ; a subject in which I feel great interest, having been engaged in it duruig nearly the whole period of my life. I am glad to perceive that attention is here paid to those sciences which are likely to be beneficial to our rising agriculturists, and I look forward lo an improvement in that class quite as great as that which characterises any other portion of society (Hear, hear). I have long been of opinion that the only true way of improv- ing agricultural education is by infusing better principles of education into existing schools (Hear, hear). I know there are those who are very zealous for the establishment of agricul- tural colleges. I should be sorry to say a word which could, in the sliglitest degree, damage any attempt which may be made to improve agricultural education ; but having resided myself for a great many years in the country, I know how our schools are constituted and supported, and I have always been of opinion that the most satisfactory, the most expeditious, and the most certain mode of rapidly increasing the sphere of agri- cultural knowledge, is to endeavour to infuse a better system of teaching into the schools already existing (Hear, hear). I really think it would be far more difficult to establish new schools upon better principles, than to infuse such principles into tiiose which are already in operation (Hear, hear). As an humble individual, I beg to express my warmest thanks to the Messrs. Nesbit, and I must say in conclusion that I think the highest credit is due to them for having adopted and developed so good a system of education (Hear, hear), the excellent re- svdts of which we have this night witnessed. J. Morris, Esq., F.G.S., the examiner in geology, then said : Sir, I wish to make a few observations upon the position which we occupy this evening. After the interesting exhibition which Vie have vWtuessed, there can be no doubt that we meet on this occasion to herald the dawn of the human intellect and to advance its progress to greater maturity. The object is one of deep interest, especially when considered in connection with the great purposes of life, and with the great advance which science will, I trust, make for the benefit of mankind. It has been well observed by the celebrated physician Montfauqon that if there exist any means of making men rich and happy, and of giving them abundant nutriment and all the necessaries of life, it is by unveiling the riches which nature offers, and by diffusing the gifts which nature everywhere exhibits on her sur- face; it IS by introducing a love of the natural sciences so bene- ficial to man, softening and relieving, as it were, his burdens, rendering him more happy, more peaceful, and more contented. I, therefore, do feel that the system pursued by the Messrs. Nesbit is one of deep interest to the whole community. While I am sure that classical literature is here deeply respected, while I am convinced that it ought to be thus respected, as making us, as it were, denizens of, and communicants with, the world within, still we ought to remember that it is natural science alone which can acquaint us with the external world, (Hear, hear). That appears to me to be the great distinction between the two kinds of knowledge. I must say that natural science has other and higher advantages beyond the classics. Whether we look £t chemistry, which by its synthetical and close mode of investigation disciplines the mind for analytical processes, or whether we look at zoology and botany, which teach the mind to be minute and careful in all its proceedings in after life, I think it must be admitted that those sciences are not less beneficial, practically, than mathematics, in un- folding the higher order of mental phenomena. Who can fail to perceive the advantages which natural science is calculated to confer ? Who amongst us has not reflected that if those who have left this country for distant colonies had carried with them minds better cultivated, we should have reaped from their enterprize higher advantages ? (Hear, hear.) How many plants yet remain unknown, how many deep recesses of the earth yet remain unexplored, which, had the natural sciences been cultivated earlier, might have administered largely to the wants of mankind ? (Hear, hear ; and cheers). Must we not feel that as the European has advanced, as it were, on the tread or the footstep of the Indian or aboriginal race, had he pos- sessed natural science and a mind better cultivated, his ad- vance would have been hailed with pleasure and with joy, in- stead of being regarded as a bane aud a curse to the whole native community ? Who can tell what advantages the mother country might have derived from the spread of natural science? It has been aptly said by an author, that he who creates a thought does an immortal thing. As a pebble dropped into the silent lake produces an undulation which reaches the distant bank, so a thought cast on the broad field of the popu- lar mind must everywhere produce its appropriate effect ; and who shall say where its progress will be arrested — who define the spot on the shoreless ocean of the human intellect where its influence shall not be felt ? (applause). Gentlemen, I do feel deeply the advantages of natural science. Amongst those ad- vantages we must not forget its soothing influence upon the human mind. Surely, when we look around upon the vast magnificence which it everywhere opens before us, we cannot think that man, with all his intellectual appetites, and all his varied powers, was placed on this earth merely to be an idle spectator of the vast scene around him. To his intellectual energies all the recesses of the earth are open ; to his untiring skill earth yields up her innumerable treasures ; and the study of natural science creates in us deep respect and adoration for that Deity who governs all things, and has arranged all with so much symmetry and order. I trust, therefore, that the natural sciences will be increasingly taught in our schools, so as to prove beneficial to the rising generation. I do feel, too, with our President, that the young gentlemen who have been examined may leave an impression upon the book of time in after years, since their attention has been directed to that communion with the world without, to that sphere of natural science which affords, I am sure, the only guarantee and me- dium for the progress of agriculture and the advancement of the best interests of civilization. Much has been doue to im- prove mechanical, mathematical, and physical science in past times ; much has certainly thus been contributed already towards the well-being of the human race, but I still think that by directing attention increasingly to the world without, we may do much towards the further amelioration of the con- dition of the mass of the human race (applause). J. Imray, Esq., M.A., said : Sir, considering the impressive, and I may say the eloquent, manner in which the sentiments of the last speaker have been expressed, it would not become me to give the same kind of testimony at any length. I wiU, however, say a few words — and very few tiiey shall be — as to "That I have observed in the Messrs. Nesbit's academy, aud what I think may fairly be expected from it. I have known the Messrs. Nesbit for several years, during which time 1 have repeatedly had the honour and the pleasure of being present at these examinations ; and I have witnessed with great interest and delight a progressive improvement in the system of teach • ing here adopted and carried out — a system which, after what has been said, I need scarcely remark appears to me to be the best, both as training the young mind to reason and judge, and as giving it that kind and that amount of information which will be most useful in after life (cheers). When I was at school, a great part of my time was devoted to the reading of Latin and Greek authors, aud to the study aud the accumula- tion in the memory of stories about heathen gods and god- desse*, relating very little to their yirtues, very greatly to 46 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. their vices (Hear, hear). This was then thought, aud is consi- dered still in some places, a proper and useful course for the jouug luiud to pursue. I must say that I have a totally dif- ferent impression of the matter. I cannot mention one hour in my life since that period in which 1 found such knowledge of any value whatever. Whereas the little information which I received on mathematical, mechanical, or natural science gene- rally, has, at e\ery turn, every day, and almost every hour of my life, proved useful to me (Hear, hear). I would not for a moment place side by side the study of mere words, com- mitted to memory, with studies hke that of chemistry, which, in their minutest details, as in their largest bearings, train the mind to the habit of just reasoning and of logical deduction (Kear, hear). Who will contend that the old system of edu- cation is one which ought to be continued? I must say that I hope before many years elapse a thorough reform will take place — in imitation of the system of this Academy — at Oxford and Cambridge. I am sure every one would hail such a change with the highest satisfaction. Whatever advantages there may be in the system already pursued, they are confined almost exclusively to the higher aud wealthier classes ; but though the studies which seem of inferior value are confined to a great extent to the classes beneath, yet the spirit of compe- tition will of itself make the higher classes desire to obtain such knowledge ; and the slight change which has taken place at Cambridge shows in what direction we are tending (Hear, hear). With regard to the particular department in which I have had the pleasure of examming these young gentlemen to- night, namely, the mathematical department, of all the studies calculated to discipline the mind, I consider that the most \akia!jle, being adapted to give great powers of reasoning and of logieid deduction. Wherever you find a man of good com- mon sense, you find one who is calculated to make a good mathematician. Mathematics is nothing but the science of relations. It pervades all the sciences and prepares pnd discipl.nes the mind for the study of each. Seeing the proficiency of these young gentlemen in other sciences, I was prepared, in some degree, to find them proficient in mathe- matics ; but I must say I was not prepared to find them so pro- ficient as they actually proved to be. I had imagined that a few simple questions were all that I ought to ask or they could be expected to answer; but I confess that I found the case different ; and I do not doubt that had I gone deeper 1 should have found their replies equally ready. This ougiit to be re- garded with great satisfaction ; and I am sure all those who see the adv.iutages of such a system of education, the vast im- provement which it is upon the old one, tlie mode in which it disciplines the mind, and the good uses to which it may be turned in after-life ; every one who considers all these things must feel that we owe a debt of gratitude to Messrs. Nesbit for encouraging and carrying out such a system of instruction. I am confident that such a feeling will pervade all present. Every one who takes an interest in the future advance and prosperity of his race must entertain that feeling. When, instead of the attention being confined to old heathen authors, we see the taste equally cultivated by the study of every author dear to English literature ; when we remember that Shakspeare had very little classical knowledge, and yet that no one ever exhibited taste superior to his ; and when we see tliat, instead of being chained to an effete system, youth are here taught to look round upon nature, and to learn the relations of things, and to ascertain their qualities, the mind being trained in chemistry, botany, and the other physical sciences, we cannot but feel that they are likely to be placed in a better position than they would otlierwise occupy for be- coming useful to their fellow creatures, and for "looking from nature up to nature's God" (cheers). The Chairman then proceeded to distribute the prizes, accompanying the act of presentation with a most appropriate and admirable address to the successful competitors. Addressing first MastersLewis Cottiugham and C. Agate, he said, he perceived from the paper before him that they h?d obtained the first prizes for botany, and lie had, therefore, to present each of them with two volumes of the British Flora, by Sir Wm. Hooker. With the study of botany were connected great and obvious ad- vantages. It could not, perhaps, in point of usefulness be compared with some other studies^ but it was closely connected with chemistry, geology, and other sciences which bore upon agriculture; and in their progress through life those who were acquainted with it would frequently derive from it assistance as well as receive pleasure. It would at all times be pleasant and agreeable to possess a knowledge of botany. In the early part of the evening they had heard a very excellent discussion on the relative powers and capacities of the male and female sexes. Let them strive to acquire a knov.dedge of botany, for not only would they by so doing render themselves agreeable to the ladies, but without great application they would find the latter more than their equals (laughter). He was happy to find that his (the chairman's) name received additional honour from the fact of its being inserted in the first page of the prizes. Master Edward Agate then came forward to receive the prize for geology. After observing that this young gentleman, like his fellow pupils, had been subjected, on a previous day, to a severer examination than that which the company had heard, and that by the examiner full justice had been done to his merits, the Chairman, in presenting the prize ("Lyell's Principles of Geology"), proceeded to enlarge on the prompti- tude with which the answers had been given. The cultivation of clear and ready powers of utterance was, he said, in the pre- sent day especially, a matter of great importance, seeing that from the youthful band before him, aud from similar bodies, would have to be chosen future legislators and the choosers of future legislators. To himself it was a source of delight to find that the present generation was likely to be suc- ceeded by one which would possess greater advantages for framing the laws by which the property, liberty, and lives of all would be regulated. The Chairman then called for Master C. Agate, the successful competitor for the mathemati- cal prize. lie said he hoped that the study would have the effect of teaching and disciplining the pupil's mind. Let not so much success, however, weaken his sense of the importance of a close application. Talent was unfortunately, often made, by its possessor, a substitute for industry, which, in the long run, would be found the most useful of the two. In this case there must, however, have been a considerable amount of industry com- bined with a considerable amount of talent, otherwise such pre-eminent success would not have been obtained in different departments by one so young. He (the chairman) was not speaking at, but to. Master Agate (laughter), and he would tell him that probably all present in the meeting resembled himself in having in their eye some person who, having begun early in life with considerable talent, had now cause to regret that that talent had not been accompanied in the career of life witn more industry. Let the pupil always bear in mind the fable of the hare and the tortoise, the hare representing brilliant talent, the tortoise plodding industry ; aud let him remember that notwithstanding the superior qualities of the former, it was the latter who won the race, the former having neglected to exercise that industry without which the brightest talent was ultimately of little avail. Doubtless in the present case this caution was not spe- cially needed ; but, at all events, the general principle which he had stated was one which all would do well to remember, and by carrying it into practice, he had no doubt Master Agate would attain to other and higher objects in life than even that which he had then secured. Master C. Agate having again presented himself as the successful competitor for a third prize, the Chairman said he need not fatigue him or the company by repeating ob- servations which if too often made might become painful. He felt quite satisfied that the success obtained had been deserveo. He hoped that such repeated success would not excite any un- pleasant feelings in the minds of other pupils, but stimu- late them to renewed exertion. It evinced a strong sense of justice on the part of the raanagersofthisestablishment that they did notrefuse to great industry and ability prize alter prize when manifestly deserved. In many public educational establish- ments he had observed that when the same boy presented himself as a claimant for two or three prizes, the conductors were disposed to look around them in order to discover an- other nearly equal in merit, in order that all the prizes might not fall to the share of one. He was happy to find, however, that such a good feeling pervaded the minds of the young gentle- man before him, that the managers of that establishment were not afraid of arousing any unpleasant feelings by awarding to the same young gentleman even a third prize. Master Whiting then presented himself to receive a prize for geileral proficiency and chemistry. The Chairman, in addressing liimj observed that not only had he been a sue- THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 47 cessful claimant of the prize, but he had attained that power whicli a wise philosopher had told them was the greatest of all human efforts, viz., the power of conquering oneself ; and very great credit was due to him for declining to compete in favour of those against whom he must necessarily have been successful. His merit was far superior to that of being a successful competitor with others; he had been a successful competitor with himself, and had consented to foreg.i the high honour which he might have attained, thus evincing that highest and best honour, a disposition to see others attain similar success to that which had been deserved by himself. He had great pleasure in presenting to the pupil the volume he held in his hand, and he could not but consider it as the concentrated essence of the honours of all the classes (cheers). Master Ilutley next presented himself, and the Chairman said he had great pleasure in presenting to him a prize for his general '. progress in the study of the natural sciences. If destined to the pursuit in which his father was engaged, he felt no doubt that the advantages received in that establish- ment would enable the pupil to pursue his career in an honourable manner, and by means of science to add to the ment which already attached to his name. Master Edmund Cottingham then came forward, and the Chairman said he had great pleasure in presenting to him two volumes. Although he had not obtained a prize for success in any particular de- partment, still he was to have one for general proticieucy, and that afforded the best evidence that his mind was actively en- gaged. Probably, however, he would in future attach himself more particularly to some one pursuit, and if so, he might fairly expect to obtain a prize under some particular head of study. Similar prizes, accompanied by a similar address, were then presented to Masters Trumper and Thorne. Master Matson havingthen presented himself, theCHAlRMAN said he felt some diffidence in addressing this young gentle- man, having learnt that the pupil was himself a lecturer on chemistry (laughter). He ought rather, perhaps, to request the gentleman before him to take his (the Chairman's) place. It was impossible to over-estimate the advantage, in these days, of being able to express one's opinions clearly and per- spicuously. Lord Brougham had justly said that the science of thinking upon our legs was a very important one (laughter). In the present day he did not know of any science with which it was more important to be acquainted than with that of chemistry ; and he had now the pleasure of presenting to Master Matson a volume, as a reward for past and a stimulus to future exertion in that department of science. The Chairman said he had now to present a number of prizes to the junior young gentlemen of the establishment, and he could do little more than name the claimants entitled to the good opinion of the assembly. The following pupils were included in this address : — Masters Iliff, Turner, J. Coombs, G. Johnson, Denton, Bowles, S. and Wjatt. The Chairman said the observations addressed by him to the older pupils would, of course, apply in a certain degree to these, and he had great pleasure in presenting to them the prizes which had been awarded. This concluded the distribution of prizes. Mr. Nesbit then proposed, and Mr. Kowton seconded, a vote of thanks to the Chairman, the latter gentleman observ- ing that to the praise due to Mr. Pearson as the president of the evening must be added that due to him as a philanthropist and a friend of the whole human race (cheers). The motion having been carried by acclamation, The Chairman, in briefly returning thanks, expressed the extreme gratification which he had felt in being present on so interesting an occasion, as it had given him an opportunity of stimulating his young friends to persevere strenuously in their literary and scientific efforts. He was happy to find in the borough of Lambeth an establishment like that of Messrs. Nesbit, where, by means of private enterprise, per.sonal and individual exertion on the part of the youth of the middle clashes would enable them to obtain a sound, useful, and prac- tical education, bringing all the pursuits of scientific research to bear practically on the most important objects of daily life. It had been especially pleasing to him to hear Mr. Matson ex- press, with a parental pride which was an honour to him, his obligations to the managers of this establishment, for the ad- vancement of his son's education. That was an exlremrly gratifying circumstance ; and before he sat down he woukl suggest the passing of a vote of thanks to Messrs. Nesbit, for their general exertions in the cause of education. Perhaps such a proposal would most appropriately emanate from Mr. Matson. — Matson, Esq., said he had great pleasure ni proposing a vote of thanks to Messrs. Nesbit for the care and attention which they had bestowed on the instruction of their pupils. G. Whiting, Esq., editor of the " Maidstone Gazette," in seconding the motion, said the Chairman had used the words " parental gratitude." As the parent of one of the boys who had been examined, he felt it imperative to add his humble testimony to the expressions of gratitude which had been used in reference to the exertions of the Messrs. Nesbit. Being connected with a newspaper which devoted a considerable por- tion of its space to the dissemination of scientific information, more particularly in relation to agriculture, he might venture to claim some pretensions to the character of an autliority with respect to Mr. J.C. Nesbit'sknowledgeof agricultural chemistry. He had had the pleasure of accompanying Mr. Nesbit at different times from one end of Sussex to the other end of Hampshire, and he had found that gentleman everywhere received with unqua- lified approbation for his information on agricultural subjects. He believed there was no similar establishment where scientific knowledge in connection with agriculture was more simply conveyed or more accurately taught. He had, in common, no doubt, with all assembled, the most earnest wish for the success of the Messrs. Nesbit in the course which they had chalked out for themsehes, and he felt great pleasure m second- ing the motion. The Chairman having put the motion, it was carried unani- mously. Mr. J. C. Nesbit said : Mr. Chairman, and Ladies and Gentlemen, it wonld be mere affectation if I concealed from you that I feel very deeply the kind receptioti which I have met with at your hands this evening. I feel this the more, be- cause, from the time when my own education was completed in my father's school, I took upgn myself the office and pro- fession of teacher ; and having continued in it up to the present moment, I have, for a lengthened period, beeii trying to discover, and I hope successfully, whether a newer and better mode of in- struction might not be introduced, by means of which a more extensively useful and more scientific education mightbe atTorded. (Hear.) My father is, as you well know, an old hand in the work of education — (Hear, hear) — having been engaged for more than half a century in the business of teaching, iind having WTitten and published a great many popular works used for practical instruction, as, for example, on mensuration, land surveying, arithmetic, &c. In conclusion, I beg to say that we shall always endeavour to carry out, and, if possible, to improve upon our present system of education ; and while we attend carefully to the scientific departments, we shall by no means neglect the general education, and moral and religious discipline of our pupils. The company then dispersed, exhibiting in their conntenances visible testimony of the gratification which they had derived from the whole of the proceedings. STEAM PLOUGHING, CANAL HAULAGE, &c. Our attention has latterly been called to some | or steam hanlage on canals, in conjunction with experiments recently made on the farm of Mr. | Mr. -Irtdrevv Smith's wire-rope. They were con- Tyler, near Stratford, Essex, on a steam locomotive i structed byMr.AYm. Curwood, engineer, of White- engine, constructed expressly for agricultural work, I chapel, under the patent of Mr. Osborn, King-street, 48 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. St. James's. Although the ma- jority of our agriculturists still ridicule the introduction of steampower for ploughing, and deprecate it as totally im- practicable, it is gratifying to find there are men to be found who venture to step beyond the con- fined limits of present practice, and, aware of the universal power of steam, are anxious to second the inventions of science and the progress of the arts. In the first trial, a pair of these peculiarly- constructed steam-engines were placed opposite each other, about 120 yards apart, with a sufficient length of wire-rope between them, the surplus coiled round the beam of one of Lowcock's two-way ploughs. This trial, although not successful, proved that the conditions of the two modes of draught differ essentially — horse draught being upwards, and ex- ercising a direct control by its proximity to the plongh — where- as, the draught by steam-power was distant and downwards, and exercised no direct control on the plough ; hence the experiment was instructive. Another trial was made, extending the distance to 210 yards between' the engines when, with both a Kent turn-rest, and an Essex two-wheel plough, very good work was ac- complished. The subsequent trials were made with a single engine — the wire-rope being returned through a pulley, anchored opposite the engine, and were equally successful as regards the work done. When a common swing plough was used, the downward draught buried it beyond the necessary depth at once. From these rude trials, with an engine of 10-horse power, which is locomotive, or can be drawn by two horses, we think there is little doubt of the practicability of the plan as now tested ; but on the question of its economy, nothing but actual experiments, on a large scale, with suitable implements, can determine. These engines possess great advantages in being applicable to thrashing, and other agricultural operations, and can be moved from farm to farm, or from field to field, with the greatest facility. They are of the usual form, but superior to any yet made for agricultural purposes, both as to ar- rangement and workmanship. The mode em- ployed for taking up the wire-rope constitutes the patent. A pair of grooved riggers, 30 inches in diameter, with projecting circles, are placed tangent to each other — the projecting circles forming fric- tion wheels. This pair of riggers is placed one above the other, by the side of the boiler, and se- cured to it on a frame by two strong iron straps, to which also all the gearing is framed. The cy- linders are vertical, and encased in the smoke-box, giving motion to the crank-shaft by beams and side rods. The crank-shaft traverses under the boiler, and communicates the necessary motion to the lower rigger by a spur and pinion wheel. On the opposite end of the crank-shaft are keyed, when wanted, a drum and boss, for a universal joint ; and the engine is rendered locomotive by a pair of stubb wheels and chains, connecting them with the crank-shaft. The compactness of the en- gine is admirable; for, while it is equal to 10- horse power, and performs three distinct opera- tions, its compass is only 10 feet by 6^ feet, the height of boiler being 5 feet. The wire-rope is wound round the riggers in form of the figure of 8, and all sawing and abrasion prevented; and this plan presents a great advantage in not requiring perfect tension, but will take up a slack rope with- out the least slip on the grooved riggers. For canal haulage, this description of engine will be found highly advantageous, as, by its use, an unlimited number of barges in fleets can be hauled by one tug-engine working on the wire-rope laid down in the canal — a second hne of rope being laid on the other side for craft going in the opposite direction, giving the same facility as a double line of railroad. The canal interest is one of the largest in the kingdom, there being 4800 miles of inland navigation; and that so much capital should be allowed to sink irretrievably under rail- way competition, when such obvious resources are at hand to raise the value of the property, can hardly be conceived ; but something must be done, and that quickly. — Mining Journal. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 49 TENANT-RIGHT. REPORT FROM THE SELECT COMMI'lTEE ON AGRICULTURAL CUSTOMS, WITH THE EVIDENCE. (Continued.) March 30tli, 1848. MkMBF.RS I'RLSENT. Mr. Burroun;lics Mr. Colvillc Mr. Evelyn Denioon Mr. Tattou Egerton Mr. Haytcr Mr. Henley Sir C. LeiiKin Mr. Newdegatc Mr. Pusey Mr. Stafford. FuiLip Pusey, Esq., in the Ciiaik. Evidence of Mr. Edward Page. Chairman.] You are an extensive land surveyor, and also a land agent, at Beverley, in the East Riding of Yorkshire? — I am. Have you had occasion in the course of your profes- sional occupations to make yourself well acquainted with the East Riding of Yorkshire .'' — I know most of the East Riding of Yorkshire ; the principal part of my business has been in that riding. Can you tell the Committee to what extent you have measured and surveyed the land in the East Riding of Yorkshire? — I think I have surveyed and valued nearly half the East Riding. How many acres would that be ? — Perhaps between 300,000 and 400,000 acres. You are also agent for a very large property in the East Riding ? — For a considerable property in the East Riding. What is the extent of that .'—About 15,000 or 16,000 acres. What is the custom as between outgoing and incoming tenants in the East Riding of Yorkshire ; the first with regard to acts of husbandry ?— The offgoing tenant, as we call him, is entitled to a way-going crop, varying from one-third to one-fourth of the arable, according to the description of land he farms ; the way-going crop in the wold farms averages one-fourth part of the arable ; therefore, if a tenant had 400 acres of arable land, he would have a right to away- going crop from 100 acres. Mr. Henley.] What are your holdings ? — Nearly universally Lady-day holdings. Chairman.] Will you proceed with your statement .' — Upon the wold part of the riding I think I stated that they had one quarter part of the arable land as a way- going crop ; upon the stronger soils, Holderness, for instance, and the west side of the wolds, which is called Howdenshire, the way-going crop averages one-third part of the arable land. I think the East Riding of Yorkshire is comprised of a high range of chalk hills running through the county ; the strong land called Holderness, and another district of mixed land, but rather strong, on the west side of the wolds, is called Howdenshire ? - It is ; and in Holderness and Howdenshire, one-third part of the arable land for a way-going crop generally previiils. Then the outgoing tenant sows the wheat? — He does ; upon the wolds, the way-going crop is either sown after rape, turnips, or seeds, depastured the summer previous ; he sows wheat, barley, oats, &c., as the case may re- quire, and he leaves the crop at a valuation, to be taken by the oncoming tenant, who has to pay the amount of this valuation, deducting the average rent per acre of the farm upon which the way-going crop has grown, which is called the onstand, also deducting the expenses for inning and outing, which is reaping, leading, threshing, delivering, stacking, and every other expense attending the bringing of the corn to market ; also deducting one year's parochial taxes for that part of the land upon which the way-going crop has grown. The oncoming tenant gets the straw and the eatage thereof ; but he has to allow the off-going tenant 6s. or 7s. per acre or some- thing of that sort, for the eatage of the straw. To whom does the dung belong generally ? — It is various ; I should say three parts out of four belong to the land. Has the outgoing tenant any compensation for the purchase of artificial manure, or artificial food for stock ? — No not any. Is there any compensation for draining or chalking the land ? — Not any. Is it generally the practice to employ those means of increasing the productiveness of the soil ? — No, it is not. There has been a certain portion drained, and there has been a certain portion that has been chalked or marled, but not to any very great extent. Your wold land may be divided into two parts, the southern part, which is lower, and on which the soil is of rather a calcareous character, and the northern or higher part, on which chalking is beneficial ? — It all lies upon the chalk rock, and not far from it ; it may be di- vided into two parts, that is, the thin soils of the wolds, which are not confined to any particular district either south or north, and the deep soils ; as to the thin soils I do not believe that chalking would improve them ; but I believe the deep soils would be greatly benefited by chalking. Do you not marl a good deal of deep soil upon the highest wolds ? — Not a great deal. Do the turnip crops suffer from the want of chalking upon that land ? — Yes, very much, both the turnip and corn crops. How do the turnip crops suffer ? — It fingers and toes ; it is an unhealthy plant altogether; it never gets to any very great size ; it grows thin upon the ground, and it is with great difficulty a crop can be got at all upon the very deep soils ; the corn also comes up very thin ; it never spreads ; it is always of a very grass-green ap- pearance, and generally very late in ripening ; the quality of the corn is always inferior, as well as the quantity ; it also produces a very large quantity of different kinds of weeds, such as catlocks, runches, and other weeds, more than lighter soils do. Have you any doubt that those evils would be greatly diminished by the general adoption of chalking ? — I think they would, for wherever the land has been chalked in a proper way, the evil has been entirely removed. You stated, that on the wold farms there is no general practice of using cake for feeding cattle for the improve- E 50 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. ment of manure ? — No, there is not ; there is some cake used, not to tliat depth), and then I fenced it witli quick wood, and posts, and rail.«. I also pared and burnt it, to destroy the rough stuff which was upon the surface ; I then mailed it with marl got out of thclaud ; I then let it to rent. How much marl an acre did you put on it? — Two hundred cubic yards. You have mentioned to the Committee various modes of iinjirovemcnt which would tend generally to increase tlio i)r if they were inserted in the yearly agreements, of course the tenants would be safe. Why has not it been done so ? — I do not know; it has not been done in the East Riding; I do not know an instance of it. -. ; Can you give any opinion as to the best ineans of inf ducing parties to insert those provisions, for compensa,- tion.' — I am afraid it would be a very Imig tim^, unless the legislature pass some measure to induce them to do so. •..■••. Would you recommenct that the legislature should enact that it is necessary to every yearly agreement that compensation for improvements should be sjiecificd and allowed ? — I think that that is necessary ; the outgoing tenant should have no compensation till he did go away, but that when he has laid out his capital, and is to leave the farm, he should then be com- pensated. Would you render it compulsory by law .' — Yes, I think I would, and for this reason : if a man has spent his £2000 or £3000 in improving the land, and has not K 2 52 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. llie oppoitiuiity of getting it back again, I think there should be a law to compel the next tenant or land- lord to make some compensation in fairness to the out- going tenant. Would you make such a law apply to existing agree- ments?— Yes, I should ; otherwise they would be no better off than if the law did not apply to all. You have stated that very few of those improvements in draining, chalking, and marling, have been yet un- dertaken?— Not a great deal. Is it not clear that many agreements between the landlords and tenants exist without contemplating the improvements of this kind ? — Yes ; they have not been done, and we do not look forward to having them done at present. And the agreements have been framed without provi- sion for this change, which was not anticipated ? — They have. Do you think, then, that the tenants and the land- lords would like to bind themselves under the opera- tion of a law which changed their position and violated their agreements ? — I am confident that the tenants would, and I think a good many, but not all, of the landlords would. You think that the tenants generally would approve of the making of a law which would alter the terms of the agreements? — Yes; I think they would on this ground : they would feel secure in laying out their money ; and many have a great inclination to do so, but they do not like to do it under yearly holdings. If you were to give this power to recover compensa- tion for improvements, would not it be just also to give the landlord the power to recover compensation for the dilapidations which may take place upon those farms? —Yes, I think it would : they have the means of re- covering for dilapidations at present; I have known several actions brought against tenants for dilapidations, where damages have been recovered. And have you not known that there is a very con- siderable delay and difficulty in that process ? — There is always. To what dilapidations do you refer? — Fences and cross cropping the land ; that is, taking more crops than the agreement specifies; in fact, breaking the agreement or breaking the custom of the country. There is considerable delay, however, in the recovery of compensation for the dilapidations? — It is a very unsatisfactory mode of recovering for dilapidations. In fact, have you known any cases where the tenant has become insolvent after having committed considerable dilapidations, and where the landlord has found himself precluded from indemnity by other creditors getting the stock ofi" the farm ?— Yes, I have known that. Therefore you think that in the case of dilapidations, as in the case of compensation for improvements, some more speedy process of recovering the rights of parties is required ? — I think there should be some easy pro- cess of settling the account between the landlord and the tenant, when he quits, both as to the claims of the tenant upon the landlord for the capital that he has invested, and also for the injuries that be may have done the estate by any means whatever. From your knowledge of the district with respect to which you speak, can you form any opinion of what would be the most desirable form of having this com- pensation for dilapidations or improvements assessed and recovered? — I think there is no such likely form as having them assessed by arbitration, in the usual way, by arbitrators and an umpire. Then in estimating the amount of dilapidations and the tillages as is now practised, under the custom of the district you speak of, is it usual for the arbitrators to give a detailed account of the items upon which they have based their valuation ? — It is not ; they do it in a very unsatisfactory way according to my opinion ; they merely state that the valuation of the way-going crop amounts to so much money, to be paid on such a day, as the first payment. And if you were to give the decision of those arbitrators the force of law, should you not consider it necessary to make them arrange their valuation according to a more satisfactory principle ? — Y'^es ; I think there ought to be a fair statement of the articles that are to be compen- sated for, and of the injuries the tenant may have done, and a fair balance of the items mentioned, with the value of the items upon their valuations. So that in case either party thinks himself aggrieved, he may be able to have this valuation revised in a proper and efficient manner ? — Yes ; if any such error was made, there ought to be some way of revising it. In some cases where disputes arise the arbitrators have failed to appoint an umpire ? — They have. In the case of such a failure as that, to whom would you refer the final decision of the case ; that is, to what court? — I do not know; there ought to be some means of having an umpire appointed; I cannot say at pre- sent what, but in that case certainly it ought not to fall to the ground. There ought to be some person, or some body of men, having the power of appointing an umpire. Do you intend that this valuation of those items shall extend, not only to the tillages and the way-going crops, but also to the heavier improvements of drain- ing, marling, and chalking ? — I certainly do; they are very expensive improvements. Do you think it would be wise to separate those heavier and more expensive improvements from the valuation under the custom as it now exists ? — I think that the same valuers might value the articles under the present custom, as well as the other improvements ; I think one valuation might do for the whole. Who would you consider as the party liable for the valuation, the landlord or the incoming tenant ? — I should consider the landlord, or the land. Sometimes it may happen that the incoming tenant may be here to-day and gone very soon after. You state the landlord or the land ; do you mean the landlord himself, which, in the case of a tenant for life, would mean the landlord's personalty, or do you mean the estate ? — I mean the estate. And you are aware a difficulty might occur from the laws of entail, which at present would render any agreement entered into by a landlord, who was only tenant for life, invalid after his death? — I am not aware of that ; it may be so ; I am not aware of it. But I take it upon this ground, that if a tenant made 100 acres of land worth double what it was before, I think that land ought to be liable to compensate the tenant for such an outlay. You apprehend that the estate should be liable for the improvements made upon it ? — Yes, it would be like adding so much more land to it. IMr. Henley.] Tou have stated, that in your opinion it would be more advisable that this should be done by legislation, rather than by private agreement between the parties ? — It would take a long timebef )re such private agreements would be entered into ; they would go on as they are going on for a long period be- fore they would be granted. You have also stated, that any law that should be made, should be retrospective as well as prospective? — No, I think not ; I think it should commence from the present time ; it would be unfair otherwise. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. It is now quite clear tliat you think it ought to be prospective, and not retrospective? — Yes, Is it your opinion that tlie amount to be assessed should depend upon the capital expended by the out- going tenant, or upon the advantage derived by the incoming tenant? — I think it should depend upon the expenses of the outgoing tenant, that is upon the capital laid out. Whether it was beneficially expended or not ? — An arbitrator ought to have the power to award compensa- tion, accordingly as the money had been judiciously or injudiciously laid out. If there is to be a law, it must decide whether it is to be upon the capital expended ; or would you leave it to decide that It should be left to the arbitrator to settle that question ? — I tliink it should be left to the arbitrator. Which is your opinion ; should it be upon the capital expended, or upon the benefit to the man coming in? — I think it ought to be upon the capital expended, with respect to marling, draining, and such like im- provements : it would be according to the time that the money had been laid out; if the land had been im- proved for six or eight or ten years, I consider that the tenant, in a great measure, would have got his capital back again. You have stated, that in your district of the East Riding of Yorkshire, chalking the thin soils, in your opinion, would not be beneficial? — I think it would not. In the event of a man chalking that district from a mistaken judgment, ought the incoming tenant to pay for that ? — I think he ought not. That should be left to the discretion of the arbitra- tor ? — I think it should. Then, in point of fact, the principle upon which the valuation should be made must be left to the discretion of the arbitrator, as well as the question of the value ? — Yes, I think so, in a great degree. What period ought the draining to be paid for ? — I made agreements about twelve months ago for three farms in Holderness. The landlord had not the means of finding the money, and the tenants agreed that they should find the tiles, and do all the labour under my in- spection, and to my satisfaction : if they remained on their respective farms for seven years they were to have no compensation for the outlay; but on quit- ting before that time they were to be paid for a portion of the outlay, according to the number of years unex- pired. In your opinion ought that to be fixed by law, or ought it to be left to the arbitrator to decide ? — I think the principle should be settled by law, but not as to the umber of years. What advantage is there to be derived from the law settling these matters between man and man, instead of their being settled by private agreement ? — It would make no diff"erence, if they were settled either way. I believe if the tenant could have any security that he would get compensation, it would not be the law that would make him do it ; he would do it under any cir- cumstances. What is the practice with regard to buildings ; who puts the buildings up ? — The tenant does nothing but keep the buildings in tenantable repair, and the same with respect to the fences and gates. Does he find any materials ? — No ; all that belongs to the landlord. The painting, the mending of the fences, and the repairing of the gates, belongs to the tenant ; but if any new gates are wanted the landlord generally finds them. In the case of new roofings will the landlord do that ?— :As to the new roofs, the agreement say8 the tenant is to keep the buildings in repair ; main walls, main timber, and damage by fire and tempest, only ex- cepted. In your opinion should the law that is to be, accord- ing to your judgment, made for the future, over-ride private agreements or not? — The private agreements, and the customs which I have stated as to the way-going crops, I think the tenants ought still to retain them, because they have purchased them at some time, and they ought to have compensation beyond that for all outlays. To put the case clearly, supposing a law were made that the tenant should be entitled to receive money for marling, draining, chalking, or fencing, as you have stated, and the farm was let to him upon a low rent, upon condition that he should make those improvements upon a term of years, should the law over- ride that agreement ? — No ; he would get compensation under the agreement. Then private agreements ought not to be over-ridden by the law ? — Not in that case ; it would be unfair if they were. Mr. Hayter.] You say that the principal portion of the land is let under yearly agreement ? — Yes. There are some cases where there is no agreement at all in writing? — Yes, a great number. When there is no agreement in writing, is the custom such as you have specified ? — It is. So that the custom exists, independently of the agreement ? — It does ; it makes very little difiierence whether a man has an agreement or not, the custom decides. Then the agreements you have alluded to are rather expressive of the custom ?— Yes ; they particularize the custom. That custom arose, did it not, from the supposed jus- tice to both landlord and tenant, upon the existence of it ? — Yes ; no doubt it did. Are you to be understood to say, that if that custom which now exists was extended in the manner you mention, that the extension of that custom would be also beneficial to both landlord and tenant ? — Yes, I think so. The alteration you propose in the custom would pro- ceed upon the same principle of justice to the landlord and to the tenant ? — It would. Would there be any difficulty in arbitrators coming to a clear understanding of the amount they would have to assess between the incoming and outgoing tenant, if that principle were to be adopted ? — I think there would be very little difficulty indeed. I have no doubt that the present custom that prevails in the East Riding was an admirable custom at one time ; but since the improve- ments made by the introduction of bone manures and the use of cake, I think that the custom wants extend- ing, and compensation making, in order to induce people to take the advantage of improving their lands by those means. You believe that, as that custom became law from the then state of husbandry, as the state of husbandry is al- tered it is desirable that there should be another custom consistent with the existing state of husbandry ? — Fifty or 60 years ago it was a very good custom ; it is not ex- tensive enough at present. In your recollection has the custom varied at all ? — Very little. It has been the constant custom during the period of your practice ? — It has. Mr. CoLviLLE.] You have stated that in any legisla- tive interference between landlord and tenant, you do not propose it to be retrospective ? — I do not. And you have also said that no wise man would lay out money unless he had security for it ? — I have. 54 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Why then cannot a tenant, in hiring a farm from a landlord who has the control over his own estate, make such ogreemcnts with him in hiring that farm, as to secure hi:n in the outlay of any capital he may make ? — I know some very good landlords, and yet they do not wiih to break in upon the present customs. I have had tenants applied to me to have those customs introduced ; and I have mentioned it to the landlords, but without «ffect. But a tenant having his money in his hand, and going to hire a farm, what is there to prevent him dictating to that landlord upon what terms he will take his farm ? — The landlord would not let it on terms dictated to him by a tenant. Then he need not take it ? — Certainly not. Then an injury would be done to the tenant? — Yes, there would be injury done to the tenant if he could not get a farm. Chairman.] You spoke of some land you had greatly improved, which you had made into a farm when it was no farm before ; was it your own land ? — No, it belonged to Mr. Clough, a banker at York. Have you a lease upon it ? — I did not take it, but 1 im- proved it for the landlord, and 1 let it afterwards to Mr. Clough's tenants. Did it remunerate you?— It cost ^"16 an acre im- proving ; it was not worth one penny before, and I let it for 27s. an acre. You have been asked about chalking tlie wolds, rnd you have stated that some of the land is improved by chalking, and some not ; are you of opinion that a man who had to chalk in the first instance on his own account, would be likely to make any mistake as to what part of the land required chalking, and what did not ? — I think he would not. That is thoroughly well understood? — Yes, that is thoroughly well understood. You have spoken as to the possibility of making pri- vate agreements for those purposes betv.'een the landlord and the tenant ; you have not investigated the legal ques- tion as to wlat parties are capable of making those agree- ments ? — Not in the least. Mr. Newdegate.] You say that some draining has oeen done in that district you speak of; has it been well done ? — No, it has been generally badly done. And supposing the drainage to be badly done, would you give, under the circumstances of making those bad drains, any compensation to the man who made them ? — No, I would not give any compensation if he did them badly, except the expense of the tiles, because in that case the labour is all lost. If a man threw away capital and labour upon his farm , you would not entitle him to recover a full compensation for it ? — No, I would not. Evidence of Mr. John Outhwaite. Chairman.] You and your brother are practical farmers in the North Riding of Yorkshire ? — Yes. In what neighbourhood ?— Near to Catterick }>ridge. You have obtained the prize of the Yorkshire Society for the best cultivated farm in that district ? — Yes, in the year 1844. What description of land do you occupy ? — Mine is partly gravel, but probably one-fourth part is strong soil, soil that was not at all adapted for growing any green crops till it was thoroughly drained. What is the extent of the farm ? — Four hundred and eighty-five acres. The strong land was ntit productive when you first took it ? — My father took it in 1812, and then he used to cut a head ridge across the middle of the field, and one part of the field he sowed with grain crops, and the other would remain open fallow in small ridges ; and in some instances the water was washed off the surface of the land, and delivered itself into the low land and went away in the gravel ; there was no draining previous to that time. Have you improved that land yourself ? — Yes. In what way? — By drainage : there was no means of getting the water away without taking it through an open cut for two miles to the river, which would be an enor- mous expense ; we have drained the lower part of the farm by making what we call swallows, digging down a hole in the land into the gravel where there have been materials to make the road, and nothing but clay or gravel without any soil amongst it ; and when we came to dig into that, we filled it up with stones, and delivered our water into those places, and so got rid of the whole of the water in the strong land in that way. Can you pen sheep on your strong land ? — Yes, quite the same as the other part of the farm. Have you used artiiicial manure and artificial food for cattle ? — Yes, for these last ten years ; I have expended upwards of j^250 a year for artificial manure. And artificial food ? — Yes, about i,'100 a year I pay on the average for that ; from that to £150. Do you keep beasts ? — Yes, I feed a good many beasts in the stalls in the fold yards. You have heard the last witness describe the custom between outgoing and incoming tenants in the East Riding ; are the customs the same in the north ? — Not exactly ; the custom generally in our county is one- third away, but there is partially in a few instances where the person has two-thirds of the way-going crop ; and where he has that two-thirds, generally their agreement is, that they do not pay any oft'stand ; they have it clear. In 99 out of 100 cases, the tenant that leaves the farm has one- third of the land away, by paying the average rent of the rest part of the farm. It is a Lady-day entry ?— On the 13th of May ; it is Candlemas for the ploughing land, that is the 14th of Februaiy, the entry upon the ploughing generally, what the incoming tenant has to take, and then all the meadow land and grass is entered upon till the 13th of May ; they go with that, the 6th of April, with the pas- ture land. Whom does the dung belong to ? — It belongs to the outgoing tenant up to a certain time ; there are different agreements ; there has been a very great abuse lately where there has been no agreement ; up to these last few years back it was the custom for the outgoing tenant to have it to Martinmas ; some people claim it later than that. Speaking of the dung-heaps on the farm ? — They be- long to the incoming tenant after such a period. To what did your former answer apply ? — To the time how long the tenant had the manure up to ; that was the question I understood that was asked, " What period did the incoming tenant claim the manure from ?" and I said it differed. They have it in some instances up to one period, and in some cases up to another. If the outgoing tenant has the dung to a certain period, how does he apply it. — To his away-going crop. Then the remainder of the dung belongs to the in- coming tenant ? — Yes ; it belongs to the incoming tenant. Does the outgoing tenant receive any compensation for the improvement of that dung by any cil-cake he may have given to his cattle ? — Nothing whatever ; and in many instances the tenant leaving the farm will take a very great advantage, which is an injury both to the land- lord and incoming tenant, by leaving all his straw and not making it into manure at all ; that is in the last year after he has done with the manure, which he generally THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 55 lays in Leaps till the j'ear following. The iiicomini; te- nant has in those instances nothing to begin with but what he may buy. Have you expended money in any other improvements besides those you have mentioned ? — Yes ; I have built a great deal at my own expense, merely the materials being found by tlie landlord.. I have erected buildings for cattle, and tanks to take the urine out of the fold yards. What have those buildings and improvements cost you.' — I should think I have paid not less than £"'150 for expenses in that way. It was a customary thing, when my father took the farm, to keep all the cattle out- door, that is, in the pasture, and they pulled the turnips off and laid them in the meadow field and pasture land ; but now we do not do it in the pasture land at all, we have it all in the fold yard. When you say keeping the cattle out-door, you mean keeping them in the fields ? — Yes ; out of doors. Do you think if the tenants of the North Riding of Yorkshire had compensation for improvements, there is much room for improvement to be made in consequence ? —Yes. I have travelled through many counties, and there is none more capable of inaprovement than York- shire. There is some of the very worst farming in our neighbourhood, which arises entirely from the want of compensation ; I can mention one case in particular, where there was a large proprietor, who happened to be a lady, and to one of her tenants I said, " What is the reason that your farm is so badly farmed ?" and he said, " Sir, I can give a good reason for that ; the last seven or eight years we have expected the landlady to die," and he said, therefore they were taking advantage of the land ; he was quite certain that when they got a fresh lardlord they would be either turned off or have the rent advanced, and they were expecting every year to be the last : that land was only worth half its value, it had got into such a bad state. Have you not a good dealof undrained land in Cleve- land?— Yei, there is a great deal there that is undrained, and a great deal in our neighbourhood not drained that is capable of growing better crops, and there is a great deal of undrained land at Cleveland that is capable of great improvements in draining; I do not think it would be some part of it convertible to growing green crops. Is not the old course of husbandry two white crops and a fallow .' — Yes, that is the custom, even upon very good soil, only producing excellent grain crops, a naked fallow and two white crops again ; it gets poorer every year. Have you any doubt if that land in your neighbour- hood were drained, it would be capable of being culti- vated to a profit and with advantage, as you have cultivated your own farm ? — Yes ; I have no doubt it is capable of great improvement ; it would be a great benefit to the proprietor and to the tenant-farmer, and the labourers as well ; all parties would be greatly pro- fited by the improvements that might be made, if the tenant had only compensation for the outlay. Are the farms in the North Riding generally on lease or yearly holding ?— From year to year generally ; there have been a few instances of leases, it does not appear that there are many ; they seem to wish to back out of leases ; on three or four estates that are near to us, leases have been offered, and very few would have any- thing to do with them ; they said they would rather have compensation ; from the state things were in, they did not like to look forward for 20 years ; they would rather improve the land, and be recompensed if anything oc- curred they did not foresee. As a practical farmer which do you incline to, lease or yearly holding with tenant-right ? — I would not take a lease ; I would rather have it from year to year with compensation. I have been invariably foui d fault v.ith by my neighbours, saying, they wondered I should lay 1 out tlie money I have done on the farm, as I did not I know how long I had to continue ; but I have no doubt , a great many of my neighbours, if they had compensa- ! tion, would be glad to follow my example if they only had the certainty of it. Mr. Denison.] As you say these improvements would be good for the landlord, good for the tenant, and good for the labourer, how comes it that the landlord and te- nant have not made agreements for making a fair allow- ance ? — It has been a customary thing in Yorkshire for the landlord to have a certain agreement drawn up, that was for not properly cropping, and they do not wish to alter those agreements. I believe, in general, they wish to go on in a similar way that things were going on in their grandfathers' time. Then, although there are examples such as you have set yourself, and although the opinions of intelligent farmers incline the same way, do you think that there is no hope of landlords and tenants coming to an under- standing upon these matters, and making mutual agree- ments ? — I do not think there is : I do not see the slightest possible chance of that. Then ycu think that this end, which you consider to be desirable for all parties, will not be accomplished without there is some interference by law .' — No ; my opinion is, that it will never be accomplished without an interfer- ence by law, not in all cases ; it might be in some, but very few. Since you begun improving, and since farming has made progress, has the tenant-right made progress also in Yorkshire, as it has in Lincolnshire and other places ; for instance, in Lincolnshire, where the use of artificial manure and oil-cake has extended, a claim to the tenant in that country has extended also, and grown into a cus- tom ?— Not in Yorkshire ; it has not at all. I do not know of an instance. As far as the custom of the country goes, would a te- nant who had laid out money in artificial manure or in oil-cake, get nothing more than he worJd have done 20 years ago .' — Not a bit ; nothing whatever. I should not, if I left my farm this year, get a sixpence, without it was that the landlord wished to give it. I do not think that I should get anything at all. I no not know an instance where an individual iu our county has got anything in that way. Mr. Henlev.] You have stated that you would not take a lease under existing circumstances.' — I would rather farm from year to year if I was to be com- pensated for the outlay that I might make ; that is, improvements that I had not derived the full advantage from. You have stated that you have laid out your money without any security by lease or custom .'—Yes. If you wished to give up your faim it would be because it was no longer profitable to you .' — Certainly, if I was to give it up that would be the case ; but I am of opinion that one reason probable for ray laying out the money was that I calculated upon this ; I began with my first landlord, the late Duke of Leeds, knowing that he was not in the habit of discharging his tenants, and there- fore I laid out a great deal of capital in improving that property. You have said that your neighbours, like yourself, were not disposed to take leases? — No. What is the reason that they are not disposed to secure themselves by leases ? — They say it is a long time to look forward to 20 years, and on the smaller farms some of them hereafter, if they improved in their condition, might wish to embark in a larger one, and to take a bigger farm as they got into better circumstances, and on that account they would not like to be tied down for the 56 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. term of 19 or 21 years by lease ; they would rather be at liberty. Does the apprehension of a change in the times operate to prevent any persons wishing to take leases ? — There is something in that ; a good many have a fear that free trade might afi'ect tlie farming interests at the same time, and on that account 1 tliink the risk ought to be with the proprietor, and not the occupier. You think that the risk shouhl be upon the proprietor of the expenditure of capital, which is speculative? — Capital laid out in improvements tliat are not exhausted is not; probably if a person wished to occupy his farm, and he improved it very much by different artificial ma- nures, although he has improved the land he does not wish to make any claim upon those improvements that are nearly exhausted. If the experiment was unprofitable to the tenant, and it was unprofitable to him to hold the farm in spite of his outlay, you think it ought to be thrown upon some- body else to bear? — No; I think that if there were certain valuers set apart, they would be better able to judge whether a man had laid out the capital judiciously or not. Supposing from a change of times the land could not be cultivated to advantage, it would be no benefit to any- body then? — No, it would not be certainly, but there is very little land but what it is probably as profitable to cultivate as to let it lie dormant. You say that the tenants in your neighbourhood are afraid of taking leases on account of the prospect of a change of times ? — Yes. Was your original holding by lease or upon yearly tenure ? — Always from year to year. Hiive you made any endeavour with your landlord to secure yourself by clauses in your agreement ? — None whatever. Therefore you do not know whether the landlord would grant them or not ? — I never asked him such a question ; but it is not according to the custom of the rest part of his estate, therefore I do not supjiose he would wish to make any arrangement with me ; my opinion is, that my landlord would not have the slightest objection to any rule to be laid down by Government to bind both parties ; it would be to his interest quite as much as mine. You say that you have introduced a new system of improvements, or of spirited husbandry, and that you have not thought it ntcessary to ask your landlord to secure you by clauses in the agreement ? — When I ob- tained the prize my landlord made me a present of i.'50 ; he said he did not think it would recompense me the fiftieth part of the expense of wh:it I had done ; but that it was a little encouragement. The instan j that you have stated to the Committee, of the large estate that suffered in your opinion from the want of the power of compensation, you said was let at half its value ? — Tiiere are some farms in our neigh- bourhood. The question alludes to this one estate;? — Yes, it was so ; indeed it must have been let at ^ less than its value, because alterations in the rent had never taken place, perhaps, for tb last century. It was worth more in its poor state than probably it was let for ; but it was not anything like its real value, if it had been well farmed. Do you think it was an injury to the tenant to hold that estate at half rent? — Yes, the tenants could not have farmed it at all, if they had been paying the value of the land, in the way it was farmed. Was it an injury to the tenants holding the estate at half rent? — No, it was not an injury to the tenants holding at half rent ; but certainly they could not have farmed it in the way it was done, if it had been let at its full value ; the idea of their farming it was in this way, they knew that it was within its value, and they were sure it would be advanced when they got a change of land- lord. If they had had to pay a higher rent they might have made it produce more money ? — They would not have had such a fear of any change then. You stated positively, in your judgment, it was let at half the value ? — Something near to that ; I believe there have been many instances where farms have come into different hands, where the rents have been raised upon the tenants ; and where a change has taken place, the rent has been advanced about one-third more than what it originally was. On that same estate ? — Yes, and the same land. In spite of the seven years' deterioration they have still run it out for the seven years, you say? — Yes, they have run it out ; and as I mentioned, they said they had been looking the last seven or eight years for the death of the landlady, and the farm being taken away from them. Is there any difficulty in a tenant securing himself by agreement, if the landlord be willing, and has the power to grant it ? — Yes, I think there is great difficulty ; I do not think they would take them generally. Is there any difficulty in a tenant securing himself by agreement, if the landlord be willing, and has the power to grant it ? — Yes ; it would be better if a general law were laid down ; it would create probably a bad feeling, if they had to call in arbitrators between landlord and tenant ; it would not be so pleasant as if it were a general law. Is there any difficulty in a tenant securing himself by agreement, if the landlord be willing, and has the power to grant it .' — If he were willing it would not be so un- pleasant ; but it would be more unpleasant than if it was provided for by a regular rule laid down by law. That is not an answer to the question ; is there any difficulty in a tenant securing himself by agreement if the landlord be willing, and has the power to grant it .' — I do not know that there is if the landlord be willing to do so ; I would rather have it laid down by law, and to have certain arbitrators set apart to settle the question between them. Would you have the arbitrators appointed by law as well as the power to value ? — Yes, I should recommend that those men should be set apart in every district, and lor this reason, it is not a pleasant thing to interfere be- tween landlord and tenant. Who should appoint them, in your opinion.' — I think they ought to be appointed by the Legislature, cert;iinly. Would you have the names of the persons put into the Act of Parliament ? — No, they might die off; but then others could be appointed, the same as in other cases. Who do you think ought to have the appointment ? — I think tlie same party that made the law. That would be the Parliament .' — Yes. ^ Would you have a fresh Act of Parliament passed every time a man dies ? — No, I do not know that there would be any necessity for that ; but there must be an appointment and different alterations when a man died off, or a man might get to be not fit for that business. Who, in your judgment, ought to be the parties to fill up the vacancy ? — I think Parliament. Then it would be necessary to have an Act of Parliament upon every death taking place .' — No, be- cause it would not require an Act any more than it does when a vacancy occurs in any other appointment ; a person could be appointed without a fresh Act of Parlia- ment. Whom by ? — By Government. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 57 You think the appointment of the arbitrator should be in the Government? — Yes, if the Government made that Act, it should be in their hands to appoint those people. In your o[)iiiion should the Act of the Legislature be retrosjiective as well as prospective ?— No, I think not ; I think it should be from the time of the passing of the Act. For the future ? — Yes, for the future. In your opinion should it over-ride private agreements or not ? — Only agreements from year to year ; if they were on a lease it is a different matter ; probably a man has been getting the advantage who has a lease for the time previous. It should over-ride agreements from year to year ? — All private agreements, if only from year to year. Should the tenant and landlord have the power to keep themselves out of the o])eration of the law, if they choose, by agreement ? — No, if that was the case it would not do any good ; it would be better, if it was general, to act in all cases. Mr. Newdegate.] Do you think it is the gen( ral opinion among the tenantry of your district, that it would be desirable to have some persons appointed to assess the compensation ; in fact to reframe the yearly agreements between landlord and tenant throughout the whole district ? — I hardly know how to answer that question. You thought it desirable, you said, that there should be some parties appointed with power to award com- pensation, and entirely reframe the terms upon which yearly tenures are held .' — Yes, at present that is what is required to give compensation to the landlord, pro- vided there is any dilapidations ; but providing there is anything done at the expense of the tenant which he has not got his capital out of, the tenant should have an opportunity of getting it back again ; that appointment should be on behalf of both parties, that they should de- cide on behalf of the proprietor as well as on the part of the occupier. Would not the effect of that be, that these public officers would, in fact, have the letting of the whole land in every respect except the amount of rent? — No, they would only have to do that where there was a claim ; if there was an agreement of tenancy, and both the tenant and the landlord were satisfied with each other, they need not call a man in to arrange at all if they were both agreeable ; it would only be where there was dissatisfac- tion between the two parties. Suppose the landlord and tenant had made an agree- ment between them, at the commencement of a tenancy, containing certain stipulations for improvements, and certain conditions upon which the dilapidations should be paid for, and those two parties, the tenant and land- lord, subsequently quarrelled, would you enable this public officer to come in to set aside the agreement be- tween the landlord and the tenant, with respect to im- provement and dilapidations, and decide according to some rule to be laid down by Parliament ? — It depends upon whether those parties after the period when the act passed made a private agreement between each other. I do not see why Government should interfere with that if it be made binding. You mean this : that you do not think it would be just that where a private agreement existed between yourself, for instance, and your landlord, that any third party should come in and make an arrangement between you upon different terms ? — Not if the agreement was made after the act was passed ; if both the landlord and the tenant were agreeable to make a private agreement be- tween each other, or to abide by that agreement, on stamps, so as to be binding, my opinion is that this law there should not interfere. Then would you have it interfere in the case of an agreement now existing between landlord and tenant that is binding ; would you allow those parties to come in and interfere in any agreement which might exist between you and your landlord at the time of the passing of the Act ? — Yes ; I would set all the agreements that were made previous to this time aside. You would completely remove idl agreements .' — Yes, all ; if the tenant and landlord wished to come in after- wards, then they should abide by their own agreement ; but if a provision was made for both parties, the la id- lord is insured not to have his land in a dilapidated state, and the tenant is insured for improvement he has made and not got back the value of again ; then I think after that provision was made, if he entered into an agreement against his own interest he must abide by it. Do you think the opinion is general, among the te- nantry of your district, that a law should be made which should set aside all the existing agreements between landlord and tenant, where they are for yearly tenure ? — Yes, to a certainty ; that has been spoken of for a num- ber of years, that if they had the opportunity, for in- stance, that they have in Lincolnshire. I heard some of our tenant farmers say, the other day, when they spoke of Lincolnshire being better farmed than Yorkshire, they said there was no wonder about it ; that they should like to have the advantage derived by the tenant there ; if he expended his capital in bones and guano, and artificial manures of different descriptions, and cake for his cattle, he got remunerated for all that he had not received benefit from, when he left; and on that account if they had the same opportunity no doubt it would be carried out in our county. You wish that all existing agreements, from the passing of the Act, shall be swept away, and to establish by law some practice that would be assimilated to the customs in Lincolnshire ? — Yes ; no doubt of it, for this reason : if the existing agreements were to go on, the tenant would not wish to fly in the face of the landlord, who might say, we are not compelled by law to alter our agreements, and I suppose it is not necessary for us to have them altered, and therefore we must go on as we were before. The passing of that Act would not be any benefit without it did set aside all agreements previous to that time. Mr. Stafford.] Would you apply it to leases as well as agreements? — No, not till the expiration of the lease. Mr. Newdegate.] You would not then set aside the leases as well as the yearly agreements? — A lease is a very different thing, because, for instance, where a person has taken a lease, if it has been profitable, he has been allowed to plough up old swarth land, and I know where leases have been given with permission to break up the old land, and to lay down the same proportion, a good many years before the lease was at liberty, and therefore it would be hard upon a landlord if a person had been allowed to break up his land, not to make him put it back again in the same state as he found it ; it would be hard upon the proprietor of the soil ; that is one reason why I object to leases being broken. It seems you do not desire to take a lease .' — No ; by no means. Where do you establish a difference between the yearly holding and the lease ; does the only difference that makes you wish for the sweeping away of the yearly holding and retention of the lease, consist in this, that the yearly agreements do not generally contain cove- nants for compensation.' — Not exactly; in many in- stances in Scotland, where land is held on lease, it has been taken in a bad state. There are some landlords that do, in Scotland, allow their tenants to have the first chance after the lease is out ; but in many instances m THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. of leases they do not consider that at the expiration of the lease, and they will not allow the man to occupy the farm again, without he will go to the full extent that any other person will go. They generally ])ut them up by ticket. That is not an answer to the question. Where do you establish the difference between the yearly holding and the lease ; does the only difference that makes you wish for the sweeping away of the yearly holding and the re- tention of the lease consist in this, that the yearly agree- ments do not generally contain covenants for compensa- tion .'—With regard to that, I cannot speak further than I am tilluding to now. I do not think it would answer either one party or the other so well, from what I have seen between the two different counties, that is, Lincoln- shire, where they have their farms with compensation for the outlay, and where the land is better farmed than it is in any other part I have seen. Take the instance of Lincolnshire ; a great proportion of the land which is held in Lincolnshire is held under yearly agreement ? — Yes. The tenants have the advantage of the custom ? — Yes. Supposing the tenants under yearly agreements in Yorkshire had the advantage of the same custom, do you not think that would be more advantageous to the tenant than a lease ?— Yes, decidedly; not a doubt about it. Supposing that all that the custom gives in Lincoln- shire were secured to the tenants of Yorkshire, by clauses in their agreements giving them compensation, would not the purpose which you desire be effected ? — Yes, no doubt about it. Then your only reason for wishing to break through the yearly tenure in Yorkshire is to give the Yorkshire tenants the same advantage which the Lincolnshire te- nants possess under their custom ? — No doubt of it. A very near neighbour of mine went from Yorkshire to Lincolnshire. He was considered a very moderate farmer then, and he has now nearly 4,000 acres, nearly all under the plough, and there is not any farm in Lincolnshire better farmed ; so that that proves that a very moderate Yorkshire farmer will make a good Lincolnshire farmer, if he has the same tenant right to secure him. Do you know of any reason why a Yorkshire tenant should not have the same advantages, except the absence of custom, that is, except that the custom is found in Yorkshire not so advantageous to the tenant as it is in Lincolnshire ' — That is the very reason why Yorksliire is not so well farmed, no doubt. Then if by clauses in the special agreements between yearly tenants in Yorkshire and their landlords, they were secured the same compensation which is assigned in Lin- colnshire, you think that the arrangement would be satisfactory ? — There is not a doubt about it. I believe in 99 cases out of 100 that both landlord and tenant would be satisfied with it. Mr. Stafford.] Is there any special Act for Lin- colnshire ?— No ; it is the custom of that part of the country ; some of the hind was in a bad state, and that has had the advantage of being brought into a better state. What the Lincolnshire farms have got without Act of Parliament, that you want to get in Yorkshire by Act of Parliament?— Yes. Sir C. Lemon.] If the landlord and the tenant would be both so well satisfied with such an arrange- ment, why do they not make it? — I do not know; it will never be put in force in Yorkshire ; at all events, not for a lenp;th of time; if it was done by Government it would have a better effect, it would bring it to bear at once. Does not it strike you, that it would be better that all agricultural improvements should be gradually brought into use by agreements of that kind; by an understanding in that way, and not by force? — Not exactly by force; it is not very good to force a man, but it has generally been a customary thing for the landlords to make the agreement, and probably it was mostly on their own part to compel tenants against over cropping the land, there being a bad means of managing their land by over cropping. You say it would be necessary to enforce that by Act of Parliament ; have you any doubt that an agreement of that kind would be very much to the interest of the tenants ? — Yes. And you have no doubt it would be advantageous to the landlord also? — Yes. Then all that you want is, that the mutual advantage of both parties should be made more apparent ? — Yes, to come more into practice, that is what I want, to get it into general use. If that is the universal understanding, which it ap- pears to be among your own neighbours, why does not that practice prevail ? — Piobably the proprietor of the soil does not see that in the same manner that the te- nant farmei'does ; if Yorkshire had the same advantage as the next county hns of tilling the ground, it woTiId come into general i)raciicc, and there would be no ex- cuse whatever; it is an excuse sometimes for the tenant farmer to say, he hai not the advantage he onj^ht to have in tilling the farm. You mentioned a peculiar mode of drainage by dig- ging deep swallows ; is that practised to any extent .' — Yes, where the water cannot be conveyed away by cut. Docs not it depend also njion your being able to dig into the strata of gravel ? — Yes, it would not answer upon strong clay. I am only speaking where some part of the country is overrun with water, strong wet land, arid the other part comes into gravel, and that wafer cannot bo got rid of without taking it in the way I have taken it. Is that an cxjicnsivo process ? — No, it is n cheap process, because the land is tlioroughly drained ; it would be very expensive provided it had to be taken away by ojwn cut, but ; ore it is conveyed and I)rought to a head, whicdi is tlie same thing. We have swallows that will nearly take water I'unning as fast as would turn a common coru-mill round. Has it been usual for the landlord to pay any portion of the expense ? — No. That would 'Constitute a fair claim upon the landlord in quitting tlie farm ? — I think it onj;ht to be ; there is certainly agreal deal of our country that might be im- proved ill a similar way; the landlord ought to be something towards it; it is permanent. I know one swallow that was made upwards of 30 years ago, and it answers just the same now as it did when it was first made. Mr. Newdegate.] You seem to be acquainted in some degree with Lincolnshire ; do you know that the custom of Liwcolnshire grew up from one agreement between a lawdlord andatenant? — No, I was not aware of that; I am nothint; more acquainted with Lincoln- shire than taking a tour through it to see the improve- ments going on there, and I found some very good farm- ing in that neighbourhood. Y'^ou are not aware that that custom has gradually proceeded from the establishment of one advantageous yearly agreement bLtwccu a landlord and a tenant ? — No. Might not the same thing happen in Yoikshire? — It might; bnt it is a groat ]>ity that the community at large shouW suffer for a number of ytar=, when it coidd be brought into practice in so short a period. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 59 Mr. Hayteh.] Do you hold your farm uiuler agrcc- nioutin wi'iting ? — Yes, in writing. Is the custom ilofincd in Uiat agreement, or any way cxi)rcsscd in tliat agreement? — Yes, with regard to the cropping of the land. And as to the incoming and outgoing tenant custom ? Yes, and it provides against reletting the land, and many other things besides. Is that expressive of the custom that exists, oris it an agreement independent of the custom? — It only goes upon the custom that exists in tlie neighbourhood. Supposing there were no agrrcment, are the Com- mittee to understand that the same custom woidd exist between the incoming and outgoing tenant? — Yes, I have known where it lias been tried and the custom of the country has stood good. The custom of the country is the law of that part of the land ? — Yes, How far do you speak of the extent of that custom ; how far has it prevailed within yourknovi'Iedge? — I can speak for pretty nearly 20 iniles square ; I cannot go beyond that, I think. Is the genei al state of husbandry the same throughout the district ? — Yes, mostly ; I do not think there is much difference. Has the custom arisen from considerations of con- venience of the landlord and tenant with respect to the mode of cropping? — No doubt it has. Arc you to be understood to say that the alteration you pmijosc is an alleratiou in the custom which is desirable from the diftercncein the mode of cultivation ? — Yes, no doubt of it, that is a very great thing that they want to come to, an alteration in the mode and the means of laying out their own capital, so that the tenant farmer should not be taken advantage of. Are we to understand from that that the farmers have not under the existing custom been in the habit of laying out their capital ? — Not manj'. And those who have so laid it out have laid it out as you have laid it out, upon a fancied security in the tenure ? — Yes, and sometimes jjcople take advantage of that, and when that is the case it is a terror to the whole district wliere a man has farmed superior to his neighbour upon the estate; the one has a rise in his rent and the other remains as he was. You want to make the customs of Lincolnshire the law of the land ? — Not exactly that ; I do not speak of the customs of Lincolnshire, further than that they are compensating. And that compensation in tluit district you want to establish in a more extended district? — Yes. And you think that from that great advantage would arise to the tenant and landlord? — Yes, to both parties, and the country at large j it would bring a great deal more labour on the land that is not now expended. Do you imagine that the custom that now exists in Yorkshire was a custom that grew up in consequence of the supposed advantage to both parties? — I do not believe it has arisen from that, but for want of knowing better. Mr. Denison.] Customs are things that must be changed slowly '! — I think this requires changing quickly ; it has been changing slowly for a length of lime. If you were to rely upon a change through a change of custom, that is a thing that would grow up only slowly ? — Yc rkshire has been standing still. Your opinion is, from your knowledge of the habits and feelings of tiie landed proprietors, that they would not make voluntary agreements of the sort you think necessary, unless some interference arose by law ? — Some part of them might; I do not think the whole would, because there are many that might not, probably, understand tl.c advantage they would derive from it, and on that account it would be a long time before they would be persuaded that it would be for their advantage. Then until a thing should become general, it coulrl not be called the custom of the country ? — No, it would not alter the present principle without it was passed by law. If you were to wait for a change of custom, much time would be lost ? — No doubt of it. At this particular juncture in farming affairs, this is a matter of a great deal of importance ? — Not a doubt of it, and the sooner any operation took place that would be ber.eflcial to all peoi)le, the better ; I am cer- tain that not one in a thousand would be a loser by the alteration. From your knowledge of the common run of valuers through the county, do you think it would not be per- fectly safe to leave this matter to be settled by the or- dinary valuers of the county ? — I have no doubt but that it would ; but it sometimes happens that probably some of those ordinary valuers might have something to do with either one party or the other, and on that account, if they were set apart, and their award was final, that would not give any offence, if it did not seem to quite meet the approbation of both parties; that would be the only advantage of appointing people as district valuers. Do you think it would answer the purpose if you left the landlord and tenant, or the outgoing and incoming tenants to appoint their valuers, sujiposing that one of those nun whom you have spoken of could be called in as an umpire? — It is an awkward thing calling in an umpire ; it might be as well referred to one man if that one man's decision was to be final. I have had a great deal of valuing corn between one neighbour and another ; but if two people try to make an agreement, my opinion is, that all that has been done by them ought not to be kept as a secret from the umpire; he ought to be acquainted with what both their interests are, and then probably he could make a satisfactory award, but you might as well only have one vainer as to have to choose an umpire to finally settle the c[ues- tion, because what the other two valueis have done in the first instance would be set aside. Do you know that where those tenants-rights pre- vail, the common habit of valuing is by a valuer on each side, and an umpire? — I do not know the custom of Lincolnshire in that way; the custom is in our county, that some of the agreements bind the outgoing tenant to sell his crop on or before such a time to the incoming tenant, and when that is the case, it is done by three valuers ; but they are generally all [appointed, the two valuers are chosen, and between them they choose a third man, and it has been found a great deal more advantageous where that third man was made ac- quainted with what the other two had done : it is cus- tomary for the thicc valuers to go together, he is acquainted then with the whole of what has taken place between the other two. Mr. Newdegate.] You have stated that the diffi- culty of tlae umpire arises from his not knowing upon what the valuation of the arbitrator has proceeded .'— Yes. Would not it be advantageous, that the arbitrators should be compelled to state in their award the items upon which they have awarded that compensation?— Yes, that is my opinion. And the same in the case of dilapidations? — Yes, to be sure. You think then that in order to establish a just sys- tenr of arbitration, it would be necessary that the valuator or arbitrator should state distinctly the items 60 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. upon which their valuation is fixed'' — Yes; they ought to state it distinctly to the arbitrator. I do not think it would be right exactly to state those particulars to the parties they are connected with : but what my meaning is, is this: that the arbitrator should not be blindfolded ; he ought to know what the other two valuers have done, and give him Ihe items ; but I do not think it would be beneficial to give every item to the parties; it might cause a dissension among the parties; it v/ould be better to make it out either that the landlord was indebted to the tenant so much, on account of his capital laid out, or that the tenant was jndebted to the landlord so much money for dilapida- tions, leaving the items out ; my meaning with respect to that was this, that the arbitrator ought to bo ac- quainted with all ihe particulars. In short, whoever shall make the final decision, which would be the umpire in the case you suppose, should be made acquainted with all the items upon which the valuation proceeded ? — Yes. Chairman.] If the arbitration is to be by three parties, you then think it would be advantageous that the umpire should act with the other two from the first, and make himself acquainted with all the circum- stances ? — Yes; it would be better; because then the decision of the two would be final, the same as judges being called in to judge cattle ; it is not always the case that three judges chosen agree exactly, but the majority of one would be sufficient. Mr. Newdegate.] Your only fear of difference arising owing to the statement in writing as by the ar- bitrator, is that it miglit lead to some difference be- tween the parties concerned? — Yes; my opinion is, with respect to that, that if the tenant and the landlord had to choose those people, it would be not so plea- sant ; it would be better to have people chosen and set apart on purpose. Your only fear of difference arising owing to the statement in writing as by the arbitrator, is that it might lead to some difference between the parties con- cerned ? — No doubt of it. Supposing those items were only produced in cases where a difference had already arisen, your objection would not have force ?— -No ; it is evident that if the landlord and the tenant agreed, without calling in those valuers, that is, that if they were both perfectly satisfied, the tenant claiming so much from the land- lord, and he being satisfied to give it him, or the land- lord claiming so much from the tenant, and he being satisfied to pay it, the valuers would not have to in- terfere; but if the valuers were to interfere it would be better to keep the items from both parties, they merely giving in their valuation of the damages. But you think that those items ought to be produced to the umpire? — No doubt of it; he should act with the two valuers. In the case of the appointment of an umpire subse- quently, you think it is essential to the justness of his decision, that the items should be produced for that de- cision ? — No doubt of it, to him ; tlie two valuers ought to acquaint him with what they have done. I think it is better no doubt for them all to act together from the first, where they have to be called in. But in the case of an umpire being appointed subse- quently, to decide the matter between the arbitrators, you think that the items ought to be produced ? — Yes, to him ; but not to the proprietor and the occupier. To whomsoever shall decide the matter between the arbitrators ? — Yes. Mr Stafford.] You have said that you think with respect to the appointment of the arbitrators that the patronage of the appointment of those arbitrators should be in the hands of the Government ? — Yes. Do you think that any class of men should be in- eligible, that is, that there should be restrictions in the Bill as to the choosing of those arbitrators from any particular class ? — No, I do not think that that is ne- cessary ; I should think that the Government would choose such men as had practical knowledge respecting what damages ought to be laid upon both parties. You do not think that either the tenant farmers or the landlords should be ineligible?— No. You would admit farmers to be appointed ? — Yes. Have you considered at all how you would have them paid ? — There cannot be a stated thing, but there ought to be according te the number of acres of ground that they have to look over, and what they have to do. That being the case, from whence should the money come to pay them ? — From the parties that were in the wrong. If the landlord brought his action for dilapi dations against the tenant, then that amount of money ought to come from him if he were in the wrong. If the landlord was owing to the tenant I think he ought to pay the whole of it without the tenant was in the wrong, so far as leaving the farm in a dilapidated state goes ; then the amount ought to come from his pocket. And do you think that those arbitrators should have full power to recover in any case ? — Yes, or it would be a very disagreeable thing. I think they ought to have full power to recover their expenses before the land- lord recovers his rent, and for this reason : it would be very hard for them to be brought in and not to have a guarantee for their expenses. If the tenant were in the wrong and the expenses were awarded against him, would you make the claim of the arbitrator prior to that of the landlord? — Yes, there is no doubt of it, or there would be no security, because, if the landlord was to be secured for his rent, the valuer would have a poor chance, prniirii.ly, in some instances where a tenant was lenviug a farm in embar- rassed circumstances. Mr. Henley.] You seem to have given a great deal of attention to the details of this plan as to the ap- pointment of the valuers ; do you think that those Government valuers ought to be allowed to take general business of that description in the neighbourhood ?— > Yes, no doubt of it ; I do not see why they should not. You were understood to say that you thought that parties appointed by private individuals, landlords or tenants, might be under obligations to those tenants? —Yes. Would not those other parties by taking general business be equally under obligations ? — Yes, in some instances they might, but it would not be a general thing, because the tenant might appoint his own next neighbour and the landlord the same ; and if there were general valuers, whatever they did would be thought right by both parties. Who should you propose to pay for the valuation, the landlord or the incoming tenant? — That depends upon circumstances ; my opinion is, if a farmer left a farm in a dilapidated state he ought to pay the valuers. The question is this : who should pay the outgoing tenant for the amount expended upon the farm, the landlord or the incoming tenant? — He ought to have security from the landlord. In your opinion, what should that security be? — He ought to have the land to go upon ; the security ought to be from the landlord, but dependent upon the cir- cumstances ; my opinion is, that he ought to have pos- session of the land until the landlord either remunerated him for the expenses, or compelled the incoming tenant to do it. You would allow him to obtam possession of the land ? — Yes, till he had the guarantee given him that THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 61 this amount of money was to be paid ; without the outgoing tenant had the landlord to look to, the in- coming tenant might be a man without capital, and then he would lose the money that he had laid out. Then the amount to be paid to the outgoing tenant must be ascertained, according to that view, before the termination of the tenancy?— No doubt of it. In your view, should the tenant give any notice to the landlord of the capital he was about to expend, such as in drainage, that the landlord might satisfy himself how the work was done ? — Yes ; he ought to give notice and have his consent for every penny laid out, that is, either from the landlord or his agent. In your opinion it would be right ? — Yes, my opinion is, that he should not begin to take possession of another person's property, and expend money with- out the consent of the other person, the landlord. Supposing the landlord refused to give his consent; how then? — If that was the case, he would be at liberty to leave it. In your opinion, in case of notice being given and consent refused, the tenant ought not to be allowed to lay the money out ? — Not with regard to suchlike as per- mauent improvements, such as drainage, farm tanks, and buildings, and so on ; it might not be convenient for the landlord to allow it to go on, and they should not be allowed. But with regard to improving the land by artificial manures in many ways, that I think ought to be at the will of the tenant, because if it come before the arbitrators they would be satisfied that the amount he laid out was a great benefit to the landlord, or they would not award any amount to the tenant on that account. Should any notice be given to the landlord as to the laying out of mouey upon artificial manure ? — No, I do nottliink that at all necessary. Would their be no difficulty of proof? — No difficulty whatever, I think ; I think that the tenant ought to give the receipt from the person whom the article was brought from ; therefore there would be a guarantee against fraud. It would merely secure the purchase of the manure ; it would not secure the spreading it upon the land ? — But the valuers would be able to prove whether that quantity of manure was put on ; if they had a doubt about it, tbey could bring his servants or farm people to prove whether that quantity of manure was put on or not. That might be proved by the labourers ? — Yes ; and they could not have better proof. The bill of the purchase would merely prove that that quantity of material was brought and delivered to such and such a man ? — Yes ; and he would have to prove from his own people that it was used. Do you think it would be at all a matter easy of proof when running over three or four years ? — No doubt about it. Do you ihink there would be no opening for fraud? — None ; I do not think at all there would. Have you ever known attempts at fraud in valuing existing customs? — No, we have not had much of that in our county; I never knew of an instance of that kind. Chairman.] You were understood to say, that in the event of any Bill being passed on this subject, you would recommend that it should not be made applica- ble to existing leases, but that it should be made ap- plicable to holdings by yearly agreement ? — Yes. In your opinion then, the landlord, the land being held by yearly agreement, would have his remedy in his own hands, if he did not choose to submit to such a law?— Certainly he would be at liberty to discharge his tenants at the year's end. You stated that you would rather decline holding land under a lease on account of the uncertainty of the times? — Yes. Your apprehension then is, not that the land will be- come altogether unfit for cultivation, but that you would not like to be tied to give a fixed amount of rent for so long a period as 21 years ? — Yes, that is it ; I do not at all apprehend the land going out of cultivation ; my opinion is, that I should not like to be bound to give a fixed rent for a farm ; in short, my farm, for the rent and tithe, is upwards of £1,200 a year for 485 acres of land ; the tithe is commuted at £156, and the rent is £^1,050, that is, £1,206 a year. I should not like to be fixed with that rent for 20 years to come, though no doubt the farm is worth more by ;&300 a year than it was 10 or 12 years ago, from the improve- ments I have made ; but I would rather hold it from year to year. Sir C. Lemon.] Is not there a conviction in people's minds that it can never be worth while to a landlord to exact rent, even if it was due, beyond what the farm can fairly bear ; if you were under lease, and the rent was found too high from a change of times, is not it the conviction in people's minds that it is not to the ad- vantage of the landlord to exact the full rent, though it is his due? — No doubt it would be to his ad- vantage ; but there are not many landlords who have tenant farmers, but what would try to get what the agreement was for. A landlord acting upon the principles of common sense, would not it be decidedly his interest to reduce his rent rather than to let his farm be wracked out ? — No doubt it would be to his advantage, but there are very few that would avail themselves of that opportu- nity ; they would mostly exact all they could. Is it your opinion that landlords are not endowed with common sense like other people ? — Yes, quite as much, and perhaps with more than many others, but they like to take all they can get, most part of them. If 1 could insure my landlord's life for 19 years I should have confidence that he would not want me to pay more than the land was worth. Chairman.] Are not there many places where the landlords have not a power over their own property, being in the hands of agents and executors?— Yes, it is the case, but not very often ; mine is in the hands of executors and agents, but still they allow the landlord to have power to grant what he thinks proper. Mr. Henley.] Your farm is good land of course by the rent you pay? — Yes, very good land. There is a great deal of poor land cultivated in this country, is there not? — Yes, but there is a good deal of land in the county which I am sure, if cultivated in a similar way to mine, would be quite as good. There are very poor tracts of land, which if there were very great alteration in the times must go out of cultivation ? — Yes, but if they were in a good state of cultivation to begin with, there would be a greater en- couragement to go on. If any great alterations were to take place in the times, there would be 19 out of 20 of the lands that are in a bad state would go out of cultivation. Land in a high state of cultivation in the better description of farms would stand a better chance. I repeat that there are in this country many tracts of land which might be made to grow as much on 20 acres as it now does on 30 ; it would always be to a farmer's advantage to keep his land in a high state of cultivation in preference to keeping it in a bad state. Evidence o/Mr. Henry Whitf. Chairman.] You are a land surveyor, and indeed 62 THli FARMER'S MAGAZINE. the only land surveyor at Warrington in Lancashire ? — I am. And you have a great deal of business in valuing and surveying land in that neighbourhood ? — I have an ex- tensive business for 20 miles round Warrington, extend- ing through South Lancashire, and a great part of Che- shire. You are secretary to a large agricultural society, the Liverpool and Manchester Society ? — Yes I am the sole secretary. Are you not also an inspector of that society for pre- miums given for the best cultivated farms within its limits? Not for that society ; but I was inspector for the Liver- pool Society before it was united with the Manchester. I was joint inspector for this society, and I was inspector for the South Cheshire Society. I am inspector of farms for the Darsbury Farmers' Club, in North Cheshire. Have you also had the management of considerable property in Cheshire ? — I had at one time for about 13 years, and I have now tlie agency of a small estate. In those different capacities have you become practi- cally acquainted with the farming of South Lancashire and Cheshire ? — I think I have. Will you state to the Committee what are the customs between the outgoing and incoming tenants in Lanca- shire ? — They are very limited indeed. A tenant pro- fesses to quit his land on the 2nd of February, with the exception of a pasture field, called the outlet for the cattle. The house, buildings, and the outlet are given up on the 1st or 12th of May, as the case may be. The ten- ant leaving his land, therefore, on the 2nd of February, has nothing upon it but the wheat crop, and for that he gets half of the wheat crop allowed him by the oncoming tenant, if it is after green crops (which it is generally with us) ; if it is after the summer fallow, he gets two- thirds of the wheat crop allowed him, and that, with the exception of the allowance for clover or grass seeds, which have been sown the previous year, is all that he gets. Mr. Henley.] WTiat are the holdings, Michaelmas or Lady-day holdings ? — They may be considered as Lady-day holdings. Chairman.] It is old Lady-day, is it not ? — The holding is the 2nd^of February, as I stated, and the 1st or 12th of May for the outlet. Mr. Henley.] When is the rent payable .' — From an intermediate period, which is Lady-day. Chairman.] To whom does the dung belong? — It belongs to the farm. Does it belong to the landlord or to the outgoing ten- ant ? — It belongs to the landlord, taking it in that sense. The incoming tenant makes no payment for the manure he finds upon the premises ? — None whatever. Is any compensation made for any kind of improve- ment to the outgoing tenant ? — None can be demanded by the custom or legally ; but it is sometimes given by the landlords. Is it often given by the landlords ? — •! think it is some- times given by liberal landlords. I myself have re- commended it to be given in many instances as a matter of justice. Was that in Lancashire or Cheshire ? — In Cheshire. If it were given in Lancashire, in what way would it be given ? — Probably in money, and the landlord would then be at liberty to make his own arrangement with the incoming tenant for any advantage he ought to have out of it. Is that commonly practised in Lancashire ? — I am afraid not. Is there much room for improvement by draining in Lancashire ? — Very much. What is the general character of the South Lancashire land? — About two-thirds of it is strong clayey loam, upon a subsoil of clay. Tiie clay requires under draining before it can be properly cultivated. Can you state what is the average yield of wheat upon those cold clay lands ? — Upon the cold clay land, about 20 bushels per statute acre. Mr. T. Egerton ] You mean theundrained land ? — Yes, undrainedland. Are you acquainted with land that has been well drained in Lancashire ? — Yes, I am. Has the produce been much increased there ? — Yes, it has been frequently doubled. Are you acquainted with the extensive improvements that have been made in Lord Derby's property ? — I am. Have those improvements, which have been carried on there for many years, tended greatly to increase the produce of Lord Derby's farms?— I have no doubt they have. To the extent that you have already mentioned ? — I am not personally acquainted with the estate so as to give a certain opinion as to that but I have seen very heavy crops of wheat upon the land after draining, I think nearly to the amount. Is much of the land in South Lancashire so wet as not to bear root crops at present ? — Certainly the clay lands are not fit for root crops at present, if they are not drained. Is there any considerable proportion of these clay lands that would bear good root crops by draining ? — Yes, all by draining and subsoil ploughing. Lancashire has a very wet climate to contend against, has not it ? — Yes, very wet indeed ; we have 36 inches of rain falling in the 12 months. Does not that render the undrained clay land pecu- liarly disadvantageous for farming ? — Peculiarly so for every state ; but perhaps the least so for that of grass, with which a great portion of it is obliged to be cultivated in consequence. What sort of pasturage does it make ? — Very miserable. If the increase of produce would be great upon the undrained arable land, would not -it be much greater upon such poor undrained pasture land, if it were drained and put under the plough? — It would be equally great upon the pasture land. Mr. T. Egerton.] Has it come within your know- ledge where the land has been drained, what has been the increase of stock that has been kept upon it ; speaking as to the grass lands entirely, what increase of dairy stock has been kept upon it in consequence of that ? — Upon the dairy farms, the drainage of the land has generally been followed by the application of bone manure, and the increase has frequently been half as many more cattle or one-third more cattle and cows than were kept before by the farmer. Chairman.] Is that application of bone manure at all practised in Lancashire or in Cheshire ? — It is prac- tised to a very limited extent on the grass land in Lan- cashire, but in the growth of turnips it is beginning to be more generally used. As to Cheshire, are the customs between incoming and outgoing tenants in that county similar to those in Lancashire ? — They are. Is the period of entry the same ? — It is. Is the soil of Cheshire, with which you are extensively acquainted, generally a cold wet soil ? — Not so much so as South Lancashire ; but one -half of Cheshire is a cold soil, the other half is sandy loam and peat, incumbent upon the red sandstone and upon marl. The climate of Cheshire is like as that of Lancashii*e in respect of rain, is not it ? — It is very similar. Are the undrained lands of Cheshire in a very cold unproductive state ? — They are. Is the grass land of Cheshire much benefited by drain- ing ?— Yes, it is very greatly benefited by draining. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 03 ' Is there a great deal of it that stills remains to be drained ? — I should think there is one-fifth or one-fourth or more ; but I have no means of stating correctly. Of the grass land ? — I should think ^here may be that proportion. Mr. Henlky.] Do you say that have been drained, or that are to be drained ? — To be drained. Chairman.] What proportion of the cold arable lands of Cheshire has been already drained should you say .' — Probably half the arable land, or not so much ; but the proportions are very difficult to define, of course. Have you more grass land or arable land in Cheshire? —About two-thirds are in grass, and one-third in the arable state. Have you a peculiar mode of improving grass land in Cheshire, by bones, that is almost confined to that coun- ty ? — We have ; the application of bone dust to the cold clay land of Cheshire has perhaps made the greatest im- provement that ever was made in that county. Will you describe to the Committee tlie process of those improvements by the use of bones on pasture lands ? — The bones applied generally by the farmers are the boiled bones, which come more immediately into action ; they arc generally applied either in October or November, or in the month of April ; they come into full action in about 12 months, or rather less if they are boiled bones ; if they are raw bones we do not consider that they will come into action so soon by a great deal. In what quantities do you apply the bones ? — At the rate of one ton per statute acre. What is the price of the ton ? — About £i the boiled bones ; the others will vary from £6 to £8, according to the degree of fineness they are reduced to by the person who sells them. I have paid as much as ^'8 for very fine raw bones. Have you any restriction as to stocking the land dur- ing the year of the application of the bones ? — The land- lords, if they find the manure, charge a per-centage for it, of course subject to the land not being broken up again without their consent. When you have applied a very heavy dressing of bones to the grass land, are you obliged to treat that land dif- ferently as to stocking ? — It would carry a much greater weight of stock in a few years ; I do not know anything else; the food is very rich, and it is doubled ; trefoil and white clover are produced by the application of the bones, and all the good grasses are brought forward ; it is an excellent fertilizer, and brings out all the virtue of the land. How long does this dressing last? — It will last much longer on the pasture land, because the increased num- ber of cattle it will bear will cause an increased fall of manure upon the land, therefore we consider if the land continues in pasture it will never depreciate. You consider this heavy and expensive dressing of bones to be almost a permanent improvement ? — Yes, in the pasture land, not in the mowing land ; perhaps in the mowing land it would be exhausted after four or five mowings. Mr. T. Egerton.] Is not the average supposed to be about 11 or 12 years with bones ? — We should not think of allowing a tenant anything beyond that period (if we considered him justly entitled to something), not even for pasture land. In the case of a tenant laying out money, and putting on the bones himself, would he not be paid for that in 11 years ? — I think he would be repaid in a much less time where the land has been previously drained. You have mentioned with respect to the boning, that a process was carried on in Cheshire of applying marl to the light soils ? — That was formerly very much practised, more so than at present; now that the aitificial manures are applied. Marling is a very essential improvcmenl (o the sandy soils of Cheshire. How many square yards do you reckon to be required per acre ? — Tlie ap[)lication is generally from one to two roods of G4 cubic yards. What is the period that the marling is supposed to last for .' — I should think from seven to ten years. V/hen the land gets laid down to grass, as it does sometimes after marling, the marl lies partially dormant until it is ploughed up again ; but not altogether so, because the grass will be much imj)roved, and therefore the grass roots must be deriving benefit from it. We find it gra- dually sinking every year ; the longer the field is in grass the deeper we find the marl. Mr. Henley.] How are the bones that you have spoken of applied to the grass land ; in what shape ; broken very sinall, or how? — Those that are boiled are crushed as small as they can crush them, and they are spread by hand. Is there anything mixed with them ? — No. How are the raw bones applied ? — They are frequently applied in the same way ; but they are sometimes, for turnips, applied with farm-yard manure. But how are tliey applied on the grass land ? — In the same way. And crushed as small as you can crush them ? — Still finer, if possible, than the boiled bones, because they will not decompose so soon. Chairman.] You say that since bones have been introduced, that marl is not so much applied to the light lands of Cheshire ? — Since the general use of l;ones and other artificial manures ; certainly marl was more espe- cially applied for promoting good crops of corn. Is it your opinion, that both on the grass land where this heavy dose of bones is given, and on the light land where bones are used in the ordinary course of farming, it would be wise to give to the teneints a claim for tha expense incurred by them on their quitting their farms ? — I think so. Do you think that the recognition of tenant right for improvements would, both in Lancashire and Cheshire, tend greatly to the imjirovement of farming ? — I do What effect do you think it would have upon the land- lord ? — I think it would have no bad effect upon the landlord but this good one, that of giving him better se- curity for his rent. You think it would give him better security for his rent ; would not it render it more easy for him when he had farms vacant, to obtain men of capital as tenants for them ? — Yes, I think so, invariably. Do you foresee any difficulty in making an arrange- ment for compensation when the tenant quits the farm, or any bad feeling or litigation that is likely to arise be- tween the landlord and the tenant .'' — It frequently occurs now, too frequently indeed. You were asked whether you think , that if the tenant right for compensation were granted, in that event any great difficulty would arise as to the valuation of the rates, or any unpleasant feeling or litigation would be likely to arise between the landlord and tenant ? — Not at all likely ; I think a great deal of bad feeling now existing would then be done away with. Mr. Henley.] You have stated that one- fifth of the grass land of Cheshire is undrained ? — I think that is probably the case, but it may be much more. How long have you been acquainted with Cheshire ■ — For 20 years. Has the drainage of the other four-fifths been done du- ring that time, or was it done antecedently ?— A very small portion of it was done when I knew it. Then the four-fifchs have been drained in the period over which your knowledge e.x^tends ? — It is only some of the soils that would require it. 64 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. You are understood to speak of the grass lands pria- cipally, which are the heavy lands? — There might be half that would not require it that would be two-and-a- half fifths. And you think about the half of the arable land is also drained that requires it ? — I think probably so now, for the improvements have been going on extensively for several years. At whose cost have they generally been done ? — Some- times they have been done by the landlord, but more frequently by the landlord and tenant joining. Consequently they see their mutual advantage, and agree to do that ? — Yes. Are the lands of Cheshire you have spoken of held ordinarily by lease or by agreement ? — They are some of them held on lease, but more commonly by agreement, from year to year, I think. And under that agreement from year to year, both par- ties seeing their interest in them, those improvements have taken place ? — Yes, they have. Has the operation of boning been general in Cheshire ? It has been very general. And what security has been given for that ; has it been done at the joint expense of the landlord and the tenant, or by the tenant, or by the landlord ? — In some cases, where the landlord is a man of property, and has the money to spare, he has manured the land with bone dust and charged the tenant from 7 to 7a per cent, for the outlay of the money. In many other cases the tenants have found the bone manure themselves. Has that been done to a very considerable extent in the one way or the other, without any law to step in ? — Yes. Are the lands in Cheshire generally held by lease or by tenure from year to year ? — They are more frequently held by yearly tenancy. You have spoken of one large estate, namely. Lord Derby's estate, as having been drained ; do you know at whose expense that was drained ? — At the landlord's. What tenure was it drained upon ? — The landlord charged 5 per cent, for the outlay to the tenant. What is the tenure of land in Lancashire ? — Principally from year to year. In some few cases it is held on lease, or what is much the same, agreements for a lease. Are leases more general in Lancashire than in Cheshire ? — I do not think they are. Is there any difficulty, in your judgment, in a tenant by agreement securing himself in respect of any outlay he wishes to make, if the landlord is willing to grant it ? — Of course there cannot be if the landlord is willing to grant it ; but there appears to be great difficulty at pre- sent. You were understood to say,that in your opinion legis- lation is necessary; do you think that it ought to be retro- spective or prospective ? — I think prospective. Only prospective ? — I think that tenants, however un- reasonable, would hardly expect it to be retrospective. Do you think that the tenants are unreasonable ? — No doubt they are in some instances, as well as the land- lords. Do you think that in the event of kases, the law should override those leases or not ? — I think it could not inter- fere with existing leases. In the event of future agreements, should it be compe- tent to any parties to exempt themselves from the ope- ration of the law or not, in your judgment? — I think those parties that granted long leases might claim such a privilege. Do you think that persons with agreements from year to year ought to have the privilege of exempting them- selves ? —No. Do you think the law ought to fix the right of com- pensation in spite of any agreement made to the contrary .' — I think the law ought to lay down the general prin- ciple. The law laying down the general principle, do you think it right that the landlord and tenant, if they choose, should exempt themselves from that general principle .' — I think it would not be wise to allow them to do so ; the law would never get properly enforced if that were so ; it would be evaded. You thinking this general principle ought to be applied, ought it in your judgment to be carried to any point beyond that for compensation for money expended ? — Certainly not ; it must be compensation for money ex- pended, of course. You would not compel the owner of land to let his land? -Not at all. Giving him the option of letting it or not, you would propose terms of letting it upon? — I would lay down the general principle upon which it should be let, so that the tenant should be fairly protected. If the tenant could not get land without, you would not allow him to exempt himself from the operation of the law ?— No. What is the custom as to buildings in Cheshire ? — The landlord generally puts them into repair when the tenant goes to the place, and he expects the tenant to keep them in repair upon being found materials in the rough. Is that the same in Lancashire ? — Yes, I think it is ; there are various customs upon different estates. Is it by agreement upon the various estates, or by cus- tom establislied ? — I believe it would be by agreememt. By private agreement ? — Yes. Is there any custom, that you are aware of, existing in Lancashire and Cheshire applicable to buildings ? — I think there is no well-established custom. You have said that you think that the general principle ought to be established by law to give compensation to the tenants ; do you think it ought to extend to dilapida- tions as a set-off against that ? — Yes I think it ought to extend to dilapidations and breach of covenants. Supposing parties holding without agreements, and therefore that there were no covenants ; you have said that the law is to operate in spite of agreements ; then do you think that it ought to extend to dilapidations ? — I think it should extend to dilapidations and bad hus- bandry. Dilapidations as applied to buildings, and bad hus- bandry as applied to the land ? — Yes. Should the principle, in your judgment, be the capital expended by the outgoing tenant, or the advantage derived by the incoming tenant ? — I should prefer the latter prin- ciple, I think, as the safe guide ; but the former might be taken as some assistance to the valuers in forming their judgment. It is a material difference, of course, between the two princijdes ; what is your judgment as a practical man as to which ought to be the principle, the capital expended by the outgoing tenant, or the unexhausted improvement in the land ? — Where a man might not have judiciously expended the money, the valuers should have the power to take that into account. Do you think that the principle should he decided by the law, or be left to be settled by the valuer in each case ? — It might be safely left to the valuer, I think. You have heard the evidence given by the last witness ; should the valuers, in your opinion, be appointed by the landlords or the tenants, or by the government, to act between them ? — Inasmuch as I do not know that any inconvenience has arisen in other counties from the mutual appointment of valuers by both parties, I do not see why that system could not still be acted upon. If government officers were appointed, it is clear they could not be al- lowed to do private business in the district for which they are to act as tenant-right valuers. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. That would be your opiniou ? — Yes ; that would be my opinion. In your judgment, against whom should the outgoing tenant have the remedy ? — He should have his security in the landlord ; but no doubt generally he would have to get the money from the incoming tenant. What would be the nature of the security you would give him against the landlord ? — It might be by action. What remedy would you propose against the landlord? — I do not know any remedy so good as by an action. Supposing the landlord out of reach of action, abroad ; how would you deal with that case ? — He must have his remedy upon the land, the same as in the Tithe Com- mutation Act. Against the person in occupation ? — I apprehend he would not give up the occupation until he was compen- sated ; he should have the privilege of holding. You think he ought to keep the holding until his money was paid ? — Yes, or a guarantee given. In that case what would be the necessity of the cul- tivation of the land ; who is to cultivate it ? — The tenant remaining should go on cultivating, if he had not some assurance that his tenant-right would be paid. And for what period might he continue in possession ; for a broken period of a year, or for a whole year, or what arrangements would you make in that respect ? — He might continue any period, if he was compensated for what he had done during the state of suspense. Would you put him in the position of a mortgagee in possession? — No; perhaps not exactly; I do not ap- prehend any difficulty in the matter ; I do not think there would be the least difficulty. You say that the outgoing tenant should retain pos- session of the farm until he was paid ; upon what con- ditions do you think he ought to keep that possession, as to the cultivation and as to the period when he was to give it up ? — If he held over his time, in consequence of the landlord or incoming tenant failing to make compen- sation, I think he should continue to work the farm in the same way as he had hitherto done, and until he was compensated. How is he to be paid for the expenses he has incurred in the cultivation ? — By the same rule that he is paid for improvements that he has made ; it is not an uncommon thing to pay an outgoing tenant for land ploughed and prepared for the spring corn. Assuming the parties to be hostile to each other, then how is the tenant to be compensated for cultivation? — If such an event were likely to occur, it would be right to provide for it by a legislative act. But how is that to be provided for? — I apprehend the same remedy might be given as we have under the Tithe Commutation Act, by distress upon the premises and by sale of some of the land. But the Tithe Commutation Act does not enable you to retain possession ? — No, but it enables us to sell the land when we have nothing else to distrain upon. You state that you would have the same remedy as the Tithe Commutation Act ; we should know that ; when you say that you would retain possession until it is paid, how is that to be done .' — I have not given that point consideration beyond what I have stated ; I am of opinion it is a difficulty that would not arise once in a thousand times. Did you state that the tenant ought to be compensated for manures and oil-cake ?— No, I did not. In your judgment should it extend to that?— I think it should extend to oil-cake or other food of that de- scription bought and consumed upon the land ; but that is not practised to a great extent with us. It would be advantageous, would not it, if it were practised ?— It would, but as we have the means of getting manure from the large towns ; being a manu- facturing district, that plan has never been so much adopted with us. Would the valuation necessarily in your judgment take place before the termination of the tenancy ? — It would. Then it must be an estimate of the consumption up to the conclusion of the tenancy, and not the actual consumption ? — It would be only a few weeks before the expiration of the tenancy. It would be an estimate, and not what was actually consumed ? — It would be a pretty correct estimate ; probably the consumption would not be going on to the very end of the tenancy. Ordinarily speaking, if a sale takes place of stock and so forth, they are kept upon the farm until within two or three days of the tenancy, is not that so ? — They ought to be kept upon the place, of course, until the expiration of the tenancy ; but the tenants frequently with us make an attempt at selling their stock and produce long before the expiration of the tenancy. If they are going into another farm is that the case? — Not when they are going to another farm, but when they are going to give up farming. When they are going to quit business altogether ? — Yes. Then do they give up the profit of holding the laud for the last six months because they are going to give up business altogether? — There is no profit in holding the land in winter after the crops are got. Do you not grow turnips? — The turnips are frequently stoied with us ; they are got up in November and De- cember and stored. What do you do with them ? — They are given to the cattle. And you keep cattle up to Candlemas or Lady-day to eat them ? — Up to the 1st of May. If you give the turnips to the cows do you not milk them ?— Yes. That is a profit ? — Yes, of course. Therefore there would be a profit made in all those ways ? — That profit would not be equal to the advan- tage of selling olFthe produce in January or February to the tenant, because they generally manage that the cows shall not give very much milk in the winter. They let them off? — The principal milking season is the season of summer and autumn. And of cheese? — Yes. Is there any custom in any part of the country by which threshing machines are dealt with ? — There is no custom, that I know of. Are the tenants, if they put up a threshing machine, allowed to remove it? — I think they would be allowed to remove it. I think it would not be ob- jected to. It would not be considered as af nched to the freehold ? — I think it could not be n- oved legally if the landlord would not allow of it, ■.; ut I think few landlords would object to a threshing machine being removed. In your judgment, what has been the custom ? — I have never known a threshing machine refused to be removed. I know of a steam engine being put down by a tenant, who died suddenly; the estate was one that I was connected with, and it was quite optional with the landlord whether he would allow for that steam engine or not. The law would have enabled him to claim It without paying for it ? — Yes. In your opinion ought that to be guarded aguiust? — I think the tenant should either have the value of the steam engine, or at least the privilege of removing it, or selling it. m THE FARMER»S MAGAZINE. Ill trade, manufacturers have the power of removing such things? — Yos, they have. And it would he just to place the agricultural tenant in the same position with regard to fixtures of that description that they might want to use in their trade? — I think so. Mr. Newdegate.] The practice of growing pota- toes prevails extensively in Lancashire and Cheshire ? — Yes. The value of that crop is very great, is it not? — It is a valuable crop, but it is an expensive one. What kind of manures are generally used for the production of that crop ? — Horse and cow manure. Do you use any sea-weed ? — No. Is that a crop that would compensate a tenant for any expense of artificial manure in one year ? — I think the tenant is frequently not compensated by the potato crop itself, but by the succeeding crop, which is gene- rally wheat. Is he compensated in two years ? — Yes, frequently ; hut the manure may not be exhausted for three or four years. Mr. CoLviLLE.] You have stated that it is the custom in Cheshire to put ou a ton of boiled bones per statute acre, which costs ^^4 per ton? — Yes, £4. And you put on a ton of unboiled bones per statute acre ? — Y^es. Will you say how much extra stock an acre of land in that way manured will keep ? — I stated before, half as many more, or one-third. In short then, three acres keeping two cows under ordinary cii cumstances, would keep four and a-half cows l^er acre ? — Yes, one-half as many more ; if three were kept before, four and a half would be kept after- wards. How long do you think that the tenant ought to en- joy that laud he has manured with bones in that manner to be remunerated for that outlay?— I think he would be remunerated in four or five years. Depastured? — Yes, depastured, but he ought to have a little longer allowance. Why should he have had an allowance for a longer period than that? — As some little encouragement for the improvement ; from seven to ten years, I should think. How much extra hay will land produce that has been manured with a ton of boiled bones ? — At least double what it produced before. How long ought the tenant to enjoy that land before he will have reaped the full benefit of it? — I think if lie mows it four times after manuring, his claim to com- pensation would then be exhausted. In short, ia either of those cases if a tenant was ejected, if he had a fourth for each year allowed him, that would be remuneration? — For mowing land. Or for pasture land ? — It should be extended for pasturage to double that period, at least. Do you use bones on the arable laud ?— 'Upon the sandy loams and peat, for turnips we use them to a great extent ; we do not find them to answer upon t e sandy loams in grass so well. How long is it before they become exhausted on arable land ? — I think in three or four years, or probably moi'e. As to unboiled bones, what is the price per ton of unboiled bones? — It varies from £6 to £8, ac- cording to the degree of fineness to which they are reduced. What extra stock will land keep that has been ma- nured by unboiled bones .' — Much the same as the other ; but the unboiled bones are considered much more duiable, and no doubt they are so. Do they come into operation as soon as the boiled bones ? — I have already stated they do not. Do you apply sulphuric acid to make them con)e into operation sooner? — Last year for turnips I did try it, but not for grass land. How many years do you think that a tenant ought to have a tenant-right for in land on which unboiled bones had been put ; land that has been depastured ? — I think eight or ten years for that. And in case of having mowed that land, how long ought he to have the tenant-right? — A year or two longer than for boiled bones. Six years, you would say ? — Yes, or six mowings. Mr. Henley.] What value do you consider a cow's produce to be in Cheshire upon a cheese farm ?— We average our Cheshire cows about 3 cwt. of cheese per cow. How much money will that be? — Nine pounds, be- sides the refuse which goes to feeding the pigs ( he whey from the cheese making), and a little butter. How many acres do you stock by a cow in your pas- turage ? — About two statute acres on the average for summer keep. To a cow ?— Yes ; but taking the farm through But keeping to the pasture, it is two statute acres to a cow, you say ; that is, of course, unboned land ; your calculation gives two acres of unboned land to a cow, and the produce of the cow is £9 ? — Yes ; probably you might put it from £11 to ^'14 altogether, for the year. It would take six acres to keep three cows in the pasture grounds? — Yes. And if it were boned, four acres would keep the three cows ; is that so ? — Yfs. That would be your calculation? — Yes, about that; it is diflScult to give exact proportions. Then in point of fact tlie £27 which is the produce of the three cows, would have to be thrown over four acres instead of over six ? — Yes. Mr. T. Egerton.] You were asked as to the valua- tion just now; have you had some experience as in- spector of improvements in those farms ? — I have. Have you ever found any difficulty in valuing the im- provements on the different farms which in the course of your experience you have seen ? — My inspection has been for prizes offered by agricultural societies, and of course that farmer who had made the most improvements got the prize. You have had opportunities of seeing what the improvementa which have taken place upon those farms have been, and do you not take into your con- sideration, as one great element, what the farm was be- fore ? — Yes. Have you found any difficulty in valuing those im- provements ? — No, hut I have no occasion to value those improvements, as they are not allowed for, that I know of. The question merely means as an inspector ? — As an inspector of farms for agricultural societies, we do not take that ingredient into account, not the ingredient value ; we consider what the tenant may have expended in the improvements ; we do not go into those details as to what the particular cost of a single article may be. Sir C. Lemon.] You said just now, that after the ap- plication of a certain manure, that the crop was doubled ; you apply that only to the first year after the manuring ; is not that so ? — That would apply to bone manure, and to mowing land. And that the crop in the succeeding year would be doubled ? — Yes, it would be doubled probably in the first and second years following. Would it be equally good on the second year as the first ? — Yes, because the full virtue is not obtained in the first year. How would it be on the third year ? — It would be gradually dimiaishing in mowing land. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. ■67 In about what proportion would it be reduced, to one- fourth or half as good instead of double ? — I should think two- thirds would be exhausted. Then of course in any estimate of any claim that a te- nant might make for manure expended four or five years before that, or even beyond that time, you must con- stantly be going on by a decreasing scale ? — Yes, you must have a graduated scale. Chairman.] You were understood to say, that if grass land is boned and fed afterwards, and not mown, it is a permanent improvement to the land ? — It is next to a permanent improvement upon the pasture land, so long as that land remains in pasture. Mr. Coi.viLLE.] What effect has it on the cheese; does it improve the quality ? — It improves the herbage, and thus improves the richness of the milk. Do you find the cheese stands as well on land that has been boned ? — No, it is tender. It rises ? — It is more difficult to manage alto -ether ; it is much richer. Mr. T. Egerton.] Is not there considerable difficulty experienced by farmers coming from poor cold lands on to rich land in the first year in making the change ? — There is a difficulty frequently ; in probably arises in part from his havin,^ no settled rule or principle upon which he manufactures his cheese. Mr. Henley.] The account about the increase of stock you have given will stand thus : the unboned land three cows upon six acres would be £i 10s. an acre, and on the boned land it would be £6 15s. per acre ? — I dare say it would be so. And that is the return for the outlay of £5 ; £2 15s. per acre gained ? — The return is very great indeed ; I have not reduced it to figures in the way it is now stated ; but I have no doubt it is very great. The proportions you have given of one-half increase ; do you think that that is so ? — I think it is so in many instances ; there may be some cases where it is not so much. It is so beneficial a result, that it is desirable to have it as clearly from you as possible, according to your judgment .' — I have heard of some farms where the cattle have been doubled by that application. Can you really speak to one-half increase?— Yes, it may be taken at a half to one-third ; of course it would depend upon the quantity of land in grass, as the number of cows on any particular farm. But the question had reference to per acre ? — Yes ; but the stock might be doubled from other causes, such as more land being in grass ; it might not be always doubled in the same quantity of land, but there might be an in- crease of stock by bringing in more land ; I have known instances of farmers keeping double the stock they had when they entered upon the farm. Of course the more acres they had, the greater would be the amount of stock ; the increase per acre, in your judgment, might be safely taken at half ?— From half to one-third. Mr. CoLViLLE.] Do bones do as well on drained as undiained land ?— No, I would not apply them tO' un- drained land, but they are frequently so applied. Do you use any other artificial manure to improve the herbage and increase the milk ; have you tried guano on grass ?— That has been applied to a limited extent upon grass land. With what effect ?— It has been beneficial, no doubt. Do you think that that lasts more than one year ? —Not much more than one or two years ; I should not like to give an allowance for more than one year. Chairman.] What is the character of this grass land in Cheshire, on which bones have so powerful an eflfect ; what is the character of the soil ? — The soils upon v?hich it answers best are the cold clay soils that have been drained ; and all stiff clay loams incumbent upon clay or marl. Is it a red clay '! — Chiefly red clay. Do you know any instance of its answering equally well out of Cheshire .' — No. Do you know cases of its being tried and having failed out of Cheshire ? — I have heard of such cases. Of cases in which it has failed or succeeded ? — I have heard of cases in which it has failed. Have you known no case in which it has succeeded out of Cheshire? — Yes ; in Lancashire I think it has suc- ceeded. Is that the same red clay, in Lancashire, on which it answers? — No; the clay is not .'O I'ed in Lancashire; it is in the coal formation, and the clay is of a darker hue. Though it is a diflerent kind of clay in Lancashire, the boning of good land has been found to answer there also ? Yes, it has. Mr. T. Egerton.] It is essential to the success of the boning that the tenant should have his land well drained first ? — Yes ; I have seen it done on un- drained land, and it does not answer so well ; it is a waste of capital. Chairman.] It does not answer on the light land ? — It does answer ; but not so certainly upon the sandy land, except for the turnip crop. Do you know whether bones do more good upon land that has been a long time in the habit of having cows that have been milked, upon it ; does it do more good on that sort of land than on land that has been grazed ? — I think it makes no difference; we find it to answer well on clover and seeds. Mr. T. Egerton.] It has the effect of bringing up the white clover .' — Yes, and trefoil, and all the best grasses. April 8th, 1848. members present. Mr. Bouverie. Mr. Burroughes. Mr. Colville. Mr. Henley. Sir Charles Lemon. Mr. Rloody. Mr. Newdegate. Mr. Pusey. Mr. Staff"ord. Sir John Trolloj)e. Philip Pusey, Esq., in the Chair. The evidence of Mr. Henry Kersey. Chairman.] You are a land agent for Mr- Tolle- mache. Member for Cheshire, on his property in Suffolk ? —Yes. Is that an extensive property ? — It is between 7,000 and 8,000 acres. About how many farming tenants are there in the property ?— Between 40 and 50. Has Mr. Tollemache introduced the system of giving to his tenants tenant-right for improvements .' — Since 1840. Does he compensate for draining, chalking, and clay- ing?— And for all other unexhausted improvements. Are the farms generally held upon lease or by yearly agreement ? — Part of them on lease and part by yearly agreement ; they can all have leases if they please. Then many of them do not wish for leases ? — Many prefer holding from year to year. To begin with drainage, what compensation do you give for drainage? — That depends upon the first cost, in a measure. I had better state the various distances and cost in our mode of doing draining. The first thing is, that there are various depths done ; the first mode is about two feet deep and 18 feet asunder; that costs about £3 18s. 6d. an acre. F 2 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Mr, BouvERiE.] What tiles do you drain with ? — Pipe tiles ; the round tiles that shut into each other. The next is two feet and a half deep, and the same distance, that is, 18 feet asunder ; that would be £4 15s. 6d. Mr. Henley.] That makes another draught in the work ? — Yes, it does. What is the respective price paid per pole for labour? — It depends entirely upon the soil. Upon those calculations of £3 18s. 6d. and £4 15s. 6d., what is the price paid for labour .' — On .£3 18s. 6d. it is £1 10s. 6d. And what for the other ?— On £i 15s. 6d. it is £2 7s. 6d. Chairman.] Will you proceed .' — The next is three feet and a half deep, and 27 feet apart, that is £3 8s. per acre, and the amount of labour upon that is £1 16s. per acre. The next is four feet deep and 36 feet apart, that is £3 lis. ; this is including the tiles, and there ■would be £2 7s. labour upon that, and that will vary a few shillings per acre either way, according to the soil you are on. Will you state to the Committee, supposing a tenant to leave his farm shortly after executing such drainage Works, on what principle you would give him compen. sation .'' — It would be according to the period those drains had been done, and to the mode in which they were done ; that is a matter that is allowed to be referred to arbitration ; that is, one party be chosen by the land- lord and the other by the tenant ; and if they cannot agree after a consultation, the decision of a third party is to be final, with regard to the amount to be given. Take the average expenditure of drainage, and sup- posing a tenant to leave within three years after having drained a field, what compensation should you give him .' " — He would receive two-thirds of the amount. Do you require the tenants to come to you for your consent in writing before they execute those drains ? — The tenants only apply where draining tiles are used. You leave it to their discretion to drain their own land .' ' — Yes, we leave it to their discretion to drain. You have a good deal of cold clay land, on which I believe chalk is found beneficial as a permanent im- provement ? — Yes, on what we term the hollow bottom lands. Do you put the chalk on the hollow bottom? — Yes, our clay lands do not want it, they are full of chalk. Will you describe that process to the Committee ; how many loads of chalk do you put to an acre ? — Ten chaldrons of 36 bushels. What is the expense of chalking ? — About £b an acre. That is including hauling ? — Including hauling, and every expense upon the land. How many years do you allow for the term of com- pensation for chalking the land ? — It depends in some measure upon the soil ; in some soils it will get to work in the land a year or two sooner than it will on other soils. Do you leave it to an arbitrator .' — It must be left to an arbitrator to judge whether it is a full compensation or not. Takuag the average quality of land ? — It would gene- rally do good after the second or third year. The question is not when it begins to do good, but in how many years you consider it to remunerate the te- nant?— It may be beneficial for five or six years. You spread it over five or six years after it has begun to act beneficially ? — Yes, over five or six years after it has begun to act beneficially before it is done away with entirely. Have you not another mode of improving light lands by claying them ?— We seldom clay light land with us. Do you not clay at all ?— Not the light land ; we do the hollow bottom lands. How many loads of clay do you apply to those hollow bottomlands? — From 50 to 100 ; the hollow bottom land is with very deep staple and porous subsoil. Sir J. Trollope.] What is the nature of that subsoil ? — Generally tending to the brick earth. 1 Not porous ? — Yes, it is at the bottom of it. < Chairman.] Whatis the clear expense of claying the land? — About 6d. a load. In what way do you lay the clay on the land ? — It is generally done by the yard, by the barrow, or by the cart ; the expense is just the same, let it be which way it will. How many years do you allow for bis improvement to run with the claims for compensation ? — It seldom runs over three or four years. Do you require the tenants-at-will to have your pre- vious consent when they wish to clay or chalk their land ? — No, it is quite optional. Do those modes of improvement act with decided be- nefit on the land ? — Decidedly so. Does the application of clay and chalk improve the quality of the produce .' — It very much increases the qua- lity of the produce. And the certainty of the yield ? — And the certainty of the yield as well. Do you include compensation for buildings amongst your claims for improvements ? — It is done in this way : the tenants are sometimes in the habit of erecting feeding- sheds for their cattle, and Mr. ToUemache generally finds them the material, and they pay the whole amount of the labour for the erection of those buildings. Should anything occur when they leave the farm, if any change takes place, the parties are allowed the proportion of the labour of those buildings that they have done, witliin four years after they have done those buildings. Do you consider the time of remuneration four years .' — No, we do not exactly consider it for that time, but it is very Ukely that the thing has been erected for a longer period. Then if a farmer has put up a range of buildings in a substantial way six years previously, and he leaves the farm, has he any title to compensation ? — Yes, if they are put up substantially, a proportionate value, but not the full amount of what it cost. Then supposing the farmer to have put up a temporary building, and that he leaves the farm sit years after- wards, what would his claim be ? — He would be allowed half the amount of the labour that he has paid, if the building was worth it. Have Mr. ToUemache's tenants put up many buildings in consequence of this ? — Yes, a great many on the estate. You say that they are principally cattle sheds ? — Yes, they are principally cattle sheds ; by the other part of the agreement they must attend to the repairs. Do you consider it essential to the improved modes of agriculture that tenants should have good buildings on their farms? — Yes, and to improve the quality of the manure as well. Because it enables them to keep beasts feeding on arti- ficial food ? — Yes, to keep them in the yard. In what way do you compensate the tenants for the purchase of artificial food for their cattle ? — If the tenant leaves his farm, he is paid for all the manure left on the farm according to the quality and quantity that is made. Was that the case originally on Mr. ToUemache's farm ' — Not originally. Did the dung then belong to the land, that which was left on the premises ? — It used to be left. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 69 What was the nature of that dung ? — Of a very ordi- naiy quality. It would be very little more than straw and water ? — Very little more. What is the quality of the dang now left on the farm ? — It is to the tenants' interest to make it as good as it can be made. What is the difference in the value per load of sky- made manure and the manure made with oil-cake ? — I do not know that I can put a comparison, but there is as much as Is. 6d. to 5s. difference. The straw and water manure you would put at Is. 6d. and the cake manure at 5s. a load .' — Yes. Is artificial manure much used by you ? — Only rape- cake. You do not find bones act ? — They do not act at all with us ; we have tried a very great many experiments with them. Do they not answer on any part of your arable land ? ■—Neither for turnips or anything else, and we have drilled a great deal for turnips, and sown it for pasture land, but they do not operate at all. Have you tried a heavy dressing of bones upon the Cheshire system upon any of your grass land ? — .Yes, in the park I have tried a very heavy dressing, as much as 70 bushels an acre. Was that in consequence of Mr. Tollemache's ac- quaintance with the Cheshire practice ? — Yes, that was in consequence of Mr. Tollemache's acquaintance with the Cheshire mode of dressing the land with bone, and he had a great mind to try the experiment. And it did not answer at all ? — ■You could not see where it was done. You have stated that you do not require the landlord's previous consent for those improvements ; have you found any inconvenience arise from any extravagant out- lay on the part of the tenants in the improvement of their farms? — No, not at all, I should think ; I would rather see them do a little more. Though they have been left to their own discretion you find that they have exercised prudent judgment upon the subject? — Yes, very much so. In fact too prudent in your opinion ; you would rather that they should lay out a little more money ? — 'In some instances it would answer their purpose better, I am certain. You say that some of your farms are held upon lease ; have you found this compensation for imjirove- ments necessary upon land so held, as well as upon farms held from year to year ? — Yes ; it applies equally to both of them. What is the length of your lease?— -Twelve years. Why do you consider this compensation desirable when land is held upon lease ? — In this point of view I should consider it : if a person had not a compensation under an agreement, it would be but little use his spending an extra quantity of property upon that estate in the way of improvements, because at the ex- piration of the time he would be obliged to go out and leave it; he would do what he did in the first part of his holding, to take the full benefit of it. And throw it back in the landlord's hands out of condition ? — Exactly so. As regards drainage, they would be sure to do it. Although in some instances you wish now that the tenants would be more liberal in their outlay, have you found on the whole the system of compensation an- swers, by improving the condition of Mr. Tollemache's property ?— In every respect that has answered. Mr. Henley.] How long have you managed his property ? — Since 1840. Mr. Tollemache came to the estate then ; I was agent before that. Had you any knowledge of the estate before ? — Yes. For how long? — I have lived on it my whole life. Wliat was the term of holding before 1840? — There were no compensations given. What were the terms of holding? — The lands were to be farmed on the four-shift course of husbandry, according to the regular system that is now adopted ; and there was nothing to be paid for the unexhausted improvements, nor nothing said about the quantity of the manure that was to be left on the farm. Was it a lease or yearly holding? — Some leases and some yearly holdings, the same as now. The dung, you stated, belonged to the estate then ? — Yes ; at first it was left free. Is that the general custom in Suffolk ? — 'Not so much as it was ; it used to be more than it is now; they arc doing away with it in a great measure. A change has taken place in that respect ? — Yes ; a change has taken place in that respect, within the last 30 years. What is the custom in the part of Suffolk you know of, between outgoing and incoming tenants ; what is paid? — They first of all have the hay and clover grown in the last year. What are the ordinary periods of taking and quit- ting, from Lady-day or Michaelmas? — Michaelmas. All the hay and clover mown in the last year, and all the manure on the farm. The question does not refer to the estate ;vith which you are connected ; but where there are no agree- ments ; what is the common custom of the part of Suffolk you are speaking of, where there is no such agreement such as you have stated to the Com- mittee ? — I think it would be something like this : you may say a person would mow all the hay and clover on the farm, that would be the first thing. The question is not what they would do, but what would be paid from the outgoing tenant to the incommg tenant ; what is the custom of the country where no agreement exists?— They would take the hay and clover. At a standing price ? — Part of it ; they would not be compelled to take the whole. What, according to the custom of the country, would the incoming tenant be expected to take at the standing price ? — The hay and clover left on the farm, the regular course what was mown ; for instance, if he had 20 acres that came in the course to m^w according to the usual course of the country, and he were to mow 40, he could not compel the incoming tenant nor the land- lord to take more than the regular quantity. What would he do with the rest?-— That would be a question for another consideration. Have you known any such cases to have occurred, and if so, what has been done ? — I have known cases where they have been obliged to go out and leave, and could not get anything for it ; and there are other cases where they have carried it off, and sold it, to the ruin of the farm. Do you know whether there has been any result, and if any, what upon those transactions ? — Yes ; in some eases it depends entirely upon circumstances ; with re- gard to that, in some eases, it has been where the tenant has been obliged to leave it, or they could get little or nothing allowed for it, and in other cases they would sell it off and leave the farm half bare. Where the party has carried it off, is he subject by the custom of the country to a penalty or inconvenience for doing so ?— No, There is nothing to prevent it ?— No, there is nothing to prevent his carrying off the overplus. Mr.BuRROUGHES.] The question is, what is the cus- ro THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. torn of the country ?— Tliat is half, supposing a man had 40 acres. Take a f^rm of 400 acres, and he has 100 acres of clover anrl grass, what propotion would he be at liberty to take? — If it was all in grass, he would be obliged to leave the 100 acre?. But in the four-course system it is 100 acres in clover and grass seeds, and you say the incoming tenant is not compelled to take the whole 100 acres ; he is not at liberty to mow the 100 acres? — No, he would mow half. Then by the custom of the country, what becomes of the other half? — I do not know, exactly; we have so seldom a case of that kind come before us. You mentioned just now two cases, one in which a man had sold it all, and taken the money and gone away, and another where he had left it, and got nothint;? — Yes, they were extreme cases. Wliat is the custom of the Cduntry in such cases ?— The custom of the country is, that he must leave it, and take a small price for it, if he does not sell befo/e Michaelmas. Then the man going f^way and putting the money into his pocket did that which was contrary to the custom of the country? — Yes. That was a wrong transaction ? — Yes. Mr. Henley.] What is done about turnips and fallows ; vhat is the custom of the country about that ? — The ploughing and the fallows. Anything else ? — The rent. Any rates? — No, not rates. How much rent? — The average rent. Half-a-year, or wliat period ?— The whole year's rent upon the fallows. No proportion of taxes? — No proportion of taxes whatever. Is anything else valued out .' — No. Mr. BuKROtTHHES.] Who sows the turnips upon the fallows; the incoming or outgoing tenant? — The in- coming tenant. Ploughing for the tillage ? — Ploughing for the tillage. And when has the incoming tenant a right to enter according to tlie custom of the country? — The in- coming tenant, according to the custom of thecounti'y has no right toenteronly upon' permission tillthellth of October. What becomes of the turnips ? — The outgoing tenants would sow the turnips. Then he is not paid for the root crop, but he is paid for the tillage? — He is jiaid for the tillage. Mr. Henley.] For tlie rent of the land ? — Yes. Who sows the wheat ; is the wheat sown before the 11th of October? — The incoming tenant. He is not permitted to enter before the 11th of Octo- ber ? — No. Who sows the clover seeds ? — The outgoing tenant. What is he allowed ? — He is allowed for the seed and labour. Nothing else? — No. Going back to the estate you have spoken of, with regard to the agreements you have entered into, you have said that the amount to be paid is to be paid by valuation ? — Yes. Is there any direction or agreement between the land- lord and the tenant to the valuer upon what principle this amount is to be ascertained ; is there any agree- ment as to the periods or principles upon which the amount of the valuation is to be ascertained? — It is perfectly understood according to the market pi ice of the commodity at the time of the tenant's leaving. Is there any agreement as to the number of \ears which drainage, for instance, is to be calculated upon ? — Not at all, there is no agreement as to that. Then the principle as well as the amount of the valuation is left to the arbitrator ? — "Ves. Is there any agreement as to the number of years that claying or clialkiug is to be paid for ? — That is left entirely to the arbitrator ; those are things tested by the experience of the arbitrator and the condition of the land at the time. Then both the principle and the amount is left to the arbitrator? — Yes, exactly so. Is it expected that they are to make their value upon the amount of money expended or the amount of benefit to the incoming tenant ? —They have to make their value upon the condition that the land is in at the time v,'ithout any relative proportion to the first general outlay at all. If they are to make their valuation without reference to the outlay, how are they to ascertain the amount; how is it to be paid ? — If a field is in a certain state of drainage, I should think that a farm that has been drained so many feet deep entitles the tenant to so much compensation. That is the amount of outlay ? — That is the amount of outlays, and first of all that has been done a certain period of years ; then the question is as to the condition that the land is in after the lapse of a period of years, because one field that has been done at the same price as another may not be worth half the money that the other is, on account of the difference of the soil that it is done in, and the manner of doing it. Supposing an outlay of £3 18s. 6d., and suppose after seven years the draining to be as perfect and as good as the first day it was dtme, would the outgoing tenant be entitled to receive all his money ? — It would be left to the judgment of those parties who value it. I cannot say it would or would not ; it would be en- tirely left to them ; they must be judges whether the transaction was beneficial or not ; if the drainage were as perfect as when it was first done there would be no reason why he should not. Then, according to your judgment, a tenant having oiiflaycd that money, and having had seven years' be- nefit of it, if the drainage was perfect at the end you say he would be entitled to receive the whole of the nmney ? — I say no, because it is barely possible for a field to be in so perfect a state after that time. The question is, supposing it were as perfect as when first done, would he be entitled to receive the whole of his money ? — No, I should say not. What proportion would he be entitled to receive ? — 'That proportion would be left to the judgment of the parties. Then the whole thing would be left to the judg- ment of the parties ? — Of course it would ; it could not be settled any other way in fairness and justice to any one. And have you no opinion yourself whether that value ought to be ascertained with reference to the outlays, or wholly with reference to the benefit of the incoming te- nant?— Yes, I have an opinion, it is this : I should calculate that it would have a beneficial effect, accord- ing to the real state the land was in. That would be wholly with reference to the benefit to the incoming tenant? — No, I think it would not. What is the price paid per pole for three feet drains to labourers ordinarily, about the average price per pole ? — Abjut four-pence. Do you do 16^ feet or 18 feet ?-16^ feet. The short pole ? — Yes. Can you state that in your judgment there is not so much money expended upon an estate with those agree- ments as there ought to be? — Not so much as I should wish to see. In your judgment, does that arise from the occu- THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 71 piers of land not having aliiindant C!i]nti\l, or from not clio(';..in ead. Supper, as on Sunday. Tuesday — Breakfast, 1 pint of oatmeal gruel, and 6 oz. of bread. Dinner, 4 oz. of cooked meat, ivithout bone, 1 lb. of potatoes, and 6 oz. of bread. Supper, as before. Wednesday - Breakfast, 1 ])int of cocoa, sn-eetened with 3 oz. of molasses or su- gar, and 6 oz. of bread. Dinner, 1 pint of soup, 1 lb. of potatoes, and 6 oz. of bread. Supper, as before. Thursday- Breakfast, 1 pint of oatmeal gruel, and 6 ot.. of bread. Dinner, 4 oz. of cooked meat, without bone, 1 lb. of potatoes, and 6 oz. of bread. Supper, as be- fore. Friday— Breakfast, 1 pint of cocoa, sweetened with f oz. of molasses or sugar, and 6 oz. of bread — Dinner, IjJint of soup, 1 lb. of 2}Otatoes, and C oz. of bread. Supper, as before. Saturday — Breakfast, 1 pint of oatmeal gruel, and 6 oz. of bread. Dinner, 4 oz. of cooked meat, without bone, 1 lb- of potatoes, and 6 os. of bread. Sapper, as before. Note.— The soup to contain, per pint, 3 o~. of cooked meat without botic, 3 os. of 2iotatocs, 1 oz. of barley, lice, or oatmeal, and 1 oz. of onions or leeks, ?vith pepper and salt. The gruel, when made in quantities exceeding fiO pints, to contain IJ oz. of oatmeal per pint, and iJ oz. per pint when made in less quantities. The gruel on alternate days to be sweetened with f oz. of mo- lasses or sugar, and seasoned with salt. None, however, but those who commit r/reat offences are to have this advantage over poverty. In order to prevent that which it is well known has already occurred, and is more likely than ever to occur hereafter — insubordination in the work- house for the purpose of being committed to prison, as the pre- ferable place of confinement ; and as if to visit with a heavier punishment the miserable wretch who, goaded by pincliing hunger, may seize imaaked a piece of bread or meat belonging to his more fortunats neighbour, the government scale of •WORKHOUSE FARE. Sunday — Breakfast, 8 oz. bread, and a pint and a half of broth, gruel, or milk. Dinner, 8 oz. bread, and an ounce and a half of cheese. Supper, 7 oz. bread and an ounce and a half of cheese. Monday — Breakfast, the siime as on Sunday. Dinner, 8 oz. bread and 3 oz. of cooked bacon. Supper, as on Sun- day. Tuesday— Breakfast, as before. Dinner, 5 oz. bread and a pint and a half of soup. Sup- per, as before. Wednesday — Breakfast, as before. Dinner, 18 oz. of suet or rice pudding. Sup- per, as before. Thursday -Breakfast, as be- fore. Dinner, 8 oz. bread and 4 oz. cooked meat. Sup- per, as before. Friday— Breakfast, as before. Dinner, 18 oz. of suet or rice pudding. Supper, as before. Saturday — Breakfast, as be- fore. Dinner, 8 oz. of bread and 4 oz. of cooked meat. Supper as before. Note. — Tliis is the workhouse dietary for men ; the women and children have less in proportion. 80 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. dietary provides, that were prisoners have coinmitted small offences, such as deserve only a few days' imprisonment, they shall have, for breakfast, a pint of oatmeal ! for dinner, 1 lb. of bread ! for supper, a pint of oatmeal gruel ; or, if committed for a fortnight, they become entitled to something better ; such as, for breakfast, 6 oz., of bread added to their pint of oatmeal gruel; for dinner, 12 oz. of bread; and for supper, a pint of oatmeal gruel and 6 oz. of bread ; and so on, in increased pro- portion, according to their terms of confinement, until they get up to three months' imprisonment, when they become en- titled to the fare placed opposite the workhouse diet — a fare, we will engage to say, not one out of 20 of the honest, hard-working labourers of this county enjoys. It is needless to dwell upon the probable result of such a system of dietary in our gaols. The magistrates of the coimty have too truly anticipated its effects in their strongly expressed opinion " that it will operate as a direct premium to crime" — and that of the worst character. — Devizes Gazette. THE VEGETABLE MARROW : ITS COMrO- SITION AND FEEDING PROPERTIES. BY ALFRED GYDE, ESQ., M.R.C.S.E. The repeated failure of the potato crop, and con- sequent difficulty in obtaining an abundant and nutritious food for pigs, particularly by the cot- tager, has induced a behef that the vegetable marrow may be substituted for the potato with considerable advantage. A writer in the Agricultural Gazette* states, " I have been trying various experiments this autumn with ripe vegetable marrows ; and I find they con- tain a rich, sugary, and farinaceous matter ; and my taste, as well as that of those to whom I have sent them, very much approves of them if cooked. . . . But my object is to recommend the vegetable for fattening pigs. We wiU suppose that early po- tatoes are grown ; for to grow late ones any longer is a waste of land, and starving to the population, imtil better seasons come. The early sorts, having been taken great care of during the winter, and treated as recommended in my pamphlet, will be off the ground early. The seed of the marrow may be sown about the 1st of May, in the open ground, in any warm corner. When transplanting-time comes, the potatoes wU not be near ripe ; but pro- ceed thus : Lift a root of potatoes every five or six feet apart in the row, leaving six or eight rows of potatoes between the rows of marrows, and so on. I find that, with moderately rich land, I can grow 20 tons to the acre easily. When ripe, they can be stowed away anywhere, and may be boiled along with other food for pigs, for all pig's food ought to be boiled. ,. .The cottager may grow marrows where other things will not grow, such as on walls, poles, trelUses, and over his cottage." Supposing the above data as to produce, culture, &c., to be correct, a series of chemical experiments on the vegetable marrow were undertaken by me, with the view of ascertaining its composition and relative value. The following are the results : — 1. When submitted to the process of drying, at the temperature of 230 deg., until it no longer lost * Mr. James Cuthill, Camberwell. weight, 10,000 parts of the recent vegetable mar- row* was found to consist of Water 8,820 Dry organic and saline matter 1,180 10,000 Thus the relative amount of water and dry or- ganic matter approaches much nearer that of the turnip or carrot than of the potato. 2. When the dry matter was submitted to proxi- mate analysis, its composition was found to be Fibre and starch 120 Sugar and mucilage 494 Protein compounds, with pectic acid . . 486 Oil and fatty matters 20 Saline matter and ash 60 1,180 3. When the ash was chemically examined, it was ascertained to consist of Carbonate "I Phosphate j- of lime. Sulphate J Chlorine, Potash, and Magnesia. From the above composition, the vegetable marrow very nearly resembles the swede-turnip, both in the per-centage of its organic constituents, water and ash, and would be found to be at least equal to it in its feeding properties, when given to cattle ; but we may be allowed to express a doubt as to its properties of keeping being at aU equal to the swede or carrot, yet for the cottager it may be found a valuable acquisition. We are given to understand that a great number of farmers visited the Ishngton Cattle Market last week, all of whom were astonished at the extent and excellence of the accommodation. The market is capable of accommodating conveniently within the walls 8,000 head of cattle, and 50,000 sheep, besides horses, pigs, &c. A junction railway, which is now in the course of formation, passes within 380 yards of the market, and from which a tram-road will be laid into the market. This railway runs from Blackwall, and will unite the Northern and Eastern, the Eastern Counties, the Great Northern, the North V/estern, and the Great Western railways, and \vill hereafter be extended over the Thames to the South Western, thus ren- dering it unnecessary for any animals to pass through the streets of the metropolis to arrive at the market, it being ascertained that seven- eighths of all the cattle brought to London arrive by the northern and eastern lines. AVe are in- formed that a Committee for carrying out the ar- rangements of the Ishngton Market is in course of formation. — Mark Lane Express. * The vegetable marrow used in these experi- ments was a spotted green variety, and about three-parts grown. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 81 SUGGESTIONS FOR SANITARY REGULATIONS. BY J. TOWERS, MEMBEU OF ROYAL SOCIETIES OF AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE. So much has been ah'eady said on the measures now contemplated for the general health and com- fort of the jieople, that it might appear su])erfluous to write one more line upon the subject. As, how- ever, there are some points which have been ina- dequately noticed, or erroneously viewed, I feel inclined to offer the following remarks, which I hope may not a])pear inappropriate. In the first ])lace, as the pollution of the rivers — that of the Thames above all— has been dwelt upon by the leading periodical press, it is to this most in- teresting subject that I would solicit attention. There can be no doubt that sewers and egouts of every description should be so constructed as to fa- cilitate the passage of their contents to some fitting receptacle, and also to permit the entire removal of the more sohd portions by " flushing," if any sedi- ment be deposited. But the question here presents itself — Where should such receptacles be prepared ? How should they be constructed in order effectually to guard against the diffusion of those oflJensive gases which at present form the subject of serious complaint ? By nature, the rivers are constituted the best and most effective channels of conveyance, and man has in a degree availed himself of the facilities thus afforded. We have then to consider whether the fecal matters conveyed by sewers into running streams do really contaminate their waters. Ap- plying this inquiry to the river Thames, on account of its pre-eminent importance, I would ask whe- ther the ^^'ater of that vast river is in truth vitiated and " poisoned" by the influx of sewage through the drains of the metropolis? If — de facto — it be so deteriorated, how does it happen that Thames water is, and has been through time immemorial, employed and preferred by the great brewers for their " London porter," and also used for its excellent qualities in the naval and merchant service ? Has one instance of virulent or epidemic disease been traced to the domestic use of Thames water ? But to come nearer home — to Croydon — where I am in a degree interested. The neighbourhood of this populous town abounds with small and rapid streamlets, which act as tributaries to the river Wandle. In the town itself there are two ponds, not of stagnant water, since some of these small streams traverse them ; yet these basins (one in particular) are made the recipients of the foul drain- age from the most dirty and closely packed quar- ters, densely filled with the lowest part of the po- pulation. A vast deposit of foul mud is made in the greater pond, yet the moving water which passes through it on its course westerly towards Carshalton becomes so pure as to rival that of any of the mountain streams which flow into the north- ern lakes. Water acts directly as a powerful anti- septic ; for when sewage impurities descend to the bottom of a stream, fermentation gradually pro- ceeds, gas-bubbles are extricated and pass into the air. During the course of this elementary decom- position, the fecal matter is most effectually deodo- rized, and thus one great object of the sanitary re- gulations is obtained. Aquatic vegetation becomes a powerful adjunct, not only by the agency of its peculiar vital principle, but also by the instrumen- tality of animalcules attached to each individual weed. These microscopic agents perform a role oi vast importance to man — a subject which was treated most instructively in the Gardener's Chronicle of Dec. 2nd, under the head of the removal of duck- meat (LemnaJ from the surface of ponds. f had a very fair opportunity to witness the re- sults of the processes just alluded to, in a walk which I took on the 11th Dec. inst., wherein for miles I inspected the course of the running brooks to and beyond Carshalton. The water was pellucid as crystal, the weeds being distinctly seen in the deepest places " waving about their undulating home." Yet I noticed with satisfaction that in va- rious places, particularly by the whole length of the streams in Beddington Park, the black mud had been withdrawn from the bottom of the chan- nels in such quantity as to raise a very considerable bank on each side. Not a hint of foul odour was emitted from this substance ; and I have observed the same thing when the Croydon ponds have been cleansed, and the mass deposited on the side of some meadow near at hand. If, then, water and its vegetable accessaries purify the sewage matters deposited therein, converting them into a rich ma- nure, the fluid itself remaining pure and undefiled, are we not authorized to conclude that the rivers and streams are the proper and fitting channels of conveyance ? But here another view of the subject presents it- self. The ar/ricuUure of the country requires ma- nure J and were it possible to collect all the drainage products of our great towns, it would be supplied in a form that could not be surpassed. Still, how- 82 THE FARMER*S MAGAZINE. ever, there are obstacles to be overcome ; for how and where are receptacles to be found or made which could receive the enormous volume that now passes away ? Again, the substances so collected must be effectually deodorized, otherwise the land would be exposed to an atmosphere of " pestilent vapour." I say pestilent not as implying the propagation of epidemics correctly so called, but as bearing far and wide odours of so foul a character as to be in- supportably disgusting. I would not, however, pretend to interfere with any just and scientific plans now in progress ; yet, under the desire of being true to nature and its unimpugnable laws, I cannot refrain from insisting upon the truth of the facts already adduced. If, then, it be demonstrably the fact that the rivers are the natural channels destined to carry away the ordures of the land ; if, moreover, water purifies such peccant matters, decomposing the urinous salts, expelling the hydro and phospho- carbons and ammoniacal elements, which subse- quently are yielded to the earth through the media of rain, snow, and mists ; if, finally, the more solid I'emains are converted to a black hunnis mud, void of otlensive smell, and rapidly convertible to the best of manure by due exposure to the atmosphere, would it not be wise to reflect, and in the end re- solve to clear and render effective the bottoms of brooks, streams, and rivers, in order from time to time to remove from thence the semi-prepared ma- nure, and thus, without any offensive processes, to secure the utmost possible bulk of solid natural manure by appropriate machinery. Nothing ever is or can be lost ; those gases which would, if pro- duced in cesspools or open tanks, be offensive to the last degree, are yielded (when under v/ater, and acted upon by vegetable matter) to the atmosphere in a state qualified to enrich the earth and feed the plants that the wants of man and animals require. I hope the foregoing remarks, offered with a view to extend truth, will be perused with a spirit of can- dour corresponding to that in which they are written. Croydon, Dec, 12. ON THE USE OF ARSENIC IN AGRICULTURE.— POISONING BY ARSENIC, AND SYMPTOMS OF CHOLERA.— THE POSSIBLE EFFECT OF THE GAME LAWS. Sir, — la these days of alarm respecting cholera, any facts suggesting an occasional and hitherto unsuspected source of gastric irritation cannot fail to prove interest- ing to the medical practitioner ; and as the circumstances I am about to communicate have an important bearing, not only upon the sanitary condition of our population, but upon the whole question of poisoning by arsenic, I need make no apology for laying them at once before the profession. For some months past, in certain parts of Hampshire, partridges have been found dead in the fields, presenting a very remarkable appearance. Instead of lying pro- strate on their sides, as is usually the case with dead birds, they have been found sitting with their heads erect and their eyes open, presenting all the semblance of life. This peculiarity, which for some time had attracted con- siderable attention among sportsmen in the neighbour- hood, led to no practical result until about ten days ago, when a covey of ten birds having been found nestled to • gather in this condition, two of the birds, together with the seeds taken from the crops of the remaining eight, were sent up to London for examination. I was re- quested to undertake the investigation, and the result of my experiments I will now briefly detail. I first examined the seeds taken from the crops of the birds, and detected, as I anticipated, a large quantity of arsenic. I will not take up your valuable space by de- tailing the various steps ef my analysis ; suffice it to say, that by Reinsch's process I speedily obtained a very thick incrustation of metallic arsenic ; that I then ap- plied the reduction test, and subsequently Marsh's test, and the tests of the ammonio-nitrate of silver and the ammonio-sulpliate of copper, each of which gave its characteristic result. Having thus ascertained the presence of arsenic in the food of the partridges, I proceeded to examine the birds themselves. They were plump and in good condition, but the oesophagus was in both cases highly inflamed throughout. The intestines were not inflamed, and pre- sented no trace of ulceration, but they were remarkably empty and clean, almost as if they had been washed with water. May not this have been the result of diarrhoea ? I now, at the suggestion of my friend, Mr. Stone, pro- ceeded to ascertain whether the flesh of birds so poisoned might not itself prove poisonous when eaten, and with this view I carefully cut the flesh off the breast and legs of one of the birds, and gave it, together with the liver, to a fine healthy cat. She ate it with avidity, but in about half an hour she began to vomit, and vomited almost incessantly for nearly twelve hours, during the whole of which time she evidently suffered excessive pain. After this, nothing would induce her to eat any more partridge. I kept her without food for twenty-four hours, but in vain ; she resolutely refused to touch an atom more of the bird. This being the case, I gave her some beef and some milk, which she eagerly swallowed, proving beyond doubt that her instinct, and not her want of appetite, induced her to forego the dainty meal which had just been offered her. I now felt satisfied, from my observation of the symp- toms induced in the cat, borne out as they were by many facts we are acquainted with respecting the action of poisons, that the arsenic which the partridges had swal- lowed had been absorbed in suflScient quantity into the system to render the flesh of the birds poisonous, and to induce poisonous effects in any one partaking of it. However, I was anxious to leave nothing to hypothesis, and as the cat had so soon rejected by vomiting the greater part of the bird she had eaten, and pertinaciously refused to repeat the experiment, by again partaking of the poisoned food, I was obliged to have recourse to chemical analysis, with the view of ascertaining with certainty the existence or non-existence of arsenic in the flesh itself. I therefore cut the flesh off one side of the THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 88 breast of the other partiidge, and after about an hour's boiling, I obtained by Reinsch's process a thin incrusta- tion of metallic arsenic, thus demonstrating beyond question that the previous experiments had left little room for doubting. I was now anxious to ascertain the source of the poison, and a very little inquiry served to satisfy me on this point. I will not stop to go into many details which, though in themselves exceedingly interesting, have no direct bearing upon the question at issue. I will simply mention the leading facts— viz., that in Hampshire, Lincolnshire, and many other parts of the country, the farmers are now in the habit of steeping their wheat in a strong solution of arsenic pre- vious to sowing it, with the view of preventing the ravages of the wire-worm on the seed, and of the smut on the plant when grown ; that this process is found to be eminently successful, and is therefore daily becoming more and more generally adopted ; that, even now, many hundreds weight of arsenic are yearly sold to ag- riculturists for this express purpose ; that although the seed is poisonous when sown, its fruit is in no degree affected by the poison ; that wherever this plan has been extensively carried out,* pheasants and partridges have been poisoned by eating the seed, and the partridges have been almost universally found sitting in the posi- tion I have already described ; and lastly, that the men employed in sowing the poisonous seed, not unfrequently present the earlier symptoms which occur in the milder cases of poisoning by arsenic. This last fact I give on the authority of Dr. Ileale, who xip to the last two or three years practised at Staines, and has repeatetUy had men under his care, suffering from symptoms due to this cause. Now, the facts just enumerated suggest several most important points for consideration. It is notorious that many of the dealers in game are supplied through the agency of poachers and others who have a direct pe- cuniary interest in supplying them with the largest possible number of birds. It is certain, moreover, that if men of this sort were to find a covey of partridges in a field, dead, but fresh and in good condition, they would not hesitate to send them with the remainder of their booty to the poulterer, who would as certainly, without suspicion, sell them to his customers. And after the experiments above detailed, there can be no reason- able grounds for doubting that these birds, when eaten, would produce disagreeable and injurious — not to say poisonous — effects on those wlio partake of tliera. It is obvious, therefore, that in all cases of supposed cholera, or of suspicious belly-ache, occurring at this season of the year, we shall do well to make particular inquiry as to whether our patient has recently partaken of pliea- sants or partridges purchased at a poulterer's ; and it is further manifest, that in all cases of poisoning or sus- pected poisoning by arsenic, the fact of the persons hav- ing lately eaten of partridges and pheasants must form an important element in the inquiry, and must tend to cast a suspicion on the evidence adduced to prove a criminal intent in the administration of the poison. So that, in a medico-legal point of view, the question is one of the gravest import. Secondly. — If it should prove, on further inquiry, that the practice of steeping seed wheat in arsenic is, even indirectly, productive of injurious effects on our jjopula- tion, it may become, in these days of sanitary reform, a matter for the anxious consideration of the legislature, whether they should not adopt some measures to prevent the continuance of such a custom. Thirdly. — As in the event of a practice so destructive of game becoming universal, pheasants and partridges, in their wild state at least, must, at no distant day, be- come extinct in this country, it is a question whether landlords may not henceforth be induced to insert a clause in their leases, prohibiting the use of arsenic on their farms ; while, on the other hand, it may be a ques- tion with those who are already weary of the protracted debates on the game laws, whether they should not al- low them to die a natural death, by the gradual but in- evitable destruction of the game it is the object of these laws to preserve. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, Henry William Fuller, Assistant Physician to, and Lecturer on Medical Jurisprudence at, St. George's Hospital. Half Moon Street, Piccadilly, Dec, 1848. [Having received the above communication only a short time previously to going to press, we have, at some inconvenience, published it this week, as, in a medico- legal point of view, it refers to a subject of very great importance. The facts which Dr. Fuller has elicited with so much scientific tact and sagacity will form very important additions to our works on state medicine. —Ed. L.] — Lancet. CONSTRUCTION OF LEASE — CROPS, North v. Williams. Nov. 7 and Dec. 1. Judgment. Pollock C. B. — This was an application for a new trial, on the ground of evidence being refused touching the meaning of the word " crops." The question arose on a farming lease, in which the word " crops" occurred ; and in reference to one of the covenants, Mr. Martin proposed to call witnesses to prove that a particular co- venant, with reference to not taking more than so many crops meant ivhite crops, and not crops generally ; and * In a review of Mr. Taylor's work on Poisons, in the last October volume of The British and Foreirjn Medico-Chirurgi- cul Review, the reviewer states, that " in the spring of 1846, a great number of pheasants having been found dead in their preserve, their crops were removed and sent to us for analysis, and with them some young wheat, about six inches high, which had been grown from poisoned corn, and on which it was sus- pected that the birds had fed. The earth about the roots of the plants yielded distinct traces of arsenic, but the leaves were perfectly free from it." my brother Creswell, at the trial, refused to receive the evidence. Mr. Martin applied to the court, and ob- tained a rule to show cause, and we took time to con- sider. We have conferred with my brother Creswellj and looked at the leaee, and it appears to us perfectly clear, from the language of the lease, that the word " crops" is used in the lease in its ordinary and popular sense, and as including any crops ; as we find the ex- pression, " crops of turnips," spoken of as well as " wheat crops," and crops of beans and other produce. It appears to us, therefore, that the lease, speaking for itself, shows that the word "crops" was meant to include turnips as well as wheat crops. We think that the evi- dence was properly rejected, and that there ought to be no rule for a new trial. TO THE EDITOR OF THE MARK LANE EXPRESS. Sir,— The above is copied from the " Law Times" of G 2 S4 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. the 9th instant, from which it will be seen that the appli- cation for a new trial was refused, and that the rejection of evidence at York to prove what was the real meaning of the word " crops," as inserted in the lease, was proper ; though had such evidence borne out the state- ments made by Mr, Martin in his opening address to the jury (special), I have reason to know that they were unanimously of opinion that the plaintiff was entitled to a verdict. Now, sir, as the above decision is so directly contrary to the generally received opinion entertained by practical farmers, and as it may on future occasions be referred to as good legal authority in matters affecting their in- terests, it may be as well to call their attention to the na- ture and wording of their agreements, and thereby, if pos- sible, avoid such expensive litigation as the unintentional omission of a word might occasion. I am, however, far from supposing that there are many landlords who would take any undue advantage under such circum- stances ; but, however liberal and just they may gene- rally be, it would be better that in all agreements between themselves and their tenantry, that the different clauses should be clearly expressed, containing nothing of a doubtful or ambiguous tendency, calculated to create disputes, where a mutual feeling of good will is so essen- tial to the interests of both. In this case, I may state that the tenant was entitled by his lease to be paid half the original cost of what bones were used upon a certain portion of his farm upon quitting, where he had not grown or was entitled to grow a second crop ; therefore, the whole dispute turns upon whether turnips, consumed upon the land where grown, are or are not to be considered a crop, and stand in the same place as a crop of wheat or any other grain re- maining upon the land to ripen, and then be cut off and taken away. C. B. Pollock says, from the language of the lease, that the word " crops" is used in the lease in its ordi- nary and popular sense, and as including any crops ; as we find the expression, " crops of turnips," spoken of as well as wheat crops and crops of beans. On the same principle, the learned Chief Baron might readily overthrow the Copernican system, in the absence of evi- dence, by stating that we have conferred with brother Creswell and looked in the almanac, and it appears to us perfectly clear, from the language of the almanac, that the words, " rising of the Sun" are used in the al- manac in their ordinary and popular sense ; and as we are satisfied, from actual and daily observation, that the length of day and night, and the time of high water at London Bridge, are accurately given in that almanac, we think that the evidence was properly rejected. Many other instances might be adduced to show that the ordi- nary and popular language made use of does not always convey a correct idea of the subject spoken of; and per- haps, in few instances, can that be better illustrated than by calling, in ordinary and popular language, turnips consumed upon the ground a " crop." Were they taken from the land as are the crops of corn, or did they remain to perfect their seed, then might they be properly denominated a crop ; but when they are cultivated at an expense often exceeding their real value, for the express purpose of meliorating and improving the condition of the soil upon which they are grown, and preparing it for the growth of a crop of corn, whatever may be the ordinary and popular designation, they are more law- yers than farmers who would place them in the same category with wheat, or beans, or oats, or barley, when, in truth, they are only a preparation for these crops, as much as fallowing and manuring, or depasturing grass seeds, tares, or any other green preparatory crop. To practical farmers another word need not be added further than to remind them of the situation in which they are placed with regard to their ofl'-going crop, if turnips consumed upon the land be a crop, according to the judgment given in this case, which puts them in the place of a crop of corn. Why, it may be asked, are not depastured grass seeds to be considei'ed an equi- valent for a crop of com ? Merely, it may be answered, because the ordinary and popular language of the day does not assign to them the name of a crop, and because high judicial authority, as in this cape, has confirmed this opinion, so that in future the action must be suited to the word, and not the word to the action. j Your constant reader and obedient servant, I A Farmer. FARMING STOCK.— The Law of Distraint.— A case was argued in tlie Court of Common Pleas on Tliursday w- ek, in reference to the law of distraint on farming stock, \\hich in- volved a decision of the Court that cannot be too generally known. Tiie facts are briefly these : — A distress had been levied by the tithe impropriator in satisfaction of arrears of rent, and a wheat-rick was seized. At the last assizes for Salop, the owner of the rick brought an action for compensation, the tithe impropriator having severed the straw from the corn, and sold the latter only ; the verdict, however, went for the defendant, and the matter was now brought before the Court on the ground of excessive distress, and that the defendant ought also to have sold the straw. The rent-charge, it seems, in arrear was £39 ; the rick seized and sold was worth, with the straw, £60 ; the corn severed from the straw sold for £42. Counsel contended that the seizure of the whole rick, worth £60, was an excessive distress, and that the defendant ought to have seized a smaller rick, or have taken a moiety only of the rick seized, and not sold the whole. The Court ni giving judgment, said the evidence did not support the count for an excessive distress. The statute of Marlbridge, which gave the remeuy tor an excessive distress, pointed to cases of flagrant abuse; and in Lord Coke's notes upon this statute an instance was mentioned of the seizure of several oxen as a distress for Id. The landlord was only bound to use reasonable caution. He was authorized to seize as much as any reasonable man would think adequate, and not excessive. Here it appeared there was more than one rick of corn on the premises, but the value of the other ricks was not given. If a small rick would satisfy the distress, and a large one had been seized, undoubtedly the defendiint would be liable on the second count. Here the rick, straw and corn together, were wortli £60 ; the rent in arrear was £39, and the expenses of the sale would be some few 1 ouuds. There was a question whether the straw could be sold or not. The titheowner seized the whole, as he was justified in doing, it being one entire thing, and he was justified in se- vering it and selling a part sufficient to satisfy his rent in ar- rear, and leaving that portion which was subject to question untouched. It appeared to the Court that there was no ground for saying that this was an excessive distress, and there was no ground for entering the verdict for the plaintiff on that count. — Rule refused. We do not think it has been made generally- known that the day upon which the cattle mil be required to be in the yard of the Smithfield Club ne.xt year has been altered from Monday to Satur- day; the object being to prevent the necessity, heretofore imposed upon many persons, of travel- ling and bringing up the animals on the Sunday. The managers of the London (Islington) Cattle Market have announced Tuesday as the day upon which the market shall be held instead of Monday j it having been a source of regret and annoyance to many persons that they should be compelled to desecrate the Sabbath through the cattle market at Smithfield being held upon the Monday. All per- sons who desire to see this object attained, and that the Sabbath should be observed as it was intended, should give their support to the London Cattle Market. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 85 METEOROLOGICAL DIARY — 184 8, Barometer. Thermometer. Wind and State. Atmosphere. Day. 8 a. m. 10 p.m. Mill. Max. ,10p.ni. Direction. Force. 8 a. m. 2 ]). m. 10 p. m. Nov. 21 in. els. 29.67 in. cts. 29.60 44 50 1 1 43 S. ^Yest lively fine sun fine 22 29.37 29.20 43 51 47 Southerly lively cloudy cloudy cloudy 23 29.20 29.21 45 51 45 S. by East lively cloudy sun cloudy 24 29.63 30.00 40 46 35 N. by West gentle cloudy sun fine 25 30.07 29.98 30 44 44 South rising fine cloudy cloudy 26 29.87 29.87 43 54 47 S. AVest calm fine sun cloudy 27 29.70 30.07 44 50 45 West gentle cloudy sun cloudy 28} 30.08 30.02 44 50 44 S. West id. fresh cloudy cloudy cloudy 29, 29.90 29.76 49 52 50 S. West very brk cloudy cloudy cloudy 30 29.90 29.88 40 51 43 S. West lively fine cloudy cloudy Dec. 1 29.69 29.47 39 46 45 W.S.V,^. liv. high cloudy cloudy cloudy 2 29.38 29.53 36 44 35 W., N. West lively fine sun fine 3 29.77 29.61 32 44 45 S. by West strong fine cloudy cloudy 4 29.30 29.13 40 49 41 South strong cloudy cloudy fine 5 29.00 29.25 39 45 40 S. West brisk fine cloudy cloudy 6 29.30 29.38 40 47 41 S. West strong fine cloudy cloudy 7 29.55 29.68 41 52 50 S. West brisk cloudy cloudy cloudy 8 29.79 30.01 49 53 51 S.byWest lively cloudy cloudy cloudy 9 30.16 30.22 42 54 54 S. West liv. calm fine sun fine 10 30.27 30.18 47 57 47 Southerly gentle fine sun fine 11 30.17 30.17 43 54 47 S. West gentle fine sun fine 12 30.17 30.12 46 52 49 S. West gentle cloudy cloudy fine 13 30.03 30.00 47 55 49 South lively cloudy cloudy cloudy 14 29.80 29.80 43 51 48 S. S. West brisk fine cloudy fine 15 29.80 29.78 44 52 49 E. S. East lively cloudy cloudy cloudy 16 29.81 29.75 43 44 40 E. by North gentle cloudy cloudy cloudy 17 29.87 29.95 37 47 41 E.,— E. by S. gentle fine cloudy cloudy 18 29.88 29.73 39 48 46 Southerly gentle fine sun cloudy 19 29.78 29.98 43 47 42 Easterly gentle , cloudy cloudy cloudy 20 30.12 30.27 I 41 43 31 E. by North lively cloudy cloudy fine 21 30.30 30.30 1 27 34 29 E. by North lively fine 1 sun fine ESTIMATED AVERAGES OF DECEMBER. Barometer. High. I Low. 30.32 29.120 Thermometer. High. I Low. I Mean. 55 17 39.3 REAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF THE PERIOD. Highest. I Lowest. | Mean. 49. 41.3 45.14 Weather and Phenomena. Nov. 21 — Fine day; evening changeable. 22 — Wet over night ; cloudy day. 23 — Rain after sun- set. 24 — Clearing ; cool and fine. 25 — Rime ; cloudy afterwards ; rain. 26 — Fine sunny day, after wet and windy night. 27 — Much the same. 28 — Fresh drying day. 29 — Overcast; small rain. 30 — Changeable, after bright forenoon. Lunation. — New moon Sat., 25th day, 9 h. 30 m., night. Dec. 1 — Overcast; gleams wind. 2 — Heavy rain overnight; fine cool day. 3— Frost; rapid change ; i-ain. 4 — Cloudy ; furious wind and rain ; 5— Rain over night; fine day. 6— Changeable; fierce wind and sharp shower. 7- — The same; more showery. 8 — Very rainy and windy. 9 — Fine in general. 10 — Fine as spring. 11 — Still fine, but with stratus and cumulous clouds. 12 — Overcast; clear evening. 13 — Beautiful through- out. 14 — Masses of clouds form ; a little rain. 15 — Sharp rain with wind ; finer night. 1 6 — Entirely wet, with driving wind. 17 — Fine till noon, then overcast. 18 — Fine ; cloudy afternoon. 19 — Generally overcast. 20 — Cold chilly day; nighc clear and frosty. 21 — Perfectly fine. Lunations. — First quarter, Dec. 3rd, 8 h. 6 m. afternoon. Full moon, 10th day, 11 h. 44 m. before noon. Last quarter, 1 7th day, 11 h. 13 m. before noon. Remarks referring to Agriculture. — The equability of temperature throughout this period of 31 days is remarkable as to its mildness. As a whole the season has been rainy, but there were fine inter- vals which were sufficient to insure the seeding of the breadths devoted to wheat. The young plant appears to me very healthy, and the mild weather has aftbrded it an opportunity to grow and establish itself. All other crops hereabout are abundant and fine. Frost appears to have set in for a time, and I close this notice on the shortest, but certainly the brightest day of the winter, Croydon, Dec. 21. J. Towers. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, AGRICULTURAL REPORTS. GENERAL AGRICULTURAL REPORT FOR DECEMBER. We consider the weather of the month just con- duded to have been seasonably fine in every parti- cular. It is scarcely desirable to have a very mild temperature at this period of the year, yet it is to be remarked, that although the atmosphere was extremely open from the 1st till about the 19th, with the -wind vibrating between the south and west, a much less quantity of rain fell than might have been expected. Vegetation in general — the young wheat plants in particular — had all the fresh- ness of an early spring ; but the sudden appearance of a somewhat severe frost, from eight to eleven degrees, speedily changed the whole face of the vegetable creation. Had it continued for any length of time, without a fall of snow, it might possibly have had a prejudicial effect upon the wheats. However, another change, equally as sudden as the first, took place on the 24th, since which day we have enjoyed almost a May temperature. From nearly all parts of England we have been favoured with communications respecting the pro- gress made in out-door farm labours, as well as upon the subject of other matters equally important to the interests of the agricultural body, to which we shall presently direct particular attention. By some of our correspondents the past is not consi- dered a good seed time, from the many interrup- tions it has experienced from the continued damp- ness of the soil. Their observations may, however, be considered as exceptions to the remark that, taken as a whole, the heavy wheats have been sown under somewhat favourable auspices, as we find that no serious difficulty has presented itself in cultivating the soil under the usual " courses" or " shifts." Another point of perhaps greater impor- tance than usual, may be considered the stocks of wheat at this time on hand in our various lai-ge grain districts. Taking their " text" from certain remarks v/hich have lately found their way into print, and which are to the effect that a serious deficiency exists in all quarters, some parties have jumped to the conclusion that an advance in the price of both English and foreign wheat is close at hand. We are ready to admit that the acreable yield of the new wheats in the whole of our southern, western, and some of the eastern and midland counties exhibits a considerable falling off", both as to quantity and quality ; but, at the same time, we must riot forget that in most other por- tions of England, including Ireland and Scotland, there is a slight excess in the supply. If to this we add the continuous arrivals from abroad, and the comparatively large stocks of foreign wheat in warehouse, awaiting the abrogation of the import duties, it must be tolerably evident — especially as speculation, in the strict sense of the term, is rapidly giving place to a regular trade in corn — that no rise worthy of special remark can be rea- sonably expected between this and the close of February. The soundness of the doctrine of free trade in corn has yet to be tested. What its ulti- mate effect upon prices may be, it is not our pro- vince here to inquire. We may, however, observe, without fear of contradiction, that an immense con- sumption, certainly, in excess of the home produc- tion— as is proved by the fact that upwards of one hundred thousand quarters of foreign c/rain and flour have been consumed weekly in the United Kingdom during the whole of the year 1848 — is going on. The yield of spring corn is by no means so heavy as was at one time expected ; hence the bulk of the imports from abroad has gone into con- sumption. It would appear, as we hinted some months since would probably prove to be the case, that the losses sustained by the potato disease have been unnecessarily enlarged upon. Potatoes unfit for consumption are to be met with everywhere, yet the markets have been well supplied at moderate prices. Our continental neighbours have sent us supplies to an extent which could be scarcely cal- culated upon. Into London alone upwards of SEVENTEEN THOUSAND TONS of potatoes liave been received since our last report, and which, as might be expected, have had a depressing influence upon the demand, and caused a some- what considerable reduction in the quotations. How long these importations will continue, it is impossible for us to say; but it is quite evident that the foreigner has paid great attention to po- tato-growing during this and the preceding year, for the purposes of shipment. The moderate price of bread has greatly interfered with the consump- tion of potatoes, and certainly tended to check — even in the absence of supplies from France, Hol- land, &c. — any serious rise in their value. ^From their dry and somewhat superior quality, the foreign potatoes, though generally small, have found considerable favour with the dealers living in poor localities ; hence nearly the whole of the supplies have been worked off", without the vessels THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 87 having been placed under demurrage. Very supe- rior samples of home-grown potatoes have sold as high as iGOs,, foreign qualities having gone as low as from 40s. to 90s, per ton. Most graziers have suffered to some extent from the prevailing epidemic. It is, however, obvious that the virulence of the disease has received a wholesome check, the actual losses having been less than we have had occasion to notice at some previous corresponding periods of the year. The stocks of hay, roots, &c., having been heavy, and of excellent quality, the grazing community have l)een enabled to keep a somewhat larger number of beasts upon their farms than usual, at a compara- tively moderate cost : indeed, we have the best authority for stating that the supply of that descrip- tion of stock at this time in the country has been on the increase to some extent during the present year. Sheep are an exception; and we conceive that some time must of necessity elapse ere the sacrifices made in 1844 will be made good. During the a])proaching spring, store beasts will doubtless be obtainable at low prices. On the other hand, we may expect rather a high value for store sheep, notwithstanding the immense numbers which are almost daily arriving from abroad. The leading fat- stock shows have, in spite of the efforts of a certain clique to write them down, passed off extremely well. Animals of somewhat less bulk than usual have been exhibited, but this fall- ing off" has in no way detracted from their general importance. In most instances the number of both beasts and sheep, as well as of pigs, has in- creased, and we have observed the most favourite points brought out in fully their usual perfection. The stock markets, from the immense supplies ex- hibited, have been in a very depressed state for beasts, at unusually low prices, and, as a conse- quence, great losses have been sustained by the graziers. In the value of other kinds of stock — the numbers of which have decreased — we have no material change to notice : if anything, it has been on the advance. The pressure of large supplies of foreign flovir, as well as most kinds of grain, upon our markets has produced some heaviness in the corn trade. Prices, almost generally, have been on the decline, although the millers have held rather light stocks. On the 5th of December the bonded supplies of foreign consisted of 266,060 qrs. of grain, and 87,213 cwts. of flour and meal. These quantities bear but a small proportion to those at the ])resent time on hand — free as well as under lock — as most of the importers, from the duty on wheat having advanced to 7s. per qr., have come to the determi- nation of bonding their future arrivals till the pre- sent duties shall have run out. Advices from Ireland and Scotland represent the sale for wheat and other i)roduce as in a very inactive state. Some extensive importations of the lower kinds of foreign grain having taken place, the consumption of potatoes has been greatly in- terfered with. The "outward" shipments have been trifling in the extreme, owing to the low prices ruling in England ; and we are of opinion that they will ])e small during the greater part of 1 849. In London and elsewhere, the demand for both hay and straw has continued in a very unsatisfac-? tory state, at a low range of currency. The best meadow hay has sold at from £3 10s. to £3 15s, per load. REVIEW OF THE CATTLE TRADE DURING THE PAST MONTH, The prominence invariably given to the cattle rade during the month of December, by the holding of our numerous and well-regulated fat stock shows, would appear a matter deserving of a lengthened commentary from us at this particular moment. We purpose, however, confining our- selves more to general remarks, from the difficulties experienced in detailing the merits of the several exhibitions in a given space. First in importance — as a great reflux of the whole country, a remark borne out by the number and quality of the stock brought together at the local shows — we may refer to the exhibition in Baker-street. The condition of the animals was unquestionably first-rate, not- withstanding there were fewer "bulky" short-horns amongst them than we have been accustomed to witness. The object of the owners appears to have been not to produce the bulkiest animals, but to produce in each the largest quantity of meat for human consumption. That that object has been gained, must be evident to all who visited the show- yard. The re -arrangement in the classes for beasts — the doing away with the restriction as to feeding — has afforded considerable satisfaction ; and it is gratifying to observe that the prospects of the Club were never more satisfactory than at this time. Turning from the show-yard to Smithfield market, we, in common with most other persons, cannot but express our astonishment at the splendid col- lection and the immense number of beasts shown there on the great day. It would appear almost invidious for us to particularise any breed of beasts : yet the crosses — varying from 2 to 5 — shewn as the property of Mr. Hay, of Shethin, Aberdeenshire, may be pointed out as proving the accuracy of that gentleman's judgment in crossing with the pure bull. A more splendid lot of beasts than those to which we have referred we ha\'e seldom, or never, witnessed in any open market. As the supply 88 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. greatly exceeded the Avants of the butchers, con- siderable heaviness in the trade was the result, and with it miserablj' low prices. The large numbers turned out unsold had a most prejudicial effect upon the demand in the subsequent week, and which only partially recovered itself on the '25th, on which day prices were somewhat on the advance. A steady, but by no means large, business has been doing in sheep, calves, and pigs, at very full currencies. The foregoing observations may be equally applied to the trade in the principal country markets. For the time of year the imports of live stock from abroad have been extensive. In the quahty of the foreign beasts we have scarcely any improve- ment to notice. The sheep and calves have mostly come to hand in full average condition. The ar- rivals into London during the month have been as under : — Beasts 2,401 Head. Sheep 9,334 Lambs Ill Calves 492 Pigs 8 Total 12,340 Corresponding month! in 1847 J ^^'"^^ The importations at Hull, &c., have not exceeded 2,900 head, chiefly beasts and sheep. The annexed statement shows the total supj)lies exhibited in Smithfield : — Beasts 19,016 Head. Cows 490 Sheep ,, 87,240 Calves 1,113 Pigs 1,549 COMPARISON OF SUPPLIES. Dec, 1847. Dec, 1846. Beasts.... 18,978 .... 19,639 Cows 500 520 Sheep 101,720 108,610 Calves .... 1,240 1,095 Pigs...... 2,765 .... 2,150 The past month's quotations have ruled as under : Per 8 lbs. to sink the offal. s. d. s. d. Beef . . from 3 4 to 4 6 Mutton 3 8 5 0 Veal 3 10 4 10 Pork 3 8 4 8 COMPARISON OF PRICES. Dec, 1847. Dec, 1846. s- d- s. d. s. d. s. d. Beef., from 3 6 to 5 10 2 10 to 4 6 Mutton 38 54 38 52 Veal 3 8 4 10 3 8 4 8 Pork 3 6 5 2 3 6 4 10 Newgate and Leadenhall markets have been very heavily supplied with both town and country-killed meat ; nevertheless a very extensive business has , been transacted, owing to the comparatively low ||| prices demanded by the salesmen, and clearances have been mostly effected. Beef has sold at from 2s. Od. to 3s. 8d. ; mutton, 3s. 2d. to 4s. 4d. ; veal, 3s. 8d. to 4s. 8d. ; and pork, 3s. 6d. to 4s. 4d. per Slbs,, by the carcass. Our accounts from most of the large grazing dis- tricts are somewhat more favourable as respects the general health of the stock. NORTH NORTHUMBERLAND. The season having now advanced so far, that if we have not seen the deepest gloom of winter, we at least have arrived at the era of time " wlien darkness broods over the fice of the earth," and this season, the shortest days falling with the change of the moon, in the absence of a serene atmosphere we have limited time for out-door avocations. In general, however, farm work is in a for- ward state ; the exceptions, generally, are where the tenant is quitting (in Northumberland the time for quit- ting farms is almost universally May 12, or March 25), and it is only in partial instances where the out-going tenant has either the confidence or resolution to plough up the succeeding fallow break ; hence, wherever we see a white stubble not yet come under the plough, it is where the land is either in the market, or the tenant is " like one of the pests of society," awaiting reply from his landlord or agent from an application for reduction of rent, or renewal of contract. Be this as it may, we condemn the system and hope shortly to see it finally set aside. Whether a man renews his covenant or not, surely the successor is blind to his own interest if he re- fuse to pay for the working up the land for turnips, or even naked fallow, which reaps all the benefit of a win- ter's pulverizing, and also saves him from the baneful, obligatory, and always uncertain resource of uplougliing day. Havingdeviatedperhapstoomuclifrom ourusuali ou- tine, our observations regarding the present and future prospects of the yield of the late produce of the soil, and preparations for an ensuing crop, must necessarily be curtailed. Our opinion remains firm, that the produc- tions from the late harvest will fall short in quantity on the thrashing floor, over all the cereal crops, taking the entire northern district of the county into calculation ; while for the forthcoming year wheat sowing has been freely carried forward for a period of fully six weeks, whenever wind and weather would allow the plough or harrow to work, and even up to this (the shortest day), wheat sowing is far from being completed. Our re- ports are never depending on inquiry or hearsay evi- dence, but from actual observation ; and we can attest that on one farm, on the IGth inst., no less than 140 acres of naked fallow were then unseeded, while over a widely extended district scarcely a blade is yet to be seen in braird. In our last report we noticed some land being sown in good order in the northern part of the county, all of which is now looking green and healthy. Should the weather continue mild and open, as it has done for three weeks past, we may yet hope the late sowings will realize fully to the expectation of the anxious husbandman. Turnips, when lifted, are short of acreage weight, and are disappearing very early from the field. In fact, the early October frost and snow an- nihilated the top, when the bulb was half grown ; hence, they take very little trouble, either for carting off, or consumption on the land by sheep ; our stock markets are consequently prematurely glutted with cattle and sheep in a half-fed state, and at present it seems as if THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 89 our great flockmasters were taken by a panic, when we see them forcing beef and mutton on the market at less casli by the carcass than they were severally purchased for in September and October. Such a state of things cannot long exist, yet without extra artificial food be liberally resorted to, we may look for overstocked supplies for a few weeks to come. Our principal corn marts being also freely supplied, prices of grain of all sorts have re- ceded during the last month, until corn of ordinary quality is nearly unsaleable, fine runs of wheat selling at 5s. Gd. to 6s. per bushel. The demand for railway la- bourers having now subsided, many of the working classes are but partially employed. Draining to consi- derable extent is carried forward on some of the large estates ; his Grace the Duke of Northumberland, Earl Grev, A. J. B. Cresswell, Esq., being the most notable. Drains are by piece work. Day labour, good hands, 2s. or 12s. per week, — Dec. 21, WEST CORNWALL. This month, thus far, like most of its predecessors in 1818, has received an over quantity of rain ; notwith- standing this, the wheat tillages are nearly concluded, and the plant which was early sown, appears more vigorous than could have been anticipated. The next step for the farmer to take will be to consolidate the soil, so that the root of the wheat shall be embedded in firm soil, and resist the cutting and blustering winds we may expect in February and March, which are felt with great severity from our peninsular situation. The chief art in growing a healthy, strong plant, and causing it to tiller well in loose or light soils, is the fastening of the soil by kneading, to be followed in the spring by a heavy rolling. There is but little complaint of the rolling of the seed, which has taken place in other counties. The root crops are generally light, with an evident disposition to decay, arising from the moisture of the atmosphere at the period the first germ showed itself, and duringits subse- quent growth. Mangold is a short crop, patchy and irre- gular, owing to the partial germination of the seed in the dry May. Turnips are small, which (if in these uncer- tain times predictions are allowed) may tend to increase the price of meat in the spring ; whether it comes or not, a rise in something is necessary, to excite the farmer to employ some of the hands at present idle, and to enable him to make an outlay of capital in artificial food and manure, with some prospect of being remunerated for the investment. Young clovers are looking well, and the general appearance of the country shows a good dis- play of grass : this has been a leading feature since May, but the quality proves inferior. Sheep in rape, bullocks in old meadow grass, have put on less fat the last summer than for many years previously, and have paid worse, in consequence of the approximation of the prices between fat and lean cattle. Until lately the epi- demic had not reached us : there are now some farmers in the neighbourhood of Probus whose beasts and flocks are suffering from it. "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions." Under more auspi- cious circumstances the loss of bullocks or sheep would not be so severely felt, as the survivors paying well would materially reduce the real loss. The yield of grain in quantity and weight will not permit the farmer to allow it an average year, prices are quite unremunerative, and sales are effected with difficulty, with wheat at 5s. 9d. to 6s. 2d. ; barley, 2s, 9d. to 3s. ; oats, 2s. 4d. to 2s. 8d. per imp. bushel. Should this state of things con- tinue, as some protectionists foretel, John Bull, as a farmer, must reduce the burly sides with which Mr. Punch clothes him, and instead of only working others, work himself also ; the farming interest must become less bigoted, enterprise must more prominently mark the farmer's career, and every member of the large body must prove a useful one. Jupiter would not assist the waggoner till he had first attempted to aid himself. — Dec, 16, REVIEW. A GUIDE TO THE HOUNDS OF ENGLAND. Whitaker and Co., Ave Maria Lane. 1849, This useful and elegant little work is ai)in-o- priately dedicated to the hunting community of England, for whose service and entertainment it has beeen especially provided. The author, in his introduction^ complains that the " sons of the chase" have " no work of reference, no guide to point out and expatiate upon" the several estabhsh- ments and countries hunted by the hounds of England ; and this deficiency it has been his ob- ject to supply. To collect and embody materials for a work of the kind must necessarily have en- tailed considerable labour, and, to treat it artisti- cally "required a hand thoroughly conversant with the subject ; but that " Gelert" has done so effec- tively, and that his labour wUl be amply requited, we havft the fullest confidence, inasmuch as many distinguished masters of hounds have expressed their high approbation of the work, and hunting men in general have given it a hearty welcome. Being clothed in scarlet, with a flying fox upon the cover, and embodying, as it does, a vast deal of in- formation, it may truly be called attractive, inex- pensive, and most serviceable to all who follow tho chase. THE SMITHFIELD NUISANCE. TO THE EDITOR OF THK MORNING POST. Sir, — Will you interfere with your powerful pen to put a stop to one of the direful nuisances in this metro- polis, viz., the uproar and scenes of desecration which take place in Smithfield Market from Sunday afternoon to the Monday morning following .' What with the in- cessant barking of dogs, the bellowmg of the oxen and the calves, the bleating of sheep, the grunting of swine, the roaring and swearing of men with torches, passing to and fro amongst the frightened aninaals, and the con- tinued sound of blows inflicted on the horns, heads, and bodies of the poor animals, produce an impression on the beholders that no person can adequately describe, and must be seen to be believed. The desecration of the Sabbath is bad enough, but parties who reside in any of the streets leadmg into Smithfield, from the confined space, are absolutely in danger of their existence, more especially the female portion, from the terror inspired by furious oxen ; and surely the present deplorable state of things, as far as regards this nuisance in the heart of the City of London, cannot be much longer endured. Most certainly in no other city of the world would such abominations be suffered. I remain. Sir, yoiu- most obedient servant, An Inhabitant of We.«!T Smithfield. December 20. 90 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. CALENDAR OF HORTICULTURE.— JANUARY. Dec. IS, 1848.— The retrospect of the weather and results is deferred till the end of the article, I therefore now only state that the season remains so remarkably mild that garden vegetables are growing, and in every particular are fine and abun- dant. It is to be hoped that the injurious alarm created by the worse than useless caution against the use of fruits and vegetables is passing away, and that our persevering, industrious market-gar- deners will no longer be sacrificed to idle pre- judices: their great expenses, higb culture, and prodigious skill merit a far different reward. Operations in the Kitchen Garden. The jiotato—it appears to me— acquires value just in proportion to the privation the country lias experienced. We cannot, must not, relinquish it ; and I feel assured that, by perseverance in a right direction, and by ceasing, for a time, to plant late varieties at the usual season, we shall succeed, and finally restore this nutritious tuber to its pristine excellence. Justice, therefore, requires that I should offer a few'extracts from thepamphletby Mr. Cuthill, of Denmark-hill, " on the culture " of the earliest potatoes, more especially as I have inspected his processes, and can attest the excellence of their final result. The weather and state of the land as to moisture must of course decide, but if both be favourable, the ground cannot be too speedily prepared. The ash-leaved kidney is the chosen variety, and upon the whole it has suffered com- paratively little from the disease. Each well- greened tuber ought to be laid under the stage of a cool green-house, or in some cellar or potato- thatched house, where frost could not enter. The eyes would then, naturally, begin to stir about the 15th day, and so soon as the shoots become visible as much dryish mould should be sprinkled over the potatoes as would just cover them. For greater security, five or six inches of dry straw might be laid on the mould in the event of sharp frost. These preparatory steps are only needful when a very early crop is required; but otherwise the "greening" only is essential, with the total absence of long straggling shoots, induced by bad keeping, in dark, warm cellars, and moist pits. As to the ground, Mr. Cuthill says " it is prepared during the winter (very little dung being used) by trenching two spades deep, and laying it in ridges twenty inches from centre to centre. As soon as the ground is trenched I sow about two hundred weight of salt, and about three bushels of soot over the ridges : this is the proportion to fifteen rods of ground." The soil of Mr. C.'s garden, appeared to me to be a deeply worked, dark grey, garden earth, certainly not heavy or binding ; and in every case a light sandy mould is to be preferred. Here we must stop till the season of planting comes round, only observing that the ridges are raised fully eight inches above the furrow between them. The quantity of salt appears to be enormous, being above one ton per acre ; still as it is applied, perhaps six weeks before planting, every shower must carry it into the land, and finally into the subsoil. Framinr/ is now universally practised by the best gardeners, public and ]n-ivate ; by it lettuces of all kinds, radishes, small salading, endive, mint, young carrots, cauliflowers, &c., are preserved and brought forward, as are likewise seedling cabbages. Greens of all kinds are liable to be injured, and even cut off by severe Christmas frosts ; yet the market gar- deners are on the alert, and never fail to have stock ready to plant out by the first promising weather. Hoops and mats — even fronds of fern, interlaced between lines of low sticks, will indeed preserve in moderate frosts, but they must fail to promote growth. Winter spinach is often mangled by small birds ; a line of rough twine stretched an inch above the leaves will prove an eflUcient preventive. Sow, in open weather, when the ground is favourable, a row or two of spinach, spring radish, lettuce, parslei/, horn-carrots j of these there is a Dutch variety, which, when sown, produces small long carrots, but is very proper for drawing young. Peas and long-pod beans must now be sown for successional crops. Earth-up carefully on each side every row of plants now growing, and stick the j'jeffs M'ithout de- lay. If artichoke plants have not yet becTi pro- tected, let the directions lately given be attended to without loss of time. Look over the cauliflowers raised in frames, displace the decaying leaves and every weed ; loosen the surface soil with a hand- fork. Do this in mild weather, and then give air to frames, and also to the plants under hand- glasses. About the middle of the month, if the ground be free from frost and the air genial, trans- plant young cabbage to succeed or make good those set-out in the past autumn. Celery, — Any that is full-grown, the leaves being fresh and high above the ridges, may again be moulded up, with fine, well-broken earth, after THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 91 which the ridge-board, or other defence, can be re- placed. Digging, trenching, and ridging, in dry weather, can still in-oceed. A good sprinkling of powdered quick-lime (where the soil is deficient in its cal- careous element) would be very serviceable, not only chemically, but as a great destroyer of small slugs. If lime be not required, a pound or two of salt scattered over each square rod (30j square yards) of ridged or fresh-moved ground would destroy the slug, and convey alkaline salt (i. e., soda and chlorine) to the land. We cannot expect that gardeners are as yet qualified to be analytic chemists, but the three ingredients just named are essentials ; therefore a moderate application of such elements, and also of fine bone-dust, to yield phos- phoric acid, must be advantageous, especially to plots which are perpetually subjected to routine croppings. Soot, also, is a capital adjunct ; it con- tains mui'iate and sulphate of ammonia, decomposa- ble oils, blended with a bulk of charcoal in the most minute state of division. Forcing, in the vegetable department, includes the treatment of mushrooms, cucumbers, melons, aspa- ragus, sea-kale, and rhubarb. Of mushroom, the art consists in avoiding super- fluous moisture and the presence of a gentle bottom heat, not to exceed 80 degrees, while that of the surface shall a])proach to 55 or 60 degrees, which would coiTespond tolerably with the average tem- perature of September, the natural season of our true agaricus compestris. A mushroom-house or thatched shed is preferable to any exposed beds, and we would substitute slate, as shelves, in lieu of wooden boxes. In such houses, &c., sea-kale and Buck's scarlet and the Tobolsk rhubarb could be grown fit for table at Christmas. As to asparagus enough has been already said in former articles. Leaves now mixed with a small proportion of rather fresh and lively stable-dung produce the best hot-beds. Prepare hot-beds for cucumbers early, for melons at the end of the month. Pits are to be prepared, which often are heated by hot-water pipes, by external linings, or by both conjunctively. The seeds are sown three or four in a pot of light dryish earth, an inch deep, pressing the points downward. Great care is required to regulate the heat of common-frame hot-beds ; but in chambered pits there can be little fear of overheating or burning. Fruit Department. Currants and Gooseberry bushes. — Commence pnming with the first mild and dry weather. Spur the former very closely, cut out old and ill-placed shoots, and shorten the leading new wood. With gooseberry plants avoid regular spurring ; unless the habit of the individual sort show that fruit buds do not form along the main shoots, but at the heel of a series of short laterals. Use the knife freely with the old wood, to keep up a constant succession of regular and open l)ranches : avoid shortening those. Apple andpear trees,on espaliers andivalls. — Keep the leading branches in a straight, orderly direction, from eight to ten inches asunder, not shortening the leaders, unless they have attained their pre- scribed hmits. Spur the bearers, cutting back to three or four full eyes ; keep them close and com- pact. Treat the short, dwarf trees much in the same manner, and keep the branches regular and open. Cherry and plum trees, with one exception, are pruned and treated as apples. The Morillo cherry is not properly a spur-bearer ; therefore a succes- sion of young, bearing shoots must be provided for, and the old, barren wood must be cut away. Of apricots, peaches, and nectarines enough has been repeatedly said. All I would now insist on is, to avoid pruning till nature shall prove that growth is at hand : the trees and young wood are tender, and we would leave them imtouched till the sap is prepared to heal the wounds. Whenever these trees are regulated, the ground should be neatly forked ; and then, a board or two being laid in front of the wall, about eighteen inches in ad- vance of it, spare glass sashes placed sloping, so as to cover the trees from top to bottom, would pro- tect the choice fruit from frost far more effectually than nets, bunting, old flags, or mats. As glass is so cheap, why should not our gardeners avail them- selves of their advantages ? and sashes could very easily be safely fastened at top. All kinds of fruit ti'ees and bearing-berry shrubs can be planted at the end of January, provided the ground be thoroughly prepared and worked ; then, after planting, mulched with three or four inches of long litter, half-decayed tree-leaves, or fern. To keep the moisture in, and the ground warm, is the grand consideration in these late removals. Third week. — Now make cuttings of currants and gooseberries, and plant them deep in nursery rows. The vinery, to produce grapes at the latter end of May and to Midsummer, ought to be started on the first day. Progressive increase of heat from 55 deg. is preferable to sudden high temperature ; but great warmth by night becomes more and more out of favour with the best authorities. The late president, Thomas Andrew Knight, led the way to this judicious alteration. When in flower vines seem to demand the most powerful heat, with dry air by day, and an abatement of moisture ; and this because the farina should be left dry, in a condition fit for dispersion in every way. 92 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. A Propagation House, One purely such, furnished with a tank, slated, and prepared with a bed of sand and charcoal for plunging, and heated by an economical hot-water apparatus, is a most desirable appendage to a good garden. In it every plant can be raised, and all the fine operations of propagation performed. All the other houses should be devoted each to their own particular object ; and if we could induce gardeners to adopt the simple method of supplying their furnaces with air led from the house itself (which was described in a former number of last year), they would have at command all the chief advantages of the Polraaise system ; without any of its expense, inconvenience, and doubtful results. So much has, on many occasions, been urged, in reference to general cleanness in all the depart- ments— to giving and taking off air in the green- house and pits — to protecting evergreens against the sun after snow, &c., &c., that it is now need- less to enlarge our article on subjects of such moment. Retrospect, — ^The general condition of the weather since November 20 could not be mistaken. The land had been constantly soaked with rain-water at the close of October j fortunately the early days of November proved warm and sunny, and a few morning frosts occurred in that month, just suffi- cient to destroy the dahlias and heliotropes, to in- jure some chrysanthemums, and to bring down the leaves ofjieaches, apricots, and a few other trees, &c. The rain returned, and fell profusely through- out the greater part of December to this time. Saturday, the l6th, was thoroughly wet ; but the wind became easterly, the high temperature was gradually reduced, and, after three days of cloud and gloom, the night of the 20th became bright, and the morning of this (the shortest) day has dawned with fully 7 deg. of frost (25 deg. F.). The barometer is high : and my instrument now marks 30 in. 30 cents. ; we may therefore, perhaps, ex- pect a few days' continuance of bracing weather. John Towers. Mem. Hort. Soc. of London, Croydon, Dec. 21. and Roy. Ag. Soc. KEVIEW OP THE CORN TRADE DURING THE MONTH OF DECEMBER. In looking back to the past, the year 1848 does not afford many points on which to dwell with pleasure. To the British farmer the last twelve months have proved very disastrous : unfavovxrable seasons and undue foreign competition have combined to deprive him of the fair reward his industry and perseverance entitled him to calculate upon. The weather has, from the commencement, been sin- gularly unpropitious, and the only wonder is that the crops did not turn out much worse than they have ; this we attribute mainly to superior drainage and other improvements in cultivation, which, to a certain extent, have counteracted the injurious effects of almost incessant rain towards the end of the summer. The produce of grain of the United Kingdom must, nevertheless, be estimated as very defective in quality and quantity as compared with moderately good average seasons ; and the only thing which could have compensated the grower for the shortness of yield would have been prices pro- portionate to the deficiency. We need not say how miserably farmers have been disappointed in this respect, and how unremunerating must have been the business of arable farming. About the time when the new wheat first came to market, good qualities of red were worth, at Mark-Lane, 54s. to 58s., and white 58s. to 65s. per qr. These com- paratively high terms few were, however, fortunate enough to realize ; the downward movement com- menced almost immediately, and has continued with scarcely a check. It would give us great pleasure if we could hold out hopes of a better state of things for the future ; but the prospect ahead is not parti- cularly cheering, and the opening year does not commence very brightly for the British agriculturist. Low as prices of corn now are, holders appear to be fearful of a still further decline when the free- trade poUcy shall have been fully carried out, and all restrictions on foreign importations removed. The first of February is consequently looked for with a good deal of nervousness ; and though we are in- clined to think that the effect has already been in a great measure anticipated, still it must be confessed that under existing circumstances there is little chance of prices of grain improving at present. The fact that wheat might now be bought, at many of the continental ports, at something below 40s., and that there are parties wiUing to contract to deliver good sound qualities of red, weighing 61 to 62 lbs. per bushel, at 38s. to 40s. per qr., free on board in spring, when freights to this country and premiums for insurance will, of course, be lower THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 93 than at this season of the year, aflbrds strong ground for doubting whether any advance can be calculated on. The future is certainly looked to with much distrust, and all parties engaged in the corn trade show far more anxiety to realize than to enter into fresh engagements. This disposition to sell, and the unwillingness to purchase more than absolutely necessary, have caused the extreme lan- guor which has for some time prevailed in this branch of business. This, however, is indicative of prudence, and may be the means of eftecting an improvement hereafter. No artificial support is afforded to prices by speculation, and the improfit- able result of the greater part of the importations from abroad has deterred and is likely to deter our merchants from sending out large orders for the purchase of corn abroad. It is, therefore, not un- likely that the imports may for some months to come be on a more moderate scale than they have been of late ; in which case, the downward movement might be checked. But so little can at present be known of the workings of free trade, that an opinion on the probable range of prices must be almost wholly speculative. The weather has not been favourable during the autumn for the different kinds of out-door work, still farmers have managed to get the seed in tolerably well. During the greater part of Novem- ber and the first fortnight in December we had almost constant wet, which rendered the seeding of the land by no means an easy operation ; about the 20th a sudden change took place, and for some days we experienced very sharp frost. The ground was full of water when the frost commenced, which cannot be regarded as favourable for the seed, and many parties already begin to predict ill conse- quences ; we are, however, umvilling to anticipate evil, and, kno^ving the hardy nature of the wheat plant, do not apprehend danger from the sudden changes which the temperature has lately undergone. The appearance of the crop early in the spring will be sure to have great influence on the markets, as all parties are in general very sensitive and easily induced to enter into speculations when prices are low, particularly after so very defective a harvest as the last. Of the shortness of the yield, especially in the southern and western portions of the king- dom, there can be no manner of doubt ; and, small as the deliveries of wheat have been up to the present time, we doubt whether farmers have as much remaining on hand as they usually hold at this time of year. We have now enumerated the different matters for and against an improvement, and must leave our agricultural friends to judge for themselves whether it be the more prudent plan to take advantage of the Avinter months, during which the foreign competition will be less active, to reahze, or trust to the chapter of accidents for something to turn up in their favour. The fluctuations in the value of wheat have not been very important during the month, and the transactions have been on so restricted a scale as to allow little scope for comment. At most of the markets in the agricultural districts business has been quite in retail, but sellers have not been very pressing, and prices have been better supported than at the large consuming towns, where the foreign supplies have come into more immediate competition. Taking the kingdom collectively, the fnll in prices may, however, be estimated at 2s. to 3s. per qr. since the close of November. How this has occurred will be better explained by detaiUng the operations as they have taken place at Mark- Lane. The trade, as already intimated, has throughout the month remained in a wretchedly depressed state ; and with as short supphes of English wheat into the port of London as we almost ever recollect in the month of December, the value of that arti- cle has gradually receded. This has unquestionably been caused by the unwiUingness which millers have naturally felt to hold stocks on the eve of the period when the trade in grain is to become totally free. The desire to meet the new order of things \vith as httle on hand as possible has not been con- fined to the millers alone ; but all parties having anything to dispose of have been ahke anxious to realize, and there has been a constant pressure on the market. The first fortnight holders were tolera- bly firm; and owing to the extreme insignificance of the supphes of home-grown wheat, prices remained nearly stationary up to Monday the l8th; and even then the best dry qualities were not generally sold lower : the commoner descriptions (of which the bulk of what was on sale consisted), though offered at reduced rates, could not be placed. Good runs of red Essex and Kent wheat did not, on that occasion, bring more than 47s. to 48s. per qr., and some inferior lots were sold below 40s. per qr. The following Monday being Christmas, there was, of course, no market ; and the operations have since been on so restricted a scale, as to render it a mat- ter of no ordinary diflSculty to quote prices. It may, however, be safely affirmed that the turn has been in favour of the purchaser ; and that, where sales have been made, even lower rates than those named above have been taken. The very boisterous weather experienced in the early part of the month interfered for a time with the regular arrivals of wheat from abroad, and, for a week or two, the receipts into the port of London were comparatively small. No sooner, however, did the weather moderate, than vessels again began to drop in from 94 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. I all quarters ; and taking the total receipts for the month, we find that 50,000 quarters have come to hand. Only a small prijportion of this supply has been entered for home consumption, the importers having mostly preferred to land in bond, with a view of entering at the nominal rate of Is. per qr. in February. There has, however, been no scarcity of free foreign wheat, either new or old ; and the country enquiry having been far from active, prices have receded to fully the same extent as the value of English has fallen. Owing, however, to the superiority of the quality of the former over the latter, quotations are not so low. Prime red Baltic, particularly Rostock, has at no period been sold below 50s. to 52s. per quarter, duty paid ; indeed, some parcels have been held some shillings higher. French wheat has ranged from 44s. to 48 s. red, and 46s. to 53s. white ; and Hamburg, Rhine, and Braband red, 46s. to 48s. per quarter, all duty paid. We have no means of arriving at the stocks of free foreign wheat in the kingdom ; no official account being kept of the deliveries from granary, after the duty has been paid. That it has been going into consumption very freely, is proved by the insignifi- cant quantities of English taken by the millers ; still, judging from what we have been enabled to collect fi'om the principal granary keepers, there must be something like 400,000 quarters at this port alone. Under lock we had only 196,131 quarters in the United Kingdom, on the 5th of December, of which 73,624 quarters were in London. The averages and the probable fluctuations in the duty have ceased to be of much interest, owing to the close approach of the period when only a nominal rate is to be levied on imports. The only change which has taken place is a rise in the duty on wheat from 6s. to 7s. per quarter. We had, at the close of last month, a large quan- tity of foreign flour — principally French — at this port. Since then, further important arrivals have taken place from that country ; and a considerable supply has, besides, reached us from America. These continued receipts have greatly interfered with the sale of flour of home manufacture ; and the millers are beginning to call out loudly against the unfairness of admitting the manufactured arti- cle on terms corresponding with those levied on the raw material. There has, indeed, of late been some talk about petitioning Parliament on this subject; fears being expressed of the probable efl'ects a free importation of Flour is likely to have on the meal- ing trade in this country. The town millers have certainly experienced great competition ; and though the nominal top price has not been changed, households have been sold at low terms — say, good Norfolk, and similar qualities, at 34s. to 35s, per sack. Superfine French has been oiFered freely, duty paid, at 40s., and the secondary sorts at irregular rates, varying from 34s. to 38s. per sack. The highest quotation for American flour is not now over 28s. per barrel, and other sorts may be had at proportionate rates. The arrivals of barley, of home growth, into the port of London, have been on quite a moderate scale since our last, and the foreign supplies have not been particularly large. What was said at the] time of harvest, relative to the inferioiity of the quality of this grain, was not, it has since been jjroved, exaggerated; and really fine malting samples are, and have all along been, scarce. The depression in the corn trade has, therefore, had less eft'ect on the value of barley than on that of other ai'ticles; and the best qualities have commanded fully as much money this month as in November — say, 34s. to 35s. per quarter. This has, however, been only the case as regards fine ; the common sorts of barley having been quite as difficult to place as other descriptions of grain. Some of the imports from abroad are suit- able for malting purposes ; notwithstanding which, 30s. per quarter, duty paid, may be regarded as about the highest quotation for foreign. Grinding sorts have been offered at rates varying from 24s. to 28s. per qr. ; the latter figure being only obtain- able for sweet heavy samples. We have heard of offers to ship in the spring, at continental ports, at very low rates, which we consider to be against any advance on such sorts as are usually received from abroad ; but the value of really fine English malting barley may be expected to be maintained. Very little variation has taken place in prices of malt : the transactions in the article have not been by any means extensive, but the receipts having also been moderate, sellers have remained tolerably firm, and the business done has been at similar terms to those current when we last addressed our readers. Oats of home growth have not come to hand freely, and the arrivals from abroad have fallen short of expectation ; it being, however, the pre- vailing opinion that a good many vessels laden with this grain are at present on passage to this country from the continent, and that the shipments from Ireland are likely to increase, the dealers have throughout the month conducted their operations with extreme caution. The tendency of prices has therefore, notwithstanding the very moderate cha- racter of the receipts, been decidedly downwards, more particularly in regard to light and inferior qualities. The recent arrivals from Scotland have turned out much inferior in quality to the ship- ments made immediately after harvest, proving that the crops there were not saved much better than in the south. Some parcels have come to THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 95 hand quite hot, owhlg to the gvecu and unripe manner in which they were harvested. Such have been almost unsaleable, and have been placed with great difficulty at prices varying from l7s. to 21s. perqr. Good Scotch feed have been sold at 22s. to 23s., and fine potato at 25s. to 27s. per qr. Irish oats have sold according to weight, say 40lbs., at 20s. to 21s., and 41 to 42lbs. qualities at 21s. to 23s. per qr. The smallness of the supplies of British oats has caused the consumption, for months past, to be in a great measure thrown on foreign, and the stocks of the latter at this port have undergone a material diminution. What now remains consists principally of secondary and in- ferior qualities, which may be bought at from 18s. to 20s. per ([r. For shipment in sjn-ing the offers from abroad are at low ])rices — so low, indeed, as to render it very doubtful whether the British growers will derive any benefit by holding, and the Irish farmers are likely hereafter to feel the competition with foreign in our markets very se- verely. So long as the mild weather lasts beans are but little required for horse feeding, and in the early part of the month the value of this article gave way Is. to 2s, per qr. This decline has not as yet been recovered, but the demand has recently improved, and the turn has been rather against the buyer. Egyptians in warehouse were at one period offered, duty-paid, at 25s. per qr. ; now they are again held at 26s., and some fine parcels at 27s. per qr. Good French may be had at 2Ss. to 31s. per qr., and very nice new English small beans at 34s. to 35s. per qr. Though peas of home growth have come to hand sparingly, and the arrivals from abroad have not been so liberal as was the case last month, still prices have undergone a further depreciation. Grey and maple have maintained their value better than white, but the former sorts cannot at present be quoted higher than 35s. to 36s. per qr., and the latter have been offered at from 33s. to 36s. per qr. English, and 30s. to 33s. foreign. In Indian corn, on the spot, there lias been very little doing since our last ; and it is a curious fact, that the article might be bought cheaper in granary here than it can be purchased floating, though in the latter case the buyer has the risk of the cargo arriving in bad or damaged condition. Tliis may, however, be explained thus : in London this article is scarcely used, and to send it to Ireland would enhance the price, as working expenses, freight, &c., would have to be added ; hence the Irish buyers prefer to purchase floating cargoes, as the captains of most of the vessels from the ports eastward of Gibraltar have orders to call at Fal- mouth, Cork, &c,, for instructions as to the port of discharging. For Galatz, to arrive, 35s. per qr., cost, freight, and insurance, has been asked, and one or two cargoes have, we believe, changed hands at 34 s. per qr. In conclusion, we shall say a few words relative to the position of the corn trade at those places abroad from whence we may hereafter look for supplies. The weather appears to have been unusually mild all over the world, and the inland navigation re- mained open later than in ordinary years, not only in Europe, but hkewise in North America. The latest accounts from the United States inform us that, owing to the canals and inland water-courses having remained free from ice, supplies were daily arriving from the west to the east, and that the stocks of bread-stuffs on the sea board had accu- mulated considerably. If, therefore, the British markets should at any time hold out an induce- ment to consign, shipments might be made. At New York, on the Gth December, business in flour was dull, the suppUes having exceeded the demand. The exports from thence from the 1st to the 30th of November had consisted of 233,681 brls. flour, 180,378 bushels of wheat, and 604,326 bushels of Indian corn. Common brands of Western Canal flour were then obtainable at 5 d. 25 c. to 5 d. 3lJ c, and good parcels at 5 d. 371 c to 5 d. 50 c. per brl. ; superior lots were held re- latively higher, owing to a preponderance of the lower grades. Wheat had not excited much at- tention, and Indian corn had rather receded in price. From the Baltic no further shipments are now likely to be made until next spring. By the most recent advices, the navigation was still entirely free from ice, but most of the vessels had departed, and the shipping season was considered over. At Danzig good stocks were held, the arrivals down the Vistula that were much impeded by the want of water during the summer and autumn having come to hand subsequently. The last sales for export had been at 39s. to 40s> high mixed, and 37s. to 38s. per qr. for mixed. From Rostock we learn that the farmers had be- gun to deliver wheat rather freely, and that the warehouses were fast being filled. The quality of the produce in that neighbourhood is not equal to that of average seasons, and few of the parcels brought forward have exceeded in weight 6llbs., the major part being below 60lbs. per bushel. The Ughter sorts might, we are informed, be bought so as to be put free on board in spring at 34s. to 35s., whilst for the heavier kinds prices equal to 36s. to 37s. per qr. had been firmly insisted on. At Stettin prices were, by the last accounts, about the same as at Rostock. At Hamburg some fluctuations have occurred in 96 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. quotations of wheat. At one time fine Upland was offered at 38s. ; subsequently the price rose to 40s. Gd.j and the last quetation was 38s. 6d. to 30s. 6d. per qr. In the Dutch and Belgian markets good wheat might, about the middle of the month, have been purchased at 38s., but since then 40s. per qr. has become the current price. In France the value of the article has also risen a trifle of late, and neither wheat nor flour could at l)resent be imported from thence at a profit. At several of the Mediterranean ports large sup- plies of wheat had arrived from the Black and Azofli' Seas. Most of the vessels had been directed to proceed to Great Britain, and we may calculate on receiving some quantity from ports lying east of Gibraltar. At Marseilles the price for Polish Odessa was 37s., and for Romelia 32s. per qr., free on board on the Gth December. CURRENCY PER IMPERIAL MEASURE. Shillings per Quarter. OLD. NEW. Wheat, Essex and Kent, white 50to57 45to55 Ditto, fine selected runs — — 45 55 Ditto,red 46 52 42 48 Ditto, extra 50 53 SO 53 Ditto, Talavera 52 55 56 58 Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. . 45 50 — — Ditto, white 45 50 — — Barley, English, malting and distilling. . — — 32 34 Ditto, Chevalier — — 34 35 Ditto, grinding — — 27 29 Malt.. Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk ■— — 58 59 Kingston, Ware, and town made .... — — 58 60 Oats, Essex and Suffolk — — 18 20 Lincolnshire and Yorkshire (Polands) — — 19 22 Ditto, feed — — 17 20 Devon & West Country, feed or ack — — 16 17 Northumberland and Scotch, feed .. — — 21 25 Dundalk, Newry, and Belfast, potato — — 22 23 Limerick, Sligo, and Westport, potato — — 19 23 Ditto, feed — — 18 21 Cork, Waterford, Dublin, Youghal, and Clonmel, black — — 15 20 Ditto, white — — 17 20 Galway — — 13 17 Rye — — 23 30 Flour, best marks (per sack of 280 lbs.), . — — 41 46 Norfolk and Suffolk, ex-ship — — 36 38 Beans, Mazagan 33 35 — ■ — Tick 28 32 — — Harrow 32 38 — — Pigeon, Heligland 37 39 — — Windsor ^ 30 40 — — Long pod 28 30 — — Peas, non-boUers 30 33 — — White, Essex, and Kent, boilers 35 36 35 36 Ditto, fine Suffolk 36 38 — Maple 36 38 36 38 Hog and grey 35 37 35 — Tares 30 35 — — Indian Corn 33 35 — Indian Corn Meal (per brl. of 196 lbs.) . . 17s. 6d. to 18s Tares, winter, per bushel nominal. Rye Meal (per ton) £7 lOs. to £8 Os. Ditto, foreign, per ton £8 lOs. to £10 10s. Rapeseed >..,.. £4 15s. to £5 Cakes, Linseed, English, per 1,000 .■• . £12 Os, to £13 15a. IMPERIAL AVERAGES. For the last Six Weeks. Week Ending; Nov. 11, 1848.. Nov. 18, 1848.. Nov. 25, 1848.. Dec. 2, 1348.. Dec. 9, 1848.. Dec. 10, 1848.. AggregateAverage of the six weeks which regulates duty Comparative Aver- age same time last year Duties Wheat, s. d. 52 0 52 3 50 4 52 10 7 0 Barley. Oats. Rye. s. d. s. d. s. d. 33 7 20 10 30 5 34 1 20 5 30 10 33 2 20 2 30 10 32 0 19 11 31 2 31 4 19 5 28 5 31 4 18 11 29 8 32 7 19 11 30 3 31 3 22 7 32 3 2 0 3 0 2 0 Beans, s. d. 37 2 38 1 36 10 36 2 35 7 34 3 36 4 44 0 2 0 Peas. 8. d. 39 10 48 0 2 0 PRICES OF SEEDS. BRITISH SEEDS. Cloverseed, red SOs.to 35s.; fine,35s.to36g.; white, 30s. to 40s. Co\v Grass (nominal) — s. to — s. Linseed (per qr.). . sowing 56s. to 60s. ; crushing 42s. to 48s. Linseed Cakes (per l,000"of 3 lbs. each) £11 10s. to £12 10s. Trefoil (per cwt.) 15s. to 21s. Rapeseed, new (per last) £27 to £30 Ditto Cake (per ton) £4 15s. to £5 Mustard (per bushel) white . . 8s. to 10s. ; browTi, (nominal.) Tuniip, white (per bush.) — s.to — s.; do. Swedish, — s. to — s. Coriander (per cwt.) I83. to 25s. Canary (per qr.) 85s. to 90s. ; fine, 90s. to lOOs. Tares, Winter, per bush lOs. 6d. to 10s. 6d, CaiTaway (per c\vt.) 28s. to 29s. ; new, 30s. to 31 s. Rye Grass (per qr.) 17s. to 383. FOREIGN SEEDS, &c. Clover, red (duty 5s. per cwt.) per cwt 28s. to 353. Ditto, white (duty 5s. per cwt.) per cwt 22s. to 45s. Linseed (per qr.) . . Baltic 42s. to 46s. ; Odessa, 42s. to 46s. Linseed Cake (per ton) £8 10s. to £10 lOs. Rape Cake (per ton) £4 15s. 5d. Coriander (per cwt) 16s. to 20s. NOTE. In consequence of Mr. Lawes' paper, in our last number (for Dec. 1, 1848), not having been revised in proof-sheet, there are errors in it either of the copyist or the printer, of which the most important are corrected as under : — At page 479, col. 1, line 23, for "picking," read trickery. At page 480, col. 2, line 24, for " connecting," read converting. At page 482, col. 1, line 14, /or " No.," read Nos. From " showing," at line 45, col. 1, page 482, to " 14 cwts.," at line I, col. 2, page 482, is a quotation, and should be within inverted commas, thus, " showing Hs H^ Jp ^ ^ sjc W cwts At page 482, col. 2, line 37, for " imitating" read mistaking. "At page 484, col. 2, line 31, for "terms" read turns. At page 485, col. 2, line 3, for " scale" read sale. At page 487, col. 1, lines 41 and 24, for " application" read applicability. At page 487, col. 2, line 47, for " iindeservable" read undesirable. At page 418, col. 2, line 3, after the word " against" insert us. 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The subject of our first plate (Deception, roan, 7957), was calved in 1845, was bred by Mr. Thomas Gurne, Broadmoor, near Northleach, obtained the first prize at the Melksham Agricultural Show, in 1847, was shown as extra stock at the Chippenham Show, and obtained a prize ; the first prize of Forty Sove- reigns at the Royal Agricultural Society's Meeting at York, was awarded to him, being then the property of Mr. Richard Keeril, of Shaw Farm, Melksham, Wilts, who afterwards sold him to Mr. Douglas, of Chelsonford, Scotland, for £200. He was got by Elevator (6069), d. (Wellington Lady) by Raffler (7391), g. d. by Consul (1868), gr. g. d. by Gazer (7030),— Vide " Coate's Herd Book," vol. vii., p. 48. PLATE 11. DIAGRAM SHEWING THE FLUCTUATIONS IN THE AVERAGE PRICE OF WHEAT DURING THE YEAR 1848. REVIEW OF THE CAUSES WHICH INFLUENCED THE DURING THE YEAR 1848. (See diagram.) PRICE OF WHEAT The opening average price of wheat for the year 1847, it will be perceived, was 53s. lid., to which point it was slowly advancing from the 11th of December previous, the average price then being but 51s. lid. : but after the 1st of January 1848, the general appearance of the autumn- sown corn, and the reports from the agricultural districts being favourable for our future prospects, a hang- ing and falling market was the consequence. Added to this, the month of January, although some frost occurred in the early part, was so mild that the an- ticipation of an early opening of the Baltic pre- vented anything like a disposition with either the merchants to speculate, or farmers to holdback; on the contrary, the holders of wheat towards the latter end of January manifested a decided inchnation to realize. From the mildness of the winter there was less consumption of food than in ordinary years, and more foreign wheat was left on hand than was calciUated upon, added to which the OLD SERIES.] arrivals from foreign countries during the months of December and January had exceeded ex- pectation, and the demand for bread-stufTs for shipment to Ireland was less than what was anti- cipated in the previous autumn. We therefore find in the first month a fall in the average price of wheat of nearly two shillings. On the last week of January, in consequence of heavy frost and snow having suspended all out-door work the farmers were I obhged to employ their men in thrashing, and al- j though not an excessive, yet a steady supply was , kept up in the principal markets of the kingdom, ! the consequence was a fall in the second week in ' February of nearly one shilling. During that month the operations in the corn markets, not only of London, but in the country generally, were of a hand-to-mouth character ; and notwithstanding that on the coming 1st of March the corn law would again come into operation, yet such was the disin- clination to make investments in corn that we find H \No. 2.— VOL, XXX. hi THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. the prices falling week after week until March the 11th. This may he accounted for hy the reports from every part of the kingdom being of so favour- able a character as regarded the autumn sown wheat, which was described as "being vigorous Avithout being too gay," and that farmers were holders of a greater projjortion of the previous year's crop than is usually held at that period. The month of February having been on the whole a wet one, and several parts of the lowlands of the country being flooded in the early part of March, thereby rendering it too wet to be worked for the spring corn, added to the fact that there was then a duty payable on foreign corn of 6s. per qr., caused a little reaction in the trade, and we consequently find the averages going up during the month of March, to the extent of 2s. nearly; — this was also at the time partly caused by the French tevolution, and the general tendency evidenced by the other kingdoms of the continent to become disturbed, which it was feared would preclude the possibility of our drawing large supplies from abroad ; — added to which, from the wet weather in the early part of March, out-door work had scarcely commenced up to the 20th ; consecpiently the state of the corn trade, from these inauspicious circumstances, could not be otherwise than favour- able to the seller. 'J he corn brought to market was also much deteriorated by the wet weather, and the demand for dry samples was ver}- general, never- theless upon the first appearance of dry weather at the latter end of the month, the markets again be- came unsteady, and this, notwithstanding it was well known that millers and dealers had miserably short stock on hands. The first week of April brought a series of depressions in the trade that, with few exceptions, continued until the middle of June. The weather underwent a de- cided improvement, and the spring corn, with the exception of some districts, was very generally being sown. The reports also from the agricul- tural districts of the young wheat plant were more favourable than from the previous wet weather was anticipated — it was represented as "wearing a healthy aspect," and that this did not arise from premature luxuriance was strengthened by the fact, that farmers at the commencement of April manifested a greater desire to sell than they showed earher in the season. A very general opinion was likewise ex- pressed that farmers were holders of larger stocks than usually held at a corresponding jjeriod of the year; in fact, from the disinclination of merchants or millers to speculate, no rise in the price of wheat was expected unless the general appearance of the growing crops were such as to anticipate a coming deficient harvest. The impor- tations of foreign corn were liberal, 111,7/8 qrs. having been received during the month ending the 5th of April, 1 848, so that speculative investments were avoided by all. The months of May and June were very favour- able for the growth of the spring corn, a larger breadth of potatoes was sown in the kingdom than the previous year, and the accounts of the luxuriant appearance of the latter crop was so satisfactory as to bring the average down gradually from the 5th of May, when it was 50s. id., to the I7th of June (with the exception of one week), when it attained the lowest point for the year, viz. 46s. lOd. ; the fall from the highest to the lowest ])oint being in the first six months (nearly) 5s. id. At this low price although there was not sufficient to encourage importation, and it Avas manifest that there must be a loss on most of that which had arrived from the continent, yet supplies from abroad kept up a dead weight on the market; the quantity of foreign wheat which arri\'ed in the port of London alone during the quarter ending 28th June, being 165,166 qrs. This amount shows a falling off as compared with the corresponding quarter of the previous year of 75,135 qrs.; but it must be borne in mind that in the year 1847, there was only a nominal duty of Is., v/hile in the quarter ending 28th June, 1848, the duty payable upon the aggregate average of the six weeks previous to the day on which it is struck was 7s. for the first seven weeks of the quarter, 8s. the next three, and 9s. the last two. A reaction took place at this time, which could not be ascribed to speculation, but solely to apprehensions which were entertained that the potatoes were not so promising as they had, a month previous, appeared. In the commencement of July the weather became very changeable, whispers came in from several parts of England that the potatoes were becoming diseased, the merchants and millers had run their stocks to the lowest point of convenience, and the farmers kept back the supplies from the country markets upon perceiving the firm tone which was taken by the great leading markets of the kingdom ; the supplies from abroad, too, began to fall off, and the belief was fast gaining ground that the foreign arrivals must become more moderate — all those circumstances combined, gave increased confidence to holders ; we therefore find that the rise in the price of wheat was rapid, going from the lowest to the highest point it arrived at during the year in the short space of thirteen weeks, the total rise being, however, only 10s. The weather and the progress of the potato disease was the only cause for this advance : the early and the latter part of July was very changeable ; heavy rains had fallen, and it was feared had injured more or less the wheat plant, which in many localities was thin on the ground, and the size of the ears smaller than THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 9d usual; the lent sown crops too were far from heavy, therefore an average crop was not expected, even with auspicious weather, for its in- gathering. But this did not seem likely to occur, as up to the end of August the rain fell heavily and generally throughout the country. Wheat was cut in some districts in the latter end of July; and in the heginning of August, harvest became pretty gene- ral in the southern parts of the kingdom ; still, from the unsettled state of the weather, hardly any had been carried, and that which was cut, as well as that uncut, was considered in imminent danger. In the last weeks of July a good many orders for wheat and Indian corn were received from abroad, and it was expected that the importation of the latter article would be heavy in autumn. That the rise would have been more rapid, and to a higher amount, is not at all improbable, but for the fact that upon its being so generally stated that the potatoes were diseased and would not keep in the pits, the apprehension of the growers as to this fact induced them to dig and send into market potatoes which were apparently sound, and sell them at almost any price ; so abundantly were the markets supplied during the month of August in many parts of the kingdom, as to cause a material decrease in the consumption of every other kind of food, particularly bread ; this desire to dispose of the potatoes was the more remarkable, from the fact that those sold were on the whole better than for several years past : in some parts of the king- dom they were sold as low as 3lbs. for one penny. This, as a natural consequence, had the effect of lessening the demand for wheat, which otherwise, from the very uncertain and unsettled state of July and August, would have gone to a much higher figure than it did on the 9th September. In the early part of. September the weather cleared up generally throughout the kingdom, the harvest was secured in most parts of the southern and western parts, and from the favourable accounts which were received, contrary to general expectation, merchants and speculators began to act with e.xtreme caution. Even had they been disposed to forget the lesson taught them the previous year, the same facilities for entering into speculative operations were not obtainable ; and although the farmers generally were very moderate in their de- liveries, it was not felt, in consequence of the regular supplies of foreign grown, and the abundance and cheapness of the potatoes, which actually glutted the several country markets. The merchants too saw that a new position must be taken, in conse- quence of the alteration of the corn laws, which was to commence on this day— February the 1st. The important questions now are: "how will prices range when all restriction on importation is re- moved ?" " What will be the amount of the deli- veries from America and the continent ?" And " to what extent will be the amount of foreign corn imported after the first of February?" when we find that in the fortnight ending the 7th of October, 1848, the enormous supply of 66,000 qrs. of wheat had flooded the London mar- ket, and nearly 74,000 in the following fortnight? Indeed by the official account published it appeared that 485,270 qrs. of wheat were imported into the United Kingdom from foreign countries for the month ending the 10th October, that duty was paid within the same space of time on .508,654 qrs., and that there remained under lock on that day 212,909 qrs: the imports of flour were 193,539 cwt., duty was paid on 181,574 cwt., and there remained in bond 35,920 cwt. The importations of other articles were on the same extensive scale, the total quantities of grain and pulse entered for home consumption for that month amounting to the enormous quantity of 1,140,155 qrs., being more than was imported during any whole year from 1811 to 1827 with the exception of 1818, when 1,694,261 qrs. of foreign wheat and flour were received, and this included the trade with Ireland. With these immense supplies the wonder is that prices did not recede still more rapidly. From the 9th of September, with the exception of the last week in September and the three first weeks in November, the averages were declining, although neither merchants nor millers were half supplied. On the 30th Decem- ber, the average price of wheat was exactly the same as it was on the I7th June previous; but the causes of this decline were in both cases different. In the former, the weather, and the promise of abundance in the harvest, operated ; in the latter, in the teeth of the fact that our harvest was under an average, and our millers buying merely what was required for daily use, nothing could induce speculation, from the fear naturally entertained that the quantity of foreign corn which would be im- ported after the 1st February would be so enormous as to preclude the chance of improved prices ; and this opinion was strengthened, from the fact that importers were anxious to realize on board ship, and not go to the expense of storing for the chance of a rise in the market. All parties were averse to hold stocks, particularly as the weekly supphes ex- ceeded the quantity required for immediate con- sumption ; and the general feehng amongst mer- chants, millers, and dealers was to meet the new order of things, on the 1st of February, with as little stock on hand as possible ; and naturally so, when we find it asserted, a short time before Christmas, by a first-rate authority, that " it would not be difficult to find parties willing to contract to h2 100 THE FARMER'S MAGAZL\E. deliver fine quantities of red wheat, weighing 61 to 62 lbs. the bushel, at 38s. to 39s. the qr. free on board next spring." Duty was paid in the last eleven months of 1S4S, ending December 5th, on 1,843,536 qrs. of wheat, 829,643 cwts. of flour, 1,352,257 qrs. of maize, and 130,807 cwts. of Indian meal. ( ON THE MIXTURE OF GUANO WITH COMPOST. BY CUTHBERT VV. JOHNSON, ESa., F.R.S. An important practical question often arises as to the best mode of applying guano as a manure. It is generally used by the farmer as a top or other dressing, and spread by hand. This is perhaps the most beneficially accomplished in wet weather, when the aramoniacal, and other soluble salts of the guano, are thence dissolved, and intimately mixed with the soil. Another mode is that recommended by Mr. A. F". Gardner, of Borrochan, in Renfrew- shire, the object of which is to add to the power of the guano, by increasing the number of chemical ingredients in the mixture, and also by decomposing and rendering some of the salts of ammonia found in guano no longer volatile in the temperature of the atmosphere. He thus decidedly expresses his opinions on the subject (Trans. High. Soc, 1847, p. 16). " From repeated trials now for four years, upon almost every description of plants in our farms and gardens, I am induced to place this mix- ture in the foremost rank of fertilising substances. If not the very first, I have ever tried. Combined with guano, with or without farm-yard dung, it has grown very large crops of grass, grain, and green crops, leaving the land in first-rate condition. Indeed, I consider that guano ought never to be used without being combined with this mixture, either as a manure or top dressing ; and it possesses the property, which many, if not all, other of our artificial manures want — that of not being so easily dissolved and washed out of the soil by rain. The mixture alluded to is made as follows : — Take any quantity of animal charcoal or burnt bones you may require ; dissolve these in a tub, with half its weight of sulphuric or muriatic acid, adding to the charcoal, before putting in the acid, as much boiling water as will bring it to the consistency of thin gruel ; let it stand and dissolve in the tub at least twenty-four hours, frequently stirring it up during that time. For every 1 12lb. of animal charcoal or burnt bones so dissolved, take 5Glbs. of carbonate or sulphate of magnesia, 56 lbs. of sulphate or muriate of ammonia, ll2lbs. of common salt or carbonate of soda, and 561bs. of potash — mix them well together, and pour them into the tub amongst the dissolved charcoal, stirring it all the time ; and again let it stand for ten or twelve hours. If this mixture is to be used by itself, add saw-dust, dried peat, or any absorbent, to take up the moisture ; put it through a half inch sieve, which will divide it, and make it sow better ; or you may now add guano, which will absorb a portion of it, and thus have a portion of the ammonia in the guano fixed." Mr. Gaidner gives the result of several trials made with this mixture. For instance, with Swedish turnips grown on a medium loam, which had previously grown a crop of oats, after trenched lea. 1. The soil dressed per acre with 30 tons of farm-yard manure, costing £10 10s., produced, of bulbs, 34 tons 5 cwt. 2. The soil dressed with — Farm-yard dung 15 tons. Peruvian guano 3 cwt. Animal charcoal Sulphuric acid Carbonate of magnesia Sulphate of soda Muriate of ammonia Common salt Horn dust 3 Costing together £9 3s. 4d., produced, of bulbs, 46 tons 5 cwts. 3. The soil dressed with — Farm-yard dung , . . 15 tons. Peruvian guano 3 cwts. Animal charcoal 2 Muriatic acid - c . . . . 1 Carbonate of magnesia 1 Sulphate of soda ....,» 1 Sulphate of ammonia 1 Horn dust , , 3 Common salt 1 Costing £9 5s. 4d,, produced, of bulbs, 46 tons 17 cwts. The omission of the charcoal, acid, &c., caused & material falling oflf in the production of bulbs; thus in experiment 4, the soil dressed with — Farm-yard manure 15 tons. Peruvian guano 3 cwts. Horn dust 4 „ Common salt 2 ,, Sulphate of soda 2 „ Costing together £7 ] 5s., produced, of bulbs, 37 tons 2 cwts. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 101 The object of these additions to tlie guano is, therefore, not to waste its salts of ammonia, but to convert such of them as are volatile, by the excess of acid in the recommended mixture, into either the sulphate or muriate of ammonia — salts which are not volatilized by the temperature to which they are exposed in the soil. In such a way then guano may 1)6 advantageously mixed with other substances. A very different result, however, is produced by mixing guano with the compost heaps of the farm- yard. For by this plan, although the compost is improved, the guano is more than proportionately impoverished. This is one amongst many instances of ill-considered attempts to form economical fer- tilising mixtures, without the requisite knou'ledge of the chemical action produced by the substances emjDloyed. The case of guano, too, is only one in- stance amongst many. Thus, as I lately had oc- casion to remark in another valuable agricultural periodical, the sprats which abound on the coast of Essex, and which, at the rate of 30 or 40 bushels per acre, produce such extraordinary effects on the oat crops of that county, have frequently been added to the compost heaps of the farm-yard. The result has very commonly been the rapid putrefac- tion of the fish, the exhalation of a great mass of gaseous matters, the enrichment, it is true, of the dung, but with more than a commensurate loss of the rich matter of the sprats. The practice of the old farmers of Essex and Kent is much better ; they either at once spread and plough the fish into the land, or they mix them with earth ; in which they dissolve away, it is true, but they escajie the fermenting influence of the farm-yard compost heap. It was thus, too, that the late Lord Somerville em- ployed as a manure on the sandy soils of Surrey refuse whale blubber. He mixed it with earth, and even then ploughed it as soon as possible into the soil. To expose such rich oily substances to the heat of a compost heap, he well knew would be to take a certain means of decomposing and wasting them. It is thus that I have fi'equently of late noticed with regret the erroneous plan employed in the case of guano, of adding it to the compost heap, by way of improving the goodness of the dung. This practice saves very little labour in the use of the guano, and is not nearly so good a plan as spreading it by hand over the surface of the ground, either as a top dressing, or just previous to plough- ing. Let the inquiring farmer only refer to the chemical composition of guano, and these facts will appear tolerably clear. The composition of the varieties of guano of commerce is thus stated by Professor J. F. Johnston (Johnson an^l Shaw's Farmers' Almanac, vol. 3, p. 31) — Kinds. Water. Peruvian | 7 to 9 ChiHan j 10 to 13 Bolivian fi Ichaboe i 1 8 to 20 Saldanha, hght ,, dark Algoa Bay . . Halifax . .. Bird's Island Patagonian, light ,, dark 17 to 27 ^ 33 to 44 S r 2.2G I 23.93 24.47 f 25.49 J L 14.18 S 40.99 } 20.55 S Ammo- niacal matter. 56 to 66 50 to 56 65 to 64 36 to 44 Earthy ])hos- phates. 16 to 23 22 to 30 25 to 29 21 to 29 14 to 22 43 to 56 22.37 23.16 20.61 19 to 21 70.20 43.15 22.67 S 22.43 ( 5.37 20 to 25' 24 to 32 Now it is evident, from the results of this analysis, that the best varieties of guano are those which most abound in the salts of ammonia ; the Peruvian, or highest priced guano, containing from about 56 to 66 per cent., the inferior low-priced varie- ties only yielding from about 15 to 20 per cent. If such then is the fact, the next question which suggests itself is as to the policy of adding these salts of ammonia (a good portion of them very volatile) to the dungheap of a farm-yard. It seems to be a practice of a very injurious nature, since the warmth of the fermenting dung is pretty certain to dissipate a large portion of these salts, without at the same time accomplishing a single good ob- ject. It is merely feeding with carbonate of ammonia a mass of fermenting dung, from which that volatile salt is already copiously emitted in almost every instance. The matters which are thus evolved were long since pretty accurately described by Sir H. Davy. Three ])ints of fermenting dung, when confined in a retort, yielded in three days 35 cubic inches of elastic fluid, which, when analyzed, aflbrded about 25 cubic inches of carbonic acid gas, the remainder being hydro-carbonate, mixed with some azote ; with these gases was evolved a por- tion of water, which, when collected in the con- denser, was found to amount to nearly half an ounce. This had a saline taste, owing to its con- taining acetate and carbonate of ammonia. Here then was a wasteful evolution of ammonia, which the farmer very correctly endeavours, on all occa- sions, to avoid as much as possible, by so regu- lating the fermentation of his compost, as to prevent that excess of temperature by which this evolution of the volatile salts is so materially increased. An attempt has been made to calculate the ])roportion of the chief chemical ingredients added to the soil in a dressing with farm compost, and in African guano (Quar. Jour. Ag. 1848, p. 554), and this has been done in such a way as to give easily under- stood information to practical men. The estimate 102 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. is based on the supposition, that 10 tons of farm- yard compost and 4 cwt. of African guano are added to the soil. Farm-yard manure contains — Tons. Cwts. Water, about G 10 Humus 0 16 Organic matter l 12 Inorganic matter 1 2 The inorganic matter consists of the following substances — Cwts. Qrs. Lbs. Potash . - 0 2 20 Soda 0 2 0 Lime 0 o 7 Magnesia 0 0 6 Sulphuric acid 0 2 23 Chlorine 0 2 18 Silicic acid 0 0 1 Sihca 0 3 2 Phosphate of lime 1 i 18 Phosphate of magnesia .... 0 1 22 Phosphate of iron 0 3 18 Carbonate of lime 1 3 n Carbonate of magnesia .... 0 0 24 Sand 11 0 0 To sum up the more important part of this cal- culation, in 10 tons of manure is added to the land, of Cwts. Qrs. Lbs. Phosphates 2 3 2 Alkalies &c 1 0 25 Lime and magnesia , . . 2 0 2 Together with azote in organic matters, nearly equal to 1 cwt. of salts of ammonia. To contrast this with the inferior or African guano, we find that 4 cwt. of this manure contains, of Cwts. Qrs. Lbs. Ammoniacal salts about .... 1 0 0 Alkalies 0 1 IG Phosphate of lime 1 2 0 Water 1 0 0 Earthy matter , 0 0 12 If, however, the farmer is of opinion that the in- timate mixture of the guano and the compost is de- sirable, then he may still accomplish his object, and yet avoid exposing the guano to the too high tem- perature of the fermenting dung-heap, by follow- ing (and this is only one mode amongst many) the plan adopted by Mr. Pusey, who took some valua- ble precautions to ensure a correct result in his trials. He remarks (Jour. R. A. S., vol. 6, p. 529), that, " having found that when manures are tried by being spread upon distinct portions of the same field, some uncertainty is cast upon the result by difFerences in the crop, which evidently do not arise from the action of the respective manures, but from variations in the depth or quality of the soil, from previous manurings, from the depredations of in- sects, or some other cause that cannot be detected, I apportioned the manures to be tried in a new method, which increased the troul)le indeed, but which I thought would make the result trust- worthy. The rows were opened three feet apart upon the whole piece. In three rows I put the heavy dressing with dung ; in the next two rows the lighter dressing. In the two following rows we added rape-dust to the dung, and so on, until, in 19 ridges, all the trials had been prepared. We then began again, as before, with the heavy dressing of dung, and comjjleted another set of 19 ridges like the first. The extent of five acres allowed six sets thus to be made, which might be regarded as six repetitions of the same experiment, and as, there- fore, deserving greater confidence. Thus the rows which received artificial manure only, of whatever kind, were of a darker green than the rest, until some hot weather came in August; their leaves then blistered, and many of the leaves withered suddenly oflT. If this had occurred on one patch of ground only it might have been imputed to acci- dent; but no one who saw it repeated on these par- ticular rows in six different stripes across the field could doubt that it was caused by the absence of dung, which on such sandy land as this appears necessary for carrying a crop through to harvest. This experiment (which was made in 1845) with the yellow globe beet, shows very clearly that in this way the addition of guano to farm-yard compost very materially adds to the power of the manure. " At the end of October the roots were taken up, and the produce ascertained by weighing the yield of half an acre, measured across the six sets of rows at one end. The yield of clean roots per acre was as follows : — Tons. Soil simple 15 Dung 13 loads 27 i Dung 13 loads, guano 3 cwt. . . 36 Rape 7 cwt. 2O5 Bones 14 bushels 20 Guano 3 cwts 2O2 These trials, made in widely different portions of the islandj all tend to the same conclusion ; viz., that guano is a valuable and ])owerful fertilizer, not only used by itself, but when added to other manures. They seem to prove also, that the best mode of mixture, is not by adding it to the ferment- ing heaps of the farm-yard, but by avoiding, how- ever, this injurious fermentation, they may be more profitably used in conjunction than when employed in their simple state. We understand that Mr. Thomas Hine has in the press, a pamphlet on the "Giant Sainfoin, and the Capability of its Successful Cultivation." Coming from one who gives the result of his personal ob- servation and practical tests during several years, upon this plant, this pamphlet, we are confident, will be most valuable to the agriculturist. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 105 JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE L\ AGRICULTURE, &c. BY J. TOWERS, MEMBER OF ROYAL SOCIETIES OF AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTUKE. Enquiries have from time to time been made concerning the probable utility of this plant to the stock farmer. It has been little thought of lately, as few persons like it, and the gardener dreads to introduce a vegetable which cannot be removed with- out difficulty from any spot whereon it thrives, and has obtained possession. Hence, as few researches have been undertaken by analysts, we had remained ignorant of its nutritive constituents. Not long since a gentleman, Avith whom I was in corres- pondence, wished to ascertain its acreable yield, and also the extent of its nutritive power. Having grown the plant for years, and in several places, I knew it well as a garden vegetable, but no further ; and therefore consulted such authorities as were at command, but to little purpose. Within the last week an article has come to hand, which is now copied verbatim, in the hope Ihat it may prove use- ful to the farmer, to the labourer who participates in the allotment system, and to the rural domestic economist. "Jerusalem Artichoke. — This plant was intro- duced from Brazil — and not from Palestine, as is erroneously supposed— in I6l7, while the potato was introduced from Peru as early as 1597. Still, the former attracted the attention of the cultivator long before the latter was much thought of ; even so late as 1708 we find the potato thus noticed in 'Mortimer's Gardeners' Calendar,' ' as a root very near the nature of the Jerusalem artichoke, although not so good and wholesome, but that it may prove good for swine.' "The following analysis, by M. Braconnet, a French chemist, will show its composition, in 100 parts : — Uncrystallizable sugar 14.80 Inuline , 3.00 Gum 1 .22 Albumen 0.99 Fatty matter 0.09 Nitrates of potash and lime 1.15 Phosphates of potash and lime 0.20 Sulphate of potash 0.12 Chloride of potassium 0.08 Malates and tartrates of potash and lime . . 0.05 Woody fibre 1.22 Silica 0.03 Water 77-05 " This root, excellent though it be, has long ago given precedence to the potato, and is now held by many in as low estimation as the potato was in the days of Mortimer. It is, however, the Ix'st sub- stitute, if we excej)t the parsnip, carrot, and beet. Jerusalem artichokes may more properly be said to have been allowed to exist in our gardens than cultivated, for no useful plant has been less cere- moniously dealt with ; any out-of-the-way corner, where nothing else would grow, has been the place allotted to it. The greatest weight of crop of Jerusalem artichokes, we have ever heard of, is that stated by Boussingault, namely, 14 tons 8 cwt. 2 qrs. 27 lbs. ; and the still more extraordinary return of Mr. Tweed, recorded in the ' Irish Farmers' Journal,' namely, 32 tons 1 qr, 3 lbs. per acre, grown in a garden at Woolwich. If such returns as these could be depended upon, it would be a substitute for the potato. — J. John- ston, December 26, 1848." It is gratifying thus— and so recently— to have obtained the authority of so eminent and candid an analyst as is Mr. Johnston. I beg to remark on the elements above tabulated, that the quantity of sugar is of great consequence, but that in all other particulars the inuline — which represents elecam- pane— the small proportion of gum, and of albu- men, must be little esteemed, when compared with the large amount of starch contained in the potato, to say nothing of the fibrous matter and albumen which are separated by mere washing. Davy has written that " Potatoes in general afford from one- seventh to one-fifth of their weight of dry starch," Einhoft, from the analysis in the great way, of 7,680 parts or pounds of potatoes, obtained of starch 1,153, of fibrous matter 540, album.en 107, mu-" cilage 312, total 2,112 parts, equivalent to nearly one-third of the whole. By two trials in 1827, I obtained from 8 lbs. of potatoes, first of starch 1 lb. 6 oz., of pulp pressed 1 lb. 11 oz., of water and soluble matter in the washings 4 lb. 15oz. j 2nd, peelings before rasping 1 lb. 5 oz., starch 1 lb. 3 oz., pulp, by pressure, 1 11). 14 oz., washings 3lb. lOoz. Such crude experiments tend only to prove that while potatoes differ considerably in their varieties and products, they all abound in nutritive substances, and cannot be represented by any other vegetables. The Jerusalem artichoke {Helianthus tuherosus, or tuber-bearing sun-flower) is not hkely, in my opinion, to yield, under ordinary culture, much more than 12 tons of tubers; but if highly tilled, it is very possible tliat a much larger crop might l)e procured, the acieable weight of which would. 104 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. on an average, be from 15 to 20 tons. But so long as the plant is restricted to any untilled waste plot of an orchard, or the hke, it can obtain little more from the earth than salts of potash and hme, cor- responding with those detailed in the foregoing table, which, altogether, will be seen to amount to 1.61 per cent. The tuber is a nice vegetable to those who like it; but it greatly lacks gluten and albumen : the former could be supplied by flour of wheat, and by Scotch oatmeal, mashed up with the steamed or boiled tubers. Of the proximate nutritive principles of the entire oat, we may obtain a tolerably correct idea from a table compiled from analyses by Boussingault, Sprengel, and Dumas. There they are estimated as consisting of, water 16 parts, husk and fibre 20, starch, gum, and sugar, 50, gluten, albumen, and casein 14.5, fatty matter 5.6, salts 3.5. By the separation of the husks and water the meal acquires a greater proportion of purely nutritious substances, which, by assimila- tion, are converted into fat and muscular flesh. If animal chemistry be founded in philosophical truth, we need no longer doubt the extreme value of genuine farinaceous meals ; and it is upon this view of the subject that I have repeatedly urged the propriety of combining kiln-dried oatmeal with all those roots which have been recommended as substitutes for the potato. From table above referred to, I find that the carrot has been found to cromprise, in 100 lbs. and a small fraction more, water 85 lbs., coating and fibre 3 lbs., starch, gum, and sugar 10 lbs., gluten, &c., only 2 lbs., fatty matter 0.4 lb., sahne matter 1 lb. This root, therefore, stands low in the comparative scale of nutritious elements. Yet it has been greatly extolled, particularly in an article which appeared in the Mark Lane Express of January 8th, wherein, if I mistake not, the acreable yield of the root only, without tops, is es- timated as high as 30 tons. To obtain this crop, the land must be peculiarly appropriate in its fine tilth and temperament. Near Maidenhead, carrots could scarcely be produced nine inches long without fork and distortion. A few miles remote, in the heathy lands of Surrej', the plant would spindle straight downward to the length of eighteen to twenty-four inches, free from spot or blemish. The parsnip does much better in strong land, and I presume should rank higher in feeding qualities. But to return to the carrot. I know, by experience, that in soils which do not suit °the long-rooted varieties, the early-horn carrot will grow re- markably well ; and, therefore, it should appear that the writer of the paper in question was correct when he recommended that variety as more profit- able. The white Belrjian is doubtless good ; and where the land suits it, and the seed is pure, and judiciously sown in drills, so distant as just to per- mit a cautious hoeing of the mere surface, it bids fair to rival the mangel wurzel. Carrots of all kinds require a nice and peculiar treatment. If sown too early (before the middle of March), and the weather prove wet, the seedlings are rapidly destroyed by slugs. If the weather of April be dry, and the plant not fairly established, the seed may lie inert in the ground ; if deeply sown, under any circum- stances, a failure will generally result ; and lastly, as is too common, if two-year-old seed be mixed with that of last year, the crop will be very thin ; and as the seed is tardy at best, the grower may have to wait till it become too late to recover lost time. If all circumstances prove favourable, there can be no doubt that a crop of considerable value, extremely salubrious to horses and cattle may be obtained. But I repeat it — the soil jiiust be light and sandy, deeply moved, and be naturally free from stones and roots. Maniire, I think, should always be placed deep, to attract the tap-root. AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS, A LETTER TO THE KIGHT HONOURABLE THE EARL OF CARLISLE. My Lord, — Since the introduction of the bill for making provision for the collection of agricultural statistics, the agricultural por- tion of the community have had a full opportunity of examining its principles and details, and of ex- pressing their opinion of its character. Under the impression that it was withdrawn rather to court an expression of opinion, than from any doubt of its value and necessity, I have ven- tured to address your Lordship on the subject ; and some excuse for so doing may be pleaded from the intercourse I have had with all classes of farmers, and from having some knowledge of their wants and feelings. \ '. It is impossible to escape the notice of persons acquainted with our soil and climate — with the wants of our large and increasing population, and the capabilities of production of the soil of this country — that we are unable to arrive at any definite conclusion as to the means we possess of supplying its wants. Experience has shown, that, on a sudden deficiency of one vegetable production— a THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, 105 calauiity to wliicli all cultivated plants are more or less liable in the course of a series of years — no adequate conception was entertained of the wants of the country; and the very ignorance of this subject involved thousands of parties in specula- tions ruinous to themselves — and others with whom they were connected, caused fluctuations of a most frightful and ruinous character to prevail, and placed thousands of parties, once con- sidered rich, in a position unable to meet their liabilities. No reasoning from past experience, no analogy can help a government in such an emergency : they have no data, neither to determine the precise amount of any deficiency, and therefore are vin- able to decide what kind or degree of interference will be necessary, to place our population in pos- session of their necessary amount of food, nor have they any better means of ascertaining the consump- tion of our masses either by the cjuarters or by the acre ; and the guesses of statisticians differ so materially in themselves, that it is difficult to say whether any or all are to be equally discredited. The only remedy for this most uncertain state of tilings, is a well-digested mode of obtaining an account, not only of the surface growing any particular description of food for our people, but the produce of that area in weights and measures more appreciable by the recognized modes of cal- culation. When the deficiency of the harvest, and the potato failure, in 184G, became so manifest that the consequences were severely and extensively felt, the government rescinded the minimum duty to save the country from the horrors of starvation, and an importation of some ten millions of quarters of corn was the consequence; but so general on the conti- nent was the failure of the crops found to be, that the continental purchasers were all in the market, and from this circumstance the price was nearly doubled compared with what it was just after the harvest ; and we have had to pay some 33| millions of money for our importations to supply the defi- ciency. Had the government been in possession of accurate and detailed statistical information of the quantities and produce of food, these ten millions of quarters of corn, instead of 33| millions of pounds, would probably not have cost more than 20 or at most 25 millions, and our commercial and monetary difficulties would have been less by that very considerable sum. Had our patriotic government had the means of ascertaining the produce of our own crops, as well as the French had of theirs, they would doubtless have rescinded the four shillings' duty at a much earlier period ; so that when the French were buy- ing English corn in ; Lincolnshire, wc should have known our wants and admitted corn free at a period when it could have been purchased at some 48s. per quarter, instead of having to pur- chase it when it was nearly double that ]u-ice. Unless, on such a subject, accurate information can be obtained, — something more wortliy of credit than the vague and unsatisfactory reports which obtain all but general credit if they be only calcu- lated to serve particular interests, — we may be ex- pected often to be placed in similar circumstances, and need ten millions of quarters of corn from abroad, instead of three or four. The productions of a given area of land are well known to vary from 30 to 100 per cent., from causes totally out of the reach of the cultivator ; a dry season may reduce a produce which could be fairly calculated on by fully that ratio, or a wet one produce a similar -effect. Cultivated vegetables are liable to periodical visitations of peculiar diseases or insects, and even animals are not free from them ; so that any one of these, coming suddenly upon us, may place the government in a most criti- cal position ; and if our millions were overtaken by any of those periodical visitations, and the minister of the day were unable to satisfy himself of the fact until a famine were staring us in the face, conse- quences which it is frightful to contemplate might follow, which would all be obviated if we had a carefully made and accurate system of agricidtural statistics. The only objection with any force used against such a measure is, that it is inquisitorial— that such investigations and returns are likely to be unpalata- ble to the farmer, and to deprive his business of that privacy and independence which are necessary to his maintaining his proper position with his land- lord. The bill of the session before last was evidently framed to avoid this unpleasantness ; and all it provided for, was to ascertain the acres growing wheat, barley, rye, oats, &c., and the number of cattle, sheep, &c., on the various farms. The farmer makes his own returns of the area of land under each kind, and the number of stock he keeps, and these added together would give the aggregate numbers of stock, &c., in the kingdom. Assuming this fully carried out, what would the government know ? They could tell for instance the average acres of wheat— they could compare this with the previous year, or strike an ideal average of the entire produce, and make their cal- culations accordingly ; or they could number up the oxen and sheep existing in the country ; but they could not tell whether the land would produce 15 or 35 bushels per acre, nor whether the stock were fattening for market, or used for mere holding purposes. lOG THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. The whole machinery would therefore be defective in this particular— the entire expense would be in- curred, and yet the minister would not possess the precise information he wanted, viz : — the quarters of corn, and the heads of fat stock available for food for the population ; and yet to expect from the farmers an estimate of their yield would be so ob- jectionable that it could never be carried out, and so difficult to obtain from the farmers themselves, that no dependence whatever could be placed upon it. A plan of this kind would meet vnth imiversal dislike and opposition, and too many would try to defeat, rather than assist its operations. The farmers generally are by no means adverse to a proper and judicious system of agricultural re- turns. Their own interests are so much identified with the best means of obtaining the accurate in- formation, that if a fair, open, and reasonable plan be devised, they will readily give their assistance and co-operation; and the government which carry it out will do much to render easier the manage- ment of the affairs of this great and growing com- munity. The fanners at present are totally ignorant as to the amount of home produce which their saleable article has to meet. Immediately before every harvest, the markets assume a " weather" character. A low barometer — a cloudy day, or even a genial shower gladdening the face of nature, will send corn up or down by some shillings per quarter; and every farmer is anxiously listening to reports of the " api:)earance," and "promise," and circumstances of the crop. In harvest-time hope and fear prevail, according as newspaper reports, and " corn letters" of the satisfactory or unsatisfactory nature of its state in the ear, and before the scythe, prepon- derate ; and as soon as harvest is over, the same anxious feelings pervade, as favourable or unfa- vourable accounts get into print, as to the ap- pearance of the stackyards, and the yield of the crops. It would manifest little knowledge of the charac- ter of the earth's products, if I conceived that no difficulty exists as to obtaining correct information of the yield before it is thrashed ; but a close ap- proximation is not impossible. A changing tenant has often to ascertain it ; a purchaser of a crop in the field has it to do, and does it with great accu- racy; and tithe- owners have had it to do, as a basis for letting their tithe : none of these processes are considered improperly inquisitorial, and yet they are so accurate, that many thousands, and possibly some millions of pounds, are risked upon them an- nually. Now, if a i^rocess like this has worked satisfacto- rily for centuries — if no one is offended, and no one aggrieved, why, my Lord, should not the govern- j ment adopt a similar course ? There would be no difficulties, no complaints ; and a return would be obtained, sufficiently accurate for all practical pur- poses, and a full and detailed body of statistical information procured, not only capable of settling the means of sidjsistence of the population in any particular year, but an historical document exhibiting the steps of the development of the agricultural re- sources of the country, and would be a most in- valualjle collection of certain essential facts. Nor would the machinery be expensive. Let a commission be appointed, attached either to the Board of Trade, Registrar General's, or the Poor Law Commissioners' Office, or even an indepen- dent office, provided with clerks, &c. ; at a particu- lar day, say June 30th in each year, let a form of notice be sent, through the overseer of the poor, who has nov/ but few duties, to each occupier of land in the kingdom exceeding three acres, with in- structions for him to fill up the acres he has grow- ing corn and other crops, and stating the number of feeding and holding stock he possesses. Then for each poor law union, let a valuator be appointed by the government, who shall, on a cer- tain day, commence and take these returns, either in detail from the overseer, or in a summary to be made by him ; and let him make an inspection of the crops in each township of the union, an'' -^ '^'ver in an estimate of the average prouuce, say by the 30th of July. This is to be attached to the sche- dules, and returned to the central office by the valuator, within a certain day ; and the officer and clerks of the central establishment shall calculate the whole. An aggregate would thus be obtained from correct and irrefragable data, and yet no oc- cupier's secrets would be betrayed, either to the government, to the landlord, or his neighbours ; the valuator making a return only for the aggregate township. The cost of this measure would be comparatively trifling. The overseer of the poor acting as dis- tributor, the enumerators would thus ]je saved. The payments of the superintendent registrars would also be avoided, and beyond the simple office expenses, necessary to any return whatever, there would be no payments except to the valuators. This would be much less costly than the machinery of the bill of last session. Assuming the poor law unions to average an area of 80,000 acres each, and the average number of occupiers of above 3 acres to be 20 for every ] ,000 acres, or 1,600 occupiers in the whole ; the cost of enumerators would be £40, and the charge of the superintendent registrar would be £4, so that the sum of £44 would be expended to ascertain the average of the union. Now as there would be scarcely 20,000 acres of corn in the assumed area. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 107 in any union, and as the grass-land crops would not have to be valued, the valuator might very easily form his estimate in ten days— eight for the view, and two for the calculation ; this, at three guineas per day, would amount to £31 lOs. ; or if an additional allowance were made for expenses, it would still be within the sum charged for the enu- merators, and supply an impartial, clear, and accu- rate estimate of produce, on which to base any measure which might be required for the safety or advantage of the community in times of scarcity. A measure of this kind would be in every respect unobjectionable; — it would silence opposition, be- cause it would be precisely the kind of enquiry to which most of the farmers Uving have been sub- jected from time to time, till the tithes were com- muted, and to which they are constantly liable on leaving or entering on a farm ; and it is too reason- able and sound for any person of common sense being likely to oppose it, merely because it is put- ting government in the possession of accurate in- formation, when the question of providing food for upwards of 20 millions of our population becomes an element in deciding the measures of a paternal government. The cultivators themselves may derive advantage from it, but injury they cannot. I trust that an humble farmer thus expressing the feelings of himself and his class to your Lord- ship, will not be taken amiss. The interest yoxi take in agricultural matters, and the fact of your being a Yorkshireman, have induced me to address your Lordship, in preference to the Vice President of the Board of Trade — assured, however, that the hints, so far as they are practical and useful, will be received with candour and forbearance, even though emanating from so obscure an individual as myself. I have the honour to be. My Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient servant, Matthev/ M. Mii.burn. Sowerby, near Thirsk. THE UPTON DRAINING TOOL. Sir, — I had recently an opportunity of examin- ing a draining tool, novel both in form and in its principle of action, the invention of a gentleman re- siding in this neighbourhood. As it appears hkely to prove useful for deep draining in clay soils, and to be attended with a considerable saving in the cost of labour, a description of it may not be unacceptable. It is well known that in digging deep drains, ac- cording to the usual practice, it is found necessary to make the upper part of the cutting considerably wider than is required for the cylindrical pipe to be laid at the bottom ; and this occasions a waste of labour both in excavating and returning a larger quantity of earth than is absolutely needful. The tools used for excavating the drain are of two diflferent classes ; they are either flat or curved. In the actual use of the flat instrument, it will be found that the workman inserts his tool thrice into the ground before he can remove the spit of earth ; a thrust on each side separates the spit laterally, and the last thrust detaches it at the bottom. Great force would be required to tear the spit of earth from its place without previously detaching it at the sides. 'ITie scoop or curved tool is in- tended to obviate this necessity, but is not found to do so effectually in practice ; the spit of earth is still not completely separated at the sides, and must either be torn away or detached by side thrusts. It has been well shown \h^t friction is the great and main antagonist which an agricultural tool has to overcome; and it will be found that the resist- ance offered when an ordinary draining tool is thrust into the ground is very great. My friend found reason to conclude that this resistance would be very materially diminished if the spit could be entirely detached as the tool descended. He de- cided, therefore, on the trial of a tool with two sides united together at the back, so that its section would be like the letter V. Considering, also, that if spits in the form of equilateral prisms could be taken out the drain v.'ould be most readily exca- vated, the angle between the sides was fixed at 60" — the angle of an equilateral triangle. The advantages of the new tool are — the ease with which a considerable depth is obtained at one thrust, and the small quantity of earth required to be excavated and filled in. It is clear that the man- ner of using this tool is equally peculiar with its form. Of the accompanying figures. No. 1 shows (in ground plan) the manner in which the ordinary flat tool is used in practice, the black lines indicating the place on the surface where the spade is to be inserted ; No. 2 shows the same for the scoop or curved instrument ; No. 3 shows the manner of using the new tool above described, and of which a drawing is also given. 108 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. It will be understood that in thrusting in the toolj the right side must be kept flat against the right side of the drain ; and when this spit is with- drawn, and the next thrust is made, the left side of the tool must be kept against the left side of the drain, and so on alternately. The black line (V) shows, as before, the mark made on the surface by thrusting the tool into the ground; h indicates the position of the handle; the spits of earth marked out on the surface are numbered 1, 2, 3, &c., in the order in which they are removed. The blade of the tool is from 19 inches in length by 4 in breadth to 24 inches by 3 or 2, and the length of the handle 2 feet 6 inches to 4 feet 6 inches, « is a piece of iron fixed by a wedge as a rest for the foot in driving the tool into the ground. In a district comparatively free from stones, my friend was led to the invention by the wish to ob- viate the disadvantages described when he had oc- casion to drain, and he has availed himself to some extent of the facilities and economy which it offered. The success of the tool appeared to me re- markable. When the drain is once begun, the re- sistance offered to the descent of the tool is com- paratively small ; the friction is confined to the first few inches, and above tliat, even after considerable use, the varnish remained on several of the tools which I examined ; this arises from tlie spit being wholly detached as the tool descends, so that there is no pressure on the upper part of .the tool. A little dexterity is required in keeping the tool pro- perly along the side of the drain, also in withdraw- ing the spit which has been cut out. On the latter account, it will not do to drive the tool straight down ; it must, as usual, be inclined as is found convenient. It is well to make use of two or more sizes of the tool. Of these, the first and largest takes out about 18 inches of earth ; and when the drain has been excavated so deep, a smaller tool (which is usually made longer) will complete it to a total depth of four or five feet. I had the opportunity of seeing a drain, only A\ inches wide at the top, 3 at the bottom, and 5 feet deep, excavated with ease by a boy of sixteen with these tools ; the soil was a stiflfloam. On account of the diminished resistance, the great size and weight of most draining tools is ren- dered no longer necessary, and the handles may be much lighter. The value of the principle of avoiding after-re- sistance by detaching the spit as the tool moves on may be illustrated by attempting to thrust this tool into the unmoved soil before an opening has be en made for it to work in ; a strong man cannot force it more than a few inches into the ground. This principle is worthy of consideration in the case of other agricultural imstruments. The frequent prac- tice of running the point of tlie ploughshare several inches beyond the coulter appears to violate it, as it has to force its own way through the unmoved subsoil. I may mention that in some very excel- lent ploughs which I re cently examined, near Lau- sanne, in Switzerland (where the form of the mould-board sliowed the attention which had been bestowed on them), the point of the share was one inch behind the point of the coulter. I have the honour to be, sir. Your obedient servant, Keynsham, Somersetshire. A, Milward. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 109 BAKEWELL FARMERS' CLUB. At a meeting of the " Bakewell Farmers' Club," held on Monday, the 23rd of October — present, Mr. Gardora, Chairman; Mr. L. Furniss, Secre- tary; Messrs. Greaves, White, Walters, P. Furniss, Mower, Gregory, Bagshaw, &c. — The Chairman called upon Mr. L. Furniss to introduce the subject for discussion : Mr. Furniss said : The subject appointed for discussion, which I beg leave to introduce to the notice of the club, is one in which the cattle breeder is deeply interested; namely, "The best and most economical system of feeding cattle during the winter months." In the first place, I beg to digress a little from the subject under notice, in making a few remarks as to the quality of stock which the farmer should possess. I conceive it to be of the utmost importance to the success of the breeder that his stock should be of good quality. I am decidedly of opinion that if there is one circumstance more than another in the routine of farming which tends to the ruin of the farmer, it is maintaining on his farm an inferior stock of sheep and cattle. In stating what I have to say on the subject of cattle feeding, I purpose dividing the cattle on the farm into classes, beginning with Class 1. The weaned or rearing Calves. — First week after birth, give 4 quarts of the mother's milk per day, 3 pints in the morning, 2 pints at mid-day, and 3 pints in the evening. Give the same quantity of new milk the second week, per day, in two equal proportions, morning and evening. The third and fourth week the quantity of new milk to be increased to 6 quarts per day. The next four weeks the calf to have 6 quarts of skimmed milk, ])er day, with an addition of 2 quarts of linseed gruel made from the best quahty of ground linseed cake. At the end of this period, until the calf is twelve weeks old, the skimmed milk may be diminished to 3 quarts per day, the quantity of linseed gruel increased to 5 quarts per day, that the calf shall not have less than 4 quarts at each end of the day. When twelve weeks old the calf to be weaned; hay, &c., may be given to the calf when four or five weeks old. After weaning to be fed on hay, mangold wurtzel, and Swede turnips, \vith a small quantity of Unseed cake, say half a pound per day, which will maintain the animal in a thriving condition until turned out to grass. Class 2. The year-old Calces. — This class to have suitable building in which to feed and lodge ; to have access to the same early in October. The proper feeding of these animals, at this period of their existence, is of greater importance than the farmer is apt to imagine ; if well supported the re- sult will ])e improvement in their natural constitu- tion, and the animals' bulk and proportions fully developed. A result the reverse will take place if improperly fed, constitution enfeebled, stinted in their growth, and consequently, when brought to market, of much less value. The food I would re- commend is a plentiful supply of good hay, with one pound of linseed cake per day to each calf : if straw be given instead of hay, allow a supply of yellow or Swede turnips, not omitting to give the cake. Class 3. The two-year-old Steers and Heifers, which are expected to consume the coarsest food on the farm, namely, the straw ; which, of itself, is not sufl'iciently nutritious ; in addition, give 2 pecks of yellow turnips, with one pound of cake, to each beast per day, to go out in the fields on fine days. If no turnips are given, allow two pound of cake to each beast j)er day. I would recommend that this class be tied in sheds open behind, having mangers in which to eat their food ; thereby each beast would get its due proportion thereof, at the same time being properly sheltered from the severity of the weather. Class 4. The three-year-old Heifers and Steers I would have maintained somewhat better than the two-year-olds ; the heifers supposed to be incalved (the steers I shall class with the stall-fed cattle) ; the incalved heifers to feed upon straw until a month of calving, with 4 pecks of yellow turiiip and 2 pounds of cake per day to each beast. When within the specified time of calving, give hay instead of straw, with 2 pecks of turnips, giving the pre- scribed quantity of cake at the same time, to be tied in sheds open behind, as recommended in class 3, until near calving. Class 5. The Coivs giving milk. — Give to this class a plentiful supply of nutritious food : hay alone is not sufficiently nutritious for the new calved cow. Cabbage will be a good addition ; two pecks of turnips per day — more would give the milk an unpleasant flavour. Mangold wurtzel is an excellent vegetable for producing milk; give likewise ground oats, \\\i\\ an admixture of bran ; add to which a little bean-flour, which will be found ex- cellent, not only for producing milk and butter, but for maintaining the cow in good condition. no THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. By all means see that the milk cow is properly housed and kept warm, otherwise much valuable food will be expended for another purpose than in the production of milk &c. Cows that have been giving milk for a length of time do not require such high feeding, but may be maintained after the same manner as the heifers in class 4. Do not give less nutritious food to the cow because she is dry for calving (condition being highly essential at the time of calving), otherwise the cow for the dairy will fail to be a source of profit to the farmer for that season. Class 6. The Cattle intended for stall feeding. — In this class I would include, as before stated, the three-year-old steers, they having arrived at an age when they should be grazed for the butcher. AH cattle intended to be fattened during the winter months to be housed at the commencement of November, in sheds open behind, or cow houses, as most convenient. Food best adapted for pro- ducing beef : for a few weeks at the beginning of the season give the commoner sort of turnijjs, to be succeeded by the yellow and Swede turnip, the Swede turnip to be principally relied on ; in addi- tion to hay or straw, give ground oats, barley flour, bean flour, and linseed cake ; be sure to give variety of food. The quantity to be given to each beast will depend upon circumstances, and must be regulated at the discretion of the grazier. Other most essential points to be attended to are cleanh- ness, warmth, and regular feeding. Give the first meal, to consist of sliced turnips, by six ©'clock in the morning. At nine o'clock give each beast its feed of corn or cake ; at one the turnips to be re- peated ; at 5 o'clock the feed of corn &c. to be re- peated ; the night meal to consist of hay or straw, hay preferable, especially if made from the artificial grasses. A system of stall-feeding cattle has been practised of late by several eminent graziers, and it , is said with great success, giving to each beast one pound of linseed boiled for two or three hours in about I3 gallons of water j added to this 2 or 3 lbs. of ground corn to 5 lbs. of cut chaff, this quantity given to each beast twice a day. In the remarks that I have made I have kept as closely as possible to the side of economy, so as to be compatible with the well-being of the cattle, as there can be no doubt on the well-being of the cattle depends the success of the breeders and graziers. I have likewise, as much as possible, economised the hay produce of the farm, knowing it to be an expensi\"e crop, and to the farmer's interest to avoid growing it to a great extent. The green crop system I would recommend the farmer to carry out to the greatest possible extent ; by so doing he will be enabled to maintain the greatest possible amount of stock on his farm. Mr. Furniss having closed his remarks, none of the members present appeared disposed to say much on the subject, except to signify their approval of what had been said. The subject for next meeting : The best and most economical mode of keeping farm horses through- out the year ; by Mr. Greaves. ON SMUT IN WHEAT. TO THE EDITOR OF THE FARMER S MAGAZINE. Sir, — At the commencement of the present wheat seed time, I received a circiUar from H. Down, Chemist, Woburn, or one of his agents, strongly recommending Down's Farmer's Friend, as a certain remedy for the smut in wheat, also a preventive to the ravages of the slug, grub, and wirewoi'm ; and containing also upwards of forty letters and testimonials from some of the first prac- tical farmers of the day. My clover land this year being very much in- fested with the slug, I was induced to purchase a quantity of the " Farmer's Friend," and prepared some wheat according to the directions given in the circular; but before sowing it I thought it would be wise to ascertain, if possible, how far un- palatable the wheat was rendered by the said pre- pai'atioa. Accordingly I took some of the wheat, and scattered along the seam between the furrows. and carefully covered it with a board, to prevent the birds or mice getting to it, and left it for the night. The next morning on turning up the board I found a great quantity of slugs feeding upon it, and a great deal of the corn completely eaten, and almost every grain sufficiently eaten to destroy vegetation, the slugs apparently none the worse. It may be a remedy to a certain degree against the smut in wheat 5 but as to its being a preven- tive to the ravages of the slug and wirevvorm the above experiment aflfords a sufficient proof of the fallacy of the statement, I have found by many years' experience that it ia entirely the farmer's own fault, who grows smut in- stead of good wheat. The general practice in the neighbourhood in which I live is to use quick-lime mixed in boiling water, in the same manner as THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Ill masons mix their lime-wash, and ahout the same consistency, applied to the wheat boiling hot. The Mode. Shoot four bushels of wheat on a brick floor ; one man pours the mixture on the heap, another quickly turns it over vmtil it is completely saturated, then proceed with other portions, until a sufficient quantity is prepared. This should be done at least three weeks before sowing ; but the general prac- tice here is to sow the wheat the following day, consequently the dressing proves ineffectual , of which I had a convincing proof some years ago. I limed a quantity of wheat, intending the whole to be sown the next day ; but owing to a heavy rain coming about the middle of the day, only part of it was sown : the remainder was sown three weeks after. At harvest I, found the wheat sown the day after it was dressed produced a great deal of smut : that which grew from that dressed three weeks be- fore sown was perfectly free of smut. Such being the case, I was induced the next autumn to try the following experiments : I procured a sample of fine wheat, also a quan- tity of smut-balls, and rubbed them together until completely black ; I then divided it into three equal parts. The first was sown without any preparation. Second, limed as above, and sown the next day. Third, dressed in the same way, and sown three weeks after. The utmost care was taken during the following year to mark the result, which was as follows : — First. — About four-fifths of this was smut. Second. — Almost the same in every respect as the first. Third. — Completely free of smut. Should you consider this worthy your notice, I should feel obliged by your inserting it in your Journal. I remain, yours, &c„ A Northamptonshire Farmer. ON THE ADVANTAGES OF DIBBLING IN SOWING. BY A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. The practice of dibbling wheat has been carried on from time immemorial in the eastern counties of England to a considerable extent ; and having lived in the district, I shall be able to give the opinion of the farmers of that part of the country, respecting the utility of the practice. In the first place we shall consider the relative advantages of dibbling grain in comparison with other methods. Broadcast sowing was the ancient and, imtil the last few years, the most prevalent way of depositing the seed : but this manner of sowing has many objections; for, however evenly the seed is distributed over the surface of the soil, there will always be an inequality in the depth at which the seed is deposited ; this equality of depth cannot be secured by broadcast sowing, or by the harrow- ing which follows that operation. Consequently the seed, lying at several depths in the soil, will vegetate at different periods; and the crop will not only be unequcil in its growth, but those plants which have had an unfavourable vegetation, from the seed being exposed on the surface, or from being imbedded deep in the soil, will have acquired a feeble habit of growth, from which they will be some time in recovering. Broadcast sowing also frequently occasions a great loss of grain ; for as some quantity is scattered about on the surface, it either does not vegetate at all, or very imperfectly, or is eaten by birds and other vermin. However, after all, the greatest objection is the utter impossibility of pulverizing the land, or clearing it of weeds : in consequence of this, broadcast sowing has been su- perseded by drilling and dibbling. Drilling possesses very great advantages ; the seed being planted inrows, admits the pulverization and loosening of ^the soil about the roots of the plants, which at the same time promotes the growth of the cultivated plant, and destroys weeds. Though drilling is vastly superior to sowing by hand, yet the crowding together of grain crops in rows cannot develop their full vegetative power, for this ob- vious reason : the air, instead of having access to all parts of the plant, will only gain perfect access on two of its sides ; and the roots in like manner will only have room to extend in a lateral direction. The following will be some of the advantages possessed by dibbling : the roots spread and the plant tillers in every direction ; the roots have a good hold of the soil, and as these derive plenty of nourishment the plant is developed in its greatest perfection ; and from the room the corn has to tUler, a saving of the quantity of seed sown is effected. The small squares of land occupied by each bunch of grain will admit the hand-hoe to be used com- pletely round the plant, and, with the exception of the spaces occupied by the bunches of grain, the whole of the ground may be cut by the hoe. The custom of the country to which I have been 112 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. accustomed is to plant wheat on one year's clover or seeds. In ploughing up the clover layer, care is taken to have the furrows laid flat, and of as regu- lar a size as possible. Two rows of holes are gene- rally made on each furrow slice, by a man who uses two dibbles ; walking backwards, and giving the instruments a twist as he makes the holes — the twisting motion prevents the holes filling up when the dibble is withdrawn. It has been recommended to place the two rows near together in the centre of the furrow slice, so that the wheat has a firm bed to grow in, while a wider space is left for weeding. It is found that where wheat is planted after seeds, the weeds and grass grows chiefly at the edges of the furrows, so that this part requires the most hoe- ing, which cannot be given it if that part of the soil is occupied by the crop. A single row of holes is sometimes placed on a narrow furrow slice ; and on rich land, this method combined with a small quantity of seed may be beneficial. When two rows of holes occupy each furrow, the distance be- tween the rows is about five inches, and the dis- tance of the holes in the rows from three to five inches. To cover -in the seed the land will require a light harrowing; this is often done with bush harrows, and even hand raking has occasionally been resorted to. When the latter practice is adopted the trampling the land with horses will be prevented. We may now consider some of the advantages of dibbling, independent of having the seed distributed at equal distances, so that the crop grows in small bunches ; a perfect consolidation of the soil is se- cured by the trampling of the persons employed — this on soils of a loose nature, on which the wheat crop is liable to be thrown out by the action of frost, and on land where wire-worm exists, is of paramount importance. The cost of dibbling wheat by hand, day-wages being Is. 8d. for an able man, is from 7s. to 8s. for two rows on a furrow, and about 5s. per acre when one row on each furrow. A man used to the work will dibble nearly half an acre in a day, and find employment for three boys or girls dropping the seed. I have thus in a cursory manner mentioned some of the advantages attending the practice of hand dibbling, as this is the method usually practised. But we have, among many other improvements in agricultural machines, some for the process of dib- bling, and which in all probabiUty will in a short time 1)e as common as the drill. The drop drill, which is a modified form of dibbling, is of great service in economising the use of expensive ferti- lizers ; for as the manure is dropped in a small quantity immediately under the seed, a proportion- ately small quantity will produce an equal effect in the quick development of the young plant, and at a much less expense than if a large quantity had been sown or drilled over the surface. The plant- ing by the drop drill applies more particularly to turnip sowing ; as not only will the quantity of the manure be economised, but the turnips will be planted at the proper intervals, and will therefore merely require singling out by the hand. The following is an experiment inserted in Mr. E. Roberts' prize essay on the Management of Wheat : — " In order to show the tillering properties of wheat when dibbled, I planted several varieties in 1843, of which the following is a memorandum ; the result sufficiently shows that plants of dibbled wheat will multiply to a very great extent. October, 1843, planted 30 grains of six varieties of wheat, with a view of testing their tillering properties, as well as their time of coming to maturity. The wheat being dibbled one grain in each hole at equal depths and distances, the intervals being ten inches by four inches. The following table viill show the result of the experiment : — la Variety of Wheat. Belle- vue Talavera, white CO ■w a O CO Marygold, red Spanish Talavera, white Spalding's Prolific, red Jonas's Seedling, white Shirriff'sHopetoun white 26 26 26 27 a o . June 3 June 14 June 8 June 14 26 25 June 12 June 12 o . m tH.S S "S .O fc. .Ji^ii's :\iA(.iAziKi':. f s. Turnips, 15 tons, at 10s 7 10 Bailey, 0 coomb, at l6s. "1 Straw, 1 ton, at 10s / -^ Clover, ] .J- ton, at £4 ; and after- math at 20s. an acre 6 0 Wheat, 7 coomb, at 25s. T mi' Straw, li ton, at 32s. . . J ^" Total £33 9 Being an average of £8 jjer acre for one year. The expenditure for labour would, upon a low calculation, amount to, per acre — £ s. ist, Turnips 1 5 2nd, Barley 1 3 3rd, Clover 0 11 4th, Wheat 1 14 In describing the manner of breaking-up and tilling grass-land, I shall divide my subject into three heads ; namely, down lands, cold pastures, and good meadow or grazing ground. 1. Doivii lands. — Under this head I shall allude to those soils that chiefly occur on the chalk and limestone formations, where they are often found in extensive tracts of sheep walk ; these occur upon the downs of the south of England, the wolds of Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, the heaths of Norfolk and Suffolk, and also upon the limestone forma- tions of Gloucestershire, and many other counties. Where the calcareous matter is close to the surface, the produce in grass is short and of tbw growth, though sheep thrive well upon the herbage ; and as the life they lead approaches towards their natural habits, they are comparatively hardy and free from disease. These tracts include some of the most naturally barren land in the kingdom, produce a scanty covering of turf, overrun with furze, ling, and brakes ; in some parts, as in Suffolk and Norfolk, the soil is often of so fine and loose a texture, as to be blown and drifted into heaps in the manner of snow, by high winds. The greater part of such lands formerly produced but a nominal rent to their owner, a scanty supply of gi-ass to the flock- master and occupier, and but a few furze, and no employment worth speaking of to the labourer. The benefit the pubhc derived from these lands, in their unbroken state, must have been trifling. However, some of these— in Lincolnshire and Nor- folk, for instance -now grow as fine crops of turnip and corn as any in England; though it must be confessed, in many places, there is still room for improvement. The first oliject to be considered, in breaking up the very light and exposed pasture, is to afford blitUcr fioui high wiiid^-, which are a great trouble and annoyance to the farmer ; for if his fields are unprotected, the chances are very bad for obtain- ing the means of improvement by a turnip crop. For upon a blowing sand in a windy season there will be a difficulty in getting a plant : the sand is then blown so that some of the seed is either blown with the soil or exposed on the surface, and some covered too deep for it ever to vegetate. The blowing sand also does much damage to other crops. Belts for shelter are usually formed of Scotch firs, and these answer the purpose for which they were intended, though for timber they are of little value. Banks faced with turf are sometimes raised to form enclosures : upon these, furze or Scotch firs may bs planted, and thus form an additional shelter. We shall now proceed in bringing the land into tillage. If the soil is covered with furze or heath, the general practice is to get rid of these by stub- bing them up, and burning on the spot ; the land certainly derives benefit from the ashes, but the furse might be more profitably disposed of for the purpose of fuel. On calcareous soils covered with a fair quantity of turf or decayed vegetable matter, paring and burning may next be resorted to ; but if the soil consists principally of sand, with a thin surface of turf, I would not recommend it. By paring and burning a thin sandy soil, we shall lessen that which already exists in a small propor- tion— the organic or combustible part of the soil, consisting of decayed vegetable and animal sub- stances, accumulated by the decay of the grass and by the droppings of sheep. In all soils organic matter is found in a less or greater degree ; and being the combustible portion of the soil, it is in some measure consumed by the process of burn- ing ; and it cannot but be productive of ill effects where it exists only in a small proportion to the inorganic or incombustible portion. And again, the expense of paring and burning can hardly be repaid on very light sandy land ; and therefore, I should imagine, the best way of bringing such land into cultivation is simply by the plough : if roots abound, the first time of ploughing will be a troublesome operation ; and it will require the at- tendance of a man or two, to remove them as the plough proceeds. The ploughing is best done in autumn, or the beginning of winter ; for, by ex- posure to the frost, the land will work better in the spring than when freshly broken up ; it may then be either sown with oats, turnips, or coleseed, to whichever the land is best suited. If we begin with oats, turnips may follow, then rye, which is better suited for dry sandy land than wheat, as it produces a greater quantity of straw for convei'ting Till', FA11;\j1:R'« MACiAZlNE. into luiinuic. H«\vc\(.r, tlie aame kind of rotation cannot always be pur«ued on first breaking up land ; as a general rule, I would never take two corn crops in succession, and if tbc land was fine enougbj I would first lake a root crop if not, oats or wiieat might be grown. Wheat dibbled on a piece of land, just after being ploughed up for the first time, produces a good crop, though the jiractice is hazardous where grub and wire-worm abound. After a time, the following crops may be grown with advantage : — ]. — Turnips, coleseed, or carrots. 2. — Rye or barley. 3.— Peas. 4. — Rye or barley. 5. — Clover one year, or seeds two years ; or on a chalky soil, sainfoin for three or four years. C— Wheat. On breaking up the sainfoin, a crop of oats, rye, or wheat may succeed, followed by turnips. In addition to what I have already mentioned, rye may be grown for sheep, and will be found to answer well for spring-feed on dry soils. The means of improving land brought into tillage will depend upon the resources of the farmer. On fresh broken-up heath land, lime may sometimes be used ; but as its effects are in proportion to the animal or vegetable substances in a soil, it will be of little use unless farm-yard manure has been used. Bones maybe drilled with the turnip crop in conjunction, if they can be procured, with peat- ashes and burnt clay. The benefit derived from using bones on a chalky or limestone soil is well- known ; and to this alone the improvements in the turnip cultivation of Lincolnshire may be attributed. However, the great source of the improvement of the thin soils and blowing sands, and indeed of a very large portion of Noi-folk and Suffolk, is the application of clay, marl, and even chalk; or, in other words, the admixture of the subsoil with the surface. Where clay or marl can be found within a few feet of the surface, its application, as a means of improvement, is not so expensive an operation as may be imagined, and the results it has produced are most satisfactory to the light-land farmer. A moderate dressing of 50 cubic yards per acre can be applied at a cost not exceeding 35s., if the carriage is not more than a quarter of a mile ; of this, 12s. will be for the labour of filling and spreading. The clay, if it is of a good quality, will effect a per- manent improvement upon the soil by giving it a firmer texture and adhesiveness, and it becomes more retentive of moisture, so that the crops are the better able to withstand a dry summer ; clay also prevents the sands. 2.— Cold Puslures.-'-'}]nArovement or dilapi- THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE 123 elation, it was manifestly such things as fencing, draining, marling, manures brought on the land, and extra produce consumed on it. But if a farm was left with pasture well laid down by the tenant, or if he took it after being over-croj)ped with corn, and left it with a greater proportion of well-laid seeds, and fallow green crop, the improvement was equally decided, and a tenant would give more to take to land in such better stale. If, on the con- trary, land was taken with much grass, clover, and green crop, and left in stubble, it was dilapidated ; and no one would deny that a landlord had as good a title for compensation for dilapidation as the tenant for improvement. He thought it a bad i-)lan for a tenant to pay for all seeds or grass, &c., on enter- ing, and receiving for all when he left ; he should receive or pay only for the excess over, or deficiency under, what was on the land at his entrance ; he woidd thus not have so much dead capital in the land, and it was important for a tenant to avoid all outlay of capital which was not to return him a farming profit. Mr. AV. HiGGOTT spoke in favour of the practice of entering at Lady-day as more convenient. Mr. Wagstaff agreed that compensation ought to be made on a tenant's improvements according to the principle laid down in his evidence by Mr. Blandford ; but regard should be had to the actual benefit done to the land, and the landlord should not be obliged to take to buildings which were un- serviceable to the farm — such, the tenant should have the power of removing. Mr. A. Bass had on former discussions of this question been accustomed tQ say a few words on its legal asjiect. Mr. Daniel, however, had so well trod this ground that he would not attempt to halt after him over it. The club had reason to be proud of enlisting his valuable assistance in a cause of which it had from its first origin acknowledged the justice and importance. He congratulated the club on the present aspect of the question ; as, however humble its eflTorts had been, there had gone forth from it something which certainly had not been without its effect on the opinions of the general body of farmers. The refusal of a fair legal tenant-right, in his opinion, could not be continued. Common justice demanded it, and it was a manifest absurdity, a.s well as injustice, that a state of the law should exist, in which a landlord might claim and recover comjiensation for a pound's worth of dilajndation of a single field, at the same time that a thousand pounds' worth of improvement had been done by the tenant on the whole farm. Mr. Greaves said that such a case had actually occurred. Mr. Smith, of Dishley, had a verdict against him for a few pounds' dilapidation, in a suit in which he proved that his improvements on the farm were of several hundred pounds' value. The President felt it to be unnecessary to pro- long the discussion by any remarks, for the mem- bers had, without exception, expressed their assent to his opinions ; he would, therefore, only ask them to concur in a resolution to the effect " that the club is of opinion that a tenant ought to receive com- pensation for all unexhausted improvements, and that it would be expedient to give a title to such compensation, by a legal enactment which would enlarge or supersede the customs now prevalent." The club then voted its thanks to the President for his valuable paper. COLMAN'S CONTINENTAL AGRICULTURE. We were very glad again to meet with a work from the pen of the author of " English Agricul- ture ;" and as the latter was written in a fair, candid tone of criticism, there was every reason to hope that something useful to English farmers might be found in the work, the title of which is at the head of this article. Nor have we been alto- gether disappointed. Notwithstanding the title be " Continental Agriculture," the work is confined to a description of France, Holland^ and a very few pages on Switzerland, none of the other European counties being mentioned. In addition to this (perhaps not very serious fault), as we like to get over our criticism at once, we have, especially, to remark an evident feeling in favour of the republican tendency of the laws affec- ting land in France. To this part of the subject we will again recur, and proceed to point out a few exaggerated statements scattered through the book. Colman speaks highly, and perhaps truly, of the condition of the French agricultural labourers, and commends their sober habits : he says, — " In all respects they furnish a striking contrast with a considerable portion of the Scotch agricultu- ral labourers, who are dirty and squalid to an excess ; with many of the English, who are servile, broken- spirited, and severely straitened in their means of living ; and with the poor Irish, who are half-clad, and in a half-savage condition, and to whom truth and fidelity are ordinarily ivords without meaninr/.'" As we have spent the whole of our life amongst the agricultural labourers of these three countries, we give the whole paragraph a flat contradiction. The Scotch labourers are not squalid, the English 124 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. labourers are not servile and broken-spirited ; and as for their means of living, the wages through much of the north of England and south of Scot- land are at the present time about 14s. per week; and it appears from the savings' banks returns, that in Devonshire, where the wages are lowest, we there find the greatest number of depositors to be agricultural labourers. Whilst we admit the misery of the Irish, still they do not deserve the imputation of not knowing the meaning of the words truth and fidelity. Such generalizations as the above must damage the character of any work. There can be no doubt but that circumstances do not warrant any such strong expressions as the following : " If there exists a more wicked, inhuman, op- pressive, and demoralizing system, than that of the gang-system in Norfolk, where the cottages of the poor labourers have been removed from the large estates, and the people have been driven into a crowded village, and are wholly at the mercy of the farmer or the gang-master, I have yet to find it. In physical comforts, the condition of the slaves in the Southern United States is a paradise in com- parison to it. I have no hesitation in holding up such a system to public indignation. It is said these people are free to choose what they will do. That is to say, they may work on the terms pre- scribed to them, or they may die. This is the only freedom left to them. There is no alternative or remedy. What freedom is this ? What slavery more galUng ? They are in the power of their masters as much as if they were their own property. The extreme exactions of avarice and abuse of power follow of course. The condition of the French peasantry is wholly different from this," &c. It may be necessary to inform our readers that Colman is an American, and perhaps intends the above tirade as a set-off for the statements of the Anti-Slavery and other societies. Whilst we ad- mit that there is much to be found fault with in the Norfolk system, it is strange that one very im- portant difference between the Norfolk labourer and the slave, of whose superior condition he would convince us, has not met his discerning eye. If the Norfolk labourer have fewer opportunities than the Frenchman of possessing a piece of land, he can at least transport himself to the paradise of slavery in the Southern States, if he feels inclined to do so. On the other hand, it is indeed strange that whilst we read in almost every newspaper of the efforts made by these happy slaves to escape from their para- dise, we never hear of any of our numerous agricultu- ral emigrants shipping themselves to the hlissful cotton fields of the Southern States. It is scarcely woi'th occupying any space in confuting such asser- tion§ as those contained in the last quotation. John Bull can well afford to laugh at a slave-holder's im- putations on his character. Besides, Colman ought to know that the master cannotof his own will reduce his labourer's wages — these, like everything else, are regulated by the supply and demand. Besides the above, after commiserating the state of Ireland, he gravely assures his readers that up- wards of 1,000,000 people perished in consequence of the potato disease ; and in another place he limits the number to 116,000. The great peculiarity of the French agriculture arises from the law which originated with the revo- lution of 1790. By this law, landed property must always be left by will in nearly equal proportions amongst the children; the object being to prevent the accumulation of such large landed estates as we have in this country. This, Colman assures uSj has been attended with the happiest effects in France, and contrasts it with the state of England. Our government, it appears, makes a mistake in pro- tecting property, it ought to protect poverty. He as- serts that labour has the first claim, " as the great source and instrument of subsistence and wealth. A man is not the richer for houses which he cannot oc- cupy, lands which he cannot use, money that he can- not spend." These are strong assertions, and are not even attempted to be proved, except as regards land ; and though the weakness of our author's po- sition renders him a tempting mai'k, we will con- fine our observations to agriculture. The first point is, are large or small farms the most advantageous to the community ? The average size of the farms in France is under fifty acres. Should we divide all our farms into holdings of that size ? The second question is, are lai'ge estates in- jurious ? — And the third is. Will land be better farmed when the tenant rents it from another, or farms his own ? It will be obvious that these questions involve the subject matter of many a learned volume and tough dispute. It is scarcely possible in the limits of this article to enter upon them as they deserve. We shall, therefore, briefly answer them from the results of our own observations. 1st. Are farms of fifty acres the best size? We decidedly think not. However much it may suit would-be patriots to rail against those pro- prietors who let their land in farms of 200 to 1,000 acres, we fear they will fail to make their cause good. Small farms might do when the farmer sent his own corn to the mill, and spun his own coat from the wool of his own sheep ; but now a farmer must be possessed of capital and intelligence, with a good education — and these are rarely found combined, with a farmer on fifty acres of land. Not that we would say that it is impossible to find farms THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, 125 of that size well managed j but we are inclined to think that, as a rule, those of a larger size will be found to be better and more economically managed. Besides, a farm of fifty acres will scarcely employ a pair of horses, and with one pair of horses a thrashing machine cannot be advantageously worked. On this view, a farm of 100 acres is the smallest that we can wish to see, and would rather recommend 400 to 500 acres, or one on which a steam thrashing-machine would be used, 2nd, Are large estates injurious? There is no subject more agreeable to an uneducated populace than to hear the owners of large estates reviled as everything that is evil. For our part, all the advo- cates for a subdivision of estates have failed to con- vince us that any one of our social evils can be traced to the existence of the princely estates of our landed proprietors. On the contrary, independent of every other consideration, they certainly afford the best possible safeguard against the constant changes which we fear would take place in the government of our country, to the utter ruin of trade and com- merce. We are strongly disposed to attribute the present state of affairs in France to the want of such a bulwark. Besides this consideration, we find that the owners of large (or, at least, mode- rately sized) estates are always the most anxious to encourage improvements, and more capable of effecting them than the owners of fifty acres, which is the size that Colman so much admires in France, 3rd. Will land be better farmed when the tenant rents it from another, or farms his own ? A few years ago the writer of this article was engaged in a railway survey, which took him across a great ex- tent of country, and he invariably found the owner of a small farm managing his land much worse than his neighbour who paid rent. We have remarked that the law of France compels the parent to divide his jjroperty nearly equally amongst his children; thus giving nearly every Frenchman the chance of pos- sessing a few acres of land, and it is this state of things which Colman praises so much, as he says that nothing tends to encourage saving habits amongst the working classes so much as the chance of possessing a few acres, which, he alleges, our laws of entail completely prevent an English labourer from doing. The last assertion we deny, as there are always small properties in the market for sale. But we think that even were they more numerous, they are not by any means the best investment for the savings of a working man in England. He has the savings'' bank ; and long and learnedly may Colman argue before he can convince us that France, with the chance of being the owner of a few acres, is a better country than England with her savings' bank. It is true that they have savings' banks in France, but one of the first acts of the revolution of February last was virtually to confis- cate the money deposited in them. In this respect, perhaps, land may be, in France, the more preferable investment. But what security have we that the next Provisional Government may not see the same reasons for seizing the land, that the present one has seen for seizing the railways and Bank de- posits. In our humble opinion (as we have already remarked), the present state of affairs in France is to be directly attributed to the existence of the very law which Colman praises so much. It does seem strange that Republicans in the old and new world, with all their boasted superiority to honest John Bull, should be so unwilling to perceive — whether they make a law preventing a parent from doing what he chooses with the money* he may have earned or the land he may have purchased ; whether they, by another law, apply the savings' banks and rail- way shares to the purpose of government ; or whether, by a third law, they may repudiate their debts altogether — that the only true road to national prosperity and the only true business of govern- ment consists in giving security to savings wherever they may be deposited, and not in directing or forcing them into certain channels. Colman says that the possession of a few acres of land tends to promote the happiness and ad- vance the true interests of the individual. Here again we must differ from him, and with- out entering into any arguments on this much dis- puted point, we would point to the poor dupes of O'Connor's land scheme, as a sample of small pro- prietors cultivating their own land, and to the miserable holdings in Ireland, as an example of small tenants paying rent, as the best arguments against his opinion. In the next number we will proceed with Colman's book, and extract all the practical infor- mation it may contain . T. L. C. * Money, as well as land, is to be nearly equally divided amongst the children, by the law of France. 1*26 THE lARMER'JS MAGAZINK. CHEAP MANURING. The writer of this has been for several years watching the progress of experimental and scientific manuring; and giving, from time to time, summaries of the results, when of particular interest or benefit. So many of these results are now confirmed by re- peated experience, as well as by chemical reasoning, that it seems time to collect them into a concise system, for the benefit of the small and unlearned farmer, who has little time or means for experiments or study, and can still worse afford to misapply his manures, upon the old rule of thumb system. And it is for those only that this and some following letters are intended ; the stocky and learned farmer having the same means of information as the writer. His object is, then, to give the working farmer with small capital as much of the benefit of the modern experiments in manuring as he can make simply and concisely intelligible to persons of such limited education ; to show them the cheapest means of increasing their produce, and at the same time im- proving their land, by applying to each crop or course just the right sort of manure it requires, in- stead of turning them in at random, without selec- tion or understanding the preference of one to ano- ther. But in all our cheap selections, the dung-heap must still stand first, as the farmer's treasury ; and whatever may be hereafter discovered, it may still be said, so far, that the good and economical management of this will do more for him, than all the other new experiments put together. We will, therefore, begin with the dung heap, return to it occasionally, and conclude with the same — so that such of your farming readers as take interest in what I have to say, should keep this for reference. Farm-yard dung, or rather muck, remains to be, notwithstanding the valuable help of the mineral fertilizers, the great store of food for plants, and should be thoroughly understood in all its bear- ings— quantity, quality, preparation, waste, fer- mentation, and application. a. Quantity. The solid and liquid excrements of animals, of all kinds, should be carefully preserved (see Waste, m), and may be much more largely collected by soiling and stall feeding ; every kind of animal offal and refuse should be likewise taken care of. Two acres of ground will keep a beast, which, well littered, will make 1 cwt. dung, &c., per day, or 18 tons a year; and this may be tripled by the addition of vegetable compost (see Preparation, i) : one beast, or two acres, thus giving 18x3=51 tons, or 27 tons per acre yearly. It is for the farmer to judge how many beasts he will keep, and how much of their time he will feed them in the homestead (the more dung the heavier green crops ; the more green crops, the more cattle food ; the more cattle the more dung ; and so improving from year to year). A horse may nearly equal a cow, setting quality against quantity ; and two oi three j)igs may perhaps equal one beast. Sheep are so much out, that they add but little to the heap, though very eflfectual in fold and i)asture. b. Vegetable matter of all kinds, fresh, dry, or decayed, should be also brought to the heap ; or if too distant, composted where it lies, not rotted to waste. AVeeds, roots harrowed up, hedge clijipings, fallen leaves, or other recent herbage, containing the vegetable salts, readily decay with salt and lime (.^ cwt. each to the ton), proilucing an excellent humus. Theaddition of sea weed improves it much, and the salt is not then required. c. Peat, sods, turf-parings, ditch and pond scourings, way soil, humous earth in whatever form, and ashes of all kinds, are good for the heap. d. All liquids in which vegetables or animal mat- ters have been soaked or boiled, and all that contain fertilizing materials, as soap suds, dish washings, pot liquor, &c., are good to moisten it. e. Quality. — We must remember that vegetable matters work sour, and that animal substances generate ammonia, which neutralizes the acid, and is fixed by it; so that, in due proportions, they correct each other. Urine gives most ammonia. /. But vegetable matters, including peat, sods, &c. (c, above), being much more plenty than ani- mal, the acid may still predominate. This may be corrected by lime and salt {h), which will also kill weeds and insects, and quicken the manure. rj. It should contain, not only all the elements of vegetable food, but all in due p)roportions. Much of the dung tried in experiments against other ma- nures, seems to have been exhausted by drainage, h. The heap should be alike throughout in com- position and consistence, which requires a circula- tion of the juices. For this purpose, the drainings should be thrown back upon it, from time to time, to spread the soluble matters right through the whole. But no other water should touch it, unless it gets too dry, and therefore it is best under a shed, or any cover from rain. Tlil-: FAKMElt'S MAIJAZINK. 127 /. Pre/xuation. — A staunch pit, lutlier deej) tliati wide, being made to icceive tlic drainings, dear of land-springs ; a bed of luunous earth may be first laid down, iiic-lining towards the pit. Upon this, spread hard stalks, &c., which are slow to decay, then a layer of dung, &c., mixed from the cow houses, stables, and styes, six inches thick, sjirinkled with salt ; next a layer of vegetable matter (b), same thickness, dusted with slaked lime ; and upon this four inches of peat, bark, sawdust, turf parings, or other humous earth (c) ; and so repeating salted dung, limed vegetables, and humous earth ; keeping the lime from touching the dung, until four or five feet high. If green turfs are used, they are best laid face _to face, with the lime strewed between them. k. Then pour over it the liquid drainage, &c., de- scribed below (l), till it soaks right through. Then build on again as before, and pour the drainage, &c., upon the next four feet ; and so as high as you find convenient. In this way your quantity is threefold, your quality free from sourness, but may be deficient in activity, for want of ammonia — for this you have to depend on the urine. I. Every drop of this essence, not absorbed by the litter, must run into the tank or pit, to be thrown upon the heap : deep narrow drains being cut from every stable, stye, and cowhouse, to the pit or tank. All the other liquids (d) may be thrown on as they are got, so as to mix in soaking down. As the liquid passes through it will dissolve salt and lime, and carrying the juices of one layer to another, give it the same quality throughout. When finished, slant it at top with straw or long dung, to throw off the rain ; and once a month open the centre, to throw back the drainage, which should always soak right through ; and if there is not enough, including the hquids (d), water must be added. If the farmer thinks the proportion of vegetable, &c., too great, or more than he can collect, he may, of course, put less ; but experience has shown that well saved dung will bear double its weight of such additions, with aid of salt and lime. In six months it is ready for use. Many other improvements have been proposed for the muck heap ; but this appears to me the best, considering quantity as well as quality. m. Waste. — Materials for the dung heap are wasted in many ways. The essence itself (the urine and drainage) is let run away, or even wash ovit by the water-course of the yard and weather, leaving the dung cold and hungry {g). The dung dropped on pasture is let lie in patches, throwing up coarse grass, which the cattle \^^ll not eat for a year or more, till the dung is exhausted. Vegetable and humous matters are left lying about unnoticed, or put to rot in running water, which carries off their salts ; even the wa.sh of tiic cuuulry is let run through the straw-yard. Roots, weeds, and parings arc needlessly burnt, whereby their humus is wasted ; and the ammonia, which gives life to the manure, is let fiy off in fermentation. These wastes, brought together, would sometimes make a larger and better heap than that remaining in the yard. n. Fermentation. — The greater the number of vegetable elements, thoroughly vmited together in a sufficiently soluble state, the better the manure for general purposes. In the above muck heap we have most of the vegetable elements, and can regu- late their proportions by those of dung and vege- table matters ; and add all that are wanting by the inorganic manures to be hereafter described. And hy fermentation they may be brought to a state of uniform composition and solubility. Spit dung, when well made, cuts down soft and fat, with little appearance of sti'aw. This is probably the most generally active condition, half digested for the root sap ; and with care it may be fermented so far, with little other loss than the evaporation of water : over-worked, it loses both ammonia and humus. Short dung having less risk of loss, it may be safest generally to stop there. 0. The ammonia may be retained by crusting over with humous earth (c), and still better by mixing gypsum and sulphate of magnesia with the salt thrown on the dung {i), by which the deficient mag- nesia and sulphuric acid are at the same time sup- plied. p. Application. — Long dung is said to do best in stiff land, and for potatoes and pasture. It works slower in the ground than in the warm heap, and may therefore require three or four years to become thoroughly incorporated with the soil; and the quantity must be in proportion. But spit or short dung, which is all ready for the root sap, may be ap- plied every other year to the green crop, in half the quantity ; thus bringing a quicl.er return, and allow- ing less waste by the weather when the land lies open. By thus returning to the soil not only all that he draws from it, but also much carbon which the plants have drawn from the air, the farmer may gradually enrich his land to the highest degree. But do what he will in this way, the salts actually carried off by his market crops must be restored, or his crops will be limited, and the most costly of these will be potass and phosphate, of which more in future letters. Stable dung, containing more ammonia and phos- phate, would bear a larger proportion of vegetable matters, &c., say three to one, if there was spare urine to pour on, which is seldom the case. But as it is generally collected in towns, this deficiency may be made up by night soil, which is much richer ; still ; and any of the liquids (rf), or even common 128 THE FARMER'S MAGAZLNE. water, poured on to keep it moist and circulate the juices. Prepared niglit soils are yearly increasing in im- portance, and may make good our wants of phos- phate, by the time the supplies of bone fail ; for the present waste of night soil (and urine), by sewerage and neglect, probably exceeds 4,000,000 tons yearly. The best materials for stiffening and unstinking it for carriage are charred sods, or other compounds of charcoal with burnt earth ; but coal ashes answer the purpose, and areeasier obtained in towns. Lime is unfit, as it wastes the ammonia. q. Gypsum, salt, and sulphate of magnesia, com- pose an excellent fixer of ammonia, and supply the sulphate, soda, and magnesia chiefly wanting in muck heaps. J. Pkideaux. HINCKLEY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. The first annual meeting of this very promising Society took place at Hinckley, on Monda)', the 27th of November ; and a stronger proof of what energy, perseverance, and determination can do, we never witnessed. The society was established on October the 16th, 1848; and on the 27th of November following, the institution then being about some six weeks old, the first exhibition of stock took place — and such an exhibition it was as must make the Hinckley society's elder brethren look well around them unless they are prepared to be shorn of their laurels. We may venture to say that there was scarcely a visitor to the show who was not astonished at what he saw. Some of the finest and some of the most useful animals, that could only have been expected to be brought for- ward for competition after long preparation by a society in its maturity, instead of by one only in its infancy, graced the show-yard, much to the credit of their breeders and feeders, and greatly, we are sure, to the advantage not only of the Hinckley Agricultural Society, but of the public in general. There were also some fine pens of sheep, some ex- cellent pigs, and a few good useful horses. The entries were, beast, 90 head ; sheep, 165; mares, 4 ; pigs, 18 pens; foals, 2; total, 279. Of implements and vegetables there were not many shown. Of the former the principal, if not the only exhibitors, were Messrs. Cort, Law, and Co., of Leicester, and Hinckley. Of course, from the short time that there was for nreparation, the necessary arrangements were not so perfect as we may hope to see them in a future year. As for example, the beast were classed in the various stables and sheds of the George Inn, instead of being exhibited in an open paddock. The con- sequence of this was, that about the more deserving animals there was a crowd continually gathered, so that it was almost impossible to do more than take a cursory glance at them. Of one apparently fine Hereford bull, who might as well have been among the Hinckley catacombs as in his dark stall, all that we could see was" his horns. Another year this no doubt will be remedied. Mr. Orton's splendid three years and nine months old Durham bull, bred by Mr. T. Miles, of Keyham, attracted considerable attention, as also did the Earl Howe's fat Durham cow, Josephine; Mr. Crosland's Durham dairy cow Gay Lass, the same gentleman's roan Durham heifers Venus and Ruby, and his white Durham bull Salisbury, Mr. Thomas Johnson's six years and eight months old long-horned dairy cow, and Mr. Richard Warner's pair of long-horned heifers, were likewise very commendable animals. The extra stock was remarkably good. Earl Howe's seven years old Durham dairy cow, bred by the Marquis of Downshire, and Mr. Crosland's Durham dairy cow Red Rose, winning the two prizes; and Mr. John Toone's ten years old dairy cow being highly com- mended by the judges. One of the prettiest (if such a term can be used of a pig)' among the swine class was the Hon. E. Russell's Neapolitan fat pig, two years old, bred at Naples (not competing). The competition must have been close between Mr. Henry Footman's black Essex fat pig, and Mr. James HoUier's new Leicester fat pig, although to the latter the prize was awarded. Indeed the same remark will ap})ly to almost all the classes. The principal exhibitors were Lord Howe, who showed four beasts ; Mr. Crosland, of Burbage House, twelve beasts and two pigs ; Mr. W. Warner, of Ryeton Gorse, two beasts and one pig ; Kirby Fenton, Esq., of Caldecote Hall, two beasts ; Mr. Geo. Townshend, of Sapcote, eight beasts (one withdrawn from competition) and one horse ; Mr. Nicholas Ward, five beasts (three withdrawn from competition), two pens of sheep, and two pigs ; Mr. Shakspeare, of Griflf, two beasts (one with- drawn), two pens of sheep, and one i)ig; Mr. S, C. Pilgrim, of Burbage, one beast, four pens of sheep, and two pigs; Mr. C. D. Breton, of Elmsthorpe, four bea»ts (three withdrawn), and two pigs ; Mr. T. Johnson, of Burton Fields, three beasts ; Mr. Wright, of Earl Shilton, three pens of sheep (with- drawn); the Hon. E. S. Russell, M.P,, two pigs; Mr. T, Gilbert, of Aston Flamville, three pens of sheep ; Mr. W. Millhouse, two beasts, and one pen THE FAKMER'y MAGAZINE. 129 of yhffc'p ; Mr. li. Bonner, Hinckley, Uvo pens of sheep ; Mr. R. Chapman, of Upton, live head (one withdrawn), and one pen of sheep (withdrawn) ; Mr. T. S. Cottcrill, of Minckley, two beasts, and one i)en of sheep ; Mr. J. S. Speneer, of Hinckley, two pens of sheep, and one \ng ; Mr. F. Spencer, of Wibtoft, two beasts, and one pen of sheep ; Mr. W. Grewcock, of Barwell Fields, one beast, and two pens of sheep ; Mr. R. Warner, of Weston Hill, four beasts; Mr. T. Warner, of Wolvershill, one cart mare, three pens of sheep (one withdrawn), and on(! pig; Mr. W. Neale Berry, of Stoke Gold- ing, three beasts ; Mr. J. Gear}^ of Dadlington, one pen of sheep, and one pig; Mr. J. Adcock, of Burton Hastings, one Ijeast, one cart mare, and one pen of sheep ; and Mr. E. Darlinson, of the same place, three pens of sheep. Wc here use the terms beast, sheep, and pig, in their general sense for brevity's sake, as including stock and extra stock bulls, cows, heifers, sheep and lambs, boars, sows, and pigs. The ])ri?;e-holders, to the amount of £58, were — Mr. Crosland, 7 premiums, the Earl Howe 2, Mr. R. Warner 3, Mr. T. Johnson 2, Mr. W. Mc'Ewan ], Mr. T. S. Cotterill 1, Mr. Townshend 1, Mr. C. Orton 1, Mr. W. Neale Berry 1, Mr. E. Darhnson : 1, Mr. J. S. Spencer 2, Mr. N. Ward 1, Mr. T. [ Gilbert 1, Mr. S. C. Pilgrim 1, Mr. C. D. Breton i 1, Mr. J. Hollier 1. 1 From this it will be seen that, with the exception of Mr. Crosland, who certainly took the lion's share, the competition was very open. Of these, the Earl Hov/e, Mr. Crosland, Mr. C. D. Breton, ' and Mr. Warner generously returned their pre- miums to the society. Upon this point there was much force in the noble Earl's remark ; however, that though to a young society it might be advan- tageous to return the premiums on its first meeting, it might, and no doubt would, be injurious if the same thing were done in after years, as it might tend to restrict competition to those only who could thus afford to indulge their kindly feelings, to the manifest injury of the society, and in contravention of its declared objects; which are— to promote en- terprise and emulation in the breeding and feeding of cattle ; to advance the cultivation of the land ; and to encourage skill, industry, and good conduct among servants and labourers, more particularly those engaged in husl)andry. The rules of the society have been printed, and are in accordance with those of most similar societies, and may be obtained either of Mr. Gil- bert, the secretary, or of Mr. Short, both of Hinck- ley. From these we learn that it is intended to have an annual ploughing match^ and that rewards for labourers and servanti^ in husbandry will be taken into consideration by the Committee previous to the show of IS49, and that these will form an important feature in the objects of the society. The present officers of the society are the Right Hon. the Earl Howe, jjrcsident. Vice-presidents : the Right Hon. the Earl of Denbigh; the Right Hon. the Earl de Grey; the Hon. E. S. Russell, M.P., Kirkby Mallory ; Sir Grey Skipwith, Bart., Newbold Revel; Sir Frederick W. Ileygate, Bart., Roecliife Hall ; Major F. Woollaston, Shee])y Hall ; C. W. Packe, Esq., M.P., Prestwold Hall ; Rev. Robert T. Adnutt, Rectory, Cadeby ; Rev. Joseph Arkwright, NormantonTurville; WiUiam Brooke."^, Esq., Croft; Rev. J. M. Cooper, Rectory, Peckle- ton; J. S. Crosland, Esq., Burbage House; Dempster Hemming, Esq., Lindley Hall; Henry Townshend, Esq., Stoney Stanton ; Robert Good- acre, Esq., UUesthorpe ; Rev. Geo. Mettam, Rec- tory, Barwell ; and Kirby Fenton, Esq., of Calde- cote Hall. The Committee are Mr. Breton, Elms- thorpe; Mr. Campion, jun., Sharnford ; Mr. Cot- terell, Hinckley ; Mr. Crafts, Burbage ; Mr. Grundy, jun., Drayton; Mr. T. C. Harris, Hinck- ley; Mr. Kendall, Hog Hall, Burbage; Mr. Mil- house, Barwell House ; Mr. F, Spencer, Wibtoft ; Mr. J. S. Spencer, Hinckley; Mr. Geo. Towns- hend, Sapcote Fields ; Mr. Nicholas Ward, Hinck- ley. The Treasui'er is Isaac Hodgson, Esq. The Stewards for the present year are J. S. Crosland, Esq., Burbage House ; Mr. F. Spencer, Wibtoft ; and Mr. G. Townshend, Sapcote Fields. The Secretary is Mr. J. W. Gilbert, at Messrs. Pares' bank, Hinckley. The Judges of the show were Mr. Chas. Stokes, of Kingstone, near Keg worth ; Mr. John F. Potterton, of Stowe, near Weedon; and Mr. John N. Buckley, of Normanton-on-Soar, near Loughborough. The principal instrument exhibited was one in- I vented by Geo. Coode, Esq., called the Patent Irri^ ' gator. We commend it to the consideration of our agricultural friends. The rest were of the ordinary kind — cheese^ presses, ploughs, winnowing machines and the like. Among the company present we noticed the Earl Howe, Lord Curzon, the Hon. H. W. Wilson, C. W. Packe, Esq., M.P., the Hon. E. S. Russell, M.P., Col. Wollaston, Major Wollaston, R. S. J. Winterton, Esq., Kirby Fenton, Esq., Wm. Brookes, Esq., Wm. Sills, Esq., C. S. Preston, Esq., Henry Trethewy, Esq. (agent to the Earl de Grey), the Rev. J. M, Cooper, Dr. Slade, Rev. — Roby, Rev. T. F. Avard (curate of Hinckley), Rev. W. Wilkinson, Rev. C, AVilkinson, Rev. John Fisher, Rev. N. Small, Rev. J. Longhurst, Rev. D. Somerville, and many with whose names we were not acquainted, comprisng almost all the gentry and principal agriculturists of the neighbourhood. K 130 THE FAlliMEirs MAGAZINE. 'i'lie large influx of visitoia to the town, and the connoisseur-like scrutiny and judgmatical obser- vations of good judges, all tended to show how great an interest the agricultural world of Hinckley and its neighbourhood — not forgetting Leicester, Coventr_v, Nuneaton, Loughborough, Lutterworth, and other places — took in this truly agricultural enterprise; an interest which, we hope, will con- tinue to grow with the growth and strengthen with the strength of the Hinckley Agricultural Associa- tion. And we were surprised and pleased to ob- serve the extent and excellence of the show, de- monstrating, as it clearly did, the generally excellent quality of the farming stock in and about Hinckley, and its prime order — this, too, without any previous preparation or notice, from the recent formation of the society ; so that the animals shown had gene- rally been l)red and intended for ordinary purposes and sale. There was also another very pleasing and not very ordinary feature about this show. With a few very marked exceptions the exhibitors were ordinary tenant farmers, living in the vicinity of Hinckley ; some, too, occupying only small farms. Indeed one of the prize beasts was bred and fed by a gen- tleman occupying only 25 acres ; another prize beast was fed on a farm of half that size. Yet the breed and character of their stock would not have brought discredit upon breeders of even exalted name and fame, thus proving at once the general improvement of the stock kept by ordinary farmers ; and that the coarse, nondescript mule-bred animals, of former days, are fast passing away, or live only in the almost iminhabited portions of our now highly-cultivated land. The day was fine, and the general good order and arrangements reflected the highest credit upon the stewards — so much so as to induce many ladies to honour the exhibition with their presence. The judges having made their awards, the yard was thrown open about one o'clock, and till about four was visited by the public " in great force," but without creating any confusion or pressui'e. Too much praise cannot be given to that excel- lent and highly esteemed nobleman, Earl Howe, who, by his very earnest zeal and personal atten- dance, gave an impetus and importance to this society which it never could otherwise have obtained. Hinckley and its neighbourhood are indebted, and we believe fully acknowledge it, to this kind and benevolent nobleman for very many benefits j and he lives, we knov/, in their very best affections. £25 5s. was received for admission to the yard. The Dinner Was seiVed in the Town Hall, which, had it been twice the size, would not have been too large to hold the comj)any who squeezed themselves into it. The hall was tastefully decorated with evergreens, drapery, and devices. Amongst these were a plough, reaping hook, and other agricidtural im- plements. At the lower end of the room was a gallery filled with ladies, who seemed to take a great interest in the proceedings of the day. Above the gallery was placed the inscription, "Agriculture — its advantages and blessings : " facing the windows, and above the device of the plough and the reaping hooks to which we have adverted, was the inscription " Speed the plough ;" and over the head of the noble president, who sat in a cano])ied chair or throne of state, belonging to the Freemasons' lodge, was the device of the lion and the crown. In fact, the whole thing was in excel- lent keeping, and displayed judicious taste and honourable feeling. The Earl Howe occupied the chair, supported right and left by Lord Curzon, Major Wollaston, the Hon. E. S. Russell, M.P., C. W. Packe, Esq., M.P., the Hon. H. W. Wilson, KirbyFenton, Esq., W. Brookes, Esq., and other leading gentlemen and clergymen of the district. The vice-chair was occupied by Mr. Crosland, supported by G. Coode, Esq., and other eminent agriculturists. After the usual loyal toasts the Chairman gave " The health of the Duke of Rutland, the Lord Lieutenant of the county " (cheers, and three times three, and one cheer more). The judges here rose to leave the room, having to meet the train, which having been noticed by the Earl Howe, The noble Ijord rose and briefly and emphatically proposed the health of those gentlemen, with thanks to them for their services (cheers). Mr. Stokes shortly acknowledged the toast, and observed that he most heartily congratulated the society upon the exhibition of stock which had been made that day (cheers). The noble Chairman then said they had theplea- sure of seeing one of the members for that division of tiie county amongst them ; and of him, as of his colleagues, they were truly able to say, that there was no division in the House of Commons, espe- cially in connection with their own county, or with the agricultural interest, or that affected the general welfare of the country, in which their names were not to be found (loud cheers). It was, therefore, the duty of that meeting to show in the only way in which they could display it, the estimation in which they held their parliamentary representatives, and to acknowledge their unwearied diligence and high integrity, by drinking their good healths in a bumper (cheers, and three times three). Mr. Packe, who was received with much ap- plause, said — The very kind and flattering manner THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 131 ill which the noble jnesidcnt had done hiin the honour to propose his name to their notice, and the enthusiastic rccep.tion which it had met with, de- manded his warmest and sincerest acknowledg- ments (cheers). Although not residing within the limits of their association, he was most thankful to the comniittce for allowing him the opportimity of becoming a member of their society (cheers). He, on two most particular grounds, independently of the situation in which he stood as one of their re- jiresentativcs in jiarliament, thought it to be his duty to do the best he could for the Hinckley Agri- cultural Society (cheers). First, he was anxious on this ground, because in the county of Leicester, every part of which, from his having lived in all the four quarters of it, he considered as part of his home, he took such an interest, that he could not, if he would, but be desirous that every interest in it should flou-'ish, and the agricultural more espe- cially (cheers). Another ground was that in this, as he had every reason to believe and regret, most distressed portion of the manufacturing county of Leicester, the establishment of meetings of this de- scription would be of the utmost advantage in cir- culating money in the town of Hinckley. On those two grounds he was most anxious to lend his aid to this society, in every way wWich was in his power (Hear). He had the gratification, in conjunction with his honourable friend on his left, of assisting at the establishment of a great society of this kind in the town of Leicester. He had also had the honour of assisting at the establishment of one at Ashby, and he likewise had the honour of assisting in the formation of another, of which he had the pleasure and the pride to be president — at Lough- borough (cheers). He could not, therefore, but feel highly gratified at having the opportunity of being present at the opening of the Hinckley Agri- cultural Association (cheers). He could only wish that the manufacturing interest would take a pat- tern from the agricultural, in the formation of some such society, to connect together the diflerent classes in that interest (Hear, hear). It was most gratifying to find the land owner, the land occupier, and the humble cultivator of the soil, joining hand in hand for the mutual benefit of all (Hear). He believed it was mainly attributable to that good feeling which existed among, and was promoted by the agricultural societies of Leicester, that the county had been preser\'ed from the vice and crime which had befallen neighbouring counties. He spoke advisedly, from his situation as one of the magistrates for the county, when he said he beUeved there had been scarcely one incendiary fire in the county, and which, he believed, was attributable to the influence which these societies exercised, and the respect with which they imbued the mind of the labourer fur the employer (loud cheers), 'i'hcy were aware that in those meetings politics were strictly excluded from their discussions, or, as their representative, such would have been the s\ibject upon which it would have been his duty to address them; but, nevertheless, it certainly was a gratifying circumstance that they were enabled to meet to discuss that which was beneficial to agriculture, and therefore of benefit to the community at large (Hear). He had observed in a part of the rules of the society, which had been transmitted to him, that the rewards for good conduct among the labourers were to be commensurate with the en- couragement which the society itself might receive. Holding, as he did, that agricultural societies were one of the greatest blessings to the country, and that one of their prime objects was the encourage- ment of good conduct among the labouring classes, if they would give him leave, he would beg to offer to them two premiums for the encouragement of that particular class, and those two premiums should be equally divided between those who were connected with agriculture, and those who were connected with the manufacture of the town of Hinckley (much cheering). He should propose, then, that for the agricultural labourer who should be supporting the largest number of children, un- der twelve years of age, without parochial relief, he should be allowed to place at the disposal of the committee the annual sum of £3 (cheers) ; and he proposed to place at their disposal a similar sum for the stocking-maker, who should be entitled to the premium upon the same conditions (cheers). He was anxious that in dealing with the labouring population, which they, as agriculturists, had more particularly to do with, they should deal at the same time even-handedly witli all— those they em- ployed themselves, and those who were associated with the staple manufacture of the county of Lei- cester (Hear). They all derived great advantage from having good labourers, and he thought it their duty to think of those who, by the decrees of Providence, had been placed among ths manufac- turing classes. He did not desire that they should be selfish enough merely to consider the interest with which they were themselves more immediately identified, but that they should likewise have regard to the happiness of those connected with the manu- facturing interest living among them (Hear). In conclusion, he had to express his most sincere thanks for the kindness he had ever experienced from the constituency he had the honour to repre- sent, and that in every way in which he could pro- mote their well being, whether individually or col- lectively, he would devote his best services to the accomplishment of that purpose (cheers). But although he had responded to the toast more par- K 2 132 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. ticularly as relaterl to the part which he lihnsclf bore in it, he might in the name of his colleagues say, that, from what he knew of their sentiments, he was sure they would desire to echo his words were they present (cheers). Hon. H. W. AViLSON had the pleasure of pro- posing a toast, which was one that had only to be named to be honoured. It was one which he was sure would excite in their breasts all the sympathy and all the enthusiasm which the name of Howe formerly excited in the breasts of English seamen Cloud cheers). Although long friendship, and the feelings of regard which he had towards their noble president might induce him to wish to dilate at length upon the noble earl's merits, he was well aware that it would not be agreeable to his lordship ; and he was also aware that the high character and noble qualities of their president were too well known and esteemed to render it necessary that he should say a word about them in a company like that before him (cheers). He would therefore con- tent himself with proposing " the health of their noble President," and many thanks to him for his able support of the interests of the society (cheers, three times three, and one cheer more). The noble Chairman, who was received with great applause, said that he could assure them most unaffectedly, that he was unable to find words to express the grateful sense he entertained of their kindness to him. The very undeserved compli- ments paid to him by his honourable friend had been prompted by the feelings of very old friend- ship. They had known each other since they had been boys, now some six-and-thirty years ago ; and he attributed the enthusiasm Avith which his name had been received to the fact that in this county he had been born, and in it he had lived all his life, and in it he hoped to die (loud cheers). But pass- ing from the topic of self, he would turn to a much more important subject, and one that was matter of heart-felt congratulation to him — that was, the ])leasure of seeing them there that day (Hear). He would not conceal that when first the idea flashed across his mind that he should belong to the society, he almost felt that in their poor little neg- lected corner of the county, it would be impossible to form such a society as he had now the pleasure of seeing around him, and over which he had great pleasure in presiding, Hesitation, however, he had not felt, but something of alarm lest they should not succeed. But the result had been far different ; and now from his heart he congratulated them on the most perfect success which they had achieved (cheers). When they remembered that the society's existence did not date more than six weeks, it seemed almost impossible that in that time they should have assembled so excellent a meeting, and made so fine an exhibition of stock. He sincerely hojied that this was Init the presage of what might yet be accomplished, and that their society would not be excelled by any in the neighbourhood (cheers). The committee had exerted themselves most manftdly, and those who had brought animals for exhibition had seconded them most ably ; and hence the superior show they had that day wit- nessed. "What he wanted was, to see the tenant able to pay his way, and to be able to rear and ex- hibit useful animals, such as would make the cheese. It was not simply for those who had abundant means — the men of property — to exhibit fine stock, but he wished to see the tenant farmer placed in a position to l)e able to pay his rent, and to be able to rear such animals as would enable him to do so ; it was easy enough for men of high name and good income to do it ; what he wanted was to see the tenant farmer making choice of those things that would place him in that position (cheers). But let not his (the chairman's) mean- ing be mistaken. His desire was not merely to put money in his own pocket (No, no !) He meant that he hoped to see a man able to pay his rent, and to go ])ack with a cheerful countenance to his own fireside (cheers). He had no doidjt that, with a little more encouragement, and a few more premiums, they might have the happiness, another jvear, of seeing a few more of their brethren joining their society, and exhibiting stock. He would take the liberty, therefore, of handing round a paper that had been prepared, that any one who might feel disposed might be kind enough to put down their names, and whilst that was being done he would read them a note which he held in his hand, offering a premium to the society. It was as follows : — " Mr. Brown presents his compliments to the secretary of the Hinckley Agricultural Society, and he will give a premium of £5, to be divided between three of the stocking-makers of Hinckley, out of twenty, who shall reap the greatest number of thraves of wheat, and in the best work- man-hke manner, during the next succeeding corn harvest. The ages of the competitors to be between 18 and 21, and the i^remium to be divided in the following manner, viz. — £2 10s. to the first, £1 10s. to the second, and £l to the third best reaper, and to be decided and adjudged by some one mem- ber of the committee of the societ}', to be chosen by Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown will find a field of corn for the purpose. The names of the competitors to be given in to the secretary on or before the 1st of June, 1849, so that the qualification of each person may be enquired into, and, if satisfactory, to receive a certificate on or before the 24th of the same month" (cheers). That was a very useful thing — to assist the stockinger at times when work was THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 133 short. He had been commissioned by his wife (the Countess Howe) to bestow a i)remium fcheers) to the wife or widow of a framework -knitter, not possessed of projierty, except gained by her own servitude, to the amount of £10 (exclusive of her household goods), who has brought up, or is now supporting, the largest numberof children, all born in wedlock, in the most orderly, cleanly, and moral manner, with the smallest parochial aid, £4 ; to the next £2; to the next £1 (cheers). He (Lord Howe) had added the smallest parochial aid, be- cause it was almost impossible that in times of very severe distress, but that the most industrious man must fall upon the parish (Hear). He proposed for himself to give to the dairy-woman, not pos- sessed of property (except gained by her own ser- vitude), who has lived the longest time, without in- termission, and is still living in the house with the same master or mistress, or their son, or daughter, and who, during that time, has had the manage- ment of a dairy of not less than twelve cows, £1 lOs. ; and to the next, £1. To the committee for the benefit of the cottage allotment gardens con- tained in the district, £10 (cheers). He had been in the habit of giving premiums to the holders of the best cultivated gardens of this character, he now proposed to hand that sum over to the com- mittee for the purpose he had just stated (cheers). He had only further to say that, wishing as he did all success to the society, no exertion of his should be wanting to promote its welfare, and to drink success to the Hinckley Agricultural Society (loud cheers). The secretary then read the following list of the awards : — Thefolloivlag Premiums are all by the Society, Cattle. Class 1. — For the best fat cow or heifer, of any age, breed, or weight ; breeding open to all coun- ties, but fed in the district ; without restrictions as to feed, but the kind of food to be stated, £3, to Mr. Thomas Johnson, Burton Fields. Second ditto, £1, to Mr. Wm. Mc Ewan, Hinckley (7 en- tries). Class 2. — For the best fat heifer, under four years old, fed in the district, without restriction as to feed, but the kind of food to be stated, £2, to Mr. Thomas Samuel Cotterill, Hinckley (2 entries). Class 3. — F'or the best dairy cow, of the Durham or short-horned breed, fed in the district, in-calved or in-milk, without restrictions as to feed, but the kind of food to be stated ; breeding open to all counties, £2 10s., to J. S, Crosland, Esq., Burbage House. Second ditto, £1, to ditto (11 entries). Class 4.— For the best pair of heifers, in-calved or in-milk, under three years old, of the Durham or short-horned breed, without restrictions as to feed, but the kind of food to be stated ; fed in the district, £2, to J. S. Crosland, Esq., Bm'bage House (7 entries). Class 5. — For the best pair of heifers, under two years old, of the Durham or short-horned breed, without restrictions as to feed, but the kind of food to be stated ; fed in the district, £2, to J. S. Cros- land, Esq., Burbage House (3 entries). Class G. — For the best dairy cow, of the old Lei- cestershire or long-horned breed, in-calved or in- milk, fed in the district, without restrictions as to feed, but the kind of food to be stated ; breeding open to all counties, £2 10s., to Mr. Thomas John- son, of Burton Fields. Second ditto, £1, to Mr. Richard Warner, Weston Hill (7 entries). Class 7. — For the best pair of heifers, under three years old, in-calved or in-milk, of the old Leicester- shire or long-horned breed, without restrictions as to feed, but the kind of food to be stated ; fed in the district, £2, to Mr. Richard Warner, Weston Hill (4 entries). Class 8. — For the best pair of heifers, under two years old, of the old Leicestershire or long-horned breed, without restrictions as to feed, but the kind of food to be stated; fed in the district, £2, to Mr. Richard Warner, Weston Hill (no competition). Class 9. — For the best bulk of the Durham or short-horned breed, above ten months and imder two years old, open to all counties, without restric- tions as to feed; to be fed within tlie district, £3, to J. S. Crosland, Esq., Burbage House (5 entries). Class 10. — For the best bull, of the Durham or short-horned breed, of any age, that has served cows in the previous season in. the district at not exceeding ten shillings each ; breeding open to all counties, £3, to Mr. Chas. Orton, Stoney Stanton (4 entries). Class 1 1 . — For the best bidl, of the old Leicester- shire or long-horned breed, above ten months and under two years old ; breeding open to all counties, without restrictions as to feed, but the kind of food to be slated, £3 (no entries). Class 12. — For the best bull, of the old Leicester- shire or lon^-horned breed, of any age, that has served cows in the previous season in the district, at not exceeding ten shiUings each ; breeding open to all counties, £3, to Mr. William Neale Berry, Stoke Golding (no competition). Sheep. Class 13. — For the best pen (of five) under twenty-two months old, long-woolled fat wether sheep, without restrictions as to feeding ; breeding open to all counties, £2, to Mr. Edward Darlinson, of Burton Hastings (3 entries). 134 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Class 14.— For the best five ewes, bred and fed in the district, which have suclded lambs to the 1st of July, 184S, and have again been put to the rair, and are supposed to be in-lanib, and have been fed on grass and green vegetable food only, from the 1st of May, 1848, £2, to Mr. Jos. Sharp Spencer, Hinckley (9 entries). Class 1 5. — For the best five theaves, that have been put to the ram, and supposed to be in-larab, and have been fed on grass and green vegetable food only, from the 1st May, 1S4S, open to the district only, and the i)roperty of any member not letting more than four tups, £2, to Mr. N. Ward, Hinckley (10 entries). Class 16. — For the best pen (of five) Leicester ewe lambs, fed in the district, without restrictions as to feed and breeding, the property of any mem- ber not letting more than four tups, £2, to Mr. Thos. Gilbert, Aston Flamville (6 entries). Class J7.— For the best pen (of five) ewe lambs, of any breed or cross, not qualified to compete as Leicesters, bred within the district, without resti-ic- tions as to feed or breed, £2, to Mr. S. C. Pilgrim, Burbage (2 entries). Pigs. Class 18. — For the best in-pigged or suckling sow, bred and fed in the district, £l 10s., to J. S. Crosland, Esq., Burbage House flO entries). Class 19. — For the best boar, fed in the district ; breeding open to all counties, £1 10s., to Mr. Charles D. Breton, Elmsthorpe (4 entries). Class 20.— For the best fat ])ig, of any age, bred and fed within the district, £1 10s., to Mr. James HoUier, Market Bosworth (4 entries). Horses. Class 21. — For the best brood mare, the property of a member, and to be considered by the Judges as best adajited for the general piu-poses of agricul- ture in the district, £2 10s., to Mr. George Towns- hend, Sapcote (4 entries). Extra Stock. Class 22.— For the best in-calved dairy cow, of any age or breed, that has been regularly milked during the summer, and has been fed on grass, ha)', and green vegetable food only, from May 1, 1848, £2, to the Right Hon. the Earl Howe, Gopsal. Second ditto, £1, to J. S. Crosland, Esq., Burbage House. N.B. — This premium will be withheld until the beast has calved (13 entries). Class 23. — For the best beast, shown as extra stock, £3, to the Right Hon. the Earl Howe, Gop- sall (11 entries). Class 24. — For the best pen (of five) sheep, shewn as extra stock, £2, to Mr, Joseph S. Spencer, Hinckley (3 entries). Saveepstakes. Between Mr. Thos. Gilbert, Aston Flamville, and Mr. John Campion, jun., Sharnford Field, of one sovereign each, for the foal best adapted for sport- ing purposes ; decided in favour of Mr. Campion. Entries: — Beast, 90 head; sheep, 165; mares, 4; pigs, IS pens; foals, 2. Total, 279. The Chairman said the next toast upon the list was one which it was imjwssible that he could offer to their notice — it was that of " the successful Candidates." The only way, therefore, in which he could get out of the difficulty was by coupling together, in one toast, " the successful and the un- successful Candidates." He hoped another year the tables might be turned, and that the unsuccess- ful candidates might then jirove to be successful. He would couple with the toast " the health of Mr. Crosland" (cheers). Mr. Crosland, in responding, urged the ad- vantages which the society held out, and recom- mended the unsuccessful candidates to try next year to beat the at present successful ones. The Chairman here said that he was, as all the society must be, deeply sensible of the liberality of the gentlemen who had so kindly returned their ]iremiums to the society. So far as this year was concerned, the object was a good one, and was to be commended. But he would suggest that the same course should not be pursued in future years, inasmuch as it might tend to injure rather than benefit the society, as it might tend to induce those to withdraw from competition, who might not have the same amount of means at their command, and yet who v/ould not like to be behind hand in gene- rosity. He was sure that he should be excused for the suggestion he was offering, and he thought that upon reflection, there could not be a doubt in any man's mind that such must be the result (cheers). Mr. IvENS remarked that the word " dis- qualified " had been written against one of the ani- mals he had shown. The Chairman explained that it was not in- tended to cast the least imputation upon the animal, but that it had been " disqualified " because the terms of the condition of exhibition had through mistake not been complied with. The few remaining toasts were then given, after which the noble earl quitted the chair, amidst the loudest applause. Another gentleman was then called to the chair, and the last toast proposed in our hearing was that of " Mr. Thomas Moxon and the Press," whom we left ably responding to the burlesque. The following song, composed by Mr. J. Dare, of Leicester, was sung in the course of the evening : THE RVRMliR'S MAGAZINE. 135 HONOUR TO THE TOILING HAND. All honour to the toiling hand, Or in the field or mine, Or by the harnessed fire or steam, Or on the heaving brine. Whatever loom, or barque, or plough Hath wrought to bless our land, Or given around — above — below, We owe the toiling hand. Then honour — honour to the toiling hand ! It battles with the elements, It breaks the stubborn sward ; It rings the forge — the shuttle throws — Anil shapes the social board. It conquers clime — it stems the wave — And bears from every strand The sweetest, best of all we have — Gifts of the toiling hand. Then honour — honour to the toiling hand ! — Abriged from the Leicester Journal. SOME ACCOUNT OF JOHN BAMFORDS' FARMING ON HIS FIVE ACRE FARM, AT BARRETT. Wheat. — The first work done belongiug to this crop was getting in the seed ; this was done in November last year. Tlic plot is about half au acre, and the preceding crop was tur- nips and potatoes. The seed was sown immediately on the removal of the turnips upon the ridges, just as the turnips left them, and was hacked in. The whole amount of labour given to this crop, up to its being safely in the barn, amounted to 12 J days' work, which, with a bushel of seed, amounts to £1 lis. Cd. No mauiu-e was put on, it was sadded down and rolled (his spring, and from the results of the prize rod, the produce is at the rate of -14 bushels of 601b. to the bushel. Oats. — The next work of any consequence was getting in the oats. The breadth of ground is about J acre. It was dug with the spade (before winter), and sown with 4 bushels of Tartarian oats, and the seed covered from equidistant trenches, after the Flemish mode. This crop, when housed, has occu- pied 43 days working, and 1^ doz. of lime liad been put upon it, the whole expense wlien in the barn aud ready for thrashing is — £ s. d. 43 days' labour at 23. per day 4 6 0 ll^doz. ofhme , 1 19 9 4 bush, seed 0 13 6 6 19 3 The return is (according to the measured rod) 100 bushels per acre. Potatoes. — The preparation of the ground for the potato- crop commenced in November last, by paring about cue rood, and, as the weather permitted, removing the parings and ridg- ing up for exposure to the winter's frost. Tlie amount of labour expended upon tl)is crop from first breaking the ground, to its being cleared olf is — £ s. d. Gl days 6 2 0 Seed 1 0 0 7 2 0 This crop is rather a failure, owing to the disease being pretty severe upon it. Carrots. — Tlie plot of carrots of about J acre ia part of the potato ground of last season. At the time of sowing (April) it was covered over with ashes saturated with tank liquor, and dug in. This crop is yet in the ground, five days' labour has been expended on it, which with the seed, amounts to lis. This crop will be profitable. The white Belgian carrot is a root that may be cultivated in this locality with consider- able advantage. Turnips. — The ground constituting the turnip plot is about 1 rood, and is part of the potato ground of last year. In the getting up of the potatoes, the whole soil was completely forked deep, the weeds got out, and the ground left with a smootli uniform surface, and in the March following, it was covered over with ^ doz. of lime, and remained in that state till the latter end of April, when the ridges for sowing upon was fonued without any other preparation whatever. In the making of the ridges, a rather scanty quantity of dung was used. Cost — ISfdays £1 11 G I doz. Ume 0 13 G Seed 0 1 0 2 6 0 Return is at the rate of 17| tons per acre. The turnips are what I should call an average crop ; they are yet on the ground. The method that I have used for this crop is a very ready one for raising a turnip crop, yet it is one that I am not inclined to recommend. Grass. — The remainder of the ground of my little farm is in grass, it will be about 3 acres, and is used for stall feeding and making into hay. In mowing and getting the hay, there has been 27| days work. Nearly 2 roods has been cut as green food for stall feeding, some part of it has been twice cut this season. I find grass, as a green crop for stall feeding, to be superior to either rye or tares, it can be got earlier, and of greater weight, aud in the raising of this crop the tank becomes of special use. amount of labour. Days. At the wheat crop 12^ „ oats 43 „ potato 61 „ carrots 5 „ turnip 15a In miscellaneous work 5A- Yet wanting to clear off the crops 20 The spade cultivation of 2 acres 162^ 27i days, the grass cultivation of 3 acres. 13G THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. STURMINSTER AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. THE BALANCE SHEET. The following address was delivered and balance sheet read by the Rev. Anthony Huxtable, at the last meeting : My most kiud friends, I beg to assure you that although this is the UfLh time wliich I have had tlie honour and happiness of addressing you, I never rose with greater satisfaction on the one liand, or with greater fear and dread on the other, than I do on this occasion. I rise to address you in somewhat of a corporate capacity, for tliere is one prize of Mr. Hill's, two awarded to Mr. Farquharsoii, five to Mr. Miller, and one to Mrs. Jane Ilallett ; so tliat I have to return thanks on behalf of myself and fourteen other candidates. I have no doubt that all these individuals feel gratified with your kindness, but if there is one person to whom you have been more kind still, it is I, myself; and I should be something more or less than a man— and I profess to be neither— if I did not feel moved by the kindness you have shown to me. The best return which I can make is to tell yon all I know. Mr. Hill, just now, was a little roguish when he talked of the strength of my pocket. Without a strong pocket I could not make experiments ; for what did experiments mean ? — chance, trial, risk ; and a man could not risk if he had not got the money, or, as the " Times" facetiously termed it, " a sly reserve iu the Three per Cents." I will, iu the first place, speak to you about the prize which I have won, which will prove the great use of prizes of this de- scription ; although a Hampshire gentleman has said that he " wished ]\Ir. Huxtable would speak of his failures," which I think was a most unkind cut, foi- I have always stood before you in a white sheet, and last year I said my swedes were quitt a disgrace. What does the gentleman want more than that ? When I went home, I said to my bailiff, " Joseph, yon must grow a better crop of turnips next year, as there is a £10 cup to be given : look to it." lie did, and won it. The rev. gen- tleman then proceeded to observe that Mr. Hill had told them that his manure had cost him the sum of £1 4s. 2d. ; his (Mr. Huxtable's) had cost him less— and here he somewhat dif- fered with the judges : they said he ought to charge for the value of the farm-made dung, but he never did so, and on this principle, that in valuuig his crops he never valued the straw, and therefore the dung ought not to be valued. The artificial manures he had used were— 2 cwt. of coprolites, dissolved in half their weight of sulphuric acid, and seven put loads of dung with the sulphuric acid. He had used a hard word— coprolites— and some of his friends present might ask, " What does it mean ?" He was himself obliged to refer to a Greek lexicon to discover its meaning, which was " dung stone," or in other words, "fossil dung." It was a remarkable dis- covery, and one which would prove of considerable importance to this country. To show them its value, he would quote a passage from Liebig, the celebrated chemist, on whose won- derful discoveries a farmer once made a bad pun by saying, " It's & bi[/ lie !"~" A3 England owes her strength to her manufactures, her power among the nations to the coal mines which are to be found beneath her hills, so it will be discovered that she owes the strength of her agriculture to her fossil phosphates, or the fossilized bones, which she holds in her soil." Well, then, the suedes which he (Mr. Huxtable) grew, were manured with these dung stones, which were obtained in large quantities from Norfolk, and which he had ground down for the purpose of manure. Those which he had used, he had purchased ; but he had found them in his own parish also. A learned ph.ilosophcr, who came down to visit him, said — " Sir, this is the grey sand stone, here is the London clay ; and here you will find these stones." Well, he (Mr. Huxtable) dug away, employing men to sink pil;s, and at last he found them, and he had brought some specimens to show them ; but the portion which he had brought with him was only about the sixteenth part of one. These dung stones were supposed to be the dung dropped from the Saurians, ei.ori^ious animals, 20 or 30 feet long, which inhabited the earth at a very remote period of its history. It was conjec- tured that they dropped this dung in the clay, where it had become fossilized. (Considerable laughter from many persons iu the room, who appeared to consider Mr. Huxtable's state- ment as an attempt to impose upon their credulity.) Some of them supposed he was joking; he was really speaking serious. It was a most providential as well as wonderful thing that this country had these treasures in its soil, fur they were of the same corapojition as though they took horses' legs and bones, and burnt them to pieces. There were tens of thousands of these stones in our soils. He had them in enormous quantities in hii own parish, and if any person should feci d( sh'ous of seeing the specimens, he should be most happy to open a pit, and show them the stones as they lay in the formation. Thoy do not, however, pay to wo'k, and therefore he was obliged to purchase what he required from his friend, Mr. Lawes, who supplied them from Norfolk. He had used about 2 cwt., and his manure cost him about 10s. an acre — he meant for pur- chased mamire. He would tell them of hi< failure; a glorious failure, from which he had learned more than he ever had from anything he had ever done. He had got bumptious about growing swedes ; he thought he could beat everybody, but he had failed signally. He had planted a field of six acres of stiff land with turnips ; he first drilled in 3 cwt. of superphosphate of lime, and put in the seed ; it came up beautifully, but to his utter astonishment the roots never grew, and many of thera were not larger than a wine glass. The cause of this was, that after the rains the clay soil had run together and bound the plants so tiglitly that they could not grow. He then en- deavoured to remedy this evil, which he did by dibbling one acre, drawing a gardener's line from one end of the field to the other, making holes, which were filled with dung and super- phosphate of lime ; and although, in the other parts of the field which had been heavily dunged because lie could not make them grow, because the roots could uot make their way through the stiff clay ; yet where he put their food under them, the plants grew wonderfully. AVith respect to liquid manuring, finding that by the old system the land was cut all to pieces^ and knowing that there was no evil for which there was not a remedy — he had set to work, not on a small scale, and had laid down 1,350 yardi of wood piping, made of larch, Scotch fir, or elm ; it was bored with a boring machine, by a man at Foutmel, first by a onc-incli and afterwards by a two-inch borer. The charge for b jring was about 7d. per yard ; it cost him also 2d. per yard for posts, and altogether the expense was about one shilling per yard. He had got a forcing pump. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 107 which oanieJ water 30 feet high, and thus he could carry these pipes all over his farm. But it might he asked, IIow could he afford to do all this ? The expense iucurred iu laying dowa pipes to water 90 acres of land was £70 10s. lie had got stumps placed iu various convenient positions, and as the water rushing down into the pipes under ground would always find its level, it rose up in these stumps, which were six feet high, and from wliich the water carts were supplied. He employed a lame man to pump at the well at a shilling a day (and they must rememher that he was lame, and that it was not hard work), and then he employed a hoy with pony carts, each able to contain a hogshead and a half. He chose the pony carts and the small carts in preference to larger ones, because he found that the latter cut up the ground, iu consequence of broad wheels. It took twelve minutes to fill the hogshead and a half, and it took eight or ten hours to water two acres of land with 3G hogsheads of liquid manure. Ihus, it cost him for the man pumping Is., and for the boy and carts 3s. per day, making a total cf 4s. ; the actual sum paid for labour being only 2s. per day, to manure each acre of land. The advantage of the liquid manure was very great ; it was taken up by the plants at once, for the moment they mowed down the grass it was thirsty beyond measure, and woidd drink anything they would put upon it. lis had intended to have brought them a specimen of the Italian rye-grass, which had been watered with the liquid manure, and had grown ten inches in the last six weeks, and if there was no frost, it would grow a foot higher before Christmas. Thus, these experiments gave them com- mand over the seasons. Here, for instance, was barley (a spe- cimen of which was handed round the room) cut off close to the stumps, which had actually produced 141 stems from one grain, and the barley had been raised by the use of liquid ma- nure. This had been what was called among the farmers a "lipping" season — this was bad English but good Dorset — and the cattle had not done well, the grass being v/atery. But when he told them that he had cut his clover, which had beeu watered with the liquid manure four times, they would say that it had really been a " lipping" season, while his other clover, which had not been so watered, he had cut only twice this season. The clover thus raised would be worth its weight in gold if it came in a scarce time, the green crops iu the month of August being of great value to the dairy farmer. Speaking of draining, when he began it cost him £7 au acre, but now he was able to get it done for £4 an acre. He thought the in- terest expended on the draining shoidd be 7 per cent., as it could not be considered a permanent improvement, the drains being likely to get out of repair. He was not going to spin them a long yarn, but he would now speak of the profits ; he was quite open to all the world, and he did not wish to dis- guise. It was a great national question, viz , that where two men were once employed there are now fifteen, and where £50 a-year was once expended for labour there is now £355. It was not a mere personal question to hun (Mr. H.), but he felt deeply the importance of the subject, or he should not have attended there that day. Some persons, however, would say he must have a good bank (laughter) : at all events he did not keep his experiments to himself ; he told them what he could do, and the results of his experience were open to the rest of tiie world, to have the benefit of them. Mr. Huxtable then proceeded to allude to the observations of the chairman res- pecting the value of improvements to the farmer, as being as good as capital. Speaking of diminished capital (said the rev. gentleman), it is the same thing whether you give the farmer a certain amount of capital, or whether you diminish his expenses to that amount. He was sorry that some persons represented liim as the landlords' friend only, and bad made a very im- proper use of his name. He did not live by his agricultural experiments, but he had taken the farms, and risked his capital on them for the benefit of agricultural iiuprovements (cheers). An unjust imputation had been laid on him ; he had been de- scribed as saying that the tenant shouhl effect improvtmeuta without security : such au assertion was ridiculous. I/mdlords were but mortals, lie maintained that tenants should have a good lease. Mr, Huxtable then read the following statement of his expenditure and receipts at West Farm, Sutton Wal- dren, from Sept. 1, 1847, to Sept., 1843:— HEBTOR. Rent of 100 acres of land, including glebe .... Interest on capital sunk in permanent improve- ments : — ■ Additional buildings and roads, £400, at 5 per cent, per annum £20 0 0 Draining at £4 per acre, the dis- tance between the drains 3 feet deep being 24 feet; pipes 1 inch at 163. ; labour, 8s. the score perch ; being just £4 per acre, charged at £7 per cent, on £400 28 0 0 Wooden pipes of two-inch boro, 1,350 yards, at Is. ; forcing pump, and upright delivery pumps at every 240 yards, £80, at ten per cent 7 0 0 £100 0 0 55 0 0 Tithes, 5a. per acre ; rates. Is. Cd. per acre ; in- surance, £2 34 10 Purchased stock : cows, £19G 4s. ; bulls, £14 ; pigs, £27 15s 237 19 Purchased food : corn for horses, £78 ; corn and cake for cattle, £63 16s 141 IG Corn, &c., for seed, £43 17s.; manure, £37 ISs. 2d 81 10 Loss by death of cow, £9 ; miscellancoxis articles bought, £4 18s. 9d 13 18 Tradesmen's bills 54 10 Labour 375 0 Ten per cent, interest on £1,500, working capital 150 0 £1,244 3 11 CUEDITOII. Wheat, 402 sacks 2 bushels, from 40 acres 1 rood, at 253. per sack i 509 2 C Butter and cheese from dairy 220 0 0 Pigs 147 9 9 Poultry 9 14 9 Improved value of stock 188 0 0 Forty bushels of rye-grass, at 7s. per bushel. ... 14 0 0 Two fat heifers 30 10 0 Keep for 100 sheep 80 0 0 Beastssold 177 15 0 £1,382 12 0 Deduct expenses 1,244 3 11 Balance 138 8 1 that is, £1 73. 8d. per acre, in addition to making ten per cent, of the capital employed. In conclusion, Mr. Huxtable thanked the company for their kind opinion of him, and iu referring for a moment to the subject of emigration, he hoped that if it were carried out on so extensive a scale as had been suggested, it would be remembered that the emigrants had souls as well as bodies, and that clergymen should be sent out with them. He knew that at the present time the wants of the poor were very pressing ; but, as the song said, better times were coming, and in the hope of those better times he trusted they wovdd all go on and improve. Mr, Huxtable resumed his seat amid loud cheering. 138 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. STURMINSTER AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. THE BALANCE SHEET. Among the vaiious contributions to the Mark Lane Erpress, those detailing the experiments of the Rev. A. Huxtable have afforded much interest and instruction in relation to agriculture. I doubt not that the announce- ment of the " balance sheet" of the Sutton Waldron farm excited more than ordinary curiosity. That balance sheet is not so clear as it may probably be made ; and if the rev. gentleman will condescend to supply a little more information, he will add to the obligations already conferred on the agricultural interest. The first ques- tion I would ask is, whether the statement of expendi- ture and receipts is such as may be fairly considered an average annual return ? If not, it is worthless. If, how- ever, it may be taken as an instance of what may be fairly calculated upon for a number of yeais, it is im- portant to ascertain by what process such satisfactory results may be obtained. Passing by the Dr. account, we come to the first item on the Cr. side ; the whole of which I annex : — Wheat, 402 sacks 2 bushels, from 40 acres 1 rood, at 25s. per sack 503 2 0' [This item in your type is carried out as £509 2s. 6d , which makes a difference in the balance of £6 Os. 6d.] Butter and cheese froiu the dairy 226 0 0 Pigs 147 9 9 Poultry 9 14 9 Improved value of stock 188 0 0 Forty busliels of rye-grass at 7s 14 0 0 Two fat heifers 30 10 0 Keep for 100 sheep 80 0 0 Beasts sold 177 15 0 £1,376 11 G" The total shows a produce of rather more than ^13 I5s. per acre. What, then, is the description of land, and what the course of cultivation which would realise forty bushels of wheat per acre four times in ten years .' The second item is " butter and cheese ;" and as this must be connected with the cows purchased, I would ask, how many cows were bought by the £lQij 4s., as stated in the Dr. account, as well as the number of bulls and of pigs? And this brings me also to the number of pigs sold. The next item to the " poultry'' is " improved value ofs'.ock." I would here inquire, what description of stock is referred to, and what has it been fed on ? Passing by the " rye-grass" we come to " two fat heifers, .£30 IDs." — for these there appears no Dr. account. The next is, " keep for 100 sheep, £S0." Oa what were they fed ? We then come to" beasts sold, ^^177 15s." — and here we are met by the same dif- ficulty that occurs with the heifers : there is no account of beasts bought. Did the heifers and beasts cost nothing ; or are the amounts from improved value .■' Knowing nothing of the Rev. A. Huxtable beyond what appears in his publications, I feel that an apology would be requii-ed from me for thus referring to his statements if it did not appear that a gentleman, who has obtained such a notoriety as to be regarded as an autho- rity on questions of great importance to agriculture, is bound to give such additional information as is requisite to enable others to comprehend his practice. As no one reading the statement referred to can form any conception of the mode by vi'hich the results are ob- tained, I will request, as a particular favour to myself (and I doubt not it will be also so considered by numer- ous other readers of your valuable journal), if the rev. gentleman would give a little more information with re- ference to the items of his account ; and also give us the cropping of the remaining sixty acres of his farm, for which no particular statement has been made. If anything in my letter should appear offensive, I should much regret it ; as my only object is to gain in- formation. Being dependant on agriculture for a liveli- hood, I am anxious to add as much as possible to the little stock of knowledge I pojsess. Never having made 10 per cent., and £l 7s. 8d, per acre in addition, with the price of wheat exceeding 25s. per sack, I entertain fears for myself, and my brethren in agriculture also, if a free trade in corn should reduce the average price of wheat much below 25s. per sack, and other articles in proportion. I am, sir, your obedient servant, Hilchin, Bee. 27, 1848. Wm. IIainworth. MR. HUXTABLE'S BALANCE SHEET. Sir, — The astounding account given by the Uev. Mr. Huxtable at the Sturminstcr Farmers' Club, reported in the Mark Line Eupress, of obtaining produce equal in value to 14 rents, and near 15 per cent, interest on a capital of ^£'2,380, employed on a farm of 100 acres, having led me to endeavour to ascertain its probable cor- rectness, I forward you the result. I could only estimate the probable value of the stock liable to depreciate in value, from the vague description given as to arable, pasture, and waste ; but a per-centage should have been allowed for depreciation. A credit is taken for improved value of stock to the amount of j£'i88. Tiiis seems an enormous amount, and I suppose an error; as the pigs and grazing stock were sold, and the feed of 100 sheep valued at ,£80 — £268. And I do not find that the cost price of the two heifers and other fat boasts is charged or deducted from the sale price. I estimate the probable value of the fixed stock as fol- lows : — Cost of cows, as slated £196 Cost of horses, estimated 100 Deadstock „ 104 'Value of permanent stock £400 And of course, if thrashing and other expensive ma- chines, it will be much more. Estimated value of permanent stock, subject to deprecia- tion at 7i per cent £ 30 Cost price of fat stock, sold for £208 104 £134 The £188 credited for improved value of stock I must leave as doubtful 5 it is a large sum for summer THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 13J grazing on a farm of 100 acres, and should have heen explained. Mr. Iluxtable observed that the balance of i.'lSS 8s. was in addition to the ten per cent, of the capital em- ployed. The interest of £bb on £880 for permanent improvements, and of £\bO on £'1500, working ca- pital, being added to the disbursements, of course reduce the balance to that amount, and thus the account will stand : — Interest on £S80 £ 55 Ditto ou £1,503 150 Surplus balance 138 343 Deduct a3 above 134 £209 £343 is £14 less than 15 per cent, on £2,380 ; £209 is £5 less than 9 per cent, on £2,380. But the balance is struck as if the whole produce was to be sold ; and by so much as is required to hold the farm on, goes to pay off the capital employed ; but if held on, a deduc- tion must be made for horse and seed corn ; and, taking it at the same amount as charged of £78 and £63, it amounts to £121, to be deducted from the surplus cal- culated as interest on capital employed, and then the account will stand as follows : — Interest and balance £343 Previous deductiou £134"! Additional deduction £121 J 255 Balance for interest on £2,380 ... £ 88 Or less than 4 per cent, on the capital expended by £7. Possibly a little more detailed account would have shown that my view of the subject is not correct. Such state- ments as made by Mr. Huxtable are liable to lead the public to think that farming may be made a very pro- fitable business if capital is expended. It shov,-s that the produce may be greatly increased and doubled, or even trebled in some cases ; but the main question is. Will it pay more interest than by other means 1 The 402 sacks of wheat, of course, were grown in 1847 ; the crop in hand may turn out to be less by one or two sacks per acre, and the selling price may be 2s. or 3s. per sack less, and thus reduce the credit account £50 or £100 for the coming year ; and the profit on grazing may be less. Yet every one will admit that the produce must be increased, or the cost of production reduced. How the diftitulty is to be got over I must leave to others better qualified. Chas. Poppy. Witnesham, Suffolk. MR. HUXTABLE'S BALANCE SHEET. Sir, — In the Mark Lane Express of Jan. 1, Mr. \V. Hainworth requests, as " a personal favour,'' that I would explain certain items on the balance-sheet of my West Farm, which, without knowledge of the system professed to be followed, appear to him obscure. Though I fear I cannot, without giving a detailed account of the manage- ment there adopted, make that statement clear to a stranger, yet, as brielly as possible, I will try to eluci- date the particulars to which Mr. Hainworth refers. The soil of the farm is various, but all of it required frequent drainage, which it las received. 30 acres are of the Oxford clay, 7 acres on the green sandstone, the rest a fair average loam. The cultivator aims to have half of his farm in straw, the rest to be in clover and green crops, which are all consumed in the house by soiling, save what is required by the sheep. But the farm is unequal! y divided by a road, and this was the occasion last year of a considerably larger share of green food than of corn being grown ; but this would occur only in alternate seasons. Wheat hitherto has been grown every other year. The GO acres devoted to green crops were divided pretty equally between clover, vetches, swedes, carrots, mangel-wurzel, common turnips, and Italian rye-grass. The butter and cheese, and whey (consumed by breed- ing sows and their young) were the produce of 20 cows, which was the average number during the milking sea- son. A considerable number of the calves are reared. Thus in September, 1847, there were 18 cows, 1 bull two years old, 1 yearling do., 8 yearling heifers, 12 calves, i.e., 40 head ; but in September 1, 1848, there were 50 head, i. e., 26 cows, 2 bulls, 6 heifers, 8 year- lings, and 8 calves. Several cows were bought with calves by their side ; some of these were " milked out " and sold as " dry." These transactions are represented in the debtor and creditor accounts respectively, as — Cows bought, £196 4s. ; cows sold, £177 los. They were nearly all heifers with their first calves, and being kept in an almost fat- tening condition whilst milking, their growth and pro- gress prevented much loss by their sale. The two heifers referred to were reared by myself, and sold at 20 months old for £15 5s. each ; therefore they appear not on the debtor account as " bought." Similarly with the pigs : 10 breeding sows are constantly kept, and beside these, for fattening, 22 smaller ones were purchased ; in all, 114 pigs were sold, but most of these were parted with as soon as weaned, porkers last year having been in great demand ; the rest were fattened upon boiled roots and corn. In conclusion, I beg to assure Mr. Hainworth that I by no means calculate on obtaining every year forty bushels per acre of wheat ; but, from five years' expe- rience over the whole farm, I have exceeded thirty-two bushels per acre. But I feel confident that the growth of green crops by the process of liquid manuring can be vastly increased, and therewith the amount of stock kept and reared in the house. On this important subject I should like to have sent you calculations, but I am un- willing to occupy space with matters which might not prove interesting to many of your readers. I am, sir, your obedient servant, A. HUXTABLE. Sutton Walden, Blandford, Jan. 4. uo THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. MR. HUXTABLE'S BALANCE SHEET. Sir, — Your Eilitorial remarks, and the letter of Mr. Poppy, in your journal of the 8th inst., indicate an in- terest in the balance sheet of Mr. Huxtable, of which it is probable " many of your readers" partake. The reply to my inquiries in your paper of this week (for which I am greatly obliged) throws a little more light on the subject, although much might have been added without being tedious. It being admitted thai the average yearly produce of Sutton Waldron farm is about 32 bushels, or 8 sacks, of wheat per acre, tlie amount of whicli for 40 acres, at 25s. per sack, would be 400/., it follows that the ave- rage annual profit, estimated at the above price, would b^ 109/. less than the profit of the year set forth in the balance sheet. After deducting 10 per cent, for work- ing capital, the balance would be about 30/., instead of 138/. 8s. Id., as set forth for the year from Sept. 1st, 1847, to Sept. 1st, 1848; and would give an annual profit, including interest on capital, of 1/. 16s. per acre, instead of 21. 17s. 8d. per acre, the profit announced at the Sturminster meeting. We are informed that the farm is cultivated in two parts ; one part (GO acres) being in green crops when the other part (40 acres) is wheat, and vice versa. If I understand aright, the stock on this farm — from 40 to 50 head of cattle, 100 sheep, sundry swine and farm horses — were fed on the root crops of 1847, which grew on about 23 acres of land, the proportion allotted to these crops being pact of the 40 acres subsequently sown with wheat, which produced the crop of 1848 re- ferred to in the balance sheet. As the swedes of the year 1847 were stited to be " quite a disgrace," it is very important to ascertain on what food this large quantity of stock were kept "in an almost fattening condition from Sept. 1st, 1847, to the time when the rye-grass, clover, and vetches were ready, extending over a period of about eight months." Itis also import- ant to know what portion of the green crops on the 60 acre division were consumed by the 1st Sept., 1848, and (if any) what stock of hay or clover, being a portion of that produce, v.u8 in hand on the said 1st Sept., 1848. There are other features of the " balance sheet" which merit attention, but I will not weary you by touching on them. It is to be regretted that on this " important Bubject" Mr. Huxtable has not furnished a debtor and creditor account of stock in hand Sept. 1st, 1847, to shew on what his stock was fed until the spring of 1848. Until this is done the question will continue a mystery. Apologising to Mr. Huxtable and yourself for again trespassing, I am, Sir, jour most obedient servant, Hiichin, Jan. \2ih. Wm. Hainworth. THE HIGH FARMING LEDGER. TO THE EDITOR OF THE WESTERN TIMES. Dear Sir, — Having read a long statement in The Western I'imes newspaper of last week, on " High Farming," which is held up as a pattern scheme, I, as well as a very considerable number of your agricultural subscribers, should feel obliged for something like a proof of that statement ; viz. ;— A full, clear, and com- prehensive statement of all the items, so as to leave no room for doubt, and to enable us, if all is right, to copy the pattern — for instance : — What is Mr. Huxtable's system for cropping his land ? Can he raise forty acres of wheat annually on 100 acres of land .' Can he grow an average of forty bushels of wheat per acre, through tlie various seasons, throughout the term of fourteen years, on very poor land ? And, if he can, how is the land to be managed for that purpose ? How many cows were kept ? How long was each cow milked ? What was their united produce — and how was it disposed of.' How many pigs were sold ? Were they fattened — and how disposed of .•' In what state were the beasts sold and other stock, if any ; if fed, what was their estimated weight and price ? How long a time were the 100 sheep kept ? At what rate per head, per week, is the calculation made on them ? As Mr. Huxtable grew forty acres of wheat on a farm of one hundred, sixty acres remain, on which he has kept the enormous quantity of live stock — the produce of which amounted to nearly i;900 in one year ! ! ! On what fodder were all these cows, pigs, poultry, farm horses, beasts, sheep, and other improved stock depastured during the whole of the year ? In what year was Mr. Huxtable's balance sheet made up — beginning and ending when .' As Mr. Huxtable has been kind enough to give us (through The Western Times) the outline of his farming for the benefit of others, he will, by giving us the detailed proof of a well got-up system of cropping and stocking of lands, give the farmers the most useful lesson they were ever taught, and at the same time confer a lasting benefit on his country. In conclusion, I trust that you, Mr, Editor, will use your best endeavours to lay such statement as I have now asked for, before your readers as soon as possible. One who farms. Exeter, Jan. 3, 1849. AGRICULTURAL LABOURERS. That there is room for improvement in the habits, as well as the moral and social condition of agricultural labourers is unquestionable ; and if employers bad made their condition the subject of consideration with a view to their benefit, they would themselves have been indirect gainers, more frequently than coroplainers. TllK 1<\VRMEK'8 MAGAZINE. 141 Though here is a village school free of cxiirnse and accessible to the children of the poorest inhabitant, yet the fruits of their education give the impression that the children are kept in the most profound ignorance of all that is really essential to their well being in after life ; and their education, meagre as it is, is of very short duration, for as soon as the children can do anything in the fields they arc taken from school : the parents plead necessity, through the lowness of their own wages, as the reason for this : the children are there contaminated both by precept and example, and too often encouraged in acts of dipredation and pilfering by their parents. This is the sort of material from which the labourers in the southern counties are derived. Then, when the future labourer is able to do as much work as a man, whatever his age or qualities as a workman, if single he is paid 2s. a week less than a married man ; and this fact, together with his knowledge that his condition hardly can be worse than it is, causes him to get married at the earliest opportunity ; although he knows where food and lodging arc to come from on that day, he has not the least thought or knowledge how or where he is to get a meal on the morrow. Such is their ignorance and prejudice that if a new tool or implement is put into their hands it is either broken, or the prejudice against it such, that the employer finds he must take to the old plan or tool again, of necessity. This state of things is often owing to the manner in which labourers are treated by their employers, and the former are frequently objects of sympathy rather than censure ; one great evil is that the farmer employs as little labour as possible, more especially in winter, from an idea that the 7s. or 8s. per week he pays a labourer is so much money out of his pocket, and when employed it is always considered as a charity to give a poor man this pittance and have his six days' labour in return ; the farmer usually will pay grudgingly Ss. or 4s. a week to keep a man in the workhouse, rather than 7s. or 8s. to employ him. The labourer cannot fail to see that his services are dispensed with as soon as ever the farmer can do without them ; if the man does not go to the workhouse, he often does worse, as his state when unemployed is usually the prelude to poaching or pilfering, besides acquiring habits of idleness, which are not easily forgot when he may work if he will. It is well known that in agriculture, as in manufacture, labour judiciously employed will repay, and is frequently the means of amassing a fortune, as hundreds of manu- facturers in Lancashire and Yorkshire are instances, and who will candidly say that employment of labour is the source of their wealth, that the obligation between em- plo3'er and employed is reciprocal. There is abundant labour in this country for all who are willing to work ; and at a future day, in all human probability, not only additional labour will be employed in existing channels, but new channels will be open for perhaps double the population. I have remarked that where cultivation is most primitive the labourer is in the worst moral condilio;i ; the plough may be seen working four or five inches deep, and the farmer com- plaining of summers either too wet or too dry, and ligiit croj/S. I have seen the farmer pay more monry in n season for extricating his stock out of the j)ound lli.in would have paid for labour to keep the hedges in i;ood order ; and roads so bad that more horses have been sent for to release his team, when there were plenty of stones upon his land close by for gathering up. I have seen good arable land for weeks together under water, the land producing not a fourth of an average crop, draining considered too expensive ; one farmer said his land lost its goodness soon enough without draining it away. I have seen manure spread and exposed to sun and air for a fortnight before it wjs ploughed in, on land intended for wheat and turnips, and the farmer in arrears at rent-day. I have known the farmer's carts going to the nearest town for guano, and in his cattle yard at home was a large place occupied by a dark coloured liquor, reminding one of Barclay and Perkins's stout. I have seen the seeds of thistles flying in the air, and almost covering the ground for miles in extent, and the farmer only employed women at hay-time and harvest. Can it be wondered that the labourer is in a low condition where such are some of the specimens of agrioulture ? To make good labourers there must be a good feeling between them and the farmer, as also be- tween the landlord and farmer ; when each of these parties have an uncharitable feeling towards the other, the labourer suffers. It is also desirable that piecework should be adopted ; the farmer should be as good a judge of a fair day's work as the manufacturer, who ordinarily has his work executed by the piece. Good wages are the best means of insuring good labourers, and a man to whom a shilling a week addi- tional is paid may and will often save three or four times that sum to his employer. An employer has it in his power to make men either good, indifferent, or bad, according as they are treated ; but .when all are placed in one category, all looked upon as bad, and treated as such, no encouragement given for the interest the work- man takes in his employer's property, idleness and in- dustry all treated alike, the good are discouraged ; and the bad and indifferent, although under proper treatment the latter would have made a good labourer under a humane and feeling employer, becomes a bad one because it is taken for granted that he is a bad one and always treated as such. That solitary instances of ingratitude and dishonesty are seen, is granted, and this more in higher grades than agricultural labourers ; and he who says he has reason to denounce the whole class carries with him his own condemnation, for it shows he has made no effort to improve them. I once heard a la- bourer say in reference to his master, that his master was so good feeling, high principled, and unsuspecting, that he would rather a man would rob himself than his employer. J. II. — Gardeners* Chronicle. 142 THE FARMEirS MAGAZINE. SMITH FIELD CATTLE MARKET. Sir, — Will you interfere, with your powerful pen, to put a stop to one of the most direful nuisances in this metropolis, viz., the uproar and scenes of desecration which take place in Smithileld-market from Sunday afternoon to the Monday morning following? What with the incessant barking of dogs, the bellowing of the oxen and calves, the bleating of sheep, the grunting of swine, the roaring and swearing of men, with torches, passing to and fro amongst the frightened animals, and the continued sound of blows inflicted on the horns, heads, and bodies of the poor animals, produce an impression on the beholders that no person can adequately describe, and must be seen to be believed. The desecration of the Sal)bath is bad enough ; but parties who reside in any of the streets leading into Smith&cld, from the confined space, are absolutely in danger of their existciice, more especially the female portion, from the terror inspired by furious oxen, &c. Surely the pre- sent deplorable state of things, as far as regards this nuisance in the heart of the city of London, cannot be much longer en- dured. Most certainly in no other city of the world would such an abomination be sufl'ered. — I remain, sir, your most obedient servant, AN INHABITANT OF WEST SMITHFIELU. December 20, 1848. The medical men who practise in the city of London declai'e that cancerous and pulmonary affections have been enormously increased, of late years, by the quantity of meat unfit for human food, which is daily disposed of within the bills of mortality. The obvious cause of this evil is, that, in Smithfield and Newgate markets, where inspectors are appointed, with full power to seize and confiscate such carrion, the accommodation is so execra- ble that they cannot perform their duties at all ; whilst, in the other meat markets of London, no such necessary supervision has been established. Our ancestors appear, in sanitary matters, to have been wiser than we are. There exists, amongst the Rolls of Parliament of the year 1380, a petition from the citizens of London, praying that, for the sake of the public health, meat should not be slaughtered nearer than " Knyghts-brigg," under penalty, not only of for- feiting such animals as might be killed in the "but- cherie," but of a year's imprisonment. The prayer of this petition was granted, audits penalties were enforced during several reigns. In 1848, however, we are not so squeamish. In the course of a year 220,000 head of cattle and 1,500,000 sheep are violently forced into an area of five acres, in the very heart of London, through its narrowest and most crowded thoroughfares ; and are there sold, and there slaughtered, in the dark and undrained cellars, stables, and out-houses adjoining. The inhabitants and shopkeepers, on the line of march taken by these herds and flocks, are weekly frighted from their propriety by the transit of 4,000 oxen and 30,000 sheep, that are hurried along by reckless drovers, and maddened by savage dogs. Scarcely a market-day passes without some grave accident to man, beast, and property. A letter from " An Inhabitant of West Smithfield," which will be found elsewhere in our columns, depicts, with the graphic force of truth, the grievous inconveniences and outrages to which those who reside in the neighbourhood of this intolerable nuisance are constantly subjected. The environs of Smithfield are poisoned by blood and garbage ; the quality of the meat that we daily eat is deteriorated by the ill-usage which the animals undergo whiljt alive, and by the faulty accommodation for cleansing and dressing it when dead. The graziers, who send their stock to London, are fleeced, in consequence of the monopoly which the Smithfield salesmen enjoy ; and the poor of the metro- polis are sickened by the pestilential trash which the crowded and undisciplined state of the meat markets enables the lower classes of salesmen to foist upon them with impunity. The cruelties, too, practised habitually on the wretched animals defy exaggeration. It will scarcely be accredited that the foreign cattle and sheep which are sold in Smithfield receive, during their transit from the port of their embarkation to Blackwall — a period which varies from two to six days— not one drop of water nor one atom of food. The deterioration of meat from bruises and over-driving is calculated, by butchers themselves, to amount, in Smithfield market alone, to above £100,000 a year. The evidence before the various committees abounds in disgusting details of eyes deliberately knocked out, horns broken off, tongues torn, women and children tossed, drovers killed and mu- tilated, and shop-fronts forcibly dashed in. And yet these are but the minor evils of Smithfield market. That on which we now wish most especially to dwell, is the facility which the crowded and disorganized con- dition of this market affords for the unlawful sale of diseased meat ; and, unluckily, meat of that description, being the leanest, is precisely the sort selected, at the low butchers' shops, by the poor, as being the econo- mical. From the 1st day of January, 1848, to the 7th of the following August, the inspector of Smithfield market confiscated, out of 120,000 cattle and 800,000 sheep, not one diseased beast, and but five diseased sheep. We do not mean to censure that officer for not doing his duty. We say that he could not do it. It was notori- ous, at the time, that on every market day no less than from 50 to 100 head of cattle, and several hundred sheep, calves, pigs, &c,, in a fearfully morbid condition, were disposed of. One salesman alone sold weekly, for a con- siderable period, upwards of 100 sheep, consigned to him from abroad, v/hich were afflicted with the small- pox. The sick animals are divided into three classes — " choppers, rough-uns, and wet-uns." The best are driven into the low slaughter-houses in Cow Cross-street and Sharp's-alley, are there cleaned, curried, and furbished up, and are then disposed of alive to the in- THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 148 I'erior class of butchers lesiiliiig in jioor and densely po- jiulatcd neighbourhoods. Those in a more advanced s(ate of disease are slaughtered and sold on the spot to tlie compilers of German sausages, polonies, saveloys, and bla"k puddings, and to the vendors of ii-la-mode beef, meat pies, and cheap soups. It may be interesting to epicures to learn that the red tint observable in Lon- don German sausages is derived from a judicious admix- ture of horse-flesh, for glandered horses, cows which die in calving, and still-born calves, are all considered as fair grist to the sausage mills, which are to be heard in full drive in suspicious proximity to the knackers' yards. The men employed in this foul work often die, from ac- cidentally inoculating themselves with the virus con- tained in the morbid meat which they prepare for public food. Tyler's-market is especially infamous for the measly quality of its pork, which is never outraged by the censorious eye of an inspector. These evils exist in the very heart of London. No- body denies them. They come home to every man's door — nay, to every man's dining table. All that we have here stated, and more, and worse, is to be wit- nessed twice a week in the City. It is to be found in the reports of the Committees of 1828 and 1847, both of which have in vain condemned Smithfield as a nui- sance which ought to be at once abolished ; and we may also refer these interested in the matter to an able pamphlet on the subject, lately published by Mr. llidg- way, of Piccadilly, written in an excellent spirit, by no less a personage than Mr. John Bull. We trust that the enemies of over-legislation, who maintain that mat- ters like these ought to be left to find their own level, will not be too hard upon us, if we implore the powers that be, to be as wise in 1818 as our ancestors were in 1380; to exile, at once and for ever, every cattle-mar- ket, slaughter-house, and knacker's-yard, far away from the heart of London ; to place tliem under the strictest supervision ; and, further, to take such steps as they in their wisdom shall deem advisable, for removing the un- comfortable imputations which the little work, to which we have alluded, has been the means of casting — we fear with much justice — upon the sanitary qualities of the German sausages, polonies, saveloys, black puddings, meat-pies, and u-la-mode beef of the British metropolis. Until the Legislature interferes, it will be impossible for any thoughtful man, who has read Mr. John BulCs work, to partake, in future, of these co jkney dainties with any feelings save those of nausea and distrust. — Morning Chronicle. THE LORD CHIEF BARON AND MR. WHITEHURST'S OPINIONS AS TO THE SMITHFIELD MARKET NUISANCE, WITH THE PETITION OF THE MERCHANTS AND BANKERS OF LONDON. The feeling in favour of abating the nuisance of Smith- field market is most rapidly increasing ; many who for- merly opposed the removal of Smithfield mai-ket are now among the foremost to join the movement in favour of transferring it to Islington. Bankers in Smithfield, salesmen in Smithfield, aldermen of the City of London, common councilmen, many butchers, and a host of in- dividuals more or less connected with the cattle trade have already come forward to volunteer their adhesion. Above all, the opinions of the present Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer, when he was at the bar, and Mr. Whitehurst, the eminent Q. C. (in addition to the law authorities of the city), have given the coup de grace to any attempts to legally enlarge Smithfield with the con- sent of Parliament, which has been nine times refused. What has been recently and some years before at- tempted by the Smithfield monopolists to enlarge the area of their market is clearly illegal. They dare not sell beyond the original boundaries. The trick of retaining cattle on the outside until those in the inside of the legal market are sold, is a palpable evasion of the conditions of the charter, and an obstructive nui- sance actionable by all who may be injured by it. Extracts from the opinion of Mr. Whitehurst, Q.C., adopted and confirmed as they are by the present Lord Chief Baron, will prove this. Extract from the opinion of Mr. Whitehurst, Q.C. : " I am of opiniou the City of Londou have uot the power to enlarge the Smithfield IMarket. I consider the law to be clearly established — by the cases Dixon v. Robinson, 3 Mod. 108; Curwen !7. Salkeld, reported 3 East 538; Rex. r. Cot- terill, 1 B. & Al. 67 ; Ue Rictzea v. Lloyd, 5 Ad. & E. 457, and others— that the graut of a Market or Fair to be holden in a particular place, confines the market to that spot, and that it is not lawful to hold it in any other. "The charter (uoii prescription) uot authorising the City to make the additions, the markets held on those additions are iu the nature of nev) markets unauthorized by law, aud must be considered in the same manner as if held in a distant part of the city. A.s such they are au usurpation on the Crown, and if any individual sustains an irjnry to his fraucliises by means of such new markets, he has the same remedies against the corporatiou as he would have against any person who should erect a new market without authority to the prejudice of his old market. " Temple." " C. H. Whitehurst. Extract from the opinion of the present Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer : — " I am of opinion that the City of London is uot authorized, at common law or by charter, to enlarge Smithfield Market from time to time as they may think proper, and to hold the market and take toll on such enlargement. " The Corporation is liable iu various ways to different parties. The Crown may proceed by information for the usurpation : any persons actually injured may obtain re- dress by action to recover damages. Or the intervention of a court of equity :iiay be prayed by Bill so as to restrain a continuation of the injury. I have read the opiuion of Mr. 144 THE FARMER'S MA(JAZ1NE. AVIiitchuist, with which 1 eiitiiely agiee, aiul I beg to refer to the authorities cited by that gentleman in support of the opinion I have above written. "Temple." "F. Pollock. Such is the law as declared by the greatest legal authorities of the land. Let us now see what is the view of the " merchant princes" and bankers of London. In Petitions to the Houses of Lords and Commons the following firms, among others, offer to advance their money to be heard by Counsel, Agents, &c., against the continuance of the Smithfield-market nuisance. Barnctt, Hoarc, and Co. Hanbnrys, Taylor, and Ijloyd. Ciuililfcs, Brooke, and Co. Lubbock, Foster, and Co. Smith, Fayiie, and Smiths. Magniac, Jardine, and Co. Robarts, Curtis, and Co. Ovcrcnd, Guruey, and Co. Hankey and Co. Jones Loyd and Co. Baring Brothers. Crawford, Colvin, and Co. Johnson and Co. William Tait. Francis Ede and Son. W. Bell and Co. Kickctts, Boutcher, and Co. Sanderson and Co. F. A. Lizardi and Co. Benjn. Elkin and Son. Mangles and Co. J. W. Welch. Small and Co. Robt. Eglinton and Co. H. G. Abott. John Gore and Co. Rol)erts, Mitchell, and Co. Rawson, Norton, and Co. Daniell, Dickenson, and Co. Enthoven and Co. J^aton, Hulbert, and Co. John Allen and Co. Hibbert and Co. Davidsons and Co. John Locke and Co. Gongcr and Steuart. Warre Brothers. Moflfatt and Co. Innes, Ilodgc, and Co. J. Mallett. W. Moberley, Son, and Co. Alexander Cullen and Co. Alison, Cumberlcge, and Co. Geo. Pye and Co. G. W. Harrison. Gledstoncs and Co. T. Green and Co. Dickson Brothers. Berslcr, James, and Co. Donaldson, Lambert, and Co. Wood, Brothers, and Co. F. Le BretoiL Blyth and Greene. John Routh. Dallas and Coles. Melville and Co. W. Anderson, sen., and Co. James Alexander. Jamicson, Brothers, and Co. Geo. Little and Co. Josh. Templeraan and Co. Siordet, Meyer, and Co. Eraanuel, Henry, and Co. Emanuel Henry Braudth. Lya:l, Brothers, and Co. Burmeston Brothers. Thos. Stephens and Co. Albert Pelly and Co. Gonae, Lucas, and Gribble. Sinclair, Hamilton, and Co. Jno. H. Rudall. Gillespies, MofTatt, and Co. A. Stewart and Westmoreland Lesley Ale.xander and Co. J. S. Neave. John Entwisle. Kelsall and Co. M. Hetherington and Co. Barclay, Brothers, and Co. Gregson and Co. Drewett and Fowler. Prescott, Grote, and Co. H. J, Johnston and Co. Barnard and Co. Williams, Deacon, and Co. John Felthara and Co. A. Macdonald and Co. G. C. Jackson and Co. Trumpter and Rouquette. Boyon, Hoyer, and Tagart. W. W. Forbes. Charles Ball and Co. Gibson, Linton, and Co. F. and A. Bovet. W. Markland. Quarles Harris and Sons. CoUmann and Stolterfoht. Jos. Edermann. Peter Dickson and Co. Newman, Hunt, and Co. Boyds and Thomas. Williams and Co. Harvey, Brand, and Co. Anderson, Brothers, and Co. Sohu. Hart and Co. Martin, Stones, and Co. Brown, Janson, and Co. Spooner, Attwood, and Co. Saundersoii, Fry, and Fry. A general meeting of the members of the Far- mers and Graziers' Cattle Insurance Association was held at Chester on Saturday, Dec. 22. The meeting was called by advertisement, as required by the regulations of the association. Members were present from several distant counties, and from Scotland. A report showing the result of the experience of the association in resjiect to the mortality of cattle and the araoimt of losses during the period it has been established, nearly five years, was read ; it also contained various suggestions for the future conduct of the business, and for the settlement of subsisting claims. A number of questions were jnit to the chairman, which were satisfactorily answered, and, upon the motion of Samuel Sandbach, Esq., of Clayley- hall, Ilandley, Cheshire, seconded by Simon Ralph, Esq., of Saighton-hall, Cheshire, the report was read and adopted with only one dissentient. The various alterations are to take place from the first of January, We have no doubt but that this association, having obtained an amount of expe- rience which was not attainable at the period of its establishment, will progress successfully, and confer a great benefit upon the farmer. — Mark Lane Express. PIG MANURE. Sir, — In your valuable paper of this week you have been pleased to give an account of something that fell from me at the Frome Agricultural Society, respecting pig manure ; but as it is not exactly correvit, I will give you what I did say on the subject — viz., well knowing the excellence of pig manure, live years ago I was in- duced to try it solely for turnips. I tested it against guano and bone dust. The result was quite equal to the guano, and beat the bone dust hollow. My farm is one part clay and another sand ; I found the same result on both. I have also the management of a farm in Hamp- shire, a poor thin soil, and there the manure was equally beneficial. I have continued to use it ever since, with the same results. To carry out my plan convenient farm buildings are necessary. I have a large dry shed, in which, first of all, I put a layer of dry coal ashes, about a foot thick and four feet wide, to which the deposits of the pigs are taken, both liquid and solid, and as soon as it begins to ooze out I put on more ashes, and so on till it gets to about four feet in thickness. I then again commence a fresh layer, and treat in the same manner. After lying s )mc time, it is turned two or three times, and then it is fit for drilling. I have put in this year forty-fiive acres of turnips with nothing but this manure, and the result is now open for the inspection of any who may choose to see it. I found the droppings of three pigs, carefully pre- served, to be ample for two acres, and quite equal to three sacks of bone dust per acre. I am not speaking theoretically, but from actual experience ; and I consider if we can get such valuable manure for nothing but the labour, it is much better than putting our hands in our pockets and paying 283. or 30s. per acre for artificial manures. This is as near what I said on the subject as I recoU lect, and if you consider it worth giving a place in your next paper, you are at liberty to do so. I am, Sir, yours obediently, Saml, Pocock. Thouhtone Farm, Dec. 28, 1848. —Mark Lane Express. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 145 T EN A N T - R I G H T . REPORT FROM THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURAL CUSTOMS, WITH THE EVIDENCE. (Continued.) Evidence of Gicorge IIhimmol Ramsey, Esq. Chairman.] Where ilo you live .'' — In the county of Durham, ou the borders of Northumbeiland, five miles west from Newcastle. I believe you are a proprietor of land, and also an occu- pier .' — Yes, I am. And you are also a magistrate ? — I am. And you are president of the Newcastle Agricultural Society ? — I am not the president ; I am the vice-presi- dent; but I believe I was a founder of the club. Arc you generally acquainted with the state of agricul- ture in the counties of Durham and Northumberland .' — I am ; I have seen a great deal of it. Can you state generally what is the custom of the country between outgoing and incoming tenants 1 — I believe that the customs of the county of Durham are in many points very dissimilar from those of Northum- berland. What is the custom of the country in the county of Durham ? — There are a good many leases, but there is a great deal of land held without lease ; the greatest pro- portions are upon yearly tenure. Can you state what is the custom of payment between outgoing and incoming tenants ; and first, what is the period of entry ? — The period of entry is the 13th of May, except the grass land, and the grass land is at Lady- day ; that is, as far as relates to the meadow land ; the pasture land the outgoing tenant occupies till the 13th of May. Does the outgoing tenant in Durham have the succeed- ing corn crops '' — They have. The entry is generally on the 13th of May, and the first rent is paid a little previous to the 1 3th of May the following year. There is|a running half year of six months, both where there are leases and where there are no leases. Are there any compensations made there by the custom of the country ? — Not without special agreement. Do YOU know of special agreements for that object ? — All agreements, I think, generally embrace subjects of that description. Do the agreements comprise payment to the outgoing tenant, for draining for instance .' — No, I never knew a case of that kind. You have not much other permanent improvement besides drainage in Durham ? — No ; the buildings are done by the landlord generally. What is the usual course of crapping in the county of Durham .' — It varies a little between the strong land and the light. The light land has been farmed upon the four- course system with turnips and potatoes, and sometimes on a five-course system, with two years in grass depas- tured. That we consider an improved system of farm- ing : but upon the strong lands it is very various. In some cases the clay lauds are left in fallows and succeeded by wheat, and then sown up mth clover, and in some cases beans or peas, and then followed with oats generally speaking ; sometimes tares, but not often. Is there not a great deal of cold unproductive land in the county of Durham ? — A very great deal of very bad land, and they are very small farms, many of them, too. Is there great room for the improvement of farming iri the county of Durham ? — I think so, very much indeed. Is there a great deal of draining required ? — Yes ; there is a great deal required, and a great deal is doing, and has been for some years past. In your opinion would it l^e desirable to afford the outgoing tenant compensation for the improvement of the land .' — It is my opinion, and it is pretty generally so, that a lease with some arrangemeni: respecting the last four or five years of the lease would be a most desirable system ; that is, a lease with a tenant-right at the end of it. Have you a great many leases in Durh; m Z — Yes, we have ; and some very well-farmed lands too. When you say that some arrangement is required at the end of the lease, do you think that at the er.d of the lease the land falls back in condition .' — Alwviys ; it necessarily follows, I think. Do you find that if a tenant has not a prospect of con- tinuing his holding, in his own defence he returns ihe land into the hands of his landlord in an impoverishtl state compared with the state in which he has maintained it during the rest of his holding ? — As to the manure in particular, and in other points. If a lease is granted, it in some measure protects the landlord ; as to the number of ploughings, for instance, and the kind of crops that the land would bear ; but the tenant towards the close of his lease, however good a farmer he has been for the first few years of his lease, naturally buys less artificial manure and keeps less stock. What is the usual length of leases in the county of Durham ? — They vary very much ; from seven to twenty years. From twelve to fourteen years are the more com- mon length ; the long leases are rather the exception than the rule. As to the county of Northumberland, what is the usual period of entry there ? — It varies a little ; most of them are on the 13th of May, but on others the entry is upon a different system altogether. At what period upon those other estates do they enter.' — The Duke of Northumberland is the largest landed proprietor in Northumberland. I am speaking of the usual leases. Entering upon the 13th of May, the tenant has the way-going crop to secure the landlord, because the landlord gives him si.K months' credit for the payment of the rent ; but he has the way-going crop as security against that. In the case of the Duke of Northumber- land the tenant enters at Lady day, but the entering tenant enters upon all the crops. The outgoing tenant in the case of the Duke of Northumberland's estates has not the way -going crops, and there is no run ning half year, no arrears of rent, or at least for a very short period indeed. Is land usually held from year to year, or on jea se, in the county of Northumberland? — A great de.,i upon lease, more than any county. In Northumbei-— ' and the farms are much larger. What is the usual length of the lease \ — Many of them "re for 21 years. Uf) THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Do you consider that in Northumberland a tcn;int- right for improvements is a necessary addition to the lease ? — As far as the last, four years of the lease go. In order lo secure the landlord? — Yes, as well as the tenant ; both indeed, besides keeping up the productive power of the soil. There is also a good deal of cold land in Northumber- land .' — Yes ; there is a great deal of cold land, but there is a great deal of excellent turnip land, and large breadths of turnips grow in Northumberland. Speaking of the northern part?— The heavy soils are along the east coast, to Bamboroughshireand that couu- ti-y. Nearer to the south-east part of the county the land is very strong, and in some parts good, and in some only middling. Then in tlie middle part of the county towards the north, joining the Tweed, the land is very fine. Is that in the neighbourhood of Woolcr .' — Yes ; the land is better about Coldstream and that part ; the farming there is cnpital ; to the west the moorlands come in, except the Tyne side ; on the Tyne side there are excellent turnips again. Is there not a good deal of improvable waste in the county of Northumberland .' — There is more improvable land that is now being inclosed ; a very great deal of the moorlands it is almost impossible to improve ; some might be done. Are you of opinion, looking at the whole of the county of Northumberland, that if the tenant received security for improvement an increase of produce would take place throughout the county? — I think there would, and it would be better for the landlord and the tenant, because the tenant would produce more and v/ould be able to pay more rent to the landlord. It would be an advantage to the landlord as well as to the tenant to give the tenant increased security for the outlay of his capital .' — I think their interests are quite identical. I cannot see any difference. I rent some land at present belonging to a gentleman ; it has been in my occupation a long time, and from year to year. I have great confidence in him, but now he has changed his opinion he wants to give a lease, and I have agreed to give him a small advance of rent on that account. Sir J. Trollope.] la speaking of Northumberland, - are there any compensations there ; you say there are none in Durham ? —There are some payments, I can scarcely call them a compensation. Is there anything allowed for drainage ? — No. Is anything allowed for fencing ? — No. If there is a lease, they are bound to keep the fences in repair ; if there is no lease, there is no remedy. Is there any allowance in cases of manure ? —There is no allowance. Are bones used extensively in Northumberland .' — Y'es ; very largely. The improvements have been great ? — Yes. In your meadow land ? — Yes. And large tracts have been brought from pasture to arable ? — Yes ; bone manure has been used. At the expense of the tenantry has that been done } — Y^es, generally speaking ; but many of the landlords have encouraged them. By assistance ?— Y^es, by assistance ; but the large farmers do not require it. They do it themselves ? — Yes. Do they put up the houses and buildings ?— No ; the landlord finds them. Who finds the fences .' - In the first outset the landlord does it. Do they improve the fencing ?— Many do ; but it is their own option. Chairman.] Do not some of the large tenants require large buildings .' — Yes ; and the buildings are very ex- eelk'f.t on most of tlij Northumberland farms, where, ge- nerally speaking, lh;'y farm from 700 to 1,200 or 1,4!J0 acres and more. ' Sir J. Trollope.] And even more largely ?— There are enormous estates in sheepwalks. Have the tenants on those estates done any improve- ments in the shape of buildings .'—They aie never ex- pected to do tliat ; they are ;.'enerally provided. And you believe them to be provided on that estate you have referred to ? — Yes ; on the Earl of Tankerville's estate. I believe 20 of his fa-ms let for about ^""20,000 a year. Is that a district where great improvements have been made ? — Yes. Then those have been made at the joint expense of the landlord and the tenant ? —As far as the improvement of the land and tillage goes the landlord has nothing to do with it. The tenant has done the cultivation of the surface, and the landlord has improved it by draining and fencing ? Yes. And building ? Exactly. Is any drainage done on that estate you have just named of the 20 large farms ? I cannot speak quite so well respecting that estate as others There has been a great deal done during the last few years. Is not the course of cultivation in Northumberland, which is the best, generally the five-course system .' Yes, on the light land. And the sheep feeding between the crops ? Y''es. Do they mow any of the land ? As much as they re- quire. And the rest is depastured ? Yes. Do they give oil-cake .' They give more now than they did formerly, but still not to the extent that it is given in some of the southern counties. It is not given to such an extent as in Lincolnshire, for instance .■' No, I should think not. Are there any clauses in the leases that you have seen for compensation to tenants on giving up their occujia- tions ? I have seen some trifling things, but it is by no means the system. What is the common course of proceeding between landlord and tenant when the lease is about to terminate ; does it often happen that the same tenant renews the lease for the farm which he has previously occupied .' Y'^es, very often. They are never put up to tender in the northern coun- ties as in Scotland ? That is not so much the case now as it was 20 years ago. Has the tenant any preference to take his old farm .' He has no legal preference. Is it the custom of the country ? Yes ; they stop a long time. And they go ou and renew the lease for a fresh term ? Y''es. Then the question of compensation does not arise .' No, there is nothing to give rise to it. It is an outgoing compensation ? Y'^es ; the outgoing tenant is obliged to gOf as you will see by the entering, at the I3th of May. The green crops are then consumed ; the outgoing tenant eats the pasture land till May with- out any agreement with the incoming tenant. The land- lord never interferes j the meadow land he enters upon at Lady-day. That is to prevent its being stocked too late in the spring .' Yes. Then the outgoing tenant sows the oats ? Yes, which he reaps, except in the case of the Duke of Northumber- land. Has he the privilege of using the barns .' Yes. Then the incoming tenant receives no produce of the THE FARMER'S MACIAZINE. U7 soil, except the meadow larui, till the ensuing year .' None. It requires great capital ? Yes ; but he gets a consi- derable time to pay liis rent. There is the six months, the running half year ? Yes, he pays nothing ; he is only one-half year in advance. Ou that improved system of husbandry, which you have stated exists in Northumberland, do you think that still further improvements might be made with a system of tenaut-riglit ? Yes ; and generally the more clearly it was understood the more capital would flow into the farms. Are not the farmers of that country notorious for being high managers, and great cajiitalists as well ? Still they would keep more stock, and use more artiiicial food. And if they were paid for it they would farm higher at the termination of the period of the lease ? I tliink if there was a remuneration for the last four years of the lease they would, as a matter of necessity, keep it up, and the farm would be delivered in a better state than it is now. Do they put up buildings generally ? No. Are they allowed to leave those they do put up, or are they paid for them ? As far as threshing machines go they are often the jiroperty of-the tenant. Are they fixtures in any shape ? No, they are not ; and the landlords are not bound to pay for them. They are i)laced in sheds ? Yes, on the farms ; and they are taken away if they cannot agree with the land- lord or the incoming tenant. In many cases where there is water power the landlords are at a considerable expense. In iitting up the power ? Yes. There the landlord finds the power and machinery too ? Sometimes. If the tenant possesses them he is not prevented taking them away ? He cannot be prevented. Is not it a fixture inlaw .-' It is generally arranged in the lease ; but where there is no lease, by the custom ; where there has been a fixture I never knew a tenant prevented taking it away. They are generally fixed machinery, not portable ma- chinery ? They are nearly all fixed ; but then there is nothing in the wall excepting a mere beam going through. A question was put just now as to bone manure ; I have a large connexion in that business. Are you engaged in a business of that description ? Yes, I have a mill. Do you crush bones for sale ? Yes ; I was going to say that some years ago, thinking it was necessary in our northern parts, as well as Hull, I put up a mill at a con- siderable expense ; and to show that when a useful thing is required it is generally supplied in some shape, I may mention this, that I could get at first but two or three tons of bones a week ; nobody knew the value of them ; there were not collected : I found great difficulty in get- ting them at all. I then formed establishments in all the towns, or at least gave it to be understood that bones would be bought, and the increase in the supply became enormous. It went on then also from the great impor- tations from abroad, till at length I think, in one year, I sold nearly £20,000 worth, and for many years from i,10,000to i,T5,000 and ^^6,000 worth a year in Scot- land and Northumberland, and elsewhere. You sent it out to large distances ? Yes. Then, of course, you wanted largely means of carriage to your mill ? Yes. Can shipping get up there ? No, but craft can ; keels or lighters, and fome small ships. You state that merely to show the very great increase in the use of bones in your district? — Yes. and the great ini|in)vcwifnt in ii^ri.i.ltuic lliat lias ti.ikm i.iu-e. 11 mis liavo fallen oH' williin the last few years. From what reason? — CJuanohas interlerrd with il. Do you sell that also? — No, not to any ijireat extent ; that w'as Ibund cheaper and more preferable, but there i3 now a great increase in the demand for bones. Is the opinion of agriculturists in your neighbour- hood not so favourable to guuno ? — There is a 81 rong feeling in its favour when it is good, but I am afr.iid il has been greatly adulterated. That has injured the sale?— Yes. Have you used it yourself in your own occupations, so as to be a judge of its merits ?— Yes. In cases of compensation, should you include the use of guano? — I do not think it would be a permanent manure. Not exceeding one year? — Rather more than that. You thhik it would extend longer than that? — Yes, in the second year it would effect some good. You canuot calculate upon it then beyond the second year? — •No, not safely. You would not include it as a tenant-right compensa- tion beyond one year?— I have not observed thchcmfit go anyfurthcr than that, without the system of farm- ing was of a nature that the truano produced a large crop of turnips, and those turnips being eaten off by sheep, then the inprovement would go on Ijy those means, not by itself. By means of the sheep ? — Yes. Have you any opinion as to the durability of bones ? — They last a long time. Have .'\ou used them with or without the sulphates? — I have used sulphuric acid. Is it the case that a small quantity of bones dissolved in sulphuric acid, will last as long as bones in the crude state ? — No. How long are bones in a crude state beneficial ?— That depends upon circumstances, as to quantity used. To what extent are they used?— In drained land, about two and a half quarters an acre. The average turnip land ? Yes ; I have seen four or five bushels. Without acid ? Yes ; put in by the drop drill. Do you use any farm-yard manure, made from oil cake orother stimulating niiittcr in connexion with the bones ? The most improved plan is this : we raise manure by every possible means we can ; suppose we have so much fold-yard dung as will cover 100 acres by itself, say 12 or 14, or 15 tons an acre, we then would spread it over 200 acres and divide the bones over the land also ; that is, we would not put the bones upon the one half and the manure upon the other half of the land, but spread the two together over the whole of the land. Then when you drilled the turnips yon would drill that in ? Yes. Then when you break up the pasture land, what white crop do you put in j oats for your first crop ? Yes. Do yon grow wheat after turnips ? Yes, upon some lands, but generally barley. Tiien v.-hat is your course ; then you have your seeds for one, two, or three years ? Yes. And what do you break up your seeds with ? Oats. Do yon use any dressing in breaking up the seed land ? Never. AA'hat do you grow wheat upon ? The spring wheat upon the turnip soils. Then in the ordinary course, Ihcy do not grow wheat on the turnip land ? No ; they growag>-eat deal after the summer fallow. Mr. Henley.] You have stated that the day of entry is upon the loth of May, and the rent is payable a little before the i:3th of Mav following ? Yes. h 2 148 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Is that the custom iii the leases as well ? Yes, they are generally the same. Is the rent not reserved quarterly in the leases ? — No, they are six months' payments. When is the first payment stated in the lease to be ? — The first payment is six months after the 13th of May you enter ; there is seldom any paid till near the May following. Tlie question you were asked was, when it is made payable in the lease ?-*-Six mouths after entry ; a strict landlord would say, You must pay me six months after the entry ; but it is not the custom to ask for it till three or four months afterwards. That is by the forbearance of the landlord ? — Yes. Still, by law, it would be reserved to be paid six months after ? — Yes, he could legally demand it. It is not the custom to receive the rent quarterly ? — No, it is six months in all cases. Is there any difficulty, in your judgment, in securing, in the leases, a proper tenant-right, if both landlord and tenant were willing to agree to it ? — Where there are long leases, there would be very little difficulty in- deed. What would be the difficulty in a short lease ? — There would not be much difficulty, but the valuations would be more often necessary. Would there be any, and if any, what difficulty, in the landlord and tenant agreeing between themselves, that there should be a tenant-right at the end of the term ? — I think it would be more likely to get an in- telligent man of capital, with a tenant-right for the last fevf years of the term, than you would be able to get a good tenant to take upon a yearly tenure ; for this reason, that a man of capital will not settle down without some certainty of remaining a long time. In your judgment landlords and tenants, if they both were willing to make an arrangement, can make an arrangement sufficient to secure a proper tenant-right? ■—I think it would be a great improvement upon the present plan. And they would be able by law to do it ?— Yes ; but there is no agreement in the present case ; tliere is seldom any agreement sufficient for the improving te- nant. Would there be any difficulty in introducing proper clauses or covenants into leases or agreements to secure a tenant-right at the end of the term ? — Supposing there is a lease and agreement for one year ? Supposing there is a lease or agreement cither for one year or 20 years, what difficulty is there in intro- ducing a proper covenant of tenant-right into that agreement or lease ? — There would be no difficulty as to the introduction of it. That would not, in your judgment, answer the pur- pose ? — It would answer the purpose better with a lease than without a lease. That, of course, is a separate question, whether a lease or agreement is the best system of holding, hut the tenant-right to be paid is irrespective of that alto- gether ? — I think it would simplify tlie whole business both for landlord and tenant in both cases. To have an agreement? — Yes, to have an agreement, with some sort of arrangement, you may call it tenant- right or anything else. What is meant in the question by tenant-right is, that the parties should be liable to pay, and the tenant to receive the outlay that he had made upon the farm after he quitted the possession ? — I think it would be a great imiirovement. You see no difficulty in introducing that into the agreements ? — No ; I think if it was the general custom throughout the kingdom to enter into those arrange- ments, then very likely there would be no possible ne* ccssity for going i'uitlier; but the cuL-.toins are very various and complex, even in our counties, as well as with reference to some evidence I have heard with respect to other counties, that it might be very prtju- dicial to allow matters to remain as at present. Do you not think it is easier for landlords and tenants, the customs being so complex, to settle those matters by agreement rather than by law ? — No. Why ? — Because where there are so many differrnt opinions, that in the end, perhaps, there is no opinion at all. Is not it then a very difficult matter for the law to come in between all those opinions ? — Yes, but it must step in at first in any case. If the tenants and landlords agree they can make their own bargain? — Yes, if they agree upon a system that enables thfgiound to produce a fair quantity of produce, then I think they are doing all that can be almost done ; if land lies in a waste state in a populous country like this, it is disadvantageous to all concerned. It is the interest of the landlord as well as the tenant to cultivate the land ? — Yes. Should you cultivate it, when properly secured, in laying out your capital ? — Yes. And it is the interest of the tenant and the landlord to do that which is the interest of both ? — I should think so; wo think that holding from year to year is a bad system with us. You would not compel persons to grant leases ? — ■ You cannot compel any person to grant a lease. Why should it not be as desiiablc to leave the land- lord and tenant to settle the covenants of a lease, as to settle the question whether they would take a lease or grant one? — Tlie present system is very imperfect, both of letting and taking land. And yet under this imperfect system the great im- provements you have spoken of have gone on in the county of Northumberland ? — It does not exist so nuich there. What is the plan there ? — They have long leases of the large faro s. Are you to be understood to say that the teniancies are very small in Duiham ? — Yes. That may be one reason why so much capital has not bcenoutlayed on that land ? — The small farms, generally speaking, arc very badly fanned. Those small farmers arc probably short of capital ? — Very often. Then is it your opinion that, for the sake of increasing the produce of the land, all those smaller farmers should be swept off? No ; I would not say that. Then if it is requisite to have that capital which they do not possess, how would you deal with them? I should say that many of those farms that have been spoken ot in Northumberland are of a difl'erent de- scription of farms from the farms in Durham. Smaller farms would suit the county of Durham as well as if they were very large: for instance, I should think that a farm of 1,000 acres would be a very large farm in Durham ; a farm in Durham 250 or 300 acres is con- sidered a large farm; the nature of the soil is so dififercnt, aud there is the smallncss of the inclosures besides. How low do the holdings go in the county of Dur- ham ? Many of them just to keep one pair of horses ; 40 or 50 acres. And on that kind of holding the occupiers are gene- rally short of csipital ? Yes, and they work the farms themselves very often. If there were to be an extensive outlay of capital on those small farms, those small tenants must be got rid of, and men of capital must be brought in their places } THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 140 >— Many men have not got capital enough to farm with at present. Then those improvements would result in those men being put out of their farms, and four or five farms being run together, men of larger capital coming in , in their place? — 1 think that the great advance that has been taken of late )'ears in farming knowledge will improve those men and make them better farmers. Have tliey got the money ? — Yes, I think a man with a small farm, generally speaking, with a family of his own, makes it up by industry, and there is not that great difference in the productive power between the one and the other. The benefit of good farming being generally known, those men are availing themselves of what they see going on, and making improvements upon tlieir own farms? — Yes, just so; though they do not join a farmers' club, they get a newspaper and see what is going on there. They are improving ? — Yes, very fast. Without any law to help that improvement ? — Where they have good landlords they generally improve ; where they have bad ones it is not so. You say tlie improvements are going on fast ; da you consider the bulk of the proprietors to be good land- lords ? — There is great need of improvement. I do not know that, generally speaking, they are different from other landlords, but many of them are without a large quantity of money, and lands are held under the clmrch and in various ways ; there are different tenures of pro- perty. Are the church lands worse or better cultivated than the lands held by laymen ? — I have said, generally speaking, I do not know that there is a great deal of difl'erence ; the laymen, where they understand the farm- ing business, I think have better tenants than could be expected in common with the churck ; the church cannot pay so much attention to it. Are the church lands in Durham generally let to the actual occupier, or are they let to some persons who un- derlet them to others ? — The glebe lands are generally let by some land agent for the rector. Speaking of church lands, the question does not refer to parish glebes, but to the lands belonging to the cathe- dral of Durham, under which tliere is a great deal of land held ; is there not ? — Not so much in the shape of lands as in the shape of mines. They have not a great deal of land ? — No ; as I have said, it is in mines ; their great wealth is in the coal and lead mines. With respect to the Dean and Chapter land, is that, generally speaking, let to the actual occupier, or to other parties who underlet it ? — Generally speaking to occu- piers ; but the Dean and Chapter let land in various ways ; a great deal of it in building sites ; for instance, the town of South Shields is nearly all Dean and Chapter land. Have they much farming land? — Not much ; they have a very considerable property, of course, in farming land, but not the major part. In your opinion would it be an advantage if agricul- tural buildings were put upon the same footing as to right as trade buildings are ? — Trade buildings are very various. I should scarcely know how to answer that question. The trade buildings, in the shape of fixtures, are always the property of the tenant ; would it be an improvement, in your judgment, if the same principle in law were ap- plied to agricultural buildings and fixtures ? — I have always understood that the property, the houses for in- stance, will constitute the property of the landlord, and the fixtures that of the tenant. You do not know the distinction in law between what are t( rmed trade fixtures and other fixtures ? — Yes. There being a great distinction, would it be an advan- tage to the farmer if the same distinction were extended to agricultural fixtures ? — They would have no fixtures except their machinery, which would be the threshing machine. Buildings put up to put threshing machines in ? — That, 1 would say, would be better to be done by the land- lord. Supposing the tenant does it, would it not be an ad- vantage that he should be able to remove it or be paid for it ? — The tenant would not do it unless he paid con- siderably less rent for his land. Do you think it would be any advantage to him to have any such alteration in the law ? — No ; proper re- strictions and regulations might answer both parties, but it would be injurious to the landlord if the tenant was to build what he thought necessary, and to call upon the landlord to pay for it. What would be the injury to the landlord if the tenant was permitted to take it away, leaving the premises as before ? — There would be none. The tenant would have that advantage? — Yes. He could not do it now without the permission of the landlord ? — That depends upon the nature of the fixture ; if the tenant were going to take it away he would build it of wood. Then the law would not consider that a fixture to the soil ; in the event of putting up other buildings, would not it be an advantage to tenants to have the light of re- moving those buildings, if the landlord would not take them ? — The tenant would not do so without a lease ; then it would be a consideration with the tenant, if he were not quite certain that he could take them away. But if the law was to be altered, would not it be a be- nefit to the tenant to be able to take them away ? — Yes, it would. Does any difficulty occur in your knowledge in the counties of Durham of Northumberland from parties not having the fee-simple of the land being unable to give leases to tenants ? — Yes, many cases. Would it be an advantage to the country generally that persons upon such disability should be able to secure the tenant at the end of the term ? — Yes, it would be an advantage to the landlord in possession, and also an ad- vantage to the landlord that succeeded. And also to the tenant ? — Yes, and to the tenant also ; it would ensure that land to be as well farmed under such regulation as property where there was a full power to grant a lease ; tenant-right would apply particularly to that. Then would it be an advantage that power should be given to parties having limited interest in land to do that under certain regulations, the same as if they had the fee simple ? — That is self-evident. Should that be extended to the cases of incumbrances upon land, mortgages, of course, included ? — I do not know that they would be able to protect themselves ; a person will not give more money than he sees a prospect of realizing. If he is so improvident he must run the risk of getting it back ; he would have a better chance in that way, but of course it would affect him too. Do you think the mortgagee would be injured by tlie tenant being secured in the possession of the farm by u lease?— I think his position would be improved. And the power of the tenant to receive compensation at the end of the lease, under the covenants of the lease, would be no injury to the mortgagee?— Considering the extent which it could ever go to, it would not be large. For instance, as to buildings and drainage, the buildings would still be there, and the land would be of more value than before when it was undrained, therefore the mortgagee would still have a superior guarantee. The value of the land upon which he has spent his ISf) THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. money being improved, he would be in a better position instead of a worse ? — Yes ; I do not see that in any case Le could be worse. Do you think that the tenant being about to outlay a large sum of money in drainage or in permanent im- provements, bhould give notice to his landlord? — That would be necessary. I have known serious cases happen in that way. In your judgment notice ought to be given ? — Yes. T know some Scotch farms where the tenant has taken a new lease upon the condition that the landlord would expend a certain siun of money in drainage, and the tenant a certain sum of money ; a 19 years' lease has been granted ; that is the common way in the Lothians in Scotland. A man of capital goes to work imme- diately, and goes a little faster than the landlord would like or feel it convenient ; but that n:ight be remedied by stipulating that a certain amount of work sliould be done in eacli year, which might be dene by arrangement either by tenant-right with or without a lease, which is generally done. Supposing a tenant, by virtue of his agreement, or by law, to be entitled to receive payments for permanent impi'ovements at the end of his tenancy, in your judg- ment should notice be given to the landlord when those improvements were about to be made?— The word " improvement" would depend upon the opinion of the parties. But should the landlord have notice of the work about to be done, in order that he might see how it was done ? — I think he decidedly ought. I would not trust a great many tenants to drain my land unless I knew how it was done. Your opinion being that notice should be given, ought the landlord to have the power of objecting to the work or not ? — Then it would become a matter of opinion again between the landlord and tenant, which would not be very easy to manage, because the tenant would say, " I will have a drain three feet deep ;" and thelandloid might say, " It shall only be 18 inches;" and they might be both wrong ; it might be left to men of judgment to say what is the best drain, and what the parties are entitled to. That, of course, is giving the landlord as well as the tenant a voice in the matter ? — It is highly necessary that be should have a voice. Do you extend that to buildings as well as drainage ? — Yes, I think so. Do you extend that generally to all permanent im- provements?— Yes; I think the interest of one ought not to be sacrificed to the o:her. In the valuation that would take place at the end of the tenancy, should that valuation be based upon the outlay of the tenant, or upon the unexhausted value to the incoming tenant ? — I think the outgoing tenant. In the valuation that would tuke place at the end of the tenancy, should that valuation be based upon the outlay of the tenant, or upon the unexhausted value to the incoming tenant ? — I think the outgoing tenant ought to have what they arc worth. You think it ought to be based upon the outlay of the outgoing tenant ? — Yes ; leaving the incoming tenant and the landlord to make such arrangement as they pleased upon coming in. In the valuation that would take place at the end of the tenancy, should that valuation be based upon the outlay of the tenant, or upon the unexhausted value to the incoming tenant ^ — They are both interested in that. Without entering into the question of the interest, which do you consider to be the principle upon which the value should be determined ? — The principle should be as far as the outgoing tenant goes, and as far as the unex- hausted improvements go upon the incoming tenant; those unexhausted improvements would have to be paid for by him. Is the amount to be paid by the incoming tenant to be ascertained by reference to the capital expended by the outgoing tenant, or by the value derived by the unex- hausted improvements to the incoming tenant ? — It strikes me that the question is entirely between the out- going tenant and the landlord. Suppose the tenant has expended £^500 on drainage, and the drainage has been done so badly that it is no ad- vantage to anybody, what, in your opinion, should the incoming tenant pay for that ? — If it was so badly done that it was no advantage to anybody, he would have to pay nothing at all. The result of that would be, that the valuation should be upon the benefit to the incoming tenant, and not in proportion to the capital spent by the outgeing tenant ? — If it were well done, and if there were anything to re- ceive for the money he was expected to pay, then he would get something for the money he paid. That is an extreme case ; but cases may arise, for in- stance in respect of manures, where a party may have made a great expenditure, and great doubt may arise whether any, and if any, what benefit vpill accrue to the succeeding tenant? — I think vVe are not so well ac- quainted with that subject in the North as they are in the South ; but I think, if an injudicious man took saturated lime, for instance, and threw it on the land at great ex- pense, instead of laying it on dry, so that it would come to no good in the one case, though it might do a great deal of good in the other ; if he was so bad a judge of his business that he did not impart any benefit to the land thereby, he would be entitled to no remuneration. Then the result of your answer to those two questions is to be taken to be, that the valuation ought to be made upon the benefit to the incoming tenant, without re- ference to the capital expended by the outgoing tenant ? — Without reference to the capital, but to the improve- ment. Then by whom, in your judgment, and how, should the money be paid between the outgoing and incoming tenant ; what security should the outgoing tenant have for the payment of the money ? — His security ought to be his landlord. What security would you give him against the land- lord?— I should expect that the landlord would pay him and that the landlord would make the best arrangement he could with the incoming tenant, as far as the money part goes. Your judgment being that the landlord should pay, in what mode would you secure to the outgoing tenant that he should get his money ? — I think the landlord ought to deduct it off his rent, or give it him. Suppose the amount is greater than that amounts to, in what way would you propose that he should be secured in getting his money ? — Supposing it was equal to half the rent .' The question was put, supposing it to be more than the rent due ? — Then I think the landlord would be as much entitled to pay it if it was more than the rent as if it was the rent itself. In what mode would you propose that the tenant should get the money from the landlord ? — I do not know any other way than its being deducted ; not to make the landlord pay it before the tenant had a fair and equitable right to it. I do not know any other way, but the landlord must pay it. Chairman.] Supposing the landlord to have a settled estate and to be insolvent, the question is, what remedv would you give the tenant ? — The tenant would be exactly in the same position that other people would be in who make bad debts. Mr. Henley.] There are a great many estates that TUii FAILMER'S MAGAZINE. 151 are dealt with by the Receiver of the Court of Chancery, and others that are in the hands of various parties ; the landlord may be out of the kingdom, so that the tenant could not get at ins person. Have you considered in what way you would give a remedy to the outgoing tenant to get this money you say the landlord ought to pay ? — In that case, I do not know how he is to get it. rhcn would not that be laying out a trap to induce the tenant to Iny out his money, without giving him any security by law to recover it ? — If it was a yearly tenancy, the tenant would get the farm cheaper, or have his eyes open to run the risk. How is he to get it .' — In the one case a man cannot perceive what may happen 20 years afterwards, but he may have an idea what will happen one or two years afterwards. You say a man would not take a yearly holding of an insolvent landlord .' — Not without he got it very cheap. Then you cannot tell the Committee what, in your judgment, would be the best security for the outgoing tenant to get his money in the case supposed ? — I think if it was in Chancery, I can scarcely tell what would be- come of it then. You having considered the cjuestion of tenant-right, can yiiu inform the Committee what you consider to be the best security for the tenant to get his money in the case supposed ? — If there were a particular case stated, perhaps then I might be able to give a particular an- swer ; but there are so many various ways of lordlords being involved and having nothing to pay, that it would be dilfieult to answer the question. In wlpit mode would youpropose that a I'emedy should be against the landlord ; various remedies have been suggested to the Committee, and they desire to know your mind upon the subject, you having turned your at- tention to it ? — No, I never thought of it till within this last week or two ; it has not been much thought of in the North. Chairman'.] Could you not give the outgoing tenant a means of recovering his claim for tenant-right similar to the remedy which is given for the recovery of tithe rent-charges ? —Yes, that might be done ; the land might be made liable to the debt. Mr. CoLviLE ] Prior to other debts ? — I do not know that ; there are so many things involved. Mr. Moody.] In the instance of land being under a mortgage, how would you give the remedy then .' — It is impossible to pay something out of nothing ; as, for in- stance, the Tithe Commutation Act ; there is no legis- lative measure passed now which could supersede that Act. I conceive that cannot be set aside ; that is one charge. Ycni gave a decided opinion that the remedy should be against the landlord, and not against the incoming te nant .' — Yes, I think so. Having given that decided opinion, the tithe rent- charge, if it were to be similar to that, would be reco- vcrable against the tenant.' — Yes, the crop would be seized ? — I'he crop is liable to the tithe rent charge ; that is the principle of the Tithe Commutation Act. You could deduct it ? — Yes ; the incumbent can seize the farmer's crop. For the current rent .' — Yes ; the rent is not so good to recover in the second year. Chairman.] When you say that this might be done by private bargain, you do not desire to be understood to express a legal opinion whether the owners of settled estates, and other persons of limited interests, have the power to do so by law ? — I should think they had not ; in many cases they have not. You have many settled estates in your part of the country, have you not ? — Yes, a good many, under marriage settlements and otlter things of that kind. Is that a large proportion? — No, I do not know that it is a large proportion. Have you a great deal of church land there ? — Yes, in the county of Durham. And land held in fee-simple is often mortgaged ? — Yes, and there is a great deal of copyhold. Then when you take out land under a marriage settle- ment, and held under the church, and copyhold and land in fee-simple that is more or less mortgaged, will you not have taken a very large proportion indeed of the whole of the county ?— A great proportion of the county of Durham ; there is so much church land and land of that kind. The copyhold lands are generally let at a very small rent indeed. Mr. Henley.] With fines ? — The fines are very trifling ; the Dean and Chapter I find generally expect one rent in seven, both in land and houses ; but copyhold lands are held on very small fines ; that is considered a property nearly equal to freehold. That copyhold land is according to the custom of the manor under which it is held ? — Yes, there is a copyliold court. Chairman.] Though you have some extensive cases of very large farming in Northumberland, have you not also a great deal of land not well farmed .' — The inferior soils are certainly worse farmed than the good ones, but generally speaking it is a very well-farmed county ; of course there is a great deal of bad farming in it, as well as in other places ; it is much the same in the parts I mention as in Berwickshire and the Lothians. Then there is first-rate farming ? — And there is some in Northumberland, in the neighbourhood of Newcastle ; that is rather cold; and when you come near town?, land is not farmed on very scientific principles ; they crop away as fast as they can ; they pay a high rent, and put on a great deal of manure, and grow plenty of couch, make the most they can of it, andl ave it in bad condi- tion. Evidence of Mr. George Kilby. Chairman.] You reside in Leicestershire? — I do. What is your occupation ? — I am a tenant farmer in the county of Leicester, residing half way between Leicester and Melton Mowbray. What is the extent of your farm .' — Two hundred and sixty acres. What is the time of eatry upon farms in Leicester- shire .' — At Lady-day, principally. Does the tenant take the succeeding wheat crop ? — No ; it is valued to the incoming tenant. Does he pay anything for the turnip crop that is fed off?— Nothing at all. To whom does the dung belong ? — To the landlord. Is there any compensation to the outgoing tenant for any improvements that he may have made ? — None that I am aware of. Do you think it desirable that certain compensation should be given .' — I do. I think that in consequence of there not being compensation the capabilities of the soil are not developed in that way that they would be if there were compensation allowed. In what way do you think the land would be improved if compensation were allowed .' — Generally, I think, by drainage. Is there a great deal of drainage required in Leices- tershire?—A great deal is required in the county of Leicester ; a very great deal indeed. Would it generally increase the produce of the land .' — I think it would very much, especially the produce of corn, and also the food for animals. Is there any land there that if it were drained would grow root crops for sheep, which now is nut capable of 152 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. bearing sheep ? — Yes, I think that is so. I do not say it would bear them to be fed ofl"; but it would grow very good root crops for food. Have you any inferior grass land in Leicestershire ? — A very great deal undrained. If that were drained, would it be desirable in your opinion to break it up ? — I think so. We have a great deal of tlie eastern portion of the county that lies entirely in grass, with no arable land whatever attached to the farms, and I think if the inferior parts of those farms were properly drained and broken up, they would produce a vast deal more of food, and everything that would be re- quired, than they do in their present state. Where there is a farm of poor grass land, with- out any arable land to produce straw, there is not much good manure made ? — No ; of course very little. And there is very little employment for labour there ? — There is very little employment for labour there ; not one-fourth, nor perhaps one-eighth of the employment for labour that there would be if a certain portion of the farms were broken up. You think then that in this poor grass district of Leicestershire, if the land were drained and broken up, that that land would be able to employ four or even eight times the number of labourers it does now ? — Yes, I think so. W^hy is the land not drained at present ; is it that the landlords are not disposed, or that they do not find it convenient to lay out so much money on their farms ? — I suppose that is partly the reason ; perhaps there may be a prejudice in the minds of the landlords against having their land turned from grass to arable land. I think that is the principal reason. You think that the landlords are afraid that if the grass land were broken up it would be injured in value ? —Yes. In your opinion if there were proper covenants be- tween landlord and tenant, would those dangers arise that the landlords apprehend ? — No ; they would be entirely removed, I think. Do you think that if this poor grass land which is . now so unproductive were broken up and put under a properly secured course of husbandry they would have a tendency to improve in value rather than to decrease in value? — I think they would, and they would employ more labour at the same time, which would be very de- sirable in that district. Are there any other points connected with the subject which you wish to bring before the Committee ? — With respect to buildings, there is a great difficulty in that respect ; if the tenant erects any buildings for his own convenience I understand by the present law that he is not at liberty to take them away at the expiration of the tenancy ; that is a most im]iortant matter. I think that if the tenant should choose to erect buildings he ought at least to have the privilege of taking them away at tlie expiration of his occupancy, provided the landlord would not take them at a valuation ; that would be a great point gained. You say the farm buildings in Leicestershire are fre- quently inadequate for the improved cultivation you propose ; coupled with the breaking up of the land, there would be a greatly increased demand for room for stock .' — Yes ; it would require a considerable outlay in buildings to break up and drain and turn into arable Ian I that whicli now is entirely in pasture. Are there any other points which you wish to men- tion ? — In regard to the present law, I would say that where there is not an agreement between the landlord and tenant, as is frequently the case in our neighbourhood, I believe that a six months' notice to the tenant is ex- tremely inconvenient. If it were extended to the whole year I think it would be to the advantage very much both of the landlord and of the tenant. I do not see where any inconvenience could arise to either of them from giving a twelvemonths' notice ; giving notice at Michaelmas for Lady-day is too short a period to enable the tenant to make the best of what he has to dispose of, and it also gives him very little time to seek out another situation. I think also, on the other hand, that extend- ing the notice to 12 months would give the landlord a better opportunity to look out for an eligible tenant to succeed the one who is going to quit the farm. If there could be any alteration in tlie law in that respect I think it would be a very good alteration. Sir J. Trollope.] Do you tliink a year's notice enough .' — Yes, I think generally speaking it is, but for large farms it might be extended to two years, and be of advantage to both landlord and tenant, and oflittleorno disadvantage at all. By the eastern part of Leicestershire you understand all that district of land which lies between the town of Leicester and the county of Rutland ? — Yes, it lies in that direction. In tliat direction has not a large portion of land been already broken up from pasture ? — No. Do you know the parishes of Pickwelland Leesthorpe ? —Yes. Do you know whether land has been broken up in those parishes ? — Yes, no doubt, but there is a great deal of land in Pickwell that does not apply ; it is a dif- ferent nature of land. Still it has been broken up ? — Yes, a great deal of it has. In the parish of Queniborough, in which you live, is not there a great deal of land broken up .■' — No, very little. On your farm what is the proportion of grass land to arable land .' — About two-fifths are arable land. Has any of it been broken up since it has been in your occupation ? — No, excepting about six acres. Is not a considerable portion of East Leicestershire ex- ceedingly hilly ? — It is rather hilly. Would it be advantageous to plough those steep hill sides ? — There are only very few steep hills that it would be better not to break up. The question refers to the neighbourhood of Tdton ? — The land there might be broken up, except just the steep points. Some of those hill sides have been broken up, have they not.' — Yes; the Honourable Mr. Wilson has broken some up on the steepest hills in that neighbour- hood. Has not it been found in very wet seasons that a great deal of the soil washes to the bottom from those hills .-' — It must do so. I would not recommend those parts to be broken up. A considerable portion of the parish adjoining that district of country is steep hill, is it not .' — It is not so steep as might be imagined. The lands there are of a cold nature, are they not ? — Yes. Many of them are unimproved and covered with ant hills, are they not ? — Yes. In your memory has not a great deal of this land been drained ? — Some of it has. Has it been drained on the Leicestershire plan of drainage ? — Yes, it has been drained with turf. Does not that answer the purpose on pasture land ? — Yes, it does for a certain number of years. According to the nature of the subsoil ?— Yes. Has not that greatly increased the quantity of sheep in Leicestershire ? — Yes. The herbage has improved, and the number of sheep kept has increased .' — Yes. Is not that as good a mode of employing the land as breaking it up to tillage ? — I think not. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 153 You mean the cold and steep hills ? — Yes ; but there is a vast deal of other land. They are almost entirely depastured with slieep, are they not ? — Yes, sheep and young cattle ; but there is a very small portion of land that might not be broken up. lias not the breaking up of grass land been going on in Leicestershire for a considerable number of years ? — It has been going on, but very slowly ; but it has gone on in some degree. And where land has been broken up to any extent there must be more buildings? — Yes. The farm buildings in Leicestershire are not very good, are they ? — They are very bad indeed. Did you ever value between incoming and outgoing tenants .' — I have always declined doing so. Are you a member of any farmers' club v.'here this question has been discussed .' — Yes, I am a member of the Leicestershire Club, and I am also a member of the Loughborough Club. Have you ever discussed this question at either of those clubs? — Yes, this question has been considered. Do you wish to legislate for the customs that exist, by the nature of the custom of the country there ? — 1 do, where it is possible, and for more. Are not the customs of the country very various ? — Yes, the custom of the country is almost nothing. Does any custom exist beyond paying for seed and labour ? — There is nothing beyond that. Is there anything paid for the use of oil- cake .' — I have never known anything allowed for that, neither is there a vast quantity of it used. And nothing is allowed for draining ?— I never knew it. Then there is no allowance beyond the simple seed and labour ? — No, just for that, but for nothing else wl'.atever. Does not that arise from the land being chiefly occu- pied as pasture land ? — There is a great deal of arable land, as well as pasture ; probably there is about one- half arable, excluding the grazing district. Has it got to that extent ? — I think nearly so. Then the breaking up of the pasture into arable land has gone on pretty quickly ? — Not so much so in that district I speak of; there is a vast deal more land that might be broken up, which is of a better nature, and of a better quality. Mr. Hkni.ky.] In your judgment, what would be the necessary outlay upon a farm, in the shape of farm- buildings, on a farm of 200 or 300 acres ; that is, in the sha|)e of barns, and so forth ? — One-tenth. Would one-tenth be a fair sample ? — Yes, I think so ; about one-tenth of the value of the land. If an estate were worth ^^10,000, then it would be necessary to lay out ,£"1,000 in buildings? — Yes, where entirely new buildings are required. What is the amount now per acre expended upon land in those farms in that district ; that is, upon these grass lands ? — It is very trifling indeed ; upon purely a grass farm 1 should think it would be about 4s. an acre, probably. You mean 4s. an acre in labour ? — Yes. That is to say, upon 200 acres £-iO a year would be the whole amount of labour expended ? — Yes. How many acres would be mown of that ? — That would depend upon circumstances a great deal. Upon the average ? — It would depend upon what stock they kept ; it would vary very much. Sir J. Trollope.] You are speaking of 4s. an acre being the yearly expense, everything included] — Yes, including the keeping up of the fences, and everything ; there is very little labour required in keeping the land clean. Mr. Menj^ev.] Do you adhere to that answer, that the expenditure upon a farm of 200 acres, in the shape of labour, would not be more than £40 a year ? — Yes, I think so. You b*elieve it would not exceed that ? — I do. And you think that that would cover the getting the hay and repairing the fences, and everything? — I th'nk it would. And in your judgment what amount of land would it be requisite to break up to increase the labour eight times ? — It would depend upon the quality of the soil. Take a farm of 200 acres, what proportion would yon break up to increase the labour eight times? — I do not know whether I could answer that question exactly without some consideration. How much per week, per head, do you pay for labour? — About 10s. to 12s. a week I have paid lately. Upon 200 acres of grass land, you would not kiTp two labourers ? — Not upon the poor grassland ; perhaps it would be about a labourer and a half. Two labourers at r2s. a week would be £52 a year? — Yes, it would. Do you think there are farms of 200 acres of grass land with only a labourer and a half upon them ? — Yes, I think so. How is the haymaking done? — That is a trifling ex- pense ; that is done by women, and so on. But it is nevertheless some expense ? — Of course it is. Sir J. TuoLLOi'E.] They do not make hay very well in Leicestershire, do they? — No. They stack it in the corners of the fields, do not they ? — Yes, they do in some places ; it is done with very little expense indeed. Mr. Henley.] Are the farms generally held by lease, or at will ? — At will mostly ; there are very few farms leased there indeed. Are there any difficulties in making a bargain, to have a year's notice instead of six months' notice, if they like it } — I do not know that ; it is scarcely ever men- tioned. Why is it scarcely ever mentioned? — I suppose the tenants think that they should have no chance of getting it if they did. Why should not they get it?— I do not think the landlords would let farms upon those conditions. You say that the advantage to the landlord would be greater even than to the tenant to have that twelvemonths' notice ? — No, I say it is much the same ; it is an advan- tage to each. Have you ever known it to have been asked and re- fused ? — I do not know that it has ever been asked, being of no use, and perhaps it has not struck either one or the other ; the present custom has been so long established that it is almost like a law. The tenancy being yearly, if it is to the mutual advan- tage of both persons that there should be a notice of that length of time, why is the notice not given? — It is per- fectly just that it should be. You say it is quite as great an advantage to the land- lord as to the tenant ? — Yes, quite so ; I see no reason why the present custom should not be altered. Would it not also prevent anything wrong being done upon the farm by the outgoing tenant without the land- lord knowing it ? — Yes, just so ; and then I would have the landlord secured that the tenant should not chafige his course of cropping for that extra half-year. Of course the landlord would have a better chance ? — Yes, supposing it were legalized; I would have the landlord secured against any change in the course of cropping which the tenant might do unless he was checked. May he not do it better now if the landlord does not know he is going ? — If the landlord does not know lie i? going. 154 THE FARMER'S iMAGAZlNE. Unless the tenant gives notice ? — It more frequently happens that the lancllorcl gives notice, not the tenant. It may be either way ? — Yes, it may be. ' Ts there any difficulty in intnidacing clauses into the agreements to secure a proper tenant right ? — Yes, a very great difficulty. What is the difficulty ? — The landlords would not agree to it. But if the landlords were willing to agree lo it, would there be any difficulty ?— Then of course there would be no difficulty in drawing up the agreement if the landlord would sign it. If the landlord were not willing to agree to it, should he, in your judgment, be compelled to agree to it? — I think; for the interests of the nation, it would be well if he were compelled. For the interests of ths nation, you say ; if, then, the liindlord ought to be compelled to do that, would you go further, and say, ha ought to be compelled to let the land whether he liked it cr not ? — No. If you think the covenants of the agreement should be settled by law, do you think the rent ought to be settled by law ? — 1 do not say the covenants should be settled by law altogether ; that would be a matter beyond my comprehension. I cannot say what should be done, but still the question is what the wisdom of Parliament may see light Lo do. It is not possible for me to say what Parliament may do if they take it into their consi- deration. Perhaps the wisdom of Parliament may not be able to reach the subject, if you, who have considered the subject, cannot see your way to advi->e Parliament in the matter ' — I do not know that. What covenmts should you recommend ; beoausj if the law is to be made it must be defined, and well un- derstood ?— I think for all draining that the tenant does he ought to ivceive compensation. The way it is done in our neighbourhood is, that the landlord iinds the tiles, and he charges five per cent, interest upon the tiles in the land : then the tenant is at all the expense of putting in those tiles and the haulage, and the soles the tiles are placed upon ; and that ought to be considered, and then compensation for the proper number of years should be given in case the tenant leaves previously to the expira- tion of that number of years ; that is a matter that might be laid down. What depth is the drainage done at? — About two feet six in the strong land. And.how many years, in your judgment, should that run over ? — It depends whether it has been done well or not ; of cour.rc, a great deal dejiends upon the manner in which it is done. Supposing it to be well done, how many years should it run over then ? — Twelv'e years at least. Then if any person of equal competency to judge with yourself were to say five years were sufficient you think he would make a great error in saying s-o ? — I think so. What ought the land, in your judgment, to be fixed at .' — I say 12 years for that description of drainage. Would you extend that to any other description of improvements ?— To the use of some kinds of food, for stock, and manure, and lime. To what sort of food would you apply that ? — To oil- cake. How would you deal with oil- cake by law? — There should be a small compensation m de for the year fol- lowing the ye ir when the tenant quitted. What would you call a small compensation ? — I should call a fourth of it at least projier. You would give one-fourth of the cost to be paid by the incoming tenant? — Yes. If any party thought that a half ihould be paid for, would you throw that half upon the incoming tenant ? — That is matter of ojnnion. Then as to lime, what would you do .' — Lime ought to cover a space of ab .ut six years. Do you use any other manures ? — No, we do not use much ; we have mostly farmyard manure, and some- times a little of some other manure, such as guano. You do not chalk or marl your land ? — No ; very little is done in that way. I think those are funda- mental points that ought to be taken into consideration. Do you think that the principle ought to be the capi- tal expended by the outgoing tenant, or the advantage to the incoming tenant? — I do not mean to say that the tenant may not lay out what he considers proper, but if he lays out more than ought to be expended, that should not all be fixed upon the landlord to pay, nor should the landlord be called upon to pay without an agreement be- tween himself and the tenant as to what those improve- ments shall be, and in what manner they shall be made ; but I say, that if th?,y both agree to certain improve- ments, and then that the tenant quits sooner than those improvements are exhausted, of course he should come upon the land for compensation ; that his right would lie against the landlord. In your judgment would it be better that that should be settled by law than that the landlord and tenant should agree what improvements should be done, and what period those improvements should run over ? — I do not mean to say that it should be settled by law ; it cannot be settled by law. If they would be willing to settle those things between each other as matters of agreement, it would be well, but I cannot see that that would be likely to be done. You think it is because they are not likely to agree that you would settle it by law .' — Yes ; it would insure a better state of cultivation. Would you extend that beyond compensation for oil- cake and drainage ? — I no not know that there are other points, except timber, for buildings. Those are the chief points that strike me as being wanted in our dis- trict ; of course there might be other districts that other things might be applicable to. Have you turned your attention to the way in which the remedy should be secured to the tenant against the landlord? — It might be secured to him by law as v.ell as other matters are. Should the compensation be paid by the landlord or by the incoming tenant.' — The landlord, bee luse tliere might be no tenant ; the landlord might have the lav d in his own hands. I would have it as a lien again-t the land. If it lies against the land it is a different thing from being against the landlord ? — I say it should lie against the land. You have stated that, in your opinion, great improve- ments would ba made in the produce of food by breaking up certain districts of land which you have spoken o. 1 — Yes; there would be a certain increased produce of food, for animal food and for the food of man, by the land being broken up that is now in grass. Do you think that that ought to be by law, or not .' — It has been made a matter of law in former times. Should it be made a matter of law now, or should it be left as it is to parties to settle for themselves ? — I think it might be left to parties to settle for themselves. It would be a great national a Ivantage, if it could be done, to have a greater quantity of land brought into arable cultivation, because there would be a greater quantity of food and a greater quantity of labour em- ployed too. That sort of land, if it were not very carefully culti- vated, miglit have great benefit taken from it for eight or ten years, might it not, and then it n)ight be let fall back THE FARiMER'S MAGAZINE. 156 ia an indifferent state of cultivation altogether ? — It would require good cultivation. And proper management? — Yes; all those things ought to be secured to the landlord. May it not be their knowledge of that which rnay have rendered landlords indisposed to have their land broken up? — Yes, no doubt ; but the tenants now sre getting a much better insight into the cultivation of land than they have had formerly, and the land is now better managed. In the improved state of agriculture, has the great and generally increasing value of laud itself had a tendency to induce the landowners to permit those poor pasture lands to be broken up? — I should suppose that w.uld be the case. Is not it safer and better to trust to the mutual in- terests of parties in that respect than to determine it by law ? — I think it might be so. In regard to breaking up the land, I cannot see how the law can touch it, though it has been so. In your judgment, it would not be well to atterajit to do it now ? — Not in the present state of society, if you can induce them to enter into it by agreement. It being better to leave that probably great increase of the food of the country to be settled by private agree- ment, why would it not be better to let the other im- provements be settled in the same way? — The only reason I see in it is, in consequenceof the great difficulty (here is in legislating upon it. It is as ( asy to make a law to say that so many acres of grass land should be broken up, as to say that so much money shall be paid for so much drainage, is not it ? — Yes ; but it v\ould be so far an arbitrary law. Why? — IJecause in the case of drainage, I am sup- posing that what is laid out by the tenant is done to im- prove the land ; and if he is obliged to quit his land sooner than those improvements are exhausted, then I say he ought to receive remuneration for it ; that is a different thing to breaking up the grass land. The tenant is not compelled to lay out the money un- less he likes ? — No, but he is a great simpleton if he does not do so if he is secured ; and then if he does not lay out his money well in those matters he does not know what is to his own advantage. Can he not secure himself by making an agreement ? — If his landlord will not make the agreement he cannot. And you would compel the landlord to make that agrei ment ? — I do not know how far you would be able to do that. Is there not as much compulsion in the one case as in the other? — It does not go to that extent. Yoii v/ere understood to say that you think notice ought in all cases to be given in the event of improve- ments to be paid for ? — Yes, I think it would be so that that notice should be given, and that a mutual under- sianding should be come to. I do not see how you can pass a law to make the landlord pay for any sort of im- provements that the tenant might take it into his head to do ; that, I think, would be unjust to the landlord. You say, yourself, that you would have it made matter of agreement what should be done ? — Yes. And why cannot that be done without a law ?— Be- cause attention is not drawn to it so much as it would be in case it was taken up by the Legislature ; then agreements of that kind, I think, would be sooner en- tered into. Even supposing a law to be made, would a man be induced to turn his attention to anything so much as by his own interest? — No, I suppose not. And it is to the interest of the Lmdlords that they should have their land well tenanted and well cultivated, is it not ? — Yes. Has not the cultivation very much improved in the last 20 years ? — Not to that extent that it might have been. rcrlnii<3 you cimsi'lcr that tbcie has boon an advance of capital, both between the himllord and the tenant, and that they have laid out as much money as they ha\c fjot ? — I think ciipitalists Irive provided money now for the land. How ?— I thought there was a law for them to liavc money for draining. The taw gave a certain amount ; but that money was taken up belbre three months were over; arc you aware of that? — I was not aware of that. If the million of money whicli was provided in the way you refer to was taken np so quickly, as v,ms the ease by the Irish landlord.-, so that tlie English land- lords cc.nld hardly get any of it, dies not that sh(>w that t'".e reason why improvements have not pone on faster has beeii that it lias arisen from the want of money? — Yes; and it would be an advaniage to the hmillord to take np money (m his estate for drainage ; he would soo:i be repaid for it. Peilinps he ciinnot borrow it? — I do not know how (hat may be. \\'hat interest, in your judiiment, wouhl a tenant be willing to pay the landlord for money expended in drainage ? — Five ijor cent. If the landhird could only borrow his money at five l)er cent, and the tenant paul only five i)er cent, there would not be much inducement, would there, for the landlord to borrow the money under those eireum- stanees? — It would impro\e his land, and in course of time, no doubt, his hind wnnhl be more valuable in ease he wantid to sell it; after a few years it would make him much nioie money, tVoni being well drained and well cultivated. Drainage, like other things, after a certain number of years wears out, does it not, and then wants doing afresh ; and therefore, if the landlord hdd no more than the five per cent, ijitcrest paid to him, which five per cent, interest he had paid upon the money bor- rowed, would he not be a lo.-cr? — I say it would im- prove his estate and make it worth much n.orc. Then the tenant ought to be able to i)ay more rent? — The landlord vi-ould find that out. Then do you think that the tenant would consent to pay more than five percent? — No, I think notat first. Wlien the land was got into a better state of cultiva- tion, as regards cultivation tlien the tenant might be able to pay move I'cni in some cases. Assuming, on tlie aver;ige, thiit the drainage had stood 22 years, would not that be a long period ?— JVo, it would be a very short one, I think. If drainage was done as on my land, then it would stanrt as mine will ; that which I have done will stand 200 years, with very slight repairs. Tlien it is of a permanent chaiacter ? — To be suie it is ; it is done in that way that makes it ofapennanent chai-actcr. Do you think it the geatral oidnioii tint drainage will last that time without repair? — No; generally it is not done with a view to last that time ; it is very imperfectly done frequently. Take pipe draining, do you think that the general opinion of agiiculturists has been that it would li;stfor ever without any impiovcment? — No, it woidd not do that at all. I merely speak of the way in which I have done mine. I know very well the system upon which I drain is a good one, and diaining done in the same way as mine is won! i last for many years; mine will last for 200 years, with bat very slight i-epairs. Is it not ])ossible tint there may be persons very I conversant with'agricultural improvements tliat would 136 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. not hold with the mode of drainage that you have described as henvx tlie best ? — Very Hkely. I do not doubt that there is a variety of opinion upon that as upon other things. Tliat wouhl make some difficulty, would it not, in lcy;islating uj)on such a matter ? — There would be dif- ficulty certainly, as T have admitted ; I see all the ilifficuUies. 1 do not pretend to point out the way in which those difficulties can be overcome, but I point to tiiose as some of tlie fundamental points. Supposing' the landlord is as strongly in favour of pipes as you are of tiles with tlie soles, should he then be made to pay for such tile draining for 200 years ? — He pays upon the principle he drains; he would not tade my view of the case ; he would take his own and his tenant's. Your mode of drainage, with tiles laid upon flat soles, is more expensive tlian pipes, is it not ? — Yes, for that reason I say that it will continue so much longer. But it does not follow as a necessary consequence that because a thing is more expensive it will last longer? — Not at all ; it is the manner in which it is done, and the material which it is done with, which makes it valuable or otherwise. The landlord preferring to have his drains done with pipes at a less expense, would it be fair tliat he should be called upon to pay for a mode of drainage which in his opinion is less beneficial and more expensive ? — He would not be called upon to do so. Why? — He would have his draining done more superficially and at less expense, and the drainage would not be so permanent. Then, according to your notion, the landlord ought to have the piivilcge of over-riding the law after the law was made ?— You cannot pass a law making imperative any particular mode ol drainage, or tliat it should be of a certain depth, or that it should be with tiles or pipes. But should the landlord and the tenant have the power to over- ride the law if they choose, by agree- ment?— .1 caimot sfc how you can prevent landlords and tenants breaking the law, if they choose to do so by agreement. Suppose a landlord to say, " I shall not have V.ih land drained," and the landlord and the tenant to enter into an agreement to defeat the law, ought that to be done? — I do not see how it can be avoided. What then is the use of making the law .' — It would be of no use in that case. You have told the Committee that those agreements are not entered into, because the landlord will not agree to them?-— Just so. If you are well founded in that respect, what is to prevent them setting the law aside the moment it is made? — If you can have a law obviating that, so much the better. Can you point out to the Committee any way in which it can he prevented being set aside ?■ — There is a diffi- culty, 1 allow, and I do not exactly know how to over- come it; but still it is highly necessary that a system should be laid out in regard to improving tlie soil of the countrj', and that cannot be done better than by drain- age : if it can be done by legislative enactment, well ; but if it is impossible, it cannot be done. In your judgment then, you do not think that any law could be made or ought to be made to prevent men making private agreements? — I do not see how you are to prevent them. Mr. Coi.vii.r.E.] As to the custom of the country in Leicestershire, the outgoing tenant is not paid for the manure?— Certainly not, it is the property of the landlord. Do you think that a good custom ?— I do not like the manure to go off the land. Is it a good custom that the outgoing tenant should not be paid for the manure? — What is made upon the land ? No ; with artificial food in it? — I think he ought to be pai\vcd ii certain portion for four years, if it is laid per- manently; witii tiles we allow him to go buck 10 years ; that is, we deduct a certain amount each year. Snjiposing he left at the end of the ninth year, he would have 2rJ. to receive, if the first cost was 20s. That is the custom of the country ? — That is the custom of the county. Is there any other improvement that is paid for in your partofKcnt? — Manures; all bought maTiures ; we pay also for half manures ; that is, the half part of what the dung would bo valued at had it bceu valued the year before. Does that apply to artificial manures ? — Yes, that ai)plics to artificial manures, but not in the same ratio. They are recognized as being used to be paid for ac- cording to their durability. In our judgment, for instance, guano would be paid one-third of the cost l)riee after one crop off; for bones or lime he would be allowed half the sum ; and lor dtmg carting, marl, or mould, there is nothing at all after one crop. Are you acquainted with the chalk districts of Kent ? — Yes. Do you use chalk for improving the soil?— Not much in the Weald; the only place wliere they use chalk to any extent is the isle of Sheppy, and it is not used as a manure much in Kent, unless in that particular jilacc ; it is used more in the shape of lime, aftrr it is burnt. \\'hereit is used as chalk what quantity is put on an acre? — I cannot speak to that with any degree of cer- tainty, I should think somewhere about 20 to 25 wag- gon loads an acre. Do you know of any allowance being made for that ? — Where chalk is used it is a very permanent job, and the outgoing tenant is paid considerably for it, but I do net know the amount. You say lime is used ? — Yes ; lime is used to a great extent about us, particularly in Sussex. I value a great deal in Sussex ; it is brought there as many as 35 miles to be put on the land. Over how many years does it run ? — It is paid half the cost; carriage so much per mile; and half the labour alter one crop off. Do you make any allowance for naked fallows there? — We pay everything, all the labour and every- thing. Does it extend over more than one year ? — No. Suppose a naked fallow taken and a crop after it, you do not allow half the naked fallow ? — No. There is no allowance for the improvement of build- ings?—No ; this is the only thing that we wish for, we think it would place us in a belter position; mine is a hop district; an oast is a thing which is required where tiiere are hops, and I think if the tenant were allowed to build his oast, and take it away if the landlord would not pay for it, it would be doing a good thing. Is there any difficulty in making those valuations for the improvements ? — No ; we find where those cus- toms prevail, the farmers are improving fast in the farming, because tbcy have security for the outlay of their capital. We do not find that it interferes at all with the landlord, because a tenant would rather take a farm with those improvements than have to make themliimself. Why would a tenant rather take a farm with those improvements than have to make them himself? — Be- cause where drainage is done, it is a very considerable cost; and it is perfectly well known, that after land is well drained a while it is permanently itnproved, there- fore he would be in a better position to take it after four, or five, or six crops had been taken, than to outlay the capital himself; lie never scrnjjlcs at paying for those improvenjents. And being able to take land in good heart, he would rather do so luid pay for it, than take land out of heart and have to bring in into heart himself ?— Yes ; about mc in that part of the county of Sussex, thero are the Iieaviest valuations of anywhere in England that I know of; that is, a man has to pay more money to enter his farm than in any part of England; and in proportion as he pays that, although it is heavy at first, it gets more easy afterwards. Mr. Hi'.Ni,EV.] Then a smaller farm comparatively takes a larger capital to enter upon it? — Certainly, if there are hops. As to hops, you stated that they cut the woods to the stubbs ; you do not speak of woods to any extent, do you? — Yes; there arc woods of 90 acres, and some times of 100 acres. Does the tenant pay a yearly annual value for that ? — No ; but sometimes it comes to J^o, or it may come o £50 an acre. Whom does the money go to 1 — The outgoing te- nant. What income has the landlord from that wood ; does the landlord receive so much per year? — The farm is let together ; perhaps it is a farm of 200 cr 300 acres altogetiier, and he takes the whole farm at so much money. Not by the acre ?-^-No, we know of no acreage. Thea if he takes a farm at 30s. an acre, if it be 20i) acres, he will pay £300 for it ?— Yes, there is no dis- tinct rent])aid upon the wood land. Then the outgoing tenant receives for the number of years cut as to that wood? — Yes, according to ihe value. The great value of the woods in Kent is for conver- sion into hop poles, is not it? — Yes. And if near cutting, he has a larger sum to pay for the wood? — Yes. Does that extensive tenant-right cripple the opera- tions of the farm ? — No, we find it induces men to farm much better; and if we could only have one thing, then we should be satisfied with the tenant-right we possess, and that is, if wc could have in the Weald of Kent, which is proverbial for its woodiness and small inclosu res, the country a little more clear; there is a large extent of country where the fields are so very small that the sun in some cases never shines across them. I will give you an instance or two. Is it a condition of taking ihose farms that you shall retain the hedges as they exist and the woods as they arc? — Yes, that is too much the case. Are you tied down to maintain those hedges, whe- ther useful or not ? — The custom of the country inva- riable is to tie them down, although I know many cases where that custom is broken through. The landowners do occasionally let their tenants square their fields, and take away useless hedge rows ? — Yes, occasionally that is done, but by their leases they pre- serve the timber and the timber rows, which are particu- larly mentioned, that they shall not grub anything close to the hedges. What instances were you about to state with reference to the enclosures ? — I spoke of the parish of High Halding, in Kent ; there is one farm of 50 acres, which is divided into 26 pieces ; there is another farm of 37 acres, divided into 20 enclosures ; there is another farm of 54 acres, which is divided into 24 enclosures ; there is another farm of 23 acres, divided into 16 fields ; there is another farm of 155 acres, where there are 42 fields; some of those eases are cases of small freeholders, men using their own land. Then there is another farm of 142 acres, belonging to a noble Earl, which is divided 168 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. into 48 pieces. Taking tbe total of the i)arisii tlicic are 3,753 acres, and out of those there are 1,020 acres of waste or uncultivated, viz. hedges, underwood, ponds, &c. Do you think iiedges are waste ? — The hedgerows are wide, and there are very wide lanes where the fences are not set out straight ; they leave immense widths. Taking the whole parish as containing 3,753 acres, it is divided into 1,303 enclosures, and that gives an average of 2f acres and 20 rods for the size of each field. Chairman.] Do those hedges pay for being grubbed ? — "Yes ; they would al)out pay the workman- ship for perfiirming t!i£ work ; but the object oi' getting the field grubbed woula be this, that there is a great dis- position, and indeed a perfect rage for drainage. If they could get those fields into something like ten acres, they could run their drains through them, and cause a great increase of corn, by thorough drainage, and get more land into cultivation. It varies in various districts ; it pays in some cases to grub the hedges ; but in no case in your neighbourliood would the tenant be entitled to yrub the hedges .' — No ; but the subsoil is stiff clay ; good wheat and bean land. Sir J. Trollope.] Where the woods are in large masses, are they not considered to be more valuable than the adjoining land, on account of the high value of hop poles ? — Yes ; underwood land, projjerly managed and ])lanted, is the most profitable land that a man can hold as owner. I have known that wood sold at from ^50 to £iJO an acre ; the average price might be called ,£'20. Are many of those hedges cultivated by the owners or occupiers, to get hop holes out of them ? — No ; I think not at all. I think it is more from a disposition to follow their neighbours ; their neighbours do not grub the hedges, and they do not do it. If they see anybody else do it, they say, " I wish I could do it ;" but then the lease or agreement steps in ; but no doubt if they had more energy they could get all those things righted. Mr. CoLviLLE.] Are those high hedges? — It is a level country ; when you get upon the top of those hills and look down it is like looking upon a forest. Sir J. Trollope.] Those small corn fields will be totally shaded from the sua ? — Yes. Are not many of the hedges as large as this room ? — Yes, and there is much loss of time in ploughing ; the horses lose half a day's work in turning round ; they cannot do a good day's work. Mr. Henley.] In the drainage you have spoken of as running over ten years, is any notice given or required as between the landlord and tenant at the time the work is performing ? — No ; we do not consider there is any ne- cessity for it, because the whole of the work is done by the tenant ; the landlord in some cases finds the tiles. We generally find it the best plan to have the drains done in a perfect manner ; every man does not under- stand that ; where we find the tiles we take care that the work is sufficiently and properly performed, then ten years would be the portion we should allow for the labour. Is not it as material for the incoming tenant or the landlord to know that the work is well done where the tenant finds the whole materials as where he finds only part of them?— No question, with th's difference, that there is a greater guarantee for the work being properly performed, because I apprehend that a man would not begin as a tenant to drain his land thoroughly unless he has a good prospect of stopping. For his own interest he would do it well ; he would not do it to make a market of it when he left. Is that never tbe case ? — I think that would be so palpably seen that men of experience would soon check it. Aro any means taken in the Kentish valuation to as- certain the consumption of the oilcake by the farmer ? — No ; there is nothing allowed for it only in the shape of 1 the extra price of the manure so made, and, as a matter of course, manure made from the straw is put at a dif- ferent pric(^ from the fattincr-cake dung. I What evidence do the valuers require in respect to the fatting- cake dung?— Simply practice ; they view it and know what it is ; they know one article from another by I looking at it ; they can judge of the goodness. j Can they judge by looking at it, the quantity of cake I that may have been used ? — Cert-iinly not ; they can judge whether the dung is good or not ; they can tell pretty nearly what it contains as to quality. Do you look at all at the quantity they purchase ; do you require any evidence of that, such as the bills being produced .'—If we doubt it we should call for evidence when we came to value artificial manure ; it is the cus- tom of the country for parties having a farm to produce the invoice. If they produce the invoice do you go into further evidence to see that the thing purchased has been ex- pended upon the land ? — Yes, if I have a doubt about it, I call the servants, or agents, or anybody about the place. How long have you been acquainted with the weald of Kent ? — Twenty years. Was there any difference of the custom when you first became acquainted with it from the present custom? — I do not think there was much difl'erence in the custom, it has continued as long as my memory ; but it is in con- sequence of that custom, that from being one of the worst farm districts anywhere I know, it is now getting to be one of the best ; and I attribute it to this, that other people do not enjoy the same benefits that the men who are making those improvements do. You say the custom existed 20 years ago ? — Yes. Was the district then badly farmed .' — Yes. How long have the customs existed .' — I cannot tell that at all ; but even only 20 years back the crops were notoriously bad about that district ; and the place was so isolated altogether, that those men, though they pos- sessed the privilege, did not exercise it, of doing those things. In fact, they had not begun to know what good farming was. Then as it could not be the custom that made them good farmers, as you say they were bad farmers 20 j'ears ago, what is it that has effected the change? — I presume increased intelligence, and having the opportunity of farming better. You say that the customs equally existed 20 years ago, and yet they farmed badly ? — No doubt they would farm badly now, if they were not allowed those things upon the expiration of the tenancy. Bi4t they were allowed them then ; why did not they farm as well then as now ? — From the want of intelli- gence. Then it is increased intelligence that has made thera farm better ? — A combination of both. Have you heard how long the custom of paying for drainage has existed in that part of Kent.' — I cannot answer that question. I do not know how long it has existed ; but till within a few years it has never been acted upon much ; that is, I mean the drainage has not been done to any extent at all till now ; that it has been the exception, and not the rule, to be drained at all ; some few, a good many years back, used to do it. A custom cannot become binding unless it has had an existence 20 years at least ? — That might have been the case, no doubt; but where that has been acted upon, it is an exception. There was not much drainage 20 years ago, though the custom would have paid it. You call it the custom, though you say there was no THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 159 draiswge dotic .' — I do not say Uktc was no drainage done; no doubt these customs Were introduced to pre- pare the men to farm better. In your judgment, was that custom of paying for drainage introdiicod 40 years ago, to induce people tn farm as they do now? — No, as a measure of common justice that every man ought to have held out to him ; that has been recognized ever since I knew anything of it. All those customs you have named, as far as your in- formation goes, have been practised as long as you can recollect ? — Yes. What has been done about guano ? — One-third is al- lowed for that. Of course that must be a new custom, because it was not in existence. We soon found out by practice and experience how long we thought this manure would last, and we thought pro])er to place it in a different catalogue from other manures that were of a permanent character. We recognized the right of paying half manures, but the details must be according to circum- stances ;it all times. According to the average, what is about the income jier acre in a farm in the weald of Kent ? — That will de- pend upon whether it is hops or not. Take a farm where there are hops grown .' —From £3 to £7 an acre. Does it vary so much as that } — Yes, from two cir- cumslances ; one from the district, and the other whe- ther the farm is in a high or low state of cultivation. Some of our best lands are the cheapest to get into. Some of the finest pasture land in the county is in Romney Marsh. There, of course, the acts of husbandry do not run so high ?— No. £7 an acre, you think, is the outside of the income upon that .' — Yes. I am looking at a farm where there is a considerable portion of hops, and a considerable portion of underwood. I was speaking as to those things that the incoming tenants would e.xpect to pay to the outgoing tenants ; not as to the capital necessary to carry on their farms. What is the valuation, excluding wood and hops ? — It varies from 30s. to 45s. an acre. Not exceeding that ? — No, unless you speak of the fallow ; there would be not more than one-fifth of the land fallow, and that would be £5 an acre. Supposing a farm drained within five years ? — The outlay would be very large there. Speaking of cases where there has been a great deal of drainage, how would it be .' — That would be in propor- tion ; of course, some shillings an acre more. What does drainage cost in your district ? — That de- pends upon circumstances ; it varies very much indeed. There is no regular criterion for it ; it will cost Is. a rod if it is 3 feet or 3 feet 3 inches deep. That includes labour and tiles ?— Yes ; pipes we use to a great extent. Then if the drains were put a rod asunder it would be a cost of ^'S an acre ?~Yes. Chairman.] Are they usually put so near as that .' — No, that is a great quantity. What is the average distance between the drains .' — The deeper the drains are, the wider we can get them apart ; if we drained 2-^ feet we should go a rod, we should go 22 feet, from that to 30 ; if deeper it would depend upon how porous the ground was. Sir J. Trollope.] You seem to have an extensive tenant-right upon everything but buildings. If you had payment for buildings, or the right of removing them, you would have very little to complain of ? — Just so. Is there anything else you would require ? — I am aware it could not be compulsory ; but it is a fine country, and if anything could be done to lay it open instead oflKiviiig those miserable fields I am speaking of, it would be a great advantage. You do not sec your way to compulsory enictmcnt '; —No. Mr. IIenlf.y.] Have you considered at all as to the nature of the remedy you would give, or how you would carry it out ; for instance, how you would make tenant- right recoverable ? — My advice would be, do not leave till you get the mom y. We never have any difficulty about that. You find that in practice you hive no difficulty about it?— No. But have you considered at all ; because where cus- tom regulates tliose things no difficulty may occur, but where a law is to be made it is different, and those mat- ters must be well weighed. Can you tell the Committee what, in your judgment, would be the remedy that shduld be provided ? — I would make it a rent- charge upon the land, the same as the tithe commutation. That it should be payable by the incoming tenant .' — Yes ; tkat it should be payable by the incoming tenant ; if he refused to pay I should go to the land for it, as the titheowner does. Supposing the land is not occupied .' — It must be occupied or else the circumstances would not arise ; it must be cultivated or the charge could not be there. That is with the outgoing tenant ; supposing no tenant comes in, how would you deal with that case ? — It would be a very extreme case to suppose there was no tangible property that you could get at, of any description ; and if it be unoccupied, by making it a rent-charge up(m the land it would be a charge upon the land generally, if iu cultivation. The Act gives the power to the titheowner to enter and cultivate .' — Yes. And to give an account; do yi)U think that would be desirable? — I have not thought enough ol it to give an opinion upon it. Of course this is a matter, if there is to be legislation, that must be settled ; do you think the right ought to be against the tenant or the landlord ?— Against the land, in my opinion. Can you suggest any mode by which it should be re- covered from the land? — No ; I have not turned my at- tention to that subject at all, but I should not apprehend any difficulty about the matter ; because this charge forming part and parcel of the valuation itself, I do not see any greater difficulty in the tenant's paying a per- centage upon the improvement, than in his paying upon the other part of his valuation. The tenant will never know ; he does not get the detail of the works ; he is charged the sura total, and he does not care how much he pays for this, or how much he pays for that ; it would be a general valuation, a tenant's valuation. In the part of England you live in, the valuations are large, and parties taking lands are accustomed to them, and no difficulty occurs ?— No. In other parts, in fact, where the valuations to the in- coming tenant are extremely small, if there is legislation upon it, you must make a proper legislative provision, the man laying out his capital upon the faith of getting it back again .-' — Yes. Because there is no custom to help him ? — I would wish to make it secure to the tenant. In your judgment should the landlord have any notice of those improvements ; because in Kent it appears that they have none, according to your statement ? — I should say that in all improvements of an extensive nature the landlord ought to have the privilege of overlooking it ; or at all events, if he had not the privilege of saying it should not be done, he should have the privilege of 160 THK FARMER'S MAUyVZINE. knowing it was done in the best manner as to economy, and as to the work being properly done. Do you think that he should have the privilege of re- fusing to have those things done ? — If you were to say that, you would be making a law with one hand and up- seting it with the other. How should the law act upon agreements, if such a law were made ? — That is a difficult question for me to answer. If there were an extensive tenant-right bill, no doubt something must be done ; because with long leases with clauses hostile to the spirit of the law they could not work together, and they must be set aside by some means or other. If any law were made, should it override or not any existing agreements? — I think it would be a very hard case upon a tenant having a long lease not to be allowed to participate in the benefits of any new law which was passed. Supposing a tenant holding under a long lease at alow rent, with the stipulation that he should improve the farm, would it be just to make the landlord pay at the end of the term for that ? — No. How is that to be managed by law ? — I do not see that such a thing could ever be contemplated ; because where a tenant has had a long lease, he would have had the benefit of the crops, consequently he would leave the land better cultivated, and he himself would be better off by having reaped the benefit of what he had done to the land. In the cases of long leases, do you think the law ought or ought not to override the agreement? — That would be a difficult question to answer ; but I should say that if it was, as many of our agreements are in the Weald of Kent, that you should not do that or the other, if those covenants were decidedly hostile to the spirit and inten- tion of the law now passed, it would be hard to deprive )iim of the benefit of the law, and in that case it should override that agreement ; but it is a difficult question, and I have not turned my attention to it, therefore I should wish to answer the question generally. You have not given that attention to the subject which would enable you to give a confident opinion upon it ? — No. Are you able to give an opinion as to what ought to be done in case of future agreements ? — I should be very happy to suggest to the Committee, that in agree- ments between landlords and tenants they should always have those clauses inserted which would keeji one object steadily in view, namely, the permanent benefit of the land. I would at all times have a man's lease drawn so that he should be looked particularly close after upon his quitting, for two or three years before his quitting ; there would then be no necessity to guard against his farming well at the beginning of his lease, and badly towards the close of it; he would then farm all through for his own benefit. The point to which your attention was directed was this, whether in your judgment if a law were to be made giving tcnant-iight, that law should give per- mission to landlords and tenants to exempt themselves rom that law by private agreement? — No; I would not make a law with one hand, and upset it with the other. Would you make any compulsion upon landlords to let their land ? — No ; I would never interfere with the just rights of property. Then is making a man let his land under certain circumstances no interference with his property? — I would not have any law to make a man let his land in any particular way ; he should let it as he pleased, but I would permit the tenant to be paid for judicious im- provements ; I want to aflord the benefit he ought to derive for unexhausted capital. Tlicn the hiiidlDid must eiilicr let his land ujion the terms and arrangements which would be fixed, or not let it at all? — Whatever the agreement might be he must be subject to the law, so far as permanent im- provements of the land went. That would be the operation of such a state of things, that he must either not let his land at all, or let it under those conditions? — Certainly. Do you think it is likely that, under such a state of things as that, there might be any indisposition to let land ?— I should think not the slightest. I think in all those cases it would soon be seen that what was for the benefit of the tenant would be so for the landlord ; they must go hand in hand together ; there is every disposi- tion upon the part of the landowners to let land, and to meetthe wishes of the tenants; but Iholdland of that kind where, if they would, they could not allow me to do anything. I am speaking now of buildings. I should be permitted, nj doubt ; but they cannot give me leave to erect an oast, for instance. I have no oast to dry my hops ; I have said. If I were to build an oast, would jou allow me to carry it away; and they have said. No, we cannot give you leave to go contrary to the law ; that property is in trust. Sir J. Trollope.] What is the cost of an oast ? — One would cost £100. Including everything ? — Yes. It requires two buildings ? — Y'^es. With drying room and kilns it would cost nearly £200 ? — Yes ; but generally speaking, it is close to another building. Arc not the hop oasts furnished generally by the land- lord?— Generally there is an oast, but it is not so ge- neral as a barn. The landlord may say, I do not like hops ; I know you rob the other land for them. Mr. Henley.] Is there any difficulty, in your judg- ment, for the landlord having the fee-simple of the land, and the tenant, if both parties are willing, to secure to the tenant what he ouglit to have, by agreement? — I think there is a difficulty in all those instances such as I have mentioned ; for instance, where an estate is in Chancery. The question is as to the fee-simple without incum- brance, where the landlord has the full power over the estate? — Circumstances very often arise where that cannot be done, for this reason, because gentlemen do not see their own interest in the matter. That is because they do not choose to do it? — I think there is every disposition where they know; but there are many gentlemen whom we cannot expect to be farmers ; they do not know what is best for the estate. The question points to this: is there any difficulty, if the landlord is willing to grant proper clauses, and the tenant is willing to take those clauses, is there any difficulty in the tenant's being properly secured for the outlay of his capital?— There can be no difficulty, if both parties are agreeable; but in every case they are not agreeable, and it is because they are not agreeable that the tenant farmer comes and asks for a bill. If both parties were agreeable to an agreement, there would be no advantage in being secured by law, over being secured by private agreement ? — I do not see any particular advantage in one way over the other, pro- vided the end is obtained ; but I do not see how the end is to be obtained without an enactment. You think that parties would not be mutually agree- able?—No, I think not. It is, in your judgment, that the landlords do not see their own interests to induce them to grant those ai'vantages so generally as they ought to do? — I do not think it is sufficiently prominently brought before landlord or tenant ; I think they have got a good deal THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. IGl to learn, both of them, and the aooiicr thoy imdeistaiKl it the better for tliemselves and the eountry too. In Kent, then, you understand it ? — Yes, to speak generally. To the whole extent, except buildings? — Ttis only in the immediate districts of Kent and Sussex where I am that I speak of; it is not a custom riding over the whole district. You have seen your interest there sufficiently to es- tablish everything you require but buildings ? — Yes. But you have not seen your interest there to get rid of your enclosures? — No. IBut in other parts of England where they have had the good sense to get rid of the enclosures, they have not got all those other things ; perhaps there may be some reason there that you may not be aware of? — There is one reason for our not having got rid of the enclosures, which is the clause in the agreement which says that you shall not touch timber nor hedge rows. The landlords and tenants in Kent, seeing their own interest sufficiently to introduce the tenant-right you have spoken of, have not been wide awake enough to get rid of those monstrous hedges? — I fear they have not given attention to it sufficiently, and it cannot be brought too prominently before them. Would you bind them to it by law ? — No ; it is an in- terference with the rights of ])roperty. Why more so in this case than in the other cases you have spoken of — The circumstances are different, un- less you would pass a law to compel the landlord to re- move his timber, which would be an interference with the rights of property. All we ask for is only that where money has been outlaid for the benefit of the tenant, and he does not receive a just remuneration for it, the law should so far protect him that he should be paid, seeing that it is not any injury to the party paying it, but a benefit to him. Many gentlemen would not like to have their timber cut down. I see a great difference between the two cases. Did not you say the landlord should let the land subject to certain payments, and have no voice in the outlay of that money, to prevent the money being out- laid?— If I have stated so I stated what I did not in- tend to state. That is the result of your evidence? — I stated this : that where a tenant made the whole outlay himself, and found his own tiles (that was in regard to drain- age), I did not see any necessity to appeal to th.e land- lord in such a case; I said, where the landlord found the materials, or where he was compelled to pay for an article that cost money, he should of course be con- sulted to see that what was done was done properly. Taking it as you put it now, the tenant laying out the whole of the expense against the landlord s consent, you would make a law that the landlord should pay it at the end of the term? — I should apprehend the land- lord would never be against draining. Taking a case, supposing him to be against it ; the case is put as an extreme case, and that is the only way those things can be judged ofj you are asked to draw the distinction between that and making a law that a man shall cut his hedges down .' — I think the distinct- tion is this, that one is an outlay of capital for which the man should be paid ; but to compel a man to cut his hedges down is a complete interference with the rights of property. A tenant taking an inclosed farm would not perhaps give so much for it as if it was an open farm. As to buildings, you would not say that the tenant should positively be paid for a building which he had put up ? — No ; he should have the option of taking it away. MJKit diiliiiction shoid'l you draw between the out- laying of money in draining, and theoutlayingof mon-y in building. You say you would not go the leuuMi of making the landlord pay for the buildings? — No, not necessarily; it, is very possible that he might Imve erected some buildings, an oast for instance, whicli might not be required afterwards. The distinction you have spoken of h to be diav.'n according to the benefit ? — According to the perma- nency of it; the one is a case, as for instance a barn, that might be required at all times; and the other is a case that might not be so. Take the case of a barn with a hop oast, what distinction would you draw between the two ; would not both be equally good to the incoming tenant?--! would merely give the alternative of taking the build- ings away. You would not make the landlord pay for them ? — No. Is not there this distinction, that you can take away buildings, but cannot take away drainage ? — 1 can do so ; I have buildings that 1 have erected that I can remove. That does not apply; you say you can take away your buildings, but you cannot remove drainage from the land; that is the true distinction, is not it?— No ; that is not the distinction I wished to draw, nor the inference I wished to come to. There may be one work done by the tenant which is not of necessity, nor of general utility, nor for the benefit of the land. It does not follow that the landlord must be advantaged by having: a lot of buildings placed upon his land for the tenant's own benefit, when they are neither judiciously erected nor well arranged. Is there no land in England where a great outlay of money might be made even upon drainage, with regard to which, if produce fell to an extremely low price, the outlay would not be remunerative ? — I know some of the stiff clays of a part of Kent where drainage acts upon it like magic. It is preferable to manure and everything else; and if you get land in our country with a stiff subsoil once thoroughly drained, it totally alters the class of land. Speaking generally, do you think there is no land iu England that drainage might be ajxplied to, where it might not be remunerative? — I do not say that. Some land would not pay for drainage ; but I do not think a tenant would outlay money for it. Take, for instance, the very poor lands that have never been brought into cultivation; might not drainage be outlaid upon them, without their being rumerative to any body ? — That would be an extreme case. The question supposes an extreme case : a general law would affect that as well as the other ?— I should think it will be a very unlikely thing for any land not to pay for drainage. None at the high rate of £S an acre, you have spoken of ?— The question was asked me about £8 an acre, if there were so many rods would it be so ; I said yes ; I do not say that it would cost more than half that money. You said Is. a rod ?— Yes, 3 feet 3 inches deep. And if put one pole asunder, it would be £S an acre ? — But our lands arc not drained in that way; our drains are put in where the surface water would drain if there were not upon the grouiid enough open furrows, which have been called top furrows, which is across the stitches; it is then moled with six horses; and ac- cording to the full of the field, if they drain that field judiciously, it would not be more than from £2 to .£'4 an acre; those drains empty into the main drams; they put those moles down, not more than two or M 162 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. throe (cct iip.irl ; they liij' wii cvvry three or f )ur furrows. Then the master-drains are put in, in the Weald of Kent, with tiles, and a furrow with a. mole-plough ? — Yes. How long docs the mole-plour,h drainage last? — I did some six years ago, audit stands well now. How deep do you do the inolc-t'longh ? —Not more than 15 or 16 inches with the mole. It does not tread in? — No; the soil is too stiff for that. That system is not generally used? — No, except the soil is very stiff; but where the subsoil is very porous, then it would not want IGO rods of drainage to the acre. Chairman.] What is the extent to which this prac- tice obtains ; wliat extent of country does this custom go over?— It takes the whole of the Weald of Kent and Sussex ; the two Wealds. Do you fii:d any inconvenience, when you act for outgoing tenants, in obtaining for them the money that is due to them ? — Not the least. You never met with such a case? — I cannot say that I never met with such a case in my practice of 20 years ; l)ut I think I never met with but one. You say that there has been a great deal of drainage; is your land such, that after thorough-drainage it becomes capable of carrying root crops ? — Yes ; we are growing mangel-wurzel and turnips to great advantage, after drainage. You say that there is an allowance for naked fallows ; is not the effect of drainage on yom* land to raise an in- crease of charge to the incoming tenant for drainage, but there is a decrease of charge for the naked fallows, the root crops having been grown upon the land ? — Yes. So that the recognition of the tenant-right for im- provements has a tendency to diminish the charge for acts of husbandry ? — Yes, for fallows in particular. It is rather rare to find what we used to call a naked fallow without any crop at all ; while we have to pay rent and taxes, you will generally find roots grown or tares sown. That has greatly increased the quantity of stock kept ? — Most decidedly. Has the drainage already greatly increased the produce of corn ? — Yes, decidedly. Have the landlords ever objected to the extent to which drainage is carried on by the tenants ? — No ; I think the general feeling is that if they would go on a little faster they would like it. They have never found fault with their draining too much ? — No ; some of the landlords about us offer as many tiles as they want to put in the land. What is the rate of wages with you ? — An able- bodied labourer makes 2s. at the lowest penny a day, and 2s. 3d. W^bat, in winter ? — Two shillings in winter, and 2s. 3d. in summer. I am paying 2s. 3d. a day to my la- bourers. Mr. Henley.] In your tenant valuations, do you make any set-off for dilapidations ? — Yes. As to buildings or land, or both ? — All of it; we gene- rally feel ourselves at liberty to look at the whole facts of the case, to take the landlord's interest into considera- tion, and if we find the man's agreement says he shall maintain and uphold his buildings, and soon, if they are not properly done we charge him for them. If the land is in a foul condition ? — Then we charge him. Then that ought to be a matter to be regarded, ac- cording to your judgment ? — A matter never to be lost sight of. So that it should cut both ways ? — Yes. One to be set against the other ? — Yes. Is there any reason, in your opinion, except want of capital, in Kent, that has prevented the drainage being more extensive ? — I think want of knowledge is the great cause. As much as want of capital ? —Yes, in the district I speak of, although they are now getting on fast, I think that has been the case in a great measure. The thorough drainage of land, wliere there are no springs underneath the clay subsoils, has been a thing, within the last 14 or 15 years, very generally recognized ? — Yes. Were there not more differences of opinion about it formerly than now?— Yes. In the district in which I reside there has been a variety of opinions the last three or four years, so much so that many men have not gone in it to any extent till lately, till within the last three or four years ; now they say it is the best money they can expend. The experience of those who have done it has convinced others that it is a most beneficial outlay ? — Yes. There used to be a great difference of opinion, even within these few years, upon the fact of thorough drainage of these stiff subsoils ? — Yes ; it used to be supposed that it could do no good. April 13th, 1848. MEMBERS PRESENT. Mr. Burroughcs Mr. Colville Mr. Evelyn Denison Mr. Hayter Mr. Henley Sir C. Lemon Mr. Moody. Mr. Newdegate Mr. Pusey Mr. Stafford Sir John TroUope riiiLip Pusey, Esq., in the Chair. The Evidence of Mr. Robert Beman. Chairman.] You are a practical farmer living at Stow-on-the-Wold, in Gloucestershire ? — Yes. What extent of land do you occupy ?— Upwards of 2,000 acres. Of what description ? — A great deal of what they call stone brash, limestone rock. Have you occupied it long ? — I have occupied all for 14 or 15 years ; for 16 years, I think. Have you made any improvements in it during your occupation ? — Yes, I have. What has been the nature of those improvements ? — The greatest outlay I have made has been on draining upon the lowland ; not the stone brash, the lower parts. Have you found that increase the productiveness of your land ? — Very much. Do you use artificial food for your cattle ? — I never use less than j^ 1,000 worth a year in artificial food and manure. What is the usual custom in your part of the country between out-going and in-coining tenants ? — The usual custom is not to make any remuneration to out-going tenants. Not for any kind of improvement ? — Not for any kind of improvement ; in some special cases there is some- thing ; I am in the habit of doing a great deal in valuing acts of husbandry, and those kind of things ; but it is the exception rather than the rule to allow anything for improvements. What is the mode of giving up a farm from one tenant to another ; what is the period of entry ? — Half at Mi- chaelmas and half at Lady-day ; they vary very much, but they are all Michaelmas or Lady-day. Supposing it to be a Michaelmas holding, what does THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 163 the in-coming tenant pay for ? — All the costs of husban- dry, the ploughiugs, and sowings, and th3 manuring ; that is, the drawing it, and hoeings in some instimces ; and not any artificial manure is paid for. Then tlie dung belongs to the landlord ? — Yes, it does, in all instances. Is the consequence of that, that it is not of very superior quality ? — I do not know that that makes any difference ; whether it is well made or ill made, nothing is allowed for that. And in the case of Lady-day holdings .' — It is the same in that case ; the tenants in some instances have eaten their turnips oft", and therefore the value of the turnip crops is taken out of the acts of husbandry. You say that in some few special cases there is com- pensation ? — Yes ; where there is a bargain made, the custom of the country would note it. Is it your opinion that it would be an advantage to the farming of the part country you are acquainted with to give compensation? — Very great indeed; the land is suffering for the want of it. In what way is the land suffering for the want of it ? — I think it is only producing one-third of what, with a judicious outlay of capital, it would produce if the farmer could be secured the advantage of his outlay. Are you speaking of the light lands, or the heavv lands, or of both ?— Both. Have you a great deal of light land ? — The larger por- tion is light land. In what way would the productiveness of the Cots- wold be increased by improved tenant-right ? — By artifi- cial manure being used. You think that the turnip crops would be much bet- ter ?— Yes. Would there be a great increase of stock kept in con- sequence ? — There is not the least doubt of it, I can fairly instance ; sixteen years ago I took the Hinchwick Farm of 700 acres, and the first year (I took it at Lady-day) I could only find manure enough to dung 12 acres; my turnip quarters were about 90 or 100 acres ; I had a lease of fourteen years ; I set to and laid out my money, and before the lease was out, instead of finding dung enough to manure 12 acres I could do 60 ; the increase of straw had been so great, that enabled me to dung itall but about 30 acres ; the other I did with bone dust. A turnij) crop is rather an uncertain crop at present on the Cotswold Hills ? — The present year is the worst I have known since I have been in business, and the better I did it the worse it was ; the more I put on the worse it was. With the artificial manure ? — All our land was poisoned with the weather ; the turnips, after a certain period, suc- ceeded very well, more especially with artificial manure. Without looking to such a peculiar season as last year, you have no doubt that the use of artificial manure would be highly beneficial on the Cotswold Hills ? — It is essen- tial ; without it we cannot grow good crops. Have you below the hill, in Gloucestershire, towards the Vale of Berkeley and the Severn, a great deal of strong land ? — Yes. Is it capable of much improvement by draining ? — Very great. Is there much poor grass land there ? — Yes, a great deal. What would you recommend being done with that ? — Its being well drained and converted into arable land. Do you think in that way farmers would be induced to give an increased employment to labourers ? — Yes, ma- terially so. What sort of buildings are they in the Vale of Berke- ley ? —There is very bad accommodation indeed ; though I have 2,000 acres of land I have not above one barn that is fit to put anything in. Are the buildings better on the Cotswold ? — Yes, they are in the large farms on the Cotswold. Even there, do you think thpre would be room for im- provement if the best modes of agriculture were carried out in keeping stock ? — Yes. If you increase the produce you must increase the facility of threshing ; therefore you must have more barns. And you would also require more sheds for cattle ? — Yes. Do they use lime in the Vale of Berkeley ? — Yes ; I used 800 quarters a year, for many years. Is there any compensation for that ? — Not a penny. How long do you think the benefit of the lime lasts ? — I do not know what end there is to it ; on the strong land it alters the nature of it completely. You think it would be just to give a compensation to the out-going tenant? — Yes, certainly; very much so indeed ; for the landlord as well as the tenant. It would be a benefit to the landlord, by encouraging the tenant to make such an outlay ? — Yes. Do you know anything of another mode of improving the clay land, by burning the soil ? — Yes ; I have tried it to a large extent, and did not find it answer. Do you know of other places where it does answer ? — In the Vale of Evesham it answers. What is the expense per acre ? — I do not know. Have you any other remarks to make to the Committee on this subject ? — No, I think not ; except the hardship of the tenant laying out a great deal of capital in drainage and not being allowed for it ; that is a hard case indeed ; that was the case in instances I can mention. I drained a farm, which cost me ^'400 ; I had not had it more than two years after before a surveyor was sent over it, and it was raised fifty per cent, upon the rent, though I laid out every penny myself upon the farm ; my landlord did not find a penny of it. Is there a great deal of land that wants draining ? — Yes, in all the vales they suffer dreadfully ; it is no use manuring, or ploughing, or sowing, unless the water is out of the land. Do you think the wheat plant has suffered this year .' — Yes ; it will show more when the dry weather comes. What loss per acre do you think it will be ? — One- fourth, and in some instances one-half, from the excessive wet we have had in March ; we find the water cannot be got off, and the roots of the plant die away ; in some in- stances they are starved to death. Are they aware, in Gloucestershire, of the benefit of drainage ? —Yes ; if they had security the tenants would drain fast enough. Do you think the landlords are aware of this, but do not find it convenient to make the improvements out of their income ? — I am rather surprised they do not ; the improvement is so very evident. At all events you think, if tenants had tenant-right for draining, they would carry out those improvements ? — No doubt of it. Mr. Henley.] How long have you been acquainted with the neighbourhood you speak of? — I was bom in it, and have known it all my life. Has there not been any improvement in the neigh- bourhood since you have known it ? — Not a general im- provement. Not over the Cotswold Hills .' — No ; the same system is pursued now as was pursued thirty years ago. What is the system of farming on the Cotswold Hills ? — The system is about the same. Do you think it is not better carried out, and that there is not more stock kept ? — Perhaps there may be a little improvement in that respect, but it is capable of mueh greater improvement. In your opinion, is not there more stock kept on the Cotswold Hills now than was the case thirty years ago ? M 2 164 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. — No, I think not, except where aititicial manure has been used ; but with those farmers who liavc not used it, there has been no increase of produce ; they do not keep any more stock. Over the v^holeof the Cotswold Hills, speaking gene- rally, do you not think there is more stock turned out there than was the case thirty years ago ? — I think not. Is the land generally held by lease .' — No, from year to year. Is it held under agreement, year by year, or without any agreement ?— We generally have an agreement the first going in. Tliere is an agreement with the holding from year to year ? — Yes. Have you had much to do with the letting of land ? — ■ I have had the valuing of some estates for letting and for purchase. Are you agent for any estates ? — No. Then you cannot, probably, say whether the tenants have required to have conditions in their agreements ? — I cannot ; it is the general talk at market, that if they were better protected, they would lay out more money, which they do not feel justified in doing now, because they know that men who have done it have been taken advantage of; I do not think it safe to do so. Do you know, from conversation of that sort, or have you any opinion of your own, whether application has been made to have that security, and been refused? — No, I do not know that I can speak of that ; I do not recol- lect at the moment. In what way would you propose that the security should be given .' — For manure, I think that the tenant ought to be indemnified, and that he should be allowed that portion which was unexhausted, which could be ascertained by two persons, one chosen by the landlord, and one by the tenant, or by the in-coming and out- going tenants ; and such portion as is in the land, if he was paid for it, I think he would consider it nearly tanta- mount to a lease. In your opinion, should the valuation be made upon the principle of the expense that has been undergone by the out-going tenant for the benefit to the in-coming tenant ' — That would be the simplest way, between the in-coming and the out-going tenant. In your opinion, should the valuation be made upon the principle of the expense that has been undergone by the out-going tenant for the benefit to the in-coming tenant ? — Both ; more especially to the out-going tenant, because he has laid out his money. There are several instances where it should be paid for ; for instance, bones should be paid for ; the cake and bones laid on at Lady-day; if one crop of corn had been taken, there would be 75 per cent, to be paid for ; if two crops had been taken, 50 percent. ; and if three crops, 25 per cent, to be paid for, and then to cease ; that would meet the evil in a great measure. You stated that you tried burnt clay, and that it was not beneficial upon the land .' — I did not do it the right way. It was the hot summer of four or five years ago. . I had some strong clay land, and it got very dry. I had heard a great deal about burning clay. I set some men on, and they burnt 3,000 bushels to the acre, thirty or forty loads in a heap ; and then we were obliged to get sledge-hammers to break it, and from that time to this I have never seen the least advantage in it. If you had left in that year, who ought in yourjudg- me nt to have paid for the expense of that ? — That was on my own land. Supposing you had been a tenant, and you had gone away ; under those circumstances who ought to have paid for it ? — As it was an experiment of mine, I ought to have paid for it ; unless the out-going tenant can show an improvement, the in-coming tenant ought not to pay for it. Then the principle would be the benefit to the in- coming tenant, not the capital expended by theout-goinj tenant .' — I think it should be both ; I am sure it is an advantage to both, and more especially a greater advantage to the in- coming tenant. My opinion is, that the out- going tenant should produce the vouchers of what he has expended, and it should be in that ratio, because manure ceases after a certain time to be a benefit, except as to the increase of manure, that is caused because the land will bear more straw. I think it ought not to go further back than four years in the case of bones. How long should drainage go back? — I cannot say; drainage effectually done is done for ever, I think. Then, supposing a man to have drained a farm and occupied it fourteen years, and then left the farm at his own will, do you think the in-coming tenant ought to pay the whole expense of drainage? — No. What proportion ought he to pay .' — I should say fourteen years ; I should say he ought to pay half. If he went out in seven years, what should the in- coming tenant jiay then ? — Seven years. Supposing a man had drained a farm and went out after occupying it seven years, what proportion of the expense should the in- coming tenant pay? — Three, fourths. What should he pay at the end of fourteen years ? — Half the expense. W^hat should he pay at the end of twenty-one years ? — In twenty-one years I think he ought not to pay anything if it had been done twenty-one years, he would have had sufficient advantage to remunerate him for the outlay. Should the person who outlays a capital upon a farm be entitled to receive interest for his money, profit upon that interest, and the return of his capital? — In what time ? You are asked whether it is not the just principle as to a farmer laying out his capital upon the land, that he should receive interest for the capital, profit upon the interest, and the capital returned to him again ? — Yes, I think he ought to receive that. When that is done his claim to any future advantage is exhausted ? — Yes, if he received a good interest for his money. la your judgment, should the payment by the in- coming tenant be equally liable to be made whether the tenant quits of his own accord or by notice from his land- lord .' — I think he ought ; circumstances may have made him quit although he could not help it. In the event of the improvement of the farm being an unprofitable one to him, do you think it would be just that he should go away and leave the in-coming tenant to pay the outlay ? — Yes, if he can show that it was judi- ciously made. In your judgment, if any law was made, should it over-ride private agreements or not ? — I think not. You think it ought not to over-ride private agree- ments ? — No ; because, generally, the lease expresses those things. Speaking of an agreement as well as a lease, should it over -ride that? — No, I think not. If the tenant and the landlord agree to defeat the law they ought to have power to do so, in your opinion ? — Yes, I think so. In your judgment, should the operation of any law that was made be retrospective or prospective ? — Pi'o- spective. Then the persons who have now laid out money, in your judgment, should not be entitled to receive anything ? — Not compulsorily, I think. You have stated that, in your judgment, great improve- ment would take place if a certain portion of the Vale of THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 165 Gloucester by the Severn was broken up, some land you said below the hills ? — All land below a certain value ; all green land below a certain value ought to be converted into arable. You said that it would employ a great increase of labour, and afford a greater increase of produce ? — Yes ; and not only that, but we could keep as much stock upon it lifter it had been converted, although one-third i-hould be in corn ; the remaining part would produce so much more food, and we could keep as much stock, although one -third produced corn. Produce includes meat as well as corn ? — Yes ; the [1 reduce includes meat as well as corn. Should that be done by law, or left to the option of the landlord and tenant ? — It is going on so slow; I !-liould like to have a law to enable me to do it ; that would be my wish. You said that you think the law should put a rent upon it ? — Yes, I think the landlord ought to have an increase of rent. Do you think that would be better done by law than by private agreement .' — It might be done by private agree- ment; it is so slow. I have been advocating it for twen- ty-five years ; I have been cultivating land, and I see the advantage is so great, I am astonished it is not generally done. 1 have five fields of land that have been broken uj) now for eight years ; they have produced four crops of wheat, and seven green crops, in the eight years, upon tliis very description of land I am speaking of. Before it was broken up it was not worth 15s. an acre ; it would starve the beasts, and make them lousy, and rot the sheep. I have one of the pieces iu flax ; I never saw so great an improvement in my life as in the conversion of poor pas- ture land into arable land ; it is all done by breast plough. I have not had a horse plough, nor a cart load of manure upon it. Do you not think, that seeing the gain you have derived, that would induce others to do the same thing ? — They will not come to see it ; the Rev. Mr. Huxtable came to see it, and was astonished at it. There seems in my neighbourhood a prejudice against that sort of thing. Perhaps it is because up to the present time they have not been so certain of the advantages as they will now be by seeing what you and others may have done ? — I have seen it practised for thirty years upon the Cotswold Hills. That is a difi'erent description of land .' — Yes, that was what we call down land ; I know a piece done thirty years, cultivated with a breast plough, and never had a cart load of dung upon it. You have told the Committee, that in the Lady-day tenancy, the value of turnips are deducted .' — Sometimes they are ; that is not always the case. Is that by agreement ? — Yes, that is by agreement. What is done by the custom where there is no agree- ment ; what is the practice then } — Then if the tenant eats the turnips, he must have the value taken from the acts of husbandry, if he so entered. That is the custom ? — Yes. Is the value settled at a certain rate, or do the valuers see the crop ? — The valuers see the crops ; in some sea- sons a good crop would be equal to the acts of husbandry, in other the acts of husbandry woidd be greater. Is there any practice in that part of England of out- going tenants taking the away-going crop ? — In very few instances. After the tenancy terminates ? — Yes, that was the case in the common fields in our neighbourhood ; it is very rarely the case now. That is pretty well extinguished } — Yes ; the landlords see the impolicy of it, and they see that the best thing is to purchase it. And put an end to it ? — Y'es, and put an end to it. Has there been much enclosed land in the neighbour- hood in the last tliirty years ? — The fields are nearly all enclosed. The landlords having put an end to this custom that v-'as prejudicial by buying it out? — Yes. That shows that the laiuUords are disposed to facilitate what may be for the public advantage ? — Yes, in that instance. With reference to buildings, what is the custom ; who puts them up ? — Tiie landlord puts them up. At his own expense.' — Generally. I was ovcra farm yesterday where it wascollege property, where the tenant had expended i.'3,000 in erecting buildings; aiul yesterday he was called upon to pay for dihxpidations upon those very buildin^s. I was employed by tlie tenant to meet the valuer on the part of the college ; and though he put up nearly all the buildings, every wall and stone, and every bit that was broken down, we were obliged to put a value u|)On ; that was very inicpiitous. How long had he been on the land ? — Twenty years. Do you know the terms of that holding ? — No ; I did not see the lease from the college ; I saw the lease between the incumbent and the tenant. Do you know whether there was any condition as to the rent or in the holding requiring the tenant to put up the buiklinu' ?— No, it was completely voluntary. With so heavy an outlay there could have been no buildings upon the land .' — Very few ; only the farm house. Then it must have been clearly understood between the parties at starting that the buildings were to be put up ? — He took it for the life of the incumbent, with the risk. And therefore, of course, if he meant to occupy it he must put up the buildings ?— Yes ; I thought it a hard thing to be obliged to put those buildings into excellent repair. Sir J. Trollope.] Did you see the lease .■' — Between the late incumbent and the tenant ; he was bound to the incumbent, not to the college ; the clergyman who died happened to be insolvent, and they looked to the tenant. Mr. Henley.] Then, taking the lease, he might have guarded against a contingency of that sort if he had been a prudent man .' — He depended upon the life of the clergyman. Sir J. Trollope.] He ran the risk of that life ? — ■ Yes. Then was it in the conditions that he should put up such buildings ? — Not at all. He did it then for his own convenience ? — Y''es. And he took the chance of the death of the incumbent]? —Yes. Was that a hardship then .' — Yes I think it was ; he was obliged to pay when I think he ought to have been paid for a certain portion of those buildings, which ought to have been paid for by the next occupier or the incumbent. Mr. Henley.] Do you know the rent he paid? — About 12s. an acre. Was that a full rent ? — Yes, the land was wretchedly out of condition. It was a fair times rent .' — Y'^es. What is the practice in that part of England aboutagri- cultural fixtures, such as threshing machines ? — They do not take farms with machines, or they come to an agree- ment about them. There is no difficulty made about the removing fixtures of that sort ? — No ; they are genei-ally portable machines. Buildings put up for horses to work in ; whom do they belong to ?— The landlord. Are you aware of the custom there is in trade, that buildings put up for the purpose of trade may be removed by the tenant ? — No. In your judgment, would it be fair to put farmers upon 166 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. the same conditions as tradesmen arc put in that particu- lar?— Yes. Do you see any objection to it ? — No; it is a very good plan and very fair. In your judgment, if a landlord, having the fee-simple of the land, and the tenant are both willing to make an agreement to give a proper security to the tenant for his outlay, could they do all that is requisite ? — Yes ; I do not see why a bargain could not be made by the landlord and tenant for their mutual interest. Would it be of considerable advantage to give the owners of settled estates power to make the same agree- ments beyond their lives ? — Yes, I think so ; I have seen the evil of their not being able to do it. It would be a great improvement if it were done ? — Yes, I think so. I occupy a parsonage farm, and I should like my landlord to give me a lease ; but he has not the power. What period do you think oil-cake should be paid for ? — With regard to oil-cake given to the cattle, the cattle derive a :ji-eat advantage from the oil- cake ; in the first place, in making beef, and of the price. As to the proportion, I should say two-thirds of it ought to go to the beast that eats it. And one-third to be paid by the in-coming tenant, if the manure is left ? — Yes. How long should you put bone-dust at .' — Longer than that ; I have seen the benefit of bone-dust seven years sfter. I have never valued it at more than four years. You divide it into four equal portions ? — Yes, into four equal portions ; and for guano not so long. And for guano how long ? — Not above two years ; we get it out directly almost. In your judgment, in the event of a person having ten- ant-right, when he quits a farm should any notice be taken of dilapidations .' — Certainly ; and if he has farmed badly, I think he ought to pay for it ; if he has neglected the land he ought to pay for that. That should be set off against any claim he might have for other things ? — Yes, certainly, I tliink so. In your judgment, as a valuer, have you seen any farms given up in a bad condition ? — I have ; and in some in- stances the tenant has been obliged to pay, and in others the landlord has been indulgent, and has let him off. Mr. Newdegate.] With respect to these five fields that you say have increased in value so much, you were at some expense to bring them into that state, were you not ? — The expense was very trifling. You say in eight years they produced four crops of wheat? — Yes, and seven green crops. Were you not repaid for the expense upon them after the second crop of wheat ? — Yes, I reckon I was paid the first year for all the expenses. Then, if you had been holding that land as a tenant, you would have been amply repaid, and any compen- sation you would have received for the expenditure would have been a I)onus ? — Yes, I should be satisfied with that ; but I drained it first ; that is a permanent improvement. At the same time you saj^, that after the first year, and, at all events, after the second year, you were paid the whole of the expense? — Yes, the expense was nothing hardly. Then, supposing that you held that land of another person, and had made the outlay, and had been repaid in two years, would you have had any claim, injustice, for further compensation if you had given the land up ? — No, certainly not ; I should not claim compen- sation iti that case; tlic landlords are very particular about that ; we hnve generally in our leases a forfeiture of £50 an acre if wo break it up; that is what I com- plain of. Would not it be fair that an increased rent should be charged upon broktn-up land? — Yes, certainly; at least 10 per cent, more rent the landlord ought to have. Would you take any part of that increased rent as compensation after you had reaped the full benefit of your improvements, and received back your capital and return for your outlay ; should you advocate a law like that ?— No". Then after two years, in that case, the tenant would be repaid his money? — Yes, the outlay is not greater than common cultivation ; I contend it is cheaper. You drained that land? — Except the drainage; I leave the drainage out ; that ought to be paid for ; but for the simple conversion of the land from pasture to arable, nothing ought to be paid. You drained this land, you say ? — Yes. After the expiration of two years, you say you were fully compensated ? — Yes. For drainage ?— Not for drainage. How long did it take then to compensate for the whole expense ? — I think I had it all out of the first crop of wheat. Drainage and all? — No. How long was it before you were compensated for drainage? — I should consider I was paid for drainage and all now, if I were to rent the farm. After how long ? — It has been eight years in cultiva- tion. Would you not have been repaid the expenditure of drainage by the ra])id succession of four crops in less than eight years? — Yes; but the green crops are some expense ; that must betaken out. The question refers to the four crops? — It takes two years to grow a crop of wheat; the green crops are ex- pensive crops to grow. But you had four crops of wheat in the eight years ? —Yes. Tlie land would not have produced those crops till you drained it ? — No. Do you think that those four crops of wheat did re- pay the expense of drainage ? — I would not say exactly four, or three, or seven; I cannot tell; my crops hap- pened to be very good, and they did repay it. The four crops then did repay it ?— Yes. Would it require the value of four crops of wheat to repay you the drainage? — No, I do not know that it would ; but we got the four good crops. Would not two crops pay it ? — Yes, I think they would. Then from what you say it appears that the whole expense of drainage in such a case as you spoke of would be repaid by two good crops of wheat ?— Yes, I drained it in a peculiar way ; it was very strong clay, and came up to the surface. I dug a clay pit, and burnt 200 load in a heap with small coals. I bad the drains dug out : it was ridged, and I put a drain in every furrow, and dug out to that, and got some small one- horse carts and filled it in. What is the expense per acre of that kind of drain- age?— That would de])end upon circumstances, where there ought to be a drain up every furrow. What was the expense per acre you tried?— I cannot say. Sir J. Trollope.] Did you put in a pipe? — No, merely filled it in, in the way I have said. Did you not throw your ridges down ?— It has never been horse-ploughed yet. You do not want to remove the surface soil to the top ?— No. You purchased this land? — Yes. Supposing yourself to be a tenant of a quantity of this poor grass land, do you think the law ought to entitle THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 167 you to break it up without tlic landlord's consent ? — It would I)c a strong' meaHnre, but I say it would be a very great advantage to the landlord, the tenant, and the community. Would the landlord be, in such cases, perfectly cer- tain that his laud was not deteriorated ?— Yes ; if he hiid a proper restriction upon the cultivation. You would not allow a tenant, if ycu were a landlord or agent, to break up pasture lands without special agreement? — No. Y^ou \A'0uld not allow him to do it without consent ? —No. Your first position was, that a tenant ought to have liberty to break it up ? — Yes. Is not it necessary to get the landlord's consent .> — Yes. Who should put up the buildings if there were 1,000 acres of poor grass land, and you should have power to take that land and break it up; it would require dif- ferent buildings? — Yes. Who is to put those buildings up ? — If you would give me a lease of 21 years I would put them up. Would that be a hardship at the end not to be re- paid?—No. And you would be bound to hand them over in a good state of repair ? — Yes. Would not the actual fee-simpie of the estate be ac- tually deteriorated in many cases if it was left to the tenants to do as they pleased ? — Yes, if thcy cultivated it as they liked. Yours is not a very highly cultivated district ? — Yes, it is improving. Would it be safe for the legislature to make a j)rovi- sion to interfere with the general arrangements between landlords and tenants ? — I cannot say as to that ; but it is so advantageous a thing that I cannot see any harm in it under piopcr restrictions. Will you state the course of your own cultivation; do you turn the sod first with a breast-plough? — Y^es. Do you burn that sod ? — Yes. And' spread the ashes on the soil ? —Yes ; then breast plough it again, and plant the turnips, if I can getit up early enough. Is this land sufficiently dry to enable you to eat those turnips ofi"? — Yes. With sheep ? — Yes ; the land that is breast-ploughed is never too dry nor too wet. What is the cost of turning the turf, per acre ? — The first I gave I-ls. an acre. And then the second breast-plough ? — Six shillings. Then you do it for 20s. an acre ? — Yes. Does that include the heaping and spreading? — Yes. You take a very thin skin off the land? — Yes. What amount of asl.cs per acre do you put on? — That depends upon the turf; if it is good turf it will produce more than a middling turf. You tlien take, after the turnips, and sow it with wheat?— Yes; and I sow Italian rye-grass among the wheat the next spring, and mow it for hay, breast plough, and burn the stubbs and plant turnips ; then comes wheat again. lliat is, the year when you take two green crops ? — Yes ; it comes wheat every alternate year. How long will it stand that rotation ? — As long as I can get five quarters to the acre it shall stand. What manure do you put in ? — None ; I fold and eat the turnips off ; I mow the rye-grass; tlie sheep eat all that is grown upon it, and corn with the turnips. You fold the turnips? — Yes. That is sufficient manure? — Yts, with corn. And then you have four crops of wheat ? — Yes. Is (he fourth crop as good as the first ? — Ye?. The first crop may perhaps be afibct< d by the wire- worm ? — I get it to do very well even at first. And the fourth rotation is as good as the first?— Yes. J)o yon intend to goon witli that? — Yes. Ill fact without expense ? — I may give it a few bushels of hone dust. You say that land was worth 15s. before its conver- sion ; what would you value it now at? — Forty shil- lings an acre ; there is no land producing so much money. Chairm.in.] IIow do you manage about couch ? — Tiiere is never any couch in old turf, and I take care to get none in ; nothing keeps it so clean as the breast plough. If I had a bit of foul land that liad been cul- tivated to the depth of five or six inches, I should clean it with the breast plough first, and then fetch up the deeper soil. Do you only give it one breast plough after turnips ? — Sometimes two ; we breast plough it after the tur- nips in March ; it sometimes gets trodden down ; that is done at 4s. 6d. an acre. Tliat is 9s. an acre to prepare it for wheat ? — Yes. Do you get a sufficient depth of mould? — fes, I dibble it. Do you get mould enough to drill? — Yes. Mr. Moody.] What do the men earn? — One shil- ling and sixpence or 2s. if they have a full day; they do it very fast. Would tenants, unless under special agreement, be liable for dilapidations of buildings? — Not unless under special agreements, it' it is not mentioned in the lease. The person who had to suffer under those hardships spoke of just now, in fact, merely took of? the liabilities of the life tenant? — Y^es. You would not ask for protection to the tenant gene- rally, merely upon that case ? — jVo. Chairman.] You say that there is a general wish amongst farmers for protection for the outlay of their capital? — Yes, certainly there is. You also say that it would be a great advantage to the in-coming tenant ? — Y'^es ; it is much better for a man to have to pay for an improvement than have to wait to make it himself; then the land is fit to go to work upon. In your opinion, the tenant would lose more money than he would have to pay, if he were to have very poor crops whilst he was getting the land'into condition? — Yes, he would have to make an outlay in either case; but in the one case the land would be ready to bear the crop. Mr. Henley.] Have you considered who the pay- ment is to be made by ? — The in-coming tenant. In your judgment, the remedy should be against the in-coming tenant? — Yes ; only for manure. Supposing land not taken, against whom would you go then ? — The landlord ; he has tie bcntfit of it in his land. Supposing the landlord is not to be found, what would you go against then? — If there is no one to be found, I could not tell where to go. Chairman.] Could you not find the land? — No; I would not have a lien upon it. Have you considered the question, where the land- lords or tenants are not to be got at, whether you would give a remedy against the land ? — I do not sec who you could go to, if there was neither landlord nor tenant. Evidence of Mr. John HouriHToN. Chairman.] You are a land agent and also an oc- cupier of land, residing near Sunning-liill, in Berk- shire?— I nni. 168 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. What extent of laud do you occupy yourself? — -4,000 acres. In what parts of England ? — In Sussex, in Berk- shire, in Middlesex, hi Buckinghamshire, in Surrey, and in Suffolk. Have you much improved the land you occupy in Berkshire ? — Yes, very much. Ill what state was it when you first took to it? — I farm in Berkshire one farm of my own, which Ibouglit freehold property, which was part of Bagshot Heath ; that was in a state of nature. I have expended very large sums of money upon it, and now I have made part of it bring good crops. Upon another farm I have in Berkshire, whirls is leasehold property under the college, which I have a beneficial interest in, there I pay a fine every seven years, and a very small reserve rent ; that was also in a state of nature, or nearly so, when I took to it in the year 1830. What I complain of, and what I most certainly wish to call the attention of the committee to, is this— the very great hardship we labour under, after going through that time ; when our fine comes round at the end of the seven years, a very great increase is put upon our improvements ; with re- gard to fines I have known a very great increase put upon them, and I think it a very hard case, because every shilling of the improvements have been made by the tenant. It is one of the greatest impediments to the improvement of agriculture that the whole of the col- lege property and cliureh leases are let out for a term of years on paying a fine every seven years. If you happen to break up your waste lands, or build a new house and premises, and lay out a large sum in making it a fit residence to live in, they come round at the end of the seven years, and make you pay an increase upon your own capital expended. Tl.at is the same with respect to ini])rovements of land, they not having con- tributed one shilling towards those improvements ; you have the beneficial interest, and if you do not choose to pay them what they think proper to ask they will not renew, and at the end of 14 years more you have to give up the whole concern. I think that if any arrangement could be made for some definite plan it ■would be a very great advantage. Taking, for instance, the average of the last three fines ; if it could be made satisfactory, so that the fine shall not exceed the average of the last three fines, then it would give an immense benefit to the country at large. Now, for instance, I know a place very well where it is dean and chapter property ; the parties who are the lessees would be glad to build better residences, but they cannot do so because of the uncertainty of the tenure. If they put up a new house, at the end of the seven years the surveyor would come round, and he would say, "Yes, when I was here last time it was an old tumble-down house, but I see put up a new one; we must have 2 or 2| years according to what we now find." Sir J. Tkollope.] Is that invariable with all college and all church property ? — Yes, with all college and all church property. I do not mean that they all increase the fines, but if you look back you will always find that the increase is very considerable, some are very liberal. Is not ,it the fact that you can generally tell church property by the appearance of the buildings ?— Yes • and that is the very reason why I wish to call the at- tention oi-' the committee to it. As to the land, they do not make the most of that ; and as to the buildings, the tenant says, " I should be very glad to improve those buildings, but the time for my fine is coming round, and if I do improve the buildings my fine will be increased in proportion as the property is improved." It is proverbial that is the case ; I found my place in the most ruinous state. You say in Berkshire you have a freehold property of your own ? — Wiiy build on a leasehold farm. Why did you build the residence upon the leasehold ? — I bought my leasehold first, and then I bought my freehold. Chairman.] Will you tell the committee what is the ordinary mode of giving up farms from the out-going to the in-coming tenant in Berkshire ; is it much the same as in Buckinghamshire? — No ; there are no two comities the same. Mr. Newdesate.] You were perfectly aware of the liability to the increase of the fine when you took this leasehold property ? — Yes ; I am now speaking gene- rally 3 I say that it is one of the greatest clogs, not only with respect to the owners of property themselves, but to the lessees, because the cViurch would be very glad themselves to do it ; they say, " If we had the power, we would give you a better tenure." But there is another consideration, they are a moveable body. For instance, tlie man who at the end of one seven years is in possession of the fund arising from those fines moves off, and somebody else comes, and he says " I know nothing at all about that.'' The disadvantage you are pointing out is the disad- vantage of leasing property on the terms that the church and colleges now let their land ? — I think that the plan of church leases should be put upon a different footing altogether. Sir J. Trollope.] You want a power of redemp- tion ? — Eitlier a power of redemption, or that the fine should be upon the average of a certain number of fines previously paid. Making it a fixed payment ? — T would have it done as it is done in Ireland; it is done in Ireland, and it works very well indeed. I am connected with Ire- land, and I have seen the working under the Ecclesias- tical Bill. Chaikman.] What is the usual time of entry upon land in your pait of Berkshire ? — I take the two coun- ties of Surrey and Berkshire; a portion of my land is in Surrey, and a portion is in Berkshire. What then is the period of entry at your end of Berk- shire ? — Michaelmas. What has the in-coming tenant to pay for ? — If I left my farm in Surrey I should be entitled to be paid for clover lays, but I should not be in Berkshire. Now, for instance, I should be entitled in Surrey to be paid for my half dressing, but I should not be in Berkshire. In Berkshire you are paid only for acts of hus- bandry ? — 'Yes, I am paid only for acts of husbandry. To whom does the manure belong ? — To the landlord. Are you entitled, as an out-going tenant, to com- pensation for any kind of improvements ? — No, I am not, except under special agreement. Are those special agreements common? — No, they are not. The out-going tenant is not entitled to be paid for any drainage in Berkshire ? — No. Is there much room for that in your part of Berk- shire .' — Yes. Do you know the district called the Forest ? — Yes, I do. Extending from about Windsor to Reading, nearly ? —Yes. Does a considerable portion of that district require drainage .' — Very much. Arc the crops very deficient, compared with what they would be if the land were well drained .'-—Yes, I think so. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 169 Ts there not another mode of durable improvement by chalking in that district ? — Yes. Is the cliallv brought from a considerable distance there? — I fetch mine 10 or 12 miles. Is there any compensation awarded to the out-going teniint for that? — No. Bo you know the expense per acre ? — I consider that iny chalking costs me £4 per acre, and from that to £5, ' Inchiding that expensive hauling? — Yes. In a great part of the forest they are obliged to go a Kieiit distance for chalk, are they not? — I am speak- ing of sand land ; if I was chalking what is termed the clay land of the forest, it would come to more, because a greater quantity of chalk would be required. Is that operation very beneficial both on the sand and clay land? — Yes; it is impossible to farm without you chalk or lime it; you can grow nothing without that. If all this cold clay land in tlie forest were drained and chalked, in your opinion would there be a very great increase of production ? — Very great. Do you think a tenant from year to year can, as a prudent man of business, incur that risk himself with- out compensation ? — Certainly not. Do you tliink the landh^rds generally have the means to pay for it out of their own pockets ? — I should sup- pose that some could do it, and some could not. I will tell you presently of a plan that I was going to suggest, showing the way in which I tliink the diffi- culty is to be got over ; I have turned ray attention very much to this subject for these last few years, both as a land agent, as a land owner, and as a land occupier. In Surrey, M'hat is the custom between the out-going and in-coming tenants? — As to the custom there, 1 should say that Surrey is the most expensive county in England ; I do not think any out-going tenant could complain of Surrey ; he is paid for his dressing, and half-dressing, and clover lay : the custom of Surrey, as it is, is a very expensive county indeed for a man to take a farm in. Are you acquainted with Buckinghamshire ? — Very well. Are the customs there different from those of Berk- shire ? — No ; they are very similar. Is there any difference in those customs that itoccuis to you to menticu? — No, there is no difference that I know of in that respect, between Berkshire and Buck- inghamsliire. In what part of Buckinghamshire do you hold land ? — Near Aylesbury. Do you know whether the chalk district of Bucking- hamshire would be much benefited b^- the application of chalk to the surface soil ? — No, I do not think the chalk district would; the clay district would; where the chalk is near the surface I do not think it would be any benefit to that, but there are lands in Hamp- shire I know, and some parts of Berkshire, where the chalk is lower down, and the clay rests upon the chalk ; there the best management you can adopt is to chalk it. Generally speaking, you mean there is chalk enough in the soil of theBuckinghamshire chalk hdls? — Yes; on what I should call the chalk hills, taking I he district about Wycombe. Going north of the chalk hills you get to heavy land ? — Yes, there it wants chalking. Does it also want drainage? — Yes, very badly on the heavy lands. Do you believe that if facility were given to tenants to carry out those improvements a considerable increase of employment of labourers would be the consequence 1 — No doubt of it, and 1 think it an extremely hard case that a tenant should not be allowed the same ad- vaiitagc* as the tradespeople; if a tradesman puts up a building, it is his own property ; if a farmer puts up a barn or stable in order to carry on his trade, it must be left for the benefit of the landlord, and we have no claim upon it at all ; it is a very hard case. Have you any other point to mention? — I Will go into that question to which I just now referred. In Sussex you have the same difficulties to contend with as those I have been exi)Iaining in other counties; but in Lincolnshire you get allowances where I am con- nected a great deal ; in Lincolnshire the tenants get allowances for their improvements. What I was going to suggest was this : first of all I will take the case of church property, where the tenant takes a rectory farm; the difficulty that the clergyman has there is, that he cannot give a lease, and you find that the buildings of the rector are generally in a very dilapida- ted state. There ought to be some power given to the rector of the parish ; he can do it once after an inclo- suro; that is, he has the power of leasing for 21 years, with the consent of the bishop. That ought to be carried on, not only for the first time after an inclosure, but it ought to be carried on in the same way for ever, because it is absolutely necessary. Take, for instance, a clergyman ; I will suppose him to be a most excel- lent man, but he is taken off suddenly by death, and the tenaTit has no power whatever. As soon as the breath is out of his body, whatever may happen, in comes the next incumbent ; and the whole of the tenancy being put an end to, he comes in the next day, and takes possession of that land; there is no time sziven, whatever the tenant may have done upon the land ; as soon as the breath is out of the incumbent's body the next incumbent comes and takes possession of that land, and with that land he takes the possession of all the improvements the tenant may have made. I think it is an extremely hard case ; and I have had cases that have come to my knowledge that I have felt very much. A tenant has said, " I had no idea our rector would have died so suddenly, and I am now completely at the mercy of the next man." I know a case at this moment where a man has improved his farm, the rector is just dead, and there is a new incum- bent appointed ; and the increase in the rent is between 30 and 40 per cent. Sir J. Trollope.] What remedy would you point out? — I would recommend that the incumbent should have the power of leasing, with the consent of the bishop, for 21 years, the same as under an inclosure. In that case would you permit the fine being taken as in the case of colleges? — No. You have stated, from your knowledge of the county of Surrey, that it is a very expensive one to make an entry upon ? — Yes. From the extent of the valuation? — They have to pay for the clover lay; I have known 50s. an acre charged. * Upon what principle is that clover lay valued? — They consider a clover lay a preparation for wheat. Do they pay the year's rent of the land in addition to the value of the seeds and labour ? — No ; it is what they call the clover lay, and it is valued ; they call it the preparation of the wheat. In fact, all manures are allowed for then? — Yes. Upon what principle is oil-cake allowed for ?— I do not think oil-cake would apply to that county ; it is prmcipally London manure. Is that calculated by the number of tons or loads brought down? — They calculate it according to that. Have you found, in your experience as a land agent and occupier in that county, that that has encumbered IIQ THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. the tenant and made him short of capital for eiil - lion, having- to pav so largely on entry ? - 1 have heard that. Have you heard that it cripples the inoans of the in- coming tenant paying so largely for the entry?— Yes. Is that sum of money invaria!)Iy paid from tenant to tenant, or does the landlord become responsible in any ^ay ? — No, it is from tenant to tenant. Docs it tend to deteriorate the value of laud; for histance, docs this heavy tenant-right cause the la::d to be let lower ; Yes ; there are not so many people who can take them. No act of parliament is required there? — It is tlie custom they have. In the other four counties, Susse.v, Berks, Middle- sex, and Bucks, are there not various customs existing ? — Yes, various. And some ]daces are very much inferior to others in point of allowance ? — Yes, Middlesex. Is it there unsatisfactory to the tenants ? — I should say they are. In Middlesex, what is the tenant-right ? — The pro- duce is generally sold to the London market, and thereforethe general rule is to bring a load of dung back for a load of straw. Suppose a tenant was going to leave, does not he sometimes sell his produce in London and omit to bring back the dung. — Yes. Arc they leaseholders or tenants-at-will? — Both. Those that are tenants-at-will, do they hold under agreement ? — Yes. And that is a portion of the agreement ? — Sometimes it is, and sometimes it is not. Do you or do you not see any great difficulty in the legislature framing any compulsory enactments to le- (laUse all those very great varieties of tenant right? — Yes, I see great difficulties in it, but I think there are very hard cases. I will name one now, of a man who three years ago took a large farm under a certain no- bleman who, up to a certain period, stood exceedingly high as a landlord : the in-coming tenant, and not only him, but in a number of other instances, are so situated; those estates are to be sold, and that tenant came to me the other day and said, "Now, v.'hat a pretty state I am in ; I took this farm of mine only three years ago ; I iiave laid out half my capital upon it; I knew that I had such a good landlord, and now these estates are coming into the market, and I shall lose the whole of it." That is a hard case. And I could point out to the committee many other cases shnilarly situated ; and I think, for instance, where a man has only a life interest in the estate, such a condiiion of things ought to be provided for. For myselT I tell the committee, very candidly, I farm very largely, l)ut I never farm without leases ; I might as well expect to fly without wings as to farm without lease. I have all the land I occupy under long leases, and therefore I take care, as far as I am concerned individually myself, that I have security for all the improvements I make. But I have had those cases under my notice, and I do not know when I ever felt more, for that m;ai had been the great stay of the parish in employing the whole of the labourers in draining, ditching, smd fencing, and now that estate is in the market, and he cannot recover one shilling. It is not a certainty that he will be dismissed ? — One thing is c(uite certain, that the farm looks so different to what it did when I saw it in its unimproved state, that whoever is the purchaser I am satisfied will think the rent too little. In fact, some measure must be adopted as to what should be paid for, and what should not. At the same time it would be impossible to say that whatever the tenant chose to do upoii the farm when he left that farm should necessarily be paid for, because, whatever improvements he might call im- provements, it would be ejuite another cpiestion whether another man might call them improvements. I consi- der, however, that some measure of this description ought to be framed, and that is tlie only way in which you can meet the difficulty. Supposing, for instance, that I am a tenant from year to year upon a farm, and I want to carry out certain improvements, that I should be bound to senel to rny landlord a written statement of what I am going to do. I should then give him notice that such and such fields ree^uired such a sum of money in drainage; and that I I'equired such and such sums for so and so, going through the whole of the improvements ; and then if he did not choose to make those improvements and charge me aper-centage upon the rental, I ought to have the power of doing them under some superintendence which might be appointed. I have thought of diiferent tribunals that that should be decided by ; for instance, if I gave my landlord notice that I required such and such things to be done, the Board of Guardians, I have thought, would be a very good tribunal to sign this document, stating that they should be done ; then I ought to have a lien, or what I call a first charge upon the land; and it should run it off gradually year by year till the whole amount liad been paid to me again ; that is one way in wliich that difficulty might be met. Would you give the landlord the power of assenting or dissenting? — Of course I would. You would give him notice?— Y'es, I would give him notice. Would you give him the power to withhold his assent ? — Yes; and suppose he did not, then this tribunal of which I am speaking should be allowed to say whether it should be done or not. Now, with re.'p ■' 'o the breaking up of grassland it v/ouli! '.^u i..i.)OSsu>io suffi- ciently to express how strongly I fVel upon the neces- sity of having the inferior grass lands of this countiy broken up ; but it is impossible to make any enactment to say they shall be or shall not be broken up ; it must be left to the individual interests of the owners of that particular property. You cannot say to a man, You shall break this up, or You shall sow this down ; that is impossible. You state that you farm entirely under leases ; are there conditions of management in those leases? — Yes. Would not such an act as you now wish to bring in supersede all leases, and break every lease in the king- dom ? — No ; I think there should be some such tribunal as that I speak of; wliether that would be the proper one, or not, I cannot say. By referring to a tribunal of any sort, matters be- tween yourself anet your landlord, would not you be taking it out of the landlord's power to give his assent or difscnt ; would you not create a tribunal which would decide upon the expenditure of capital upon a person's property ? — You would create a tribunal of that description ; but still I hold this opinion, that you may be acting in dog-in-the-manger fashion, to make use of that phrase ; and I say, if he will not give his consent to make the improvementhimself, nor any one else make it, the legislature should say, " We cannot allow this land to be in a state of unproductiveness ; vfe must have some tribunal to deciile whether the proposed outlay will be proper or not." Would not it be fair to extend that tribunal to other matters besides land, as it regards the employment of capital in any other business ? — No. Is it right to set up a tribunal in judgment upon the mode in which the landowner shall deal with his pro- perty, an Midland and western do Other parts of England Ireland Scotland From abroad, the annexed imports of stock have taken place into the metropolis : — Beasts 547 Head. Sheep 3,767 Calves 180 PiR 1 Total 4,495 Corresponding month \ r aqu in 1848 / ^'^^'^ At the outports only about 1,500 head of stock have been landed, and those in very middling con- dition. Very large supplies of Scotch and country-killed meat have been received up to Newgate and Leadenhall markets, and which have met a dull inquiry, at drooping prices. Beef has sold at from 2s. 4d. to 3s. 6d. ; mutton, 2s. 6d. to 4s. 4d. ; veal, 3s, 4d. to 4s. 6d. ; and pork, 3s. to 4s. 8d. per 8lbs., by the carcass. SOMERSETSHIRE. The winter continues to be marked by the same tendency to wet and changeable weather, which has now prevailed for a twelvemonth. Settled frosty weather has soon given place to a south wind, with rain ; and now we have the mild balmy air which comes under the description of a January spring, IMany farmers are wishing for a cessation of rain, to finish their wheat sowing, much being still to do. As regards that sown, .great complaint is made of its being eaten ; and in some places, where it is very wet, it is not coming up, and that there is some cause for this, we are disposed to think ; but this kind of apparent damage is often surprisingly recovered, and large crops reaped. Except the large quantity kept for spring sowing — which is attended with more risk of a crop — there is not as yet any cause of alarm for the next year. Winter beans are L;oking well, but not forward. We have seen but very few pieces of vetches ; and for feeding off the turnips this has, in- deed, been an unpropitious season. Whenever we can get a hard frost we are busy, getting out manure ; but at pre- sent the land is thoroughly soaked, and large breadths of the low lands are under water. This is about the state of our lands now for the stock. What cattle are housed are doing well, when they have fodder not spoiled by the season ; but it is generally such, that if they are kept on it for the winter, and not the worse for it, it will be better than we may expect. Our fairs and markets are worse and worse, both for fat and poor stock ; but more particularly the former, 6s. to 8s, 6d, being the hardly realized price per score. Mutton not quite so bad ; but we are sorry to say a great number of the sheep are rotten (loathed), and have been forced into the mar- ket when in good order ; and how far it extends to poor sheep is yet to be proved. Pigs still worth 8s. per score, and not so plentiful as they were. Poor ones sell rather more freely ; there does not appear a large stock. Very little doing in cheese ; that which has been sold this month going off very low, from 44s, to 54s., and skim 28s. to 32s. Fat calves are also low, 6d. to 6|d. per lb., against 7d. to 7^d. last year. But much as the price of stock is complained of, it is worse in the corn mar- ket. From frequent changes in the weather the con- dition of the new is very bad, and it weighs, even when sound, very light ; but a very large portion is grown, and cannot find purchasers even at the low prices of 4s. 6d. to 5s. per 60 lbs. ; the sound new is worth 6s. to 6s, 3d, ; red and white old 6s. 4d. to 6s. 9d. ; and some of the best whites, 64 lbs., has just now been worth 7s, As our millers are very bare of stock, and waiting for the 1st of next month— having scarcely sufficient to last until that time — this is the case with the bakers — yet the price of flour has been well maintained, from 38s. to 39s. per sack. We are disposed to think we are at the lowest ; and as it will take fully one part out of three in the average consumption of the miller, of foreign, the large imports will soon be cleared away ; and it is doubtful if they will be replaced at such low prices from abroad. Beans are very low ; winter ones, 4s. 3d. to 4s. 6d. ; spring ones, 4s. to 4s, 3d, Oats are also a very great drug, and only worth from 16s, to 188 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 20s. for 32 to 36 and 40 lbs. per bushel ; English bar- ley, malting, 30s. to 31s.; grinding, 26s. to 28s. : but few verj' fine qualities. In wool there is very little doing ; prices quite nominal. To all engaged in agri- culture, this year will be, we should suppose, a losing one ; and what will be done with the large bulk of da- maged wheat, which at present cannot find a vent, we are at a loss to know ; or how, from its proceeds, the rent is to be made up. The few peas saved well are very low in price, good white boilers not being worth 6s. ; and the quantity and quality of the clover-seed is such that very little will come from this, in some seasons, no little source of provision for the rent day. In this coun- try, and in the West, free importation could not have commenced under more adverse circumstances to the farmer ; as it is only with good crops he has any chance of meeting foreign competition ; still we are disposed to think the present prices obtained for foreign will be, on an average, a loss to the importers, or at least will not pay them. It is clear there is a very large con. sumption of wheat, through different channels — much greater than this time two years ; as then other corn — barley, peas, beans, rice, &n., were substituted, in large quantities, for wheaten bread. The quantity grinding at the mills, in shape of grits, is very great ; and there is full work for the miller to supply, even now, the de- mand for flour, restricted, as it is, to immediate use by the bakers. — 1st Month, 19th. REVIEW OF THE COUN TRADE DURING THE MONTH OF JANUARY. The winter has up to the present time heen extra- ordinarily mild : such weather as we have expe- rienced does not generally prove favourable either for the human frame or for vegetation. With the exception of a few days in the early part of the month, we have had no frost : there has been snow in some parts of the country, but in the neighbour- hood of London the ground has only been covered once to the depth of an inch or two, and this dis- appeared within four-and-twenty hours after having fallen. Latterly the teiuperature has been very mild for the season, and the autumn-sown wheat is growing more rapidly than is considered favoiirable at a time of year when, in the ordinary course of things, vegetation is usually dormant. The great cause for apprehension under these circumstances is the probabihty of injury being hereafter done by a sudden check in case February or March should ])rove cold and wintry. On the other hand, should tlic weather be similar to what it has been of late, tiie spring would be unusually early. Keep has beezi very abundant, and there must have been a great saving of provender by the mild- ness of the season, and the consequent ability of providing food for cattle, without the necessity of stall-feeding : there can be no doubt that this has had some influence on prices of oats, beans, peas, and other articles usually employed for that pur- pose during severe weather. The grain trade has remained in a very depressed and languid state throughout the month, and though many usually well informed are of opinion that affairs are now about to mend, we must ac- knowledge that we are not very sanguine on this head. By the time that what we are now writing shall have met the eyes of our readers the corn laws of 1846 will have ceased, and free trade have been established. We have frecjuently expressed our opinion as to the i)robable working of the new order of things, and as all argument is now of little use, we shall refrain from going over a twice-told tale. We sincerely hope that our fears may prove groundless, and that the country may have no cause to regret the departure from the system of protection to native industry. At all events, the trial must now be made. The immediate effect of the removal of the duties is not likely to be great, sim- ply from this reason — that it has been anticipated. All parties having long been aware of what was about to take place on the 1 st of February, have prepared for the event, and prices have gradually arranged themselves to meet the new order of affairs. The value of most kinds of grain has been reduced step by step, until prices have come down to a point at which it will no longer pay to import ; and for a time at least we shall probably have diminished supplies of foreign produce. We are, therefore, inclined to think that, for a month or two, quota- tions will not vary much; after that period the range of prices will depend on the aspect of the crops in the ground, the weather, and other mat- ters of which nothing can at present be known. We have certainly no excess of stocks of home- grown corn. The last harvest in Great Britain was unquestionably deficient ; and though the extent of the potato disease was exaggerated, there can be no doubt that a large proportion was diseased ; hence we are likely, under any circumstances, to require a foreign importation. At present we have rather a large accumulation of stocks in warehouse, the imports having during the last two months ex- ceeded what has been wanted for immediate con- sumption ; but what we have now on hand will, in all i)robability, be pretty closely worked up before THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 180 the spring shipments from the Baltic can l)e ex- pected to reach us, hence we look for a tolerably tmiform range of prices until something like an opinion can be formed as to the promise for the future. Should there be reason to view the i)ros- pects in regard to the next crop favourably, the value of agricultural produce would probably un- dergo a further depression ; for, whatever the range of prices may be here, the surplus growth of the continent is sure to find its way to this coimtry, now that no duties are longer levied on foreign imports. We shall advert more particularly to the position of the different markets abroad at the end of this article, so as to afford the materials for forming a judgment of the capabilities of our neighbours to afford us supplies, and shall now proceed to notice the changes which have occurred at Mark Lane since our last. This part of our subject must, from the very na- ture of things, be a mere dry detail. In times of excitement something like interest may be imparted to a trade review; but when, as has been the case of late, all parties act on the reserve, the business is of so retail a character that the operations of one day bear a close resemblance to those that have pre- ceded, and the reviewer has little to comment upon. Contrary to what might have been expected on the eve of so great a change in the laws as that now about to take place, the farmers have not manifested any anxiety to force their produce forward for sale, and the markets in the agricultural districts, as well as the large consuming towns, have been more moderately supplied with home grown corn than is usually the case at the corresponding period of the year. The fact is that prices are, and have for some time been, so unremunerating to the growers that they appear to have come to the conclusion that they cannot do much worse, and may perhaps be benefited by waiting. The aiTivals of wheat coastwise into London have been very small throughout the month, and the quantity brought forward by land-carriage samples from the home counties has been trifling in the ex- treme. The almost constant dampness of the at- mosphere has acted injuriously on the condition, which, coupled to other causes, has rendered the sale very difficult. Taking into consideration the bad order in which the Essex, Kent, and Suflfolk wheat has come to hand, and the consequent de- terioration in its intrinsic value, the fall in prices has been unimportant since our last. Some of the inferior kinds have been parted with at very low terms; but really good useful qualities, whether red or white, have commanded nearly the same rates as those current at the close of December. The fact is that the London millers are obliged to employ a certain quantity of fresh English wheat to mix with the old foreign, and the extreme insignificance of the supply of the former has enabled facto'-s to make retail sales without giving way in prices. The market has, however, been in such a state that it could not have borne any quantity without causing a dechne; purchasers have all along confined their operations to as narrow limits as their pressing wants have allowed ; and when there has appeared anything beyond what has been required for imme- diate use on the Monday, it has generally remained over till the latter part of the week, by which time the little previously bought had been worked up, and thus sellers have managed to get through the small English supplies without submitting to lower terms. The transactions in foreign wheat have hkewise been on quite a restricted scale ; there has been an abundance of the article to dispose of, but there has, at the same time, been a decided unwillingness to buy more than needed, and it has consequently been useless to endeavour to press sales. The arrivals from abroad have been large, upwards of 85,000 qrs. having been received at this port since the end of January. The high duty, and the close approach of the time for the repeal of the same, have prevented any ])art of the supply being entered for home consumption; but the quantity of free foreign wheat at this port being, as already remarked, large, we have had a plentiful choice of quality. The attendance of buyers from the coun- try has at no period of the month been numerous, and the few who have visited Mark Lane have confined their operations to as narrow limits as have the local purchasers. Tliough holders of free wheat have naturally been anxious to clear off as much of their stock as possible before the release of the bonded, they have seen the impracticability of making large sales ; hence they have refrained from forcing business, and quotations have been better supported than would otherwise have been the case. Prices have nevertheless given way Is. to 2s. per qr., and jjonded samples having been held Is. to 2s. perqr. higher, the diflference between the two, which at the close of last month was about 5s. per qr., was gradually diminished as the time for the cessation of the law approached, and during the last week parcels under lock have been held at rates httle more than Is. per qr. above those asked for similar qualities duty paid. It is, therefore, scarcely necessary now to make any distinction, Polish Odessa may be quoted 42s. to 44s., good red Lower Baltic 44s. to 46s., and very fine Ros- tock 50s. to 52s. per qr., including duty. Mean- while there are offers to ship in spring somewhat below these rates, though not so low as to hold out much inducement to purchase abroad. The fact, that what may be sold can be easily replaced, is 1«0 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. against any rise occurring in prices, particularly as the mildness of the season will probably have the effect of opening the navigation of the Baltic a month or six weeks earlier than in ordinary years. The trade in flour has been very languid through- out the month, and though the arrivals from France and America have not been nearly so large as was the case the last month or two of the past year, the quantity of foreign previously stored has been brought into active competition with the sale of that of home manufacture. Until the 15th ult. the top price of town made flour remained stationary, and the decline of 2s. per sack then submitted to by the millers has failed to impart more activity to the demand, the bakers having refused to take beyond what they have absolutely needed for their imme- diate wants. Norfolk households have been freely offered in the river at 33s. per sack, and other kinds of country flour at corresponding rates. American has sold slowly, duty paid, at from 26s. to 28s. per brl., according ^to quality, and French at prices varying from 30s. to 38s. per sack. Some of the recent arrivals from that country are of very inferior quahty, but the best marks continue to find favour with our bakers. The arrivals of home grown barley have been moderate; having, however, received immense supphes of foreign, the value of even the finest Enghsh has been more or less influenced, whilst all secondary sorts have decHned materially in price. During the first fortnight in January upwards of 85,000 quarters of foreign barley were received at this port alone ; and at Hull, and some of the other ports on the coast, the arrivals were of correspond- ing magnitude ; that prices should have given way is, therefore, only natural. The greatest depression in the London market occurred on the 15th inst., when good 48 to 50 lbs. grinding barley was freely offered at 21s,, and heavy 52 to 53 lbs. qualities at 22s. to 24s. per quarter, duty paid. These rates being regarded as tolerably safe, our large dealers and distillers began to operate; and though no quotable advance has since been established, prices have slightly crept up. Altogether a considerable proportion of the supply has passed into second hands, and the pressure on the market has been a good deal reUeved. Within the last week as much as 30s. per qr. has been asked for prime Saale malting qualities ; and heavy Baltic sorts, not suitable for malting purposes, have been held at 25s., whilst such as had been forced off at 22s. to 23s. have been held 6d. to Is. per qr. higher. That there are good stocks of this grain at several of the Baltic ports, in the Danish Islands, and in some parts of France, is certain; and during the summer we are likely to be kept well supphed with secondary and inferior qualities from those and other quarters. Prime English malting barley, being really scarce, has been less depressed in pi-ice than might have been expected, having at no period of the month been offered more than Is. to 2s. per quarter below the rates current in December. The transactions in malt have been on quite a retail scale since our last, and quotations have un- dergone no particular change; the lower grades have been sold at somewhat reduced rates, but the top price has hardly changed, the scarcity of fine barley having induced holders of the best descrip- tions of malt to remam firm. With English oats the market has been very sparingly supplied, but we have had a fair sprink- ling of Scotch ; and within the last fortnight the arrivals from Ireland have been large. Of foreign the receipts have lately been moderate, owing to the near continental ports having been closed by ice since December. Altogether the quantity brought forward has proved more than equal to the demand, though the greater part of the supply from abroad has been kept back to meet the 1st of February. The low range of prices of all other articles suitable for feed- ing has, no doubt, cause a diminished consumption of oats ; the demand has at all events been very languid throughout the month, and the large dealers have manifested no disposition to add to their stocks. The fall in quotations since the end of December may be estimated at Is. to Is. 6d. per qr. on all sorts of British and free foreign corn. Bonded oats have, on the other hand, risen about Is, per qr., in anticipation of the reduction of the duty to 1 s. per qr. Latterly good qualities of Scotch feed have been offered at 21s. to 22s, Irish of 40 lbs, weight at 20s., and foreign, duty paid, at from l7s, to 21s. per qr., according to weight, condition, &c. The stock under lock to be released on the 1st of February is not very heavy, but in the present dull state of the trade the liberation may, perhaps, cause some further depression in prices, more particularly as renewed supplies from abroad may be calculated on, several of the near continental ports being now free from ice, and contracts entered into a month or two ago, for shipment at first open water, may therefore be expected to be at once completed. The very mild character of the weather during nearly the whole of the winter has caused beans to be less extensiv^ely used than in ordinary seasons; and though the receipts of English have been small, previous prices have not been supported. New horse beans have been offered at 28s. per qr,, and even lower, and handsome samples of small beans at 32s, to 34s, per qr. The quantity of Egyptian and other foreign sorts received has been rather large, hence the value has THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 191 receded about 2s. per qr. since the close of 1848. Latterly there have been offers of cargoes of Egyp- tian to arrive at 21s. per qr., cost, freight, and in. surance ; and a bid of 20s. per qr. would probably not have been refused. In granary this description has been held at 23s. to 25s. per qr., according to quality. Peas of home growth have come rather sparingly to hand; having, however, been well sujjplied with foreign, and having previously rather a large stock of the latter at this port, the downward movement in prices, noticed in our last monthly article, has continued. Within the last fortnight good English boilers have been sold at 32s. to 33s., and the very finest have been offered at 34s. to 3.5s., whilst foreign have become almost unsaleable. Non- boilers have been offered as low as 25s. to 26s. per qr., without exciting attention, and fair breakers at 30s. per qr., duty paid. English grey and maple peas have, in consequence of their comparative scarcity, commanded better terms, fine qualities having realized 33s. to 35s. per qr. In Indian corn nothing of the slightest interest has occurred ; there has been little or no Irish de- mand ; and for local use the article has been en- tirely neglected since barley, oats, &c., have been obtainable at rates which have done away with the necessity of using substitutes. Indian corn does not appear to gain favour in England, either for human food or for cattle feeding ; and we are in- clined to think that it will be but little used in years when other sorts of grain rule low. Our notice of the foreign markets need not be very extended this month, the operations at the different ports on the continent of Eurojje having been of little importance. It may be remarked as a leading feature, that comparatively little impres- sion has been produced on prices abroad by the discouraging advices from hence. The fact ajipears to us to be that the knowledge that all restrictions on importations of corn into Great Britain are re- moved has given confidence to foreign holders. Looking back to former times when duties have been taken off, the effect has almost always been to cause prices abroad to advance ; and it is cer- tain that, for the present, quotations at the principal shipping ports in the Baltic are too near on an equality with our own to allow much margin for profit on consignments. By the latest advices from Danzig fine high mixed wheat was held at 44s. to 45s. per qr., and moderately good qualities at 40s. to 42s. per qr., free on board, in spring. At the lower ports ])rices are not so high ; but even 38s. per qr., which may be considered the value of fine Rostock, Stralsund, &c., at the ports of shipment, will not leave much room for profit, when we add freight and other ex- penses, if prices continue as low here as they now are, say fair runs of Essex and Kent red wheat 44s. to 45s. per qr. The most recent accounts from Hamburg inform us of the probability of the almost immediate re- opening of the navigation of the Elbe. Prepara- tions were consequently being made to commence shipping, where contracts had been entered into during the winter for shipment at open water. The quantity of wheat oflfered had, however, proved equal to the demand, and its value had rather re- ceded; prime parcels of red upland, weighing 61 to 62 lbs. per bushel, having been sold at equal to 40s. per qr., and even somewhat lower. From some of the Dutch ports we may calculate on soon receiving supplies of oats; and should there be no return of frost shipments of barley on rather a large scale will be made early from the Danish Islands, were some quantity was bought in the Autumn and Winter on English account. Taking quality and price into consideration, the northern poi'ts of Europe afford a decided advan- tage over the south for the purchase of grain ; hence no very active business is likely, in the first instance, to be done at any of the places lying east of Gibraltar. Letters from Marseilles, dated 20th January, inform us that the wheat trade was dull there, but that Polish Odessa was nevertheless held at equal to 36s. to 37s. per qr, , free on board. From the north of France we may reckon on further supplies of wheat, flour, and barley, but not of so liberal a character as those already received from thence. We have now only to notice the American markets : the last accounts from New York are of the 10th January. The shipments of bread-stuffs to Europe had for some time been on a moderate scale ; stocks there and at other ports on the seaboard were, however, small ; and purchases having been made for local use, for the supply of the West India Islands, and last, though not least, for California, prices had risen about 50 cents per barrel, in the face of the dvdl English advices : at 5 ^ to 6 dols. per barrel for good to fine Western Canal flour — the rates current at New York — it clearly would not pay to ship to England, when it became known that the value of the same article in the London and Liverpool markets barely reached 28s, per barrel, duty paid ; hence we do not calculate on much fi'om the other side of the Atlantic, after what may yet be on passage shall have reached our shores, STOCK OF GRAIN IN BOND IN LONDON JANUARY 10, Wheat. Barley. Oats. Beans. Peas. I\laize. Flour 187,482 27,-522 23,617 10,811 6,780 — 16;S028 IN THE KINGDOM. Wheat. Barley. Oats. Beans Peas. Rye. Flour. qis. qrs. qs. qrs. qrs. qis. cwtf. 498,834 62,950 !H,U6 26,191 1.';,'272 8,461 498,015 192 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. CURRENCY PER IMPERIAL MEASURE. SliilUngs per Quarter, OLD. NEW. Wheat, Essex and Kent, white 50to57 46to53 Ditto, fine selected runs — — 48 54 Ditto, red 45 50 40 46 Ditto, extra 50 53 43 48 Ditto, Talavera — — — — Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire.. — — 44 46 Ditto, white — — 45 48 Barley, English, malting and distilling. . — — 29 30 Ditto, Chevalier — — 30 32 Ditto, griudiug — — 24 26 Malt.. Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk — — 58 59 Kingston, Ware, and town made .... — — 58 60 Oats, Essex and Suifolk _ _ 18 20 Lincolnshire and Yorkshire (Polands) — — 18 21 Ditto, feed — — 17 20 Devon & West Countiy, feed or ack — — 16 17 Northumberland and Scotch, feed . . — — 21 25 Dimdalk, Newiy, and Belfast, potato — — 21 23 Limerick, Sligo, and Westport, potato — — 19 22 Ditto, feed — — 18 21 Cork, Waterford, Dublin, Yonghal, and Clonmel, black — — 15 20 Ditto, white — — 17 20 Galway — — 13 17 Rye — — 28 30 Flour, best marks (per sack of 280 lbs.)., — — 39 44 Norfolk and Suffolk, ex-ship — — 31 33 Beans, Mazagan — — 32 34 Tick — — 27 31 Harrow — — 31 37 Pigeon, Heligland — — 36 38 Windsor — — 29 39 Long pod — — 27 29 PkaS, non-boilers — — 28 30 White, Essex, and Kent, boilers ... . 31 32 33 44 Ditto, fine Suffolk 33 34 — — Maple 34 35 34 35 Hog and grey 30 33 — — Tares 28 32 — — Indian Corn 30 32 — — Indian Corn Meal (per brl. of 196 lbs.) . . 17s. 6d. to ISa Tares, winter, per bushel nominal. Rye Meal (per ton) £6 Os. to £6 10s. Ditto, foreign, per ton £6 Os. to £6 10s. Rape-seed £4 15s. to £5 Cakes, Linseed, English, per 1,000 £12 Os. to £12 15s. IMPERIAL AVERAGES. For the last Six Weeks. Week Ending: Dec. 16, 1848.. Dec. 23, 1848.. Dec. 30. 1848.. Jan. 6, 1849.. Jan. 13, 1848.. Jan. 20, 1849.. Aggi'egateAverage of the six weeks which regulates duty Comparative Aver- age same time last year Duties Wheat, s. d. 47 6 47 6 46 10 45 10 45 4 45 4 46 5 Barley s. d. 31 4 31 4 31 3 30 8 29 1] 29 1 30 7 Oats. s. d. 18 11 18 4 18 0 17 10 Rye. s. d. 28 3 Beans.j Peas, s. d. s. d. 34 338 1 33 7 37 10 33 11 32 4 32 2 31 1 32 11 40 1 2 6 35 9 37 9 35 0 34 9 36 6 45 10 2 6 PRICES OF SEEDS. BRITISH SEEDS. Cloverseed, red 30s. to 35s.; fine,35s.to36s.; white, 30s. to 403. Covv Grass (nominal) — s. to — s. Linseed (per qr.). . sowing 56s. to 60s. ; crushing 42s. to 48s. Liiiseed Cakes (per 1,000 of 3 lbs. each) £11 10s. to £12 10s. Trefoil (per cwt.) 15s. to 21s. Rapeseed, new (per last) £27 to £30 Ditto Cake (per ton) £4 15s. to £5 Mustard (per bushel) white . . Bs. to 10s. ; brown, (nominal.) CoiiAmkr (per cwt.) 18s. to 25s. Canary (per qr.) S5s. to 88s. ; fine, 90s. to 92s. Taies, Winter, per bush Os. Od. to Os. Od. Cavraway (per c%rt.) 28s. to 29s. ; new, 30s. to 31s. Rye Grass (per qr.) 17s. to 38s. FOREIGN SEEDS, &c. Clover, red (duty 5s. per cwt.) per cwt 28s. to 353. Ditto, white (duty 5s. per cwt.) per cwt 22s. to 45s. Linseed (per qr.) . . Baltic 42s. to 46s. ; Odessa, 42s. to 46s. Linseed Cake (per ton) £8 10s. to £10 10s. Rape Cake (per ton) £4 ISs. 5d. Coriander (per cwt) 16s. to 203. Hempseed, small, (per qr.) 45s. to 4Ss., Do. Dutch, 45s. to 473 Tares, (per qr.) 28s. to 30s, HOP MARKET. BOROUGH, Jan. 29. We have nothing to report in alteration of last week's statement. Trade continues heavy at the quotations then noticed. Horton and Hart. POTATO MARKET. SOUTHWARK WATERSIDE, Jan. 29. The continued adverse winds have left our market so barely supplied with every description of potato that we have but few sorts to quote the prices of, this week. Yorkshire Regents 100s. to 150s. Newcastle 90s. to 11 Os. French ditto 90s. to 110s. Belgian ditto 80s. to 100s. Dutch ditto 503. to SOs. BRITISH WOOL. LEEDS, Jan. 26. — We have no change to report this week . Sales not quite so extensive as for the last few weeks. Prices firm, at advanced rates. Stocks at market still light. LIVERPOOL, Jan. 27. Scotch. — There has been less animation in our Scotch Wool market this week ; and except in good Cheviots, which are scarce, the transactions have been more limited, but holders are firm at late rates. 8. (1. s. d. Laid Highland Wool, per 241bs.... 6 0 to 7 0 White Highland do 8 9 0 0 Laid Crossed do., li■l^vnshpd.... 7 9 8 9 Do. do... washed 8 6 10 0 Do. Cheviot do,., uitv.-'s'i. a 8 6 11 0 Do. do... v.n.^^hrd 12 0 15 0 White do, do 18 0 20 0 Foreign. — There has been a fair business doing by private contract this week, though not the same eager- ness ; and the accounts from the manufacturing districts are not so encouraging, FOREIGN WOOL, The public sales commence on the 7th of this month, and from 20,000 to 25,000 bales are expected to be oflered. Already prices are higher by anticipation. Accounts from Breslau state that a good business had been done in wool. The Rhenish, Saxon, and Silesian manufacturers were buyers, and also a large Hamburgh dealer. The Seehandlung sold a good deal, as the estab- lishment is going into private hands. Contracts for the new clip were freely made. At Paris the wool market is rising, and the article has become scarcer. Wool in the grease was iti request. There was not a large stock on hand. LEEDS, Jan. 26. — Business has been a little quieter this week, but prices remain firm. Printed by Joseph Rogerson, 24, Xorfolk-sfreet, Strand, London '?i(/;. vflf w 1 I >\ "is \ , ^ h| K; 1 I I L! M H THE FAKMEK'S MAGAZIJ^E. MARCH, 1849. No. 3.— Vol. XIX.] [Second Series. PLATE I. A HEREFORD OX, The property of W. Triucler, Esq., of Wantage, Berkshire, for which the first prize of Thu'ty Sovereigns was awarded in Class II., at the Smithfield Chib Cattle Show, December, 1848. PLATE II. A CART STALLION, The property of Mr. Samuel Clark, Mauswcrie, Kilbarchau, Renfrewshire,* which obtained the first prize of Thirty Sovereigns, at the Highland and Agrictiltural Society's Show at Ediubm-gh, in August, 1848. GENUINE BROWN BREAD: AN ALIMENT OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE, THOUGH BUT LITTLE UNDBKSTOOD AND STILL LESS APPRECIATED BY THE COMMUNITY. BY J. TOWERS, MEMBER R.A.S., H.S. OF LONDON. I am reminded by the diagram so strikingly displayed in the front of the last number, of a •subject which claims great attention at the pre- sent momentous period, when the corn trade is freed from all restriction, and competition fairly occupies the field. OLD SERIES.} In the month of June 184/, when corn was nearly at its maximum, when bread was sold at from lid. to Is. id. the 4lb. loaf, when her Majesty adopted the use of second bread, and recommended her subjects to do the same, I wrote an article "On the nutritive quahties of the bread in com- o {No. 3.— VOL, XXX. 194 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. mon use," in order to show the fallacy of common opinion, l)y embodying the leading points of a paper written by that able and analytic chemist Professor J. Johnston, then of Edinburgh, From the period when our organic chemists first announced that all the constituent elements of the human and animal frames were built up and supported by the assimila- tion of certain specific matters contained in the food with which each was furnished, it became a primary object with them to subject every article of such food to severe analyses. Bone, muscle, and fat, constitute the three chief materials of animal struc- ture, the blood being the vitalised fluid which con- tains, and conveys through appropriate channels, those elements that are destined for their ultimate supply. Bread ranks among the chief of the nutri- mental substances destined for the support of the human frame; and therefore, particularly at the time of the late or anticipated scarcity, it became an imperative duty not merely to secure to the pubUc a genuine and pure article, but to point out the means by which pure wheaten meal could be most economically prepared, and so manipulated as more eS'ectually to nourish the body and promote its general health. The professor announced that the best and most nutritious bread could not be made from the " whites " or household flour; but only from the "whole meal," consisting of the en- tire wheat grain ground up in one way, and used as it comes from the mill-stones, unsifted, and there- fore containing all the bran. He also showed by calculation that 1000 pounds of such whole or entire meal contains of the elements of — Muscular matter 156 lbs. Fat 28 „ Bone material 170 „ 354 "Whereas in fine flour are found only, of — Muscular matter 130 lbs. Fat 20 „ Bone material 60 „ 210 If then the real elements of food, convertible by assimilation into muscular flesh, fat, and bone, superabound to the extent of 144 lbs. in whole meal, the preference ought to be given to the meal, and, as an inevitable consequence, to pure brown bread, when compared ^vith the white, taste- less, artificial compound, made by the white and "fancy" bread bakers. Some allowance must, how- ever, be made for constitutional variations ; for it is proved that, in many instances, bread which con- tains all the coarse bran becomes flatulent and too laxative, in consequence, perhaps, of irritation pro- duced by the mechanical action of unreduced scaly particles. In such cases the best "one-way," or grist flour, obtained from the mill with the separation of the rough bran only, should be sub- stituted. A sack of good wheat, weighing 248 lbs., if honestly dealt with, ought to i^eturn about 200 to 205 lbs. of grist flour, and 40 lbs., little more or less, of excellent mealy bran of great value in the farm-yard, and also in the household baking, used in the form of bran- water for making up the dough. Persons are apt to lose sight of these sound princi- ples, which lead to liberal economy, and tend to promote constitutional health ; we write from con- viction, and from the evidence of facts. The bread made from the " grist flour " of white wheat will not, however, be brown ; its shade approaches to a hint of delicate yellowish buflf, and its odour, when fresh, is temptingly fragrant. Such bread (24 lbs. of the flour giving 32 lbs. when taken from the oven), we have kept, and used during three weeks, on several occasions. But to return to brown bread : we recommend the reader to look at the Gardene/s Chronicle of Saturday, the 1 0th of February, wherein is a very able and remonstrative article, under the title " Brown Bread." The practices and excessive charge of the fancy bakers are there properly ex- posed. As a simple general fact, it is stated that this bread, which ought, as a natural result of its great yield, to be comparatively low priced, is sold at 4d. the 2lb. (so called) loaf, the real weight of which rarely exceeds ijlb. The writer then in- quires how and where small flour-mills may be obtained, whereby true and genuine brown flour can be manufactured at home. In answer to this question, a gentleman of great experience, and well known to me, has written to the effect, that cutting mills, resembling those used for malt, can be had at Birmingham, one of which cost him about 50s. Dissatisfied with the bakers' bread and charges, and kno^ving also that it is a common practice to mix up coarse pollard or middlings (often stale and musty), with flour j or even to knead them into a lump of common batch dough (in which latter case the bread turns out bi-coloured and motley), he resolved to grind his own red wheat, adding a very small proportion of rye ; and thus he has for many years obtained a fine brown flour, that completely effects his object. I once tasted this bread, and can assert that nothing which can be purchased here will bear comparison with it. And now to look at the expense incurred. A mill fully adequate to the purposes of any es- tablishment which would consume a bushel of flour joer week, has been and could be again obtained, at the cost of 50s. That sum and its interest might THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 105 be covered in one year, if a saving of Is. 3d. per week in the ])rice of pure bread were effected in the like period. We know that at the Croydon union, where the best wheat is ahvays purchased l)y con- tract, and ground by the inmates of the house in very great tpiantities, excellent bread, divested of tlio coarse bran, is made at a reduction of many shillings per sack below the price charged by the cheapest dealers. Estimating such " one way " flour at 37s. per sack, and that half a bushel — 2Slbs., without an atom of potato, will produce, on an average of batches, 37 albs, of bread, what would, I ask, be the price of the 4lb, loaf? Call the flour 3s. 9d. ; lire, under the judicious manage- ment of a domestic economist, 3d. ; salt, yeast, and a little sweetwort to enliven it, 2d. = 4s. 2d. Nine ■lib. loaves at SJd., with the extra lalb. of bread, would more than cover the expenses, and in point of nutritive qvialities would be equi\*alent to twelve second-bread loaves, now charged 6^d. = 6s. 6d. A brick oven, however, must be employed, and nothing should be left to reckless servants. Ex- perience of fourteen years cannot mislead, and I claim assent only on the ground of facts so obtained. But " one-way " flour, I have said, does not pro- duce brown bread; and therefore it remains to state, on the authority of the party alluded to above, that the red or dark husked wheat (cheaper than the white varieties), is ground at home by a cutting mill, blended with a small portion of lye, just suf- ficient to confer a little sweetness, and to keep the loaves somewhat moist; the meal is then passed through a sieve, and the coarse bran set aside for other purposes. The dough is made and fer- mented without any addition by the ordinary pro- cesses, and loaves proportionally cheaper are the result. There are prejudices against brown bread, because its colour and flavour are peculiar, and also be- cause the loaf never rises so light and spongy as that which is made from household Hour, divested of all the bran and fine pollard ; the process of pranary fermentation Ijcing assisted by the pulp of potatoes, by alum, and a portion of alkaline salts, to say nothing of the chalk, ground bone-dust, and other extraneous matters that report has uncere- moniously admitted. Whatever may be the tempt- ing delicacy of the appearance of our snow-white cottage bread to the eye, certain it is that in nutri- tive value it is at a sad discount. As to adulterated comj)ounds they should not be tolerated as bread. Nor is it in any degree surprising that antibilious and laxative medicines should be so frequently re- sorted to, when our " staflf of life " is ])roved to con- tain chemical agents that act, daily, as astringents. Brown bread, as now sold (and it appears to come into more general request), is not only extravagantly dear, but cannot be trusted as a pure aliment. Let the public look at the tables reporting the averages of wheat during the last twelve months, and thus become convinced that a brown, or even a " one-way " loaf, of 4lb., ought not to cost Gd. One important consideration remains in favour of grinding at home. Wheat per sack should weigh at least 240lbs. ; we, among others, have sent our corn to the mill, and never, in any two instances, had a corresponding return ; there have always been diflferences, sometimes amounting to 10, 15, or more pounds in the flour, not accounted for by the comparative yield of the bran. Hence the mill cannot be confided in ; and the thorough economist (and such there ai-e in country places) must not only grind, but bake, at home. " The proof of the" bread "is in the eating," and we venture to assert that " the rule " will be proved without many exceptions. The consumer, whether of the higher, the middle, or the more humljle and industrious class, may rest assured that great reforms are imperatively called for in the article of bread. SELF-SUPPORTING CONVICT LABOUR. BY CUTHBERT W. JOHNSON, ESQ., F.R.S. One of the many diflScult questions of political ' economy is the best mode of employing the crimi- I nals confined in our public prisons. Frequent have I been the attempts, often unsuccessful, to enable the prisoners to in part, at least, maintain them- selves by the product of their own labour. To some small extent this has commonly included the cultivation of prison gardens, of more or less ex- tent and productiveness. There is now a vigorous attempt making by Mr. Charles Pearson, the mem- ber for Lambeth, to extend this convict ciiltivation on a larger and a more remunerative scale, by the cultivation of large farms, or enclosed tracts of land, of say 1000 acres each. The plan, although not imattended with difficulties, is yet such as should at least attract the serious attention of the landowners of England. In a circvdar letter to the members of the London Farmers' Club, of Lon- don (of which Mr. Pearson is a member), he thus explains his objects : — " My project, in an experimental and practical form, proposes the formation of two cheap prisons, o 2 196 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. with 1 000 acres of land to each, under two distinct sets of circumstances, for the purpose of testing their relative powers of surplus production, after the primary condition of each establishment shall have been complied vAih, namely, the raising on each 1000 acres respectively, an amount of bread, meat, oatmeal, and potatoes, sufficient for the sus- tenance of 1000 prisoners and 100 officers. I propose that one establishment shall be placed upon 1000 acres of the crown land in the New Forest. At a recent meeting of the London Farmers' Club, one of the members, who farms largely on adjacent land, showed me a map of 1500 acres in the forest, which he says, if properly drained by the labour of the prisoners, would be superior to his own, for which he now pays, I think he said, 25s. per acre per annum. The land he referred to is, he says, suitable to the growth of every description of crop required. It is close to the railroad, which leads, at no great distance, to several important market towns. The whole property is, as you are aware, crown land, which recent revelations, under my Lord Duncan's auspices, show does not produce to the nation a single shilling of revenue. I propose the formation of another establishment within a few miles of London, Liverpool, Manchester, or other populous city, where, by the application of a greater quantity of manure, a greater amount of labour may be profitably employed (after supplying the prisoners with requisite food) in raising market garden produce, which would bring a considerable cash return, and increase the consumption of a wholesome and nutritive description of diet, by bringing it within the reach of a larger portion of the community. In the Essex forests, ^vithin ten miles of London, there are many thousand acres of land suitable for these purposes, which, like the New Forest, are unproductive in the hands of the Crown^ under the withering management of the Commissioners of Woods and Forests. At Wan- stead also, there are 1 500 acres of waste land which do not produce a rent of 2s. 6d. per acre, although they immediately adjoin to land of the same qua- lity, which, by the labour of man, has been well drained and cultivated, and was recently sold at, I believe, upwards of £lOO per acre. To simplify the question upon which I desire information, I shovild observe that the maximum of produce yearly required for the use of the estabhshment, is 930 qrs. of wheat, 16,900 stones of meat, 700 tons of potatoes, and 360 qrs. of oats. Bull and cow beef would be quite tender enough for the prisoners' use. Animals to furnish this food may be purchased lean all the year round, I understand, at a price, which if fed and fattened for three or four months on roots, clover, and bean-meal grown on the land, would come out capital wholesome meat at about 2s. 6d. or 3s. per stone. If, for the purpose of ob- taining a greater quantity of manure to ensure a higher degree of cultivation, it were deemed better, occasionally to feed sheep or to fatten a greater number of beasts of a higher character, in addition to, or in substitution for the bull or cow beef, the inferior parts of the fatted oxen or sheep would serve the prisoners, while the more valuable por- tions of the carcass might be sent to market, to be consvimed by honest men. These are suggestions which I venture to throw out, for the purpose of illustrating my general views upon the subject, rather than from any presumptuous idea of being able to originate any opinion upon the best mode of using the land so as to ensure the largest amount of cash return after supplying the exigencies of the establishment ; this is a point upon which I shall regard as final and conclusive the opinion of the gentlemen to wliom this letter is addressed." With the circular letter to the members of the Farmers' Club, to which I have referred, a copy was inclosed, of the resolutions adopted at a large meeting of persons interested in prison discipline and prison reform. The chief of these, with sundry explanatory notes, are to the following effect : — " 1. That the number of commitments and re- commitments to prison in England and Wales, for trial, on criminal charges, has increased within the last 40 years upwards of 400 per cent., whilst population has increased only 65 per cent. [The committals for trial in England and Wales in 1810, were 5,146; those in 1846 were 26,851 ; an increase of 428 per cent. The population of England and Wales in 1810 was 10,407,556; in 1848 17,458,809; an increase of 68 per cent.] 2. That 80 per cent, of all commitments and summary convictions are for larcenies, vagrancies, misdemeanors, juvenile oflfences, and other petty delinquences, punished by short time sentences of imprisonment, varying from seven days to six months. [The commitments for trial in England and Wales (see 12th report of the Inspectors of Prisons, page 243) were in 1846 26,851 ; and the summary convictions for the same year were 65,992 ; making a total of 92,843 : of this number 75,070 were sentenced to imprison- ment for terms of less than six months]. 3. That to habits of indolence, improvidence, and self- indulgence, the origin of a large portion of these o9:ences may be traced; and in the opinion of this meeting the improvement in the beauty and com- fort of our gaols, and the substitution of short im- prisonment for graver punishment, are another fruitful source of increase, both of committed and recommitted prisoners ; as English gaols no longer create either terror or shame, but are often regarded as a place of shelter for the unfortunate, and for the idle criminal a congenial home. 4. That the I THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 197 elegant model gaol and house of correction at Reading, with its cellular system, is calculated, in the opinion of this meeting, further to increase the number of petty offenders within the range of its influence. By the rules of the gaol hard labour is excluded. By this system no direct means of refor- mation, except rehgious teaching, are employed. Cellular separation is the only punishment j and every prisoner is provided with a spacious, well warmed, and ventilated cell, with an abundance of wholesome and palatable food, without himself making a single effort to earn it ; and he is allowed ten hours for sleep, and the remainder of his time at his own disposal, for instruction in reading, writing, and arithmetic, or some light occupation, not enjoined but only permitted, for his recreation and amusement. 5. That in the opinion of this meeting, in order to check the increase of crime it is necessary that a total change of system should take place ; that the aspect of our prisons should be made rather sad and repulsive than cheerful and attractive, and that not one shilling should be ex- pended in the beauty, or convenience, or strength of a prison, more than is required for the health and security of the inmates. 6, That while it ought to be an essential part of prison discipline to endea- vour to eradicate the seeds of crime, by the moral and religious instruction of prisoners, no system can be sound that does not attempt at the same time to counteract its proximate c«Mses— indolence, improvidence, and self-indulgence — by endeavour- ing to create and confirm the antagonistic habits of industry, forethought, self-dependence, and self- control. 7- That besides the cost of building gaols the annual expenses of maintaining the criminal classes, in the prisons of England and Wales, amounts to upwards of £400,000 ; while their pro- ductive labour does not realize £20,000. [The total expenditure of the prisons in England and Wales, in 1846, is vouched by the inspectors of prisons at £436,977 ; and the year's profits, arising from the productive labour in those prisons, at £17,475]. 8. That 81 per cent, of our male cri- minals, annually committed, are between the ages of 16 and 45 (the age when, in a free condition, men not only maintain themselves, but supply a large portion of the surplus labour and industry by which the females, the children, and other non- producing classes of the community, are supported), and 47 per cent, are between the ages of 20 and 35. [The average annual number of committals of male prisoners for trial, and of summary convictions, for the nine years 1839-1847, was 72,639; of which number 59,430 (or 81 per cent.) were between the ages of 16 and 45; and 34,186 (or 47 percent.) between the ages of 20 and 35]. 9. That the crimi- nals in some of the American prisons entirely, and in those of France and Belgium nearly, maintain themselves and defray the charges of the adminis- tration by their own labour and industry, moved by the stimulants of rewards for exertion and good conduct." In support of this assertion the following extracts are given from various works of competent authority. "The States prison at Charlestown, Mass., has paid by the labour of the convicts, in round numbers, upwards of 6,000 dollars for provisions ; 4,000 d. for clothing; 3,000 d. for fuel and other contingent expenses ; 15,000d. for salary of officers ; 600 d. for transporting prisoners from county pri- sons ; 300 d. to convicts on their discharge, in sums varying from 3 d. to 5 d., besides a new suit of clothes to each of them; 100 d. to increase the library; and having done all this has 800 d. left in the prison treasury. There has been an average of 285 prisoners, and only one death the last year, and only 7-lOths of 1 per cent, of deaths in four years, and no death since January, 1845, about IJ years ; and there has been no case of discharge by pardon on account of sickness. — Annual Report of the Boston Prison Discipline Society. The government of Belgium formed, towards the end of 1820, a council for the regulation of civil and military prisons, which, after three years of con- tinual labour, succeeded in completing and intro- ducing the new system into all the prisons, under which the condition of the prisoners is greatly ameliorated, at a very moderate expense to the state. The prisons at Ghent produce annually a clear in- come of £5000. In those now referred to, the in- mates are principally employed in weaving hnen, and in making shirts, pantaloons, and gaiters, for the army and colonies. On entering the building there is heard a noise of looms and machinery, which causes the visitor to imagine himself in a large active manufactory, rather than in a gaol. About 350 weaving looms are in full work, which gives employment to 700 individuals ; the other male prisoners are employed as spinners, winders, &c. The work is conducted under a strict rule of silence. The appearance of the prisoners indicates good health and cleanliness. The women are lodged in a separate division of the building, and are generally occupied in sewing and spinning, some in weaving linen. The government assigns to the prisoners a certain portion of the produce of the work, and retains the remainder to meet the expense of their maintenance. The prisoners are divided into three classes ; the proportion of profit allowed to each class differs according to the nature of the crime and punishment ; ])art of this allow- ance is paid to the prisoners for present expenses, and part is placed in a savings' bank, bearing an interest of 4 per cent., and is given to the prisoner on his dismissal. Tiie deposits liave been so con- 108 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. siderable that llie savings' bank of the prisoners now contains a large capital. — Statement of R. W. Rawso7i, Esq., Hon. Sec. of the Statistical Society. The official memorial in support of the projet de hi upon the Belgian prisons, presented to the Chamber of Deputies, on the 3rd of December 1 844, states that, "during the two years, 1841 and 1842, the profit of the work of the prisoners in the five central prisons of that country had risen for one of those years to 149,600 francs, and for the other to 1 95,620 francs, after deducting the charges of ad- ministration and management"]. [The report of M. Beranger (de la Drome), and the special com- mission to the Chamber of Peers of France, on the 24th April 1845, speaking of the prison of Melun, with an average of 1,058 prisoners, says — "If we deduct from the ordinary expenses the total pro- duce of work during the year, arising from the profits of the canteen (the shop where the prisoners purchase necessaries), and the accidental receipts, it \vill be found that within about 5,000 francs, the personal expense of the prisoners, the general ex- penses of the prison, the cost of guarding and superintendence, and the repairs of the building, had been covered by the produce of the labour," — See Official Report, pages 113, 114]. "10. That while imprisonment is used as a means of punishing and reforming criminals, the interests of the honest portion of the community have a right to be re- garded, by enforcing the prisoners' employment in productive labour, if it can be accomplished with- out detriment to other portions of the commxmity. 1 1 . That John Howard, Archdeacon Paley, and Archbishop Whately proposed, and Capt. Macono- chie has systematized and exemplified with success, a plan for calling into full activity the productive ])owers of a prison population, by regulating the quantity and quality of the prisoners' diet, and ex- tending or abridging the duration of their confine- ment, according to their labour, industry, and con- duct in prison. 12. That, in the opinion of this meeting, such a system of prison discipline applied to the cultivation of the land, would be adapted in this country to the ])unishment and reformation of the description of offenders, which constitute the })rincipal portion of our criminal population, pro- vided it were one of its fundamental conditions, that the labour should be severe, having reference to the age, sex, and strength of each individual ; and that more bodily work should be exacted and less bodily comforts be given, than the same quan- tity of work could procure for an able-bodied in- dustrious man in a state of freedom. 13. That proofs have been tendered to this meeting by Mr. Charles Pearson, that one thousand acres of suitable land might be purchased and enclosed in a wall, as lofty and strong as the wall round Millbank prison ; and that a gaol, with every requisite for the health and safe keeping of 1000 prisoners, might be erected at less than £100 per prisoner, being less than one half of the sum jier prisoner which the Reading model gaol, without any land, has cost the county. 14. That it has likewise been offered to be proved that by the employment of the labour of the 1000 prisoners, the ground may be cultivated by the spade, the prison may be kept in repair, the prisoners may be clothed and fed, and a suffi- ciency of surplus productions may be disposed of nearly or entirely to defray all the charges of ad- ministration, from the superintendent to the lowest turnkey." In putting into execution a plan so novel as this, some caution will be required on the part of the managers. Many little mistakes may in the first instance be anticipated ; but with prudence, patience, and firmness, I have no doubt all diffi- culties will soon be overcome. Under proper arrangement, for instance, in placing the premises, and arranging the house drainage, a large and very powerful supply of liquid manure will be afforded to the land in the sewage ; a supply which in the driest periods may be readily and profitably increased from springs or wells by proper pumps, worked by the prisoners. It is, on so bold a scale, an almost untrodden field of exertion. The only partial examples, on an extensive plan, with which I am acquainted, is the spade husbandry of Flanders, and the farm of Mr. Mitchell, near Wymondham, in Norfolk, described some time since by Dr. Yelloley. But in all these instances the system is a compound of spade or fork husbandry and horse labour. The farm of Mr. Mitchell consists of 317 acres, viz., 207 acres of arable, and 110 in pasture and plantation. In this farm 20 labourers, besides a bailiff, were kept in- stead of 13 under the ordinary system, and six horses instead of 12. In this case it was found re- munerative to dig, or rather fork, the land by piece- work, for which the men received, for land dug after a white crop, from 2d. to 2 Id. per rod of thirty square yards. The ordinary earnings in digging are from lis. to 12s. per week. The rotation found most adapted to this mixed kind of hus- bandry is one of seven years instead of four (Brit. Farmer's Mag., N. S., No. 4). In a farm worked by convict labour in the way proposed, a still more varied rotation may be found desirable. Upon the whole, I am much inclined to hope that great and enduring national good will arise from this pro- posed mode of making the idle and dissolute cri- minal maintain himself, rather than when idhng away his time in prison, being fed and clothed by the labours of the honest and the industrious. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 199 The ])ropose(l plan involves the use of a descrip- tion of labour above all others the most healthy and desirable, the most conducive to the promotion of activity of the labourer, the avoidance of evil com- munications, and the readiness of superintendence. It may, moreover, be made the means of making those large poor tracts of land productive that are now of very small and uncertain value. REMARKS ON MR, LAWES AND HIS DEFENDERS. BY A FARMER. No. III. There is nothing in the course of this controversy which has excited more surprise than the notice it has received. In ordinary cases the attack of an anonymous writer is allowed to pass unnoticed ; and I can only conclude from the attention paid to these ])apers that more than one of my opponents must have felt the force of the arguments. Professors Way and Johnston, with the editors of the Agricultural Gazette and Farmers^ Journal, are formidable opponents ; but as the elucidation of truth is the only motive that induced me to com- mence the dispute, and as it involves a question of great importance to agriciUture, I shall not withdraw from the controversy until my statements are dis- proved. The dispute now resolves itself into the question of " Wliat is the source of the alkalies found in plants?" Mr. Lawes asserting, on'the one hand, that these alkalies need not be supplied in manures, whilst I have endeavoured to show that they must. The discussion then involves the question, " llliat should artificial manures contain ?" Mr. Lawes asserts that superphosphate of lime, consisting principally of sulphuric acid, phosphoric acid, and lime, is all that the plant requires to be added to the soil. On the other hand, I have endeavoured to show that artificial manures must contain, in addition to the above substances, potash, soda, magnesia, and (for some crops) silica, if we wish to maintain the soil in permanent fertility. This I think is a fair and candid statement of the question at issue ; and the importance of it to the farmer is too evident to need any remarks of mine. I sincerely regret that any jiart of the dispute should have been construed into a personal attack, than which nothing can be further from my in- tention. I have been accused of misrepresenting Mr. Lawes' views respecting the necessity of supplying alkalies in manures. If the following expressions do not mean that they are an unnecessary addition, they have no meaning whatever. " The employ- ment of potash, soda, magnesia, and silica, has been suggested by cheraistsyrom an imperfect know- ledge of agricultural chemistry ; and should a farm exhausted of its alkalies to the utmost possible ex- tent come into the possession of a man of capital and experience, he may in a few years bring it into high condition, without imparting to it a pound of potash or soda. (Mr. Lawes' paper, pp. 258, vol, viii. J. R. A. S.J Mr. Lawes in his reply to my remarks, has en- deavoured to show that he does not especially re- commend superphosphate of lime. What then is the meaning of the following ? " The only mineral which, under a proper system of agriculture, it is necessary to restore directly to the soil is phosphate of lime." (Mr, Lawes' paper, pp. 259.) In support of my own view of this question, I have quoted from various sources, to which various replies have been made ; but I certainly think that if I can show that Mr. Lawes himself, in one part of the papers before us, has advocated precisely the rule which I have endeavoured to lay down, and also that his staunchest defender, Professor Way, has also done so — if, I say, I can do this, I may surely conclude that the question is settled. After quoting such a very intelligible sentence as the above from Mr. Lawes' writing, respecting the value of phosphate of lime, and the nonutility of the alkahes, it is rather strange to quote from the same author in support of the opposite opinion. At page 259, it is said : "As long as bone-dust, superphosphate of lime, and guano, will produce a good crop of turnips, the farmer need be under no apprehension of his soil being destitute of alkalies." But, "besides phosphoric acid and lime, the ash of wheat and wheat-straw contains potash, soda, mag- nesia, and silica ; and as superphosphate of lime contains none of these substances, its failure may be attributed to the absence of these minerals in the soil." (P. 242.) So much then for Mr. Lawes. This testimony is not very clear ; there is not so much emphasis laid on the necessary supply of the alkalies as the superphosphate. The one may be used, the other must ; the former seems to have been written in- advertently, the latter is seen in every page. We will now turn to Professor Way, whose testimony, as late Professor of the Agricultural College, and coo THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. present consulting chemist of the Royal Agricultu- ral Society, must surely be admitted as conclusive. He says, " AVhen bones and sulphuric acid alone are used, where is the plant to obtain its magnesia and alkalies ? Certainly not from the bones. It is to no purpose that we feed a plant liberally with one element necessary to its growth, if we deny it another equally indispensable. Upon these grounds we recommend, in addition to the bones, the fol- lowing mixture : 1 cwt. pearl ash, I cwt. Epsom salts, 3 cwt. common salt." (P. 204, vol. viii. J.R. A. S.J I need hardly point out that the above mixture is exactly what Mr. Moffat recommends, and whose testimony in behalf of my own views I quoted in the first paper on this subject. Professor Way's opinion is so strikingly corro- borative of my own, that I regret not having pre- viously met with it, as it would certainly have les- sened the number of my opponents, by preventing him from joining in the dispute. But as it would also have deprived me of the pleasure of the defence which Mr. Rawlandson, of Liverpool, kindly volun- teered, it is the less to be regretted ; more especially as the ridiculous manner in which the Professor drew in his horns on the first appearance of danger has quite atoned for his interference. Whilst discussing this important question, I have been led to animadvert in strong terms on the state of agricultural chemistry in Great Britain, as ex- emplified in those papers by Mr. Lawes. Most of those who have noticed my remarks, instead of en- tering into the merits of the question, have con- tented themselves with stigmatizing me as "rough," " ungentlemanly," and " insolent ;" but as such expressions are not arguments, I cannot, of course, reply to them. Perhaps the strongest proof of the present state of agricultural chemistry in Great Britain is the pre- sent dispute ; for I can scarcely think it possible that any one can be serious when he says that the use of a7iy one of the substances found in our plants can maintain the land in fertility. I am sa- tisfied that no school of chemistry out of England — not even the veriest tyro from a German labora- tory— would disgrace himself by maintaining an opinion which is at once contrary to reason and common sense, to say nothing about chemistry or vegetable physiology. The remarks which I ventured to make, respect- ing the present state of agricultural chemistry in England, have drawn from Professor Way and the editor of the Gardeners' Chronicle the following eulogium on Mr. Lawes : that " the really eminent of the scientific world unite in placing his labours amongst the most important which have of late years been given to agriculture." In reply I would ask for an answer to the following questions — What do Mr. Lawes' papers teach ? What principle do they establish ? What obstacle to the progress of agriculture do they remove ? I can obtain no other positive information from them than that superphosphate of lime is the sum- mum bonum to the farmer. I shall now briefly again revert to Mr. Lawes' papers, to show the character of what is so highly praised as being of so much importance to agricul- ture. It seems that " plants are required in two dis- tinct conditions ; one in which the nourishment is more or less circulatory, the other in which it is fully elaborated and deposited." From the same source we learn that the " farmer possesses the means of developing the circulatory and elabora- tory conditions of plants," though in some cases " the seasons set his labours at defiance, for an en- tire absence of the climate necessary for an enhanced accumulative and circulatory condition of plants prevents the growth of the spring crops." These are the precious conclusions Mr. Lawes arrives at from his experiments. What is the meaning of the words circulatory, elaboratory, and accumulative, as applied to plants ? What is the poor ignorant practical farmer to conclude from the above con- clusions ? My own conclusions have been so often expressed that I need not repeat them here ; be- sides, I venture to say that neither Lindley, Schleider, Jussieu, nor Linneus, ever heard of these strange properties ; elaboratory, accumulative, and circulatory, are decidedly new terms in science; and worse than that, they are without meaning. Most farmers have a common wheel barometer, at which they tap very anxiously every morning during hay time and harvest. Mr. Lawes recom- mends them to add to their stock of scientific in- struments " a rain gauge and register thermometer; these are all the apparatus required to enable the farmer to estimate the quality and produce of his crops before a grain has been removed from the field." Well done ! Mr. Lawes. We are now much in want of agricultural statistics. If the farmer by means of the rain gauge and register thermometer can estimate his crops, all that the government requires is to appoint some intelligent person (Mr. Lawes, for instance,) to inspect the rain gauge and registered thermometer at Green- wich, and the value of our corn crops is at once as- certained. Our Parliament can then be under no diflSculty in legislating for a future famine in Ire- land, or our merchants in ordering their corn. " We now," proceeds Mr. Lawes, " arrive at another important question — What is meant by THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 201 quality in wheat ?" This grain " belongs to a class of plants proverbially characterized as yielding starchy seeds, and whose predominant peculiarity it is to yield carbonaceous substances. It is, there- fore, probable that those millers who prefer a per- fectly developed grain pay the highest price for that which contains the most starch." Is it possible that Professor Way can pronounce the previous sentence amongst the most important which late years have given to agriculture ? He cannot but know that the characteristic of wheat is the very reverse of " yielding starchy seeds or car- bonaceous substances." This is the characteristic of the potato, rice, and sago ; the superiority of wheat as an article of food over these substances consists in the relatively greater proportion which it contains of gluten or albumen, as compared with the potato and other vegetable products of that class. It is a recognized fact that (other things being equal) the more nitrogen there is in an article of food the more nutriment it contains. Mr, Lawes cannot dispute this, and yet he says* that millers in purchasing a perfectly developed grain obtain " that which is richest in starch," or, in other words, that the finest samples of wheat are the poorest in Jeeding properties. Any comment of mine upon the absurdity of this assertion is unne- cessary. It might have been thought, that having once made a conjecture the writer would then have left it ; but no, he proceeds on in the above style ; and having directed the miller which sample to pur- chase, and the housekeeper which priced flour to use, he next enters into a short lecture, directing the colonists how to grow sugar ; in the course of which he comes out as follows : that " it is proba- ble that the heat capable of being eliminated by the process of animal respiration must first have been rendered latent during the growth of the plant." One of his defenders asks. Is it possi- ble that the " Farmer" can be so ignorant as not to know such and such things ? Can any one, pro- nouncing the paper on which we are at present commenting to be the most valuable one recently given to agriculture, be so ignorant as not to know that there is less latent heat in vegetable substances than in the air which we expire ? The following explanation of the cause of corn breaking down has the merit of being both new and uninteUigible. " Were I," says he, " to sup- ply the proportion and quantity of mineral and organic manures necessary to produce fifty bushels of wheat in a wet, cold summer, it would unduly develop the circulatory condition of the plant ; its vascular structure would be increased to an in- * B. A. S. Journal, p. 235. jurious extent, and the crop would be laid." The mouse as a termination to the mountain in labour is not half so inglorious as the corn being laid, after having had its circulatory and vascular structure disarranged. But what will the farmer think of that science which tells him that his turnip tops are more valu- able in feeding properties than the bulbs ? This is another of the conclusions which have been arrived at by Mr. Lawes. That gentleman himself well remarks that " the contempt which the practical farmer feels for the science of agricultural chemistry arises from the errors which have been committed by its professors. They have endeavoured to ac- count for, and to pronounce as erroneous, the knowledge which ages of experience have es- tablished." In these words he has ably and accu- rately described himself, and the consequence which must follow his writings. I wonder he never thought of the " contempt which every prac- tical farmer would feel for the science of chemistry," when told that though "ages of experience" proved the turnip to be more valuable than the top, he had been during all these ages labouring under a gross mistake ; though his fathers and grandfathers had fattened their cattle, and paid their rents, under the false idea of the value of turnips ; though all the chemists, from Sir Humphrey Davy downwards to Mr. Lawes, had paid great attention to the subject, it was reserved to Mr. Lawes to remove the ignorance, by making the extraordinary discovery that turnip tops were more nutritive than the bulbs. After the above quotations, and those already given in my previous remarks, I cannot place the character of the scientific information and practical deductions they contain in any stronger light. Perhaps I may be allowed again to allude to the sentences containing the words, " vascularity;" " special deposition ;" " the actual and fixed, as well as the prospectively possible elements — the latter as yet only in a vehicular condition ;" the vehicular " element chlorine ;" and many such like, to raise a feeling of astonishment at what has been pronounced to be the most valuable contri- bution modern science has given to agriculture. To conclude. The farmers will be rejoiced to hear that Professor Way says, that science holds out hopes that we shall ultimately be able to do without mariure altogether. I think I am not far wrong when I say that the time when our plants can do without manure mil be cotemporaneous with the time when we can do without food. The only parallel I have ever heard of, to this opinion of the learned professor, is that of the Irishman who undertook to teach his horse to live without food, and just when the experiment got so interesting 202 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. that tlie animal could live upon a straw per day, it unfortunately died. I have heard of science arriv- ing at such a perfection as to enable the farmer to carry the manure out to his field in his coat pocket, and bring the crop home in his waistcoat. This is well enough, and can be imagined ; but the Pro- fessor's idea leaves it far behind. Mr. Lawes says, in his reply to my first paper, that unless his views are again attacked by an " acknowledged and creditable opponent" he will not further enter into the discussion. As the " Farmer" can have no hope that he will be again considered an " acknowledged and creditable oppo- nent," he begs respectfully to direct that gentle- man's attention to his friend Professor Way, who, it appears, is of the same opinion as the " Farmer," and must surely be an opponent worthy of his metal. Until those who differ from me in opinion can bring other arguments than the words, " rough, ungentlemanly, and insolent," in support of their view, I shall content myself with being the " chiel amang them 'takiu' notes," and occasionally print- ing them. T. L. C. P.S. — The editor of the Farmers' Journal, after partly acknowledging the mistakes which he made in his review of my remarks, again enters into the dispute, as follows : — "Was the Farmer," says he, " so ignorant as not to know that the phosphate of lime was a pecuhar phosphate ? Professor Johnston gives the formula of 51^ per cent, of lime and 48^ of acid." Is the editor so ignorant of chemistry as not to know that the above is not a formula, but a proportion? But perhaps the editor does not know the difference between these two expressions; and if not, we cannot be surprised that he should be "more convinced of the correctness of Mr. Lawes' theory and the untenableness of T. L. C.'s and Mr. Moffat's." Perhaps he will also in future direct also his remarks at Professor Way, as we find that he is of precisely the same o])inion as the two latter. ON THE PRACTICAL USES OF THE NATIVE PHOSPHATE. TO THK EDITOR OF THE FAUMER'.S MAGAZINE. Sir, — The attention of the agricultural world being at length aroused from the apathy in which it has so long lain dormant, the sun of intellect arising, and by his genial beams dispelling the mists of ignorance and prejudice, it becomes us to use our utmost endeavour to avail ourselves of the advantages and opportunities offered, of acquiring in some measure an insight into the knowledge whichis daily brought under our notice by the aid of chemical and scientific research ; but, at the same time, it re- quires more than ordinary care and circumspection to acquire (out of the mass of information) what is really of a useful, practical character, and avoid that which (being advanced in theory) cannot be supported in practice, greater discrimination being required than what at first would appear to be re- quisite; the sole object of acquiring which know- ledge being, that we may be in the position of pi'oceeding in the most economical, as well as bene- ficial manner, in the \'arious details of agriculture, at this time it applies with most peculiar force, the object aimed at being to produce the heaviest crop at the least expense. The crop on which the farmer places his chief or principal dependance is the turnip ; and therefore any information, from however humble the source, that serves to impart any assistance towards the furtherance of this desirable object, must be of in- terest, and attended with benefit. Bones have for years stood the test of practical experience, proving them to be of consideral)le im- portance in the raising of this valuable and neces- sary root. Lately, through the instrumentality of the chemical researches of Professor Liebig, the formation of a salt, called the superphosphate, has attracted well-merited attention : its application proving, that when the proper and necessary nutri- ment of the jjlant is furnished in that form in which it can be received as such into the system, its action is more immediate, and its effects more beneficial ; not being so dependant upon atmospheric influence to cause the necessary transformations before the manure can be serviceable to the crop to which it is applied. This sul)stance, in most instances, has overcome the difhculty experienced of forcing tlie plant out of the way of the fly ; which is an oljject of the highest importance. It is now barely a twelvemonth since attention was first directed to the deposit of phosphoric acid in many districts of this kingdom. It was thought then to be, by its discoverers, calculated to confer an immense benefit upon the agricultural commu- nity, by its ultimate adoption in furnishing a cheap, effectual dressing ; and there can be no doubt what- ever that when its nature is more accurately understood, it will prove a source of great na- tional benefit ; opening, as it now does, a wide and extensive field for impartial scientific enquiry. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 203 But owing, in a great measure, to the imperfect knowledge of its nature and the form under which it there existed, as well as of the most efficient way of applying this substance, many failures have occurred from its application ; perhaps a few moments de- \-oted to the consideration of this subject may not be lost or uninteresting, in endeavouring to ascer- tain the reason and cause of this seeming contra- diction of the expressed opinion of those eminent men, M-ho first drew attention to it, having found ])y analysis the native phosphate in such propor- tions as have from time to time been promul- gated. The experience of the past year shows the great care and caution that ought necessarily to be exer- cised by the practical man before he hastily adopts any scheme which may have been advanced, even by the highest authority, for his benefit. But when he does do so, it then is incumbent upon him to make himself first fully acquainted with the subject in all its practical bearings ; so as not to allow, in case of a failure, the censure of ignorance to be passed upon him ; nor yet for him too prematurely to condemn the opinion and judgment of others, in consequence of his not having derived the expected benefit, as many reasons may be assigned for its benefit in one instance and failure in others ; for it cannot be expected that the same result will in all cases be experienced, when we consider the extreme dissimilarity there exists in soils and localities. The first point of consideration, towards arriving at a satisfactory conclusion respecting the practical a'.aptation to agriculture of the native phosphate, is to a^icertain its presence and determine its quantity in the substance used. For this purpose we must depend chiefly upon the opinion and re- searches of others, who are capable of surmounting this difficulty by the aid of chemical analysis; as it is an experiment of the most delicate nature, re- quiring the greatest care and attention on the part of the analyst to determine it accurately — which unless so done, the examination is worse than useless ; and calculated to lead to disappointment and error. Many of the most experienced chemists have at times found a difficulty in ascertaining satisfactorily the presence of this substance ; and therefore, in the hands of the unskilled, it is more than probable that the result would not answer the expectations. For some time I experienced consi- derable difficulty in conducting this ojjeration, owing to its nature and the small amount generally found to exist in soils, &c. ; having more than once beenbaffled, when arrived at that interesting point, to find disappointment staring me in the face, although confident that a portion was present ; but, by acci- dent, a means was discovered, which being since adopted has answered in a most satisfactory manner in determining its quantity most accu- rately ; thereby overcoming the difficulty which so often presented itself in conducting an analysis, es- pecially for the purpose of ascertaining the presence and amount of phosphoric acid in any substance ; the presence of which suljstance being so neces- sary and of such importance, it requires the whole care of the analyst to determine it, and conse- quently in many instances is lost either by too much haste or not sufficient attention. Having, then, got the right substance ; the next step is to render the phosphate contained in it capable of being assimilated by plants ; for if ap- plied in its natural, crude state, a failure in most respects (in its most important part) must be the inevitable result. Why ? Because the phosphate contained in this substance being insoluble in hot and cold water, it depends entirely upon the action of the sulphuric acid contained in the soil for its decomposition and consequent effects : and the pro- portion of this acid, as generally found in soils, is of such a nature that its action upon the phosphate would cause such a slow, gradual decomposition to ensue, that its beneficial effects would in many in- stances scarcely be perceived, and in others not at all, owing to the time it would require to reduce the phosphate to that state in which it would be serviceable to vegetation. Neither could it act so rapidly and beneficially upon the phosphate here applied as on that contained in bones having been subjected to the process of boiling, because the acid has to overcome the difficulty in the former which has been removed in the latter. It therefore appears that to apply it in its natural state no benefit is likely to accrue from the applica- tion. The experience of many during the past year can bear evidence of the truth of this statement ; and many who may have tried it in this state might be too apt to condemn the inquiry in consequence of their failing to meet the expected results, al- though what they did apply might have contained a large per centage of the phosphate ; but imless manure is suppUed in that form in which it can ba received into the organism of plants as nourishment, it is of no use whatever. As the benefits resulting from the application of the superphosphate are now so generally acknow- ledged, that being nothing more than rendering the phosphate in that state which plants require in their earliest stages for their future development, and more suitable to be received into the organs of their delicate structure, let the phosphate here contained be also reduced to a similar state by the aid of sulphuric acid, and the same results will accrue from the apphcation ; for unless the i)hos- phate is liberated from its antiquated store, no be- neficial result can possibly arise from it. This 204 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. seems to have been an error into which many have fallen ; beUeving there was nothing more to do than to get the proper substance, and leave its action to atmospheric influence ; not knowing that the ino-redient, on which they placed their chief de- pendance, was acted on so slowly as not to be of benefit to the crop to which it was applied; and therefore requiring artificial means to render that substance of service. This is no idle theory or supposition, but what can be substantiated by practical facts in support of the soundness of these observations. I beg to draw attention, as an example, to the results of an experiment already published by the Rev. A. Hux- table, who, by the aid of 2 cwt. of coprolites (the substance containing the native phosphate), dis- solved in half their weight of sulphuric acid, and seven put-loads (one-horse loads) of dung, \vith sulphuric acid, he was enabled to carry off the prize for swedes at the Sturminster meeting, estab- lishing the fact of the great importance of this sub- stance when judiciously applied. Further comment on this is unnecessary. The last point to be considered on this interest- ing subject will be the most beneficial, as well as economical, method of supplying this substance to the growing crop. This, I unhesitatingly afllirm, will be effected most beneficially by the aid of Mr. Chandler's liquid manure drill. First treat the native phosphate ^vith half its weight of sulphuric acid, then dilute it with the quantity of water (or the drainings of the yard) that may be thought pro- per, according to the convenience and option of the grower, and drill it in v;ith this admirable imple- ment. This, no doubt, would be the most judi- cious way of applying it, but in some situations could not be followed advantageously, owing to the distance of water ; but, where it is convenient, the expense will be no more than applying ashes, &c. In the absence of water it might be mixed with ashes, and drilled in the same manner as the super- phosphate. The slightest observer of the economy of the vegetable kingdom must be impressed with the conviction of the truth and simplicity of the application, rendering to the plant the sustenance it requires in its earliest stages, in that state in which it can be absorbed by the delicate rootlets immediately ; for we must bear in mind that all manure, or whatever enters into the structure and constitution of the vegetable world, must be re- duced to a soluble liquid state before it can possi- bly be received by them into their organism as nutriment. Another great advantage attending this sys- tem of manuring is, that during a dry season no time is lost in sowing; for we all know the diflii- culty we experience in endeavouring to get a plant or keep it in a growing state during a succession of dry weather. Although the superphosphate is a strongly deli- quescent salt, yet, when mixed with ashes and drilled in during such weather, the quantity applied is in some instances hardly suflScient to extract moisture enough from the atmosphere to keep the plant in a thriving state ; but if the land is in a finely pulverized state, the quantity of liquid ap- plied, owing to the deliquescent nature of the superphosphate, will then aflford sufficient mois- ture to carry the turnip or mangold for a consi- derable time without the aid of the refreshing rain. On all sides we hear and see the beneficial results attending this application in this county, which no doubt will be generally adopted where possible. It will also be satisfactory to bear in mind that this was the system suggested by Professor Liebig, the introducer of the superphosphate* as the most beneficial way to apply it ; but, owing to the diffi- culty experienced of applying the fiquid, it was abandoned, and the mixing the substance with ashes adopted, as being more practicable : which difficulty being now done away with, and the impe- diment removed by the introduction of this imple- ment, we may now return with safety and confi- dence to the original suggestion. In the application of this or any other artificial manure we must be careful of placing too much de- pendence upon them for a crop, remembering they are only auxiliaries to the yard manure, and gene- rally contain only one principal ingredient. For in- stance, take the native or superphosphate ; a small quantity of either per acre will be sufficient for the turnip crop in its early period of growth. But, owing to its immediate action, it is either quickly absorbed or dissipated ; and plants, which up to a certain time have appeared strong and flourishing, droop oflFand gradually decay without any apparent reason. But the truth lies at the root having been hitherto sustained artificially, and those means being ex- hausted they naturally die for want of a continued source of that nourishment ; not but what excellent crops are raised by the aid of the superphosphate alone, but as a general system it cannot be recom- mended. The surer method of piirsuing will 1)6 to apply a slight coat of yard dung as well ; then by the time that the artificial is exhausted the other mil carry the crop to perfection. The deposit of the native phosphate is more general than it was at first expected ; the difficulty seems to be to find it in sufficient quantity to pay for extraction. On the farm I occupy I have found a strata, about two feet thick, very rich, one specimen containing 18 per cent. ; and I have no doubt, when * See page 184 of "Liebig's Organic Chemistry." THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 203 examined more mmutely, others might be found that contain a much larger per centage ; hut being late when it was found, and the land coming in for wheat, I was only able to make a cursory examina- tion, but still sufficient to stamp its importance, which at some future period may be attended with some practical benefit. In taking leave of this subject, I trust those who have experienced a disappointment in the applica- tion of this substance during the past year will not be daunted at the unsuccessful issue of their labour, but redouble their exertions, and endeavour to as- certain the reason — whether some misapplication, or not correctly understanding its nature, may not have caused it ; and also that those scientific men who have now fairly introduced it to the farmer will lend their aid to render it subservient to the purposes of practical agriculture, and remove the impediments from the ])ath of its general adoption, by doing which they will confer a great boon on the agriculturists of this kingdom ; so that by the union of these two important classes the expecta- tions of its introducers may be realized. I remain, sir, yours truly, George Austwick. Hunfs-hall Farm, Feb. 13, 1849. COLMAN'S CONTINENTAL AGRICULTURE. BY T. L. C. (Continued.) Besides the peculiar law affecting landed property in France, which we commented on in the last number, there is another arrangement, to which we have no counterpart in England, and it is one in which we are very deficient, namely, the machinery provided by the French government for procuring statistical returns connected with agriculture. In the first place there is in the Government a depart- ment of agriculture, the secretary or minister of which, being one of the first men in the king- dom, is expected to look after this great in- terest; to obtain statistical returns of agricultural produce from all parts of the kingdom ; to learn what improvements have been made, what improve- ments are most required ; and what is the condition of the agricultural population. The statistical returns of the produce of France have been recently completed, and show a work of immense industry and labour, containing a mass of information which reflects the highest honour on the government, and on the persons employed in its execution. It seems strange that there should be a moment's hesitation about obtaining such information in England, where it might be so easily procured. The benefit it would be to every one, without the alloy of injury to a single individual, imperatively demands some arrangement for procuring, at least once a year, a statistical account of our agricultural produce. Considerable attention has from time to time been directed to the evils produced by allowing cattle to be slaughtered in our crowded towns, where the eflfluvia produced by the decomposition of the blood and fecal matter must undoubtedly be the fertile source of disease and death. There seems to be in England a most anomalous dread of interfering with " vested interests," no matter how injurious they may be to the community. In this respect we think that an occasional mild despotic government would do us good, and in no point more evidently so than by copying the abattoirs or slaughtering-houses in Paris, where there are five of these estabhshments close to the barriers. No cattle are allowed to be driven through the streets of Paris, unless it be very late at night ; and no person is allowed, under any circumstances, to slaughter cattle in the city. What a contrast to our Smithfield ! " The abattoirs of Paris have now been established more than thirty years ; and yet London, perfectly aware of their eminent advan- tages, submits to the terrible nuisance of a crowded cattle market in the midst of its thickest popula- tion, to and from which cattle are driven at all times of the day and night, to the great terror of, and often at the peril of hfe and limb to, the passengers. Slaughter-houses are to be found in all parts of the city — the Newgate market is completely underlaid with subterranean slaughter-houses of an odious description, &c., &c. The project for the removal of the Smithfield market has been defeated, and a public dinner been held to celebrate the triumph of the successful party. It ought to have been given in one of the subterranean slaughter-houses of Newgate market." No remarks of ours can place this subject in a stronger light than the above quotation. In this day of enlightened legislation a change for the better, not only in London, but in all our large towns, cannot be far distant. Connected with the above subject as far as re- 206 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. gards the public health, there lomains one establish- ment to be sjjoken of, directly connected with, and of great importance to, agriculture. In some re- spects (says Cohnan) the habits of the French, both in their houses and in the streets, are execrable and abominable. No familiarity in any degree can re- concile a delicate mind to them ; and exposures are frequently witnessed in the public streets, which are absolutely brutal. Rome, Florence, and Naples can hardly be considered other than three great public necessaries, where the most sacred places are hardly free from nuisances which shock all decency and reverence. Whilst the value of the filth and refuse of our large towns to agriculture is so well known, there is no harder question than how to turn them to the best advantage, without injury to health. There can be no doubt but that they ought not, as in Eng- land, to be allowed to be washed into the nearest river; and we look with some degree of interest to the proceedings of the London Sewage Manure Company, as the first attempt to turn to profit this source of agricultural wealth. In Paris all the fecal matter is saved, and by various i)rocesses* rendered useful to agriculture. " Chemistry would perform an immense service to agriculture if it could discover a means of preparing this substance in a portable form, and in which its efficacy might be preserved." The subject of agricultural education has received much attention in France; that attention is in- creasing, and new institutions are springing up, to which the government promptly lend their aid. Colman's remarks on this subject are so much to the ])oint, and we fear that, without the risk of making this article too lengthy, we could scarcely do him justice ; we will therefore perhaps again recur to the subject at a future time. The crops cultivated in France are the usual cereal grains — wheat, rye, oats, and barley — together with what, as compared with England, may be called peculiar crops — wine, silk, and sugar. Colman states that more than one-half of the wheat grown in Euro])e is produced in France. From the best statistical accounts that can be ob- tained, the wheat annually produced in — Total con- Bushels. Great Britain and Ireland 111,000,000 France 1 198,000,000 tents m square miles. 90,000 154,000 Population. 23,000,000 32,000,000 From two to three bushels are sown to the acre, * See Dumas, on the Manufacture of Manure, in the Farmer's Magazine. and the produce is from 6.25 to 5.10 for one, against (according to Colman) 9 for one in Eng- land. Bare fallows are said not to be much in use, and yet Colman does not give us any account of a re- cognized rotation. Indeed it must be difficult for a stranger, without a long sojourn in a country, to give any idea of this important i)art of its agricul- ture, and in which, we would rather infer from Col- man's book, the French are deficient. There is cultivated in France and in Flanders an inferior kind of wheat called Spelt {Triticum s2>elta) .- we are not aware that it has ever been grown in England. In nutritive matter it is said to bear a proportion of 39 to 50 of wheat. It is occasionally cut as green food, like rye in the south of England. Rye is veiy extensively cultivated in Europe; in Germany, in Belgium, in the cold and mountainous districts of France, and in Russia, it is their main dependence. In Flanders it is extensively used in the distilleries. Barley is not extensively cultivated in France, as wine forms the common -drink of the country. Besides the above grains, Colman enumerates mas- lin (wheat and rye mixed), maize, buckwheat, mil- let, clover, and lucerne, as ordinaiy crops in France, but without giving any information respecting them which will be interesting to the Enghsh farmer. The cultivation of beet-root for sugar is peculiar to France, and one or two of the neighbouring countries. It is said by Colman to be a very pro- fitable business ; but we cannot but think that when the true interests of nations are imder- stood, sugar will be better and more cheaply purchased from some of the inter-tropical countries, and the soil of France more profitably devoted to the growth of the cereals, &c. The growth of the silk-worm and manufacture of silk is of great importance in France: "its utility is unquestioned and universal ; the amount of industry it sets in motion is immense, and the splendour and beauty of the fabrications of which it forms the materiel are unsurpassed." Next to the silk trade in point of importance comes the wine trade, the yearly value of which is said to be upwards of £2,300,000, six-tenths of which is consumed in France. We will now proceed to the agriculture of Bel- gium and Holland, which in some of its conditions and arrangements is quite peculiar to that district, A great portion of the soil of these countries is alluvial, and is only prevented from being again covered by the sea by the erection of immense em- bankments. Much of this country is actually below the level of the sea, and can only be drained by the use of mills, and it is said that about 5,000,000 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 207 acres have thus been redeemed from the sea. A ]nojfct has recently been started (and we l)elieve is now in operation) to (hain the lake of Haarlem, covcrinfT 50,000 acres. In order to eftect this 3,000 millions of tons of water must be raised ; and in order to keep it dry, 54 milhons must be raised an- nually. Some idea may be formed from this state- ment of the extent and importance of these works in Holland. The agriculture of Flanders is chiefly arable, " and I begin by saying that it is superior to that of any country I have yet visited." The great agricultural implement is the spade. The farms are small, in many cases not more than 50 acres, and often less. The land is very deeply cultivated, for which its alluvial character well adapts it. The following is a common rotation, and to be profit- able requires indulgent manuring upon a light soil, 1st. Potatoes. 2nd. Wheat, with turnips in the autumn. 3rd. Oats {this we think is wrong). 4th. Clover. 5th. Rye, with turnips in the autumn. 6th. In grass, to remain as long as profitable. If we had land in England good enough to sup- port the following rotation, we could make as much of it as they do in Flanders : — 1st. Turnips, carrots, or chiccory. 2nd. Oats. 3rd. Clover. 4th. Wheat. 5th. Flax. 6th. Wheat! 7th. Beans ! ! 8th. Wheat!!! 9th. Potatoes. 10th. Wheat ! ! ! ! 11th. Oats!! The land is manured in the 1 st, 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 9th years. The Flemish call manure " the god of agriculture ;" and they spare no trouble to collect it, both liquid and solid. In its application two objects are aimed at : the one, to have the ma- nure in a form in which it can be immediately taken up by the ]3lant ; the other, to apply it at a time when it is directly needed. This subject has not yet met with the attention it deserves in England. "Deep cultivation, liberal and thorough manuring, a careful and well-tried rotation of crops, and a thoroughly clean cultivation, may be said to con- stitute the great principles of Flemish agriculture, an agriculture for which it is not easy to find a parallel." Their carefulness in saving everything which is in itself, or which can be converted into manure, is most exemplary and worthy of imita- tion. Colza, navette, carneline, and white mus- tard are crops peculiar to Flanders, and certainly bespeak a finer climate and richer soil than the generality of England. Tobacco, madder, and woad arc also grown to some extent. Colman says that the agricultural implements are few and simple, contrasting advantageously with the English, which he says are clumsy, heavy, and inordinately exjjensive, and " best answer the pur- poses of the ingenious mechanics ; who understand very well when they have got their pail under a cow with a full udder, and how in the most agreea])le manner to abstract the gold from the pockets of enthusiastic agricultural amateurs !" In respect to live stock the continental countries are all greatly behind England.* The Flemish horses are, however, unexceptionable, and in France they are not so usually castrated as in England. The swine are " miserable, lank, lean, and gaunt ; and if they have not one good point about them, they certainly have other points in great profusion — the race seems under a curse." At Gregnon, a government agricultural establishment, there have been some of the improved Enghsh breeds intro- duced. Some of the continental breeds of sheep, as the Merino, certainly surpass our English slice]) in quality of wool, but we rather suspect that they are inferior in quality of mutton, symmetry of form, and early maturity. In conclusion, we would be glad to meet with other works from Colman's pen, on the agriculture of those parts of Europe which he has not yet visited, only we would advise him as far as possible to divest himself of his republican tendencies and his prejudice against England, where, notwithstand- ing all that can be said to the contrary, we are yet disposed to think that price of labour and difficulties from climate being taken into consideration, there is as much made of the land as in any other part of the world. THE EXPORT TRADE OF ENGLAND. The valuable statistical tables of the exports of England, published annually by Mr. Burn, of Man- chester, and known under the title of the " Com- mercial Glance," have just been issued for the year 1848. By comparing the aggregate amount of ex- ports in the year just passed with 1847, we find that the balance is in favour of 1848. But on com- paring the exports of the past year with 1846, which, from the high price of cotton in 1847, it is neces- sary in order to arrive at a just conclusion to do, the results are somewhat different, for we not only find that the exports of last year were less than in 1846, but that there was less cotton consumed, and * Colman says that in parts of Ireland the hay is carried to market in two large bundles swung across the back of a donkey. 208 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. consequently less employment for the artizan, and, above all, less profits. Cotton in 1847 was double the price of 1848, yet in 1847 goods rose only five per cent., whUe in 1848, when cotton was half its former price, goods fell no less than fifteen per cent. The free-traders are fond of dealing with fictitious figures, and delight in mystifying the pub- lic by what they term their " statistical facts." Such assertions, from the impossibility of at once giving them an immediate refutation, pass muster ! for a time, and then the cheat is discovered. In opposition to the boasting language of the Cobden- its, and the "deliberate judgment" of the ex- pre-mier, we beg to offer the following results of the operation of free-trade during the past year. These figures, we should premise, are published under the sanction and authority of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce, and the tables, compiled with great care, are remarkable for their general accuracy : — EXPORTS FROM ENGLAND. 1846. 1847. 1848. Cotton yarn (lbs.) . . 157,130,025 116,512,874 127,121,446 Cotton thread (lbs.) 2,320,335 2,855,941 3,523,642 Damask and diapers (yards). . 9,505 20,312 28,489 Cambrics and muslins (yards) 4,459,769 5,010,117 5,200,925 Dimities (yards) . . 28,437 19,106 21,613 Lawns and lenos (yards) 8,111 3,193 9,360 Calicoes, plain (yards) 611,839,181 488,044,682 566,199,538 Counterpanes and quilts (number) 113,059 208,005 157,700 Cotton and linen, mixed (yards) 1,125,764 1,433,879 2,392,992 Ginghams (yards) 591,489 825,430 1,096,750 Cords, velveteens, and velvets (yards). . 1,901,294 2,770,943 2,541,436 Nankeens (yards) 134,553 18,515 14,539 Quiltings and ribs (yards) . . 116,721 79,511 58,238 Calicoes, printed and dyed (yards) 267,084,797 287,384,903 301,515,780 Hosiery (dozens) . . 350,750 326,246 247,780 Shawls and handkerchiefs (dozens) 545,823 725,263 677,568 Lace (yards) 88,086,725 83,301,504 65,369,043 Tapes, &c. (dozens) 12,128 8,815 24,360 Ticks, &c. (yards) . . 144,047 149,385 169,851 Unenumerated cotton goods (£) . . 54,167 95,486 146,594 The following is a statement showing the average prices of manufactured goods exported in 1839, 1840,1841, 1842, 1843, 1844, 1845, 1846, 1847, and 1848:— i o o . Description. "is u be -29 The red clover, for reasons which are uot yet satisfactorily known, refuses to grow in many places oftener than once in eight j'cars ; in others, once in twelve years. In order to re- place it in the rotation, seeds, and beans or peas are made use of. The seeds act like the clover, and accumulate a quantity of vegetal)le matter in the soil ; but the beans and peas appear to have little effect in that way. They seem to be able to get what they want from the air; so that, though they do not much enrich the soil, they do not impoverish it, and a crop is obtained, and no harm done to the land. Well now, gentlemen, if you refer to a more extended series of rotations — to an eight or nine, or ten or twelve years' system of rotations — you will find that the very same principle which you have so scientifically laid down is carried out, and that you merely make use of plants possessed of different properties, to bring down into the soil substances which are valuable in the market ; and which other plants you wish to grow do not possess the means of otherwise obtaining, in quantity sufficient to produce the crops you require. It is the object of the farmer to produce all these plants in the greatest quantity — he wants an abnormal growth of plants, an unnatural growth — and therefore he endeavours to give to the ground such an amount of every substance required by the different plants, that, as far as he is concerned, nothing shall occur to check their proper growth. Now, here a few practical considerations arise, which the chemist may present to the farmer. It so happens that we are not in a position, generally speaking, to carry on farms without importations from abroad ; that is, we must look beyond our farms to supply losses sus- tained by the exportation of beef, mutton, and grain from the farm. There are, however, certain farms so situated by nature as to be independent of all such aid. For instance, if you have a large quantity of irrigated meadow land, you may be able to obtain from it all that you want for your arable land. You may have beautiful marsh land, where the application of manure would not merely be useless, but would, in fact, throw down your crops. In that case you clearly do not want extraneous manure. Some parties have even thought that if they had a larger amount of pasture land, they might do without import- ing manure. My belief is, that you would injure pasture land by continually removing substances from it, to manure arable ; and, therefore, in that case, I cannot admit that there is no necessity for importing manure, though less may be re- quired than in other cases. Arable farms, generally must undoubtedly require importations from abroad. Now, the question is, how are you to proceed in order to obtain the most serviceable substances, and at the cheapest rate? I defy any merely practical farmer to tell me how this is to be done. He must spend a vast deal of money, and a great portion of his life, in making the discovery. But look at the practical chemist, whose opinions have been trodden under foot. Why, he goes into his laboratory, and in the course of a week half a dozen questions are solved. He analyzes your crops, and finds what ingredients are contained in them. He analyzes your soils and farm-yard manures, with the same result. He takes a rich soil and a poor one, and he finds cer- tain ingredients in tlie one which are not in the other. Thus the chemist is able to give the farmer practical information which cannot fail to render to him the greatest assistance. But the question is, I repeat, how to import the best manures ? In the first place, there are the excrements of man. Man feeds upon the best of all ; he takes the best of the beeves and of the sheep, and the best of the grain, and his excrements are richer than those of any other creature. A full-grown man eats so much every year, and yet remains of the same weight ; and his excrements, except what goes off in perspiration and a gradual change taking place in the atoms of his body, some being given off and cast out, and others continually rejjlacing them from the food ; and it is an undoubted fact, that if you could retain and apply all the excrements of man, they would repro' colts, which, as soon as the turnip timeis over, they sell off or turn to ^rass, and keep less during the autumn and winter; the turnip time requires a great many more teams than any other time, in that particular quarter. Take some one farm upon these 21 years' lca?es ; have you any farm in your mind at this moment that is soheld? Take one of the farms you have been speak- ing of, where this change of management has gone on, do you know at all about what rent the farm was taken at? — I cannot speak distinctly to tlie rental; but they were, I should suppose, about £1,500 to £2,000 a year. And about how many acres was the farm ? — Au or- dinary one. Confine yourself to any one farm that yon have in your mind ? — They have frequently hill land attached to them, fay perhaps 1,500 acres. Forabouthow many acresof hilly land, and about how n^any acres of tillage ? — One thousand acres of tillage land, and about 500 to 700 acres of hill land. What would be the value of that land in your judg- ment in the middle time, when the improvements were in full swing ; what would be the value of that farm, supposing it then to come into the market, and su])- posing the tenant had the jjowcr to underlet it ? — There would be at least 10 per cent, more value. At the end of it ? — At the middle of the term than at the end of the lease. Then at the end of the term what would belts value? — I am alluding to the end of the term. In the middle it would be worth 10 per cent, more than ut the end. What would it be worth, then, at the beginning? — Ufion the farm I have in view I should think it would be worth 20 per cent, more in the middle of the lease than at the beginning, and 10 per cent, more than at the end. Then this falling off in the management would he a deterioration of 10 per cent ? — Yes, I think so ; it would be worth that less to the person taking it. And less to the landlord to let it ? — Yes. What, in your judgment, upon that farm would be the acts of husbandry that would be now payable in Northumberland ? What in an ordinary change of tenantry would be the amount of money payable now in Northumberland to the outgoing tenant by the Incoming tenant, according to custom? — The straw and the manure all belong to the incoming tenant ; the incoming tenant only pays for the grass, seeds, sowing the year before, for which the outgoing tenant must produce his receipts. Then the outgoing tenant takes the away-going crops ?— Yes. There are no acts of husbandry by the incoming tenant?— No, the manure lies in the hovels where it is made. At the end of a 21 years' lease, according to your notion of the payment that should be made by the in- coming tenant, how much money ought to be paid do you think for this 1,000 acresof tillage ? — Some farms would not require much improvement in draining, because a part is generally dry land . Will you confine your answer to some one farm. You have spoken of those 1,000 acres of tillage; and where that takes place in the first five years, the value is raised 20 per cent, in the middle of the term ; then it is dete- riorated 10 per cent, at the close of the terra again. You are now asked in your judgment what should the outgoing tenant be entitled to receive upon that farm. provided he kept up the cultivation at the full swing to the end ? — For nothing but the purchasing of manure, and feeding his cattle and sheep with oil-cake. About what would it amount to in capital, in your judgment ? — It is not at all the custom to feed cattle and sheep with oil-cake at present ; they buy manure at ^"'3 an acre. You are giving evidence here upon the state of things which you say is under your own knowledge ; you have been asked to confine your ;ittention to some one farm, and you have told the committee that farms are deteriorated in that part of Northumberland 10 per cent, towards the close of the term, by the want of security to the tenant ; what amount of capital, then, in your judg- ment, according to the Northumberland practice, would that tenant be entitled to receive ? — We have no custom of that kind ; the improvements do not go on to the end of the lease, there is no recompense for them. If the lease be renewed, the tenant would go on with liming until four or five years or more than that previous to removing, and he would be recompensed for that if the farm was capable of a good deal of improvement in re-, claiming. How often do tenants in Northumberland, upon such a farm as you have spoken of, lime their land? — Gene- rally not above once during a lease of 21 years, and sometimes not that unless for preventing grub in turnips, which requires to be done oftener, say at intervals of 15 or even 10 years. What in your judgment would a man be entitled to at the end of the term, for the use of lime? — Nothing, be- cause then he has got the benefit arising from it. Would he be entitled to anything for drainage ? — Upon this farm, if he were to drain at an early period, he would be recompensed. Is it the custom in Northumberland, upon such a farm as you speak of, to feed with oil-cake ? — Very little ; it is however increasing. In your judgment, if it were carried to such an extent as would be prudent in your opinion, how much money would the tenant be entitled to receive upon such a farm for oil-cake ? — Half what he laid out. How much would it amount to .' — He might use 10 tons ; half of that would be .£50 ; oil-cake is very little used with us. Do you purchase any other artificial food upon such a farm as you have spoken of in Northumberland ? — No ; there is a little linseed sometimes for calves. Do they purchase artificial manure ? — Yes, bone dust and guano. About how much would the outgoing tenant be enti- tled to receive for the articles of bone dust and guano .' — Of guano he would require about ^^150 worth for the land for turnips, where he had a deficiency of common manure. How much of that should the incoming tenant be obliged to pay .' — I think it would repay itself in four years sufficiently. Would the incoming tenar.t have to pay three- fourths ? — Y^es ; he has both a great increase in the crop of corn as well as turnips, and the manure from them. Then £120 would be paid for that three-fourths ; what other artificial manure is used ? — In the article of guano it is found that it has a great effect upon grass seeds ; and if they were compensated for it, they would sow it considerably upon the young grass land ; tenants have told me themselves, those who have very short leases, that they would sow guano within the last two or three years. How much more of that could they sow upon the good land ? — About £l an acre. How much would it come to .' — About £300- THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 239 That would be three- fourths of it; perhaps it would not go on so long ? — It would recounpense thern much earlier than that; but unless they bad some profit along with it they would not do it ; they want an inducement for doing it. Would half be fair in that case ? — For one year's use. Supposing the tenant manured the grass seeds the year he was going out, would it be fair for the incoming tenant to pay half? — He should pay more, because the hay is consumed upon the farm, and he would have a great increase to his manure and the following year's grass. The outgoing tenant does not take the hay ?— No. Then the incoming tenant would have to pay for it ? — Yes, he would get the full benefit of it at once. How much money would be paid for that ? — The en- tering tenant ought to pay two-thirds. It would be ^■'200 ? — Yes ; perhaps less than that might do ; but to induce the tenant to lay out money freely he ought to have more than a bare recompense. With respect to bones ; having taken this large allow- ance for guano, would he purchase any bones ? — No ; I am taking the guano as a substitute for bones. In that part of Northumberland do they purchase any other artificial manure? — No, not that I am aware of ; there have been some little experiments sometimes ; at one time they had some chemical preparation for grass seeds ; that did not answer. Then £^50, £"'100, and ,€200 would be the aggregate of what the incoming tenant would have to pay ? — Yes. That is the difference between keeping up a farm in a high state of cultivation and keeping it in a deteriorated state ? — If a person had a full recompense, he would take his farm again and keep his land in a much higher state of cultivation. In what way would be keep it in a higher state of cultivation other than by the ordinary acts of good hus- bandry and tillage, which a man is bound to do under any circumstances : state the items by which you come to that conclusion. You say that the tenant takes steps at the beginning by draining and otherwise to make the farm worth 20 per cent, more ; in the middle of the term he would not be entitled to that full 20 per cent. ? — The principal advantage would be to keep the farm capable of employing more hands to keep it clean. Which of those acts of husbandry do you think, in your judgment, the tenant ought to be paid for } — The draught, and the different kinds of labour attached to it. That would be the ordinary operations of husbandry ? — Yes. Do you think the outgoing tenant ought to be paid for those ordinary operations of husbandry ? — It would be that much more value, and the tenant had better pay it than have the land in the state you often find it in. How much do you think the outgoing tenant would be entitled, upon this farm you have spoken of, to receive under the head of acts of husbandry ' — This farm I allude to, it would take the away-going tenant to expend .£150 a year more in acts of husbandry than he generally does ; that is, he would curtail his expenses £^150 or even £200 a year. How much would it be just that the incoming tenant should pay ; what proportion of that .' — Upon the ad- \iantage he would derive I should say nearly the whole of it, because the away-going tenant has received little or no return upon his capital, and therefore nearly all the expenditure he makes would be for the benefit of his suc- cessor. How many years would it be an entire benefit to the Do you think a man letting his land begin to get foul does not suffer something in five years ?— I think he suffers very much ; I have seen tenants injure themselves by overdoing it. How should that expense be divided between the out- going tenant and the incoming tenant, if you admit that he injures himself by letting his land get foul ? — If the land gets foul he would be entitled to scarcely any re- compense. The incoming tenant would not be entitled to pay for anything he did not receive ; if the land did get foul, the away-going tenant should be if possible made to pay for it, that is for the injury done to the land. There is a degree of foulness that may not be a posi- tive injury to himself? — Without any loss to himself. That has happened within your recollection ? — Yes ; not in a great degree, but with a slight degree of foulness they could get a good crop of corn. What then would be the sum which the outgoing te- nant would be entitled to receive for those additional tillages ? — I would say from £200 to £250 a year, for those last three years. That would be £750? — Yes ; having the land in good order or in indifferent order, there is more difference to the incoming tenant than that. In your judgment, the acts of husbandry would be £750, and the manurages would be £370 ? — I think I have stated that. Those are the figures taken from your statement ? — Yes. Is there anything else in your judgment, so far as manures and acts of husbandry are concerned, that the outgoing tenant would be entitled to receive for ? — I think not, unless for making new fences and such like ; it is of great importance to the incoming tenant as well as to the out going tenant to have the machinery in good order, the fixed machinery or threshing machines. In that part of England does the tenant remove those machines or not ? — He is not bound to remove them ; he can remove them if he likes ; but the entering tenant very seldom takes them , which is a very great loss to the outgoing tenant. I have seen a machine repaired to the amount of upwards of £100 two years before, sell for £40 at leaving. It is a matter of agreement between the parties whether they take them or not ; if the incoming tenant does not take them, the outgoing tenant takes them away ?— Yes, they do not belong to the landlord gene- rally ; the way that the farms are taken it is a very great loss ; the tenant says, I would rather have a new machine and my own machinery. I think it is a serious loss indeed. Then if you are rightly understood, those items you have spoken of, apart from the buildings, and fences, and machinery, amount to £1,120 ? — I decidedly think that the farm would be that much better to the incoming tenant than when it is in the way in which he often re- ceives it, from the land being let out of condition. That is the difference between entering upon a farm in a good state of cultivation or a bad one. The result of this would be what is wanted to be got at in figures ; which is this, that according to your judg- ment this farm of 1,500 acres, with that amount expended upon it, what rent do you p\it it at? — About £1,500 a year, that farm I allude to. £1,500 a year, with the increase spoken of in the middle of the term, would be worth £300 a year addi- tional rent when it was at its full swing ? — Yes. At the termination, in consequence as you say of this want of security, it deteriorates so that it is only worth incoming tenant? — From three to five years, because £1,500 a year ? — Yes, that is my opinion. the curtailing the expenses generally begins five years ! Then in your opinion what is the great inducement to before leaving the farm. They do it gradually. I the outgoing tenant to alter the mode of his cultivation ? 240 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. — He saves that expense the last few years, and he con- siders he gets as good a crop. I have said that sometimes he carries it too far ; the object is to save as much expense and take as much money off the farm as possible. Would any man holding a farm be content at the end of 21 years to pay £300 a year more rent for it ; that is, the same tenant ; would it answer his purpose to have laid out these £1,120 to secure to himself the payment of £300 a year more rent for his farm ? — If he expected he was to pay £300 a year more rent, he would rather not improve it to that extent ; he would not improve it to make himself to have to pay it out again so largely. Then a tenant holding by lease lets his farm fall back that he may not have to pay an additional rent the next 21 years .' — If he leaves the farm it is to save himself, and if to take it again, to make the rent as small as possible. Then this security of payment would not induce him to keep up the cultivation ; not to go on the same, be- couse at the end of the 21 years if the farm was worth £300 a year more, be would be required to pay £300 a year more for it ? — Yes. If you were agent, would not you ask £300 a year more? — That would depend upon other things. If I thought it was worth that, I would ask it. Therefore to prevent paying the £300 a year more is a stronger inducement to the tenant to let the farm go back than to save this £1,000 ? — Yes, he would not im- prove it up to the end of the lease. Whether there is security or not, he would not im- prove to the end of the lease? — Not to so great an ex- tent, because he would have to pay for his improvements ; that is why I advocate 18 months notice to quit ; at the end of the lease so many changes take place, the tenant is always preparing for that to save himself, or take the farm as low as he can. That would be the effect whether there were security for payment at the end of the lease or not, since the increased rent would be more against the farmer than the receipt of the capital ? — The increased rent would be more against the farmer than the saving of the capital. As to those Durham tenants, you said 200 acres was the average ? — There are a great many of 100, 150, and 300 ; but I am not so confident about the size of the farms there. You have stated that the grass land is worth about 10s. an acre, and worth 40s. if ploughed up } — I saw that myself; when I saw it, it was in a high state of cultiva- tion ; the annual value of the grass land would not be more than 10s. an acre, and the farmers in that district say there is a great deal of it ; the svet gravel is that which I allude to, as ploughing out would not improve the clay. I do not think that I would take it out at all. And the reason why that grass land was not broken up was, that the landlords would not give their consent ? — Yes, that was told to me. Is it not a strange thing that the landlord does not like to get 40s. a year rent, instead of 10s. .' — That I think would be an act of insanity. Are the Durham landlords insane ? — In that point they are, where they refuse such grass land to be broken up. Where it is worth 40s. converted into tillage, and 10s. in the grass ? — Yes ; the answer I got was, it is old grass land, and neither agent nor landlord will allow it. Is that a general thing, or an exception ? — I believe it is very general ; they do not draw the distinction. The tenants would be glad to break it up without any security ; that is not done for want of security ? — With two years' security they would do it ; the draining would cost £4 an acre, and in two or three years it would then produce crops worth £6 or £10 an acre. The first breaking up of old pasture land is very profitable ? — After the first or second year I have seen it do better ; it may have done badly the first year or two. It is very profitable in three or four years ? — Yes. It requires great care not to spoil it by great crop • ping ? — Yes ; if that land were kept in a good state of cultivation, it would become valuable if it were fairly cropped ; if a man were to go and overcrop it, at the end of five or six years it would be of very small value. That may be one reason why the landlords do not give consent to have it broken up, the difficulty of securing it from being overcropped ? — It is the want of knowing the subject. You have stated that in Northumberland there were some cases where parties had been put out ; do you know any cases where farms have been given up in a di- lapidated condition to the landlords ? — Yes, I have seen some. Are those exceptional cases 2 — Yes, those are excep- tional cases. But they must not be taken as the general rule ? — Not as the general rule. In Durham those small tenants that you have spoken of, raised from the labouring class, if there was to be an improved system of husbandry on a large scale those poor men must all be turned out? — They are a very in- dustrious class of people, and could be employed in some way to great advantage. Your view would be to reduce those men to labourers ? — They are very active intelligent men, but they are in want of capital, and therefore they are not the people to carry out those improvements ; if they had the land drained by the landlord they could pay good interest upon it by the increased crops ; they have not sufficient capital to improve it themselves, therefore it lies as it is. There is no doubt that if the land were improved, it would be a benefit to them ? — Both to them and to the landlord : they would pay more rent and interest upon the money laid out, there would be a considerable addi- tion to their income from the crops. You were understood to say that this bad state of things in Durham was owing to the want of capital, and not want of security generally? — It is both ; sometimes I have spoken to stewards upon the subject, and they say they cannot get any good farmers and men of capital to take the farms. I said to one agent, " Why do you suffer such farming as that ?" and he said, " W^e cannot get better tenants to take them." On account of the size of the fai'ms ? — Yes, and the bad clay land ; he said they could not get the farms off their hands. In alluding to the good grass land in Durham, the general custom is there to farm without a lease, and they have no money laid out by the landloi'd ; the estate I allude to us being badly farmed, I know two or three farmers on it whose farms are in the best state ; he is an excellent landlord, and will not turn them out or raise the rent. The tenant I have in my eye was offered a few years ago a lease ; the landlord said, " You must have a lease as you are making such great im- provements;'' he said, "No, I want no lease; I have farmed under your family so many years." He continued farming as he was ? — Yes, without any lease ; his land is in the highest state of cultivation ; he has no recompense. He says there ought to be leases generally, and to be taken three or four years from the end of the lease, although he himself refused a lease ; he says generally there ought to be leases. Therefore he chooses to act one way and recommends his neighbours to act another ? — I cannot reconcile that. The result of the communication is, that he chooses to occupy one way himself and tells his neighbours to act another? — I have bis letter in my pocket to say there THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 241 ouglit to be leases, and renewed four or five years before their expiration ; I have his authority that he refused a lease from his landlord. His theory is one thing and his practice another? — Yes, I suppose so, but he farms in very first-rate style ; and on the same estate, the farmers having smaller capital farm badly. Mr. Newdegate.] Supposing that a poor tenant had an agreement giving compensation for certain improve- ments, draining, for instance, would not that induce persons to advance capital to him .' — I have said in my evidence that their friends might be induced to assist them ; I have known many cases where the friends will join together to su)iport a relative in a farm where they saw they would not lose their money. And you think that an agreement giving compensa- tion for the large outlay in permanent improvements would give that security, providing it were binding on the landlord? — Yes, I think so, if the farmer were in circumstances to pay him anything after paying his land- lord ; somttimes he is back in his rent, and the land- lord would require all the capital of the tenant to secure him, then there would be nothing to recompense the friends ; where they saw a man could pay, and he was in such a state with his landlord, they would assist him. Would not an agreement place him in that position, with proper covenants? — If his rent gets back, and he has to leave the farm before the expiration of the lease, the landlord would come in. The question refers to a yearly agreement giving com- pensation for permanent improvements ? — Yes ; in a great measure it would. Can you account then for the fact that such agree- ments do not prevail ? — It is a new thing, we have never had such a thing, and they have gone on for ages without it, and, like everything new, they take it up with great caution. Then you attribute the not entering into such agree- ments merely to the fact of their being ignorant of their operation ? — I believe so ; it is nearly new in our district, and they I'eceive everything new with a great deal of caution. You spoke of security, and afterwards of 18 months' notice, is that the security which you think desirable with yearly tenure ? — Yes ; I had occasion lately to lay a paper before the farmers' club on that subject, and I recommended the farmers instead of lease to have 18 months' notice to quit, and to be recompensed for per- manent improvements ; that is, I think, preferable to a lease. Then 18 months' notice must be the condition of agree- ment for yearly tenure ? — Yes. For the current holdings ? — Y'^es. The tendency of your evidence is to show that in the latter part of the lease the land is somewhat deteriorated ? —Yes. Would not that process go on, particularly during those 18 months, under notice in the case of current holdings ? — It would in a measure, it could not goto the same extent ; they would not have so long a time to do it as at the end of a lease ; they would have only one summer fallowing to come through their hands, that is the only time they have of saving the expense ; it is in the cleaning of the fallows that the expense is saved. Then in fact that would limit the means of recom- pensing themselves to what they could get during the IS months' notice ? — They would not expend any money but what they could have back during the 18 months ; they would go on making the improvements, that is, by buying artificial manure, such as they would be recom- pensed through the additional crop, and by the incoming tenant. They could only compensate themselves by what they could get out in the 18 months ? — Yes. Might not that system lead to the prospect of the sys- tem being continued for some years, and then leave the tenant in a position to be only able to compensate him- self by the 18 months' notice ; then it would be very in- ferior to the whole outlay he had undertaken ?— For the draining and such like, before the 18 months he would have to be compensated by the incoming tenant what- ever he had done ; supposing it is eight years, all that he had done previously he would be recompensed for before the 18 months. I would not swamp all improvements made previously. Then you are to be understood to say, that you pro- pose that the tenant should be repaid in certain propor- tions for his outlay in the j)revious years, but that he should have those 18 months' notice to compensate him- self for the less permanent improvements, acts of hus- bandry, and so on? — Yes, and to look out for a situation for himself. Six months' notice to quit is far too short a time for a tenant to suit himself with another situation, because it requires two or three months often before they can get settled with his present landlord, or get a new one, and the tenant is waiting for the settlement to take his new farm, which often leaves only four months to look out for a new farm, which I think "too short. Would not the 18 months' notice tend rather to dete- riorate the farm than to give the tenant means of com- pensating him ? — He would save his expenses. Would not it be a temptation to increase that saving to the deterioration of the farm ? — Yes. Then would not it be preferable that he should have only to be compensated for his improvements, to a later period than would be included in the 18 months ? — It would be better for the land and the incoming tenant. Would not it be as well for the outgoing tenant ? — I think he would not be enough compensated ; but for all the minutiae of the expenditure it would be difficult to define which had the benefit of it, the outgoing or in- coming tenant ; that might make it too complicated. The further you extend the time back, the greater you would render that difficulty? — Yes, I believe so. Mr. CoLviLE.] How long do you consider guano remains unexhausted when sown on seeds ? — If a tenant were allowed to sell hay, he would recompense himself in two years, in some cases it requires three years before it is recompensed. I have seen it four years. Speaking of seeds that are mown, how long do you think it requires before it is exhausted. Before the tenant is recompensed, taking it exactly, how long is it before it becomes exhausted ? — It is effective for two years. When it is mown both years?— Only one year. Graze i the one year and mown the other ? — Depas- tured the second year. Is not the land in a worse state after that guano is ex- hausted than before?— I have not had sufficient experience to try that, but with soot I have seen it worse, but with guano I have not seen it. It is not a permanent fertilizer, but a stimulant ? — Yes a stimulant. Why then should the incoming tenant pay for that which he deems rather an injury than an advantage ? He has the hay upon a part. You think the extra growth of hay ought to remune- rate him for what he pays? — Yes, 1 think so. By what power is the threshing machine worked ?— Always by water, where possible ; secondly, by steam ; and thirdly, by horses. In cases where they have a steam-engine for the working of the machinery, has not the landlord to pay an extra insurance ? — No, I believe not. 2i2 THE FAKiVJElVS MAGAZINE. It is not the cuslom of the Northern Insurance Office to demand a larger insiiiance ? — The tenant pays a larger insurance upon the steam-engines. Does the tenant insure the buildings ? — Very often he is compelled to do it in his lease. It is the common way of letting the buildings that the tenant should insure the buildings?— Yes. Then any extra cost he has to pay for erecting a steam- engine the tenant suffers from ? — The insurance is so small he would be glad to pay the extra insurance. I never beard any objection to that ; the advantage is so superior to working it by horses that the tenant would not hesitate to pay 10 pcf cent, to have a steam-engine erected to his hand. Evidence of Mr. George Tcrner. Chairman.] You are an occupier, and also an owner of land, residing at Barton, near Exeter ? — I am. You are a member of the Agricultural Society of England, and a successful breeder of cattle ? — Yes. What is the extent of land you occupy ?— Between 800 and 900 acres. Above 600 I rent, and 200 or 300 I farm of my own. What is the usual time of the year for giving up farms in the county of Devon ?— Lady-day ; sometimes at Michaelmas ; it varies, but it is either Lady-day or Michaelmas. — In a Lady-day holding, does the tenant have the way- going crop ?— No, he has nothing after he quits his farm ; he gives up everything when he leaves. Who puts in the wheat ?— The incoming tenant gene- rally. There is a provision made for the incoming te- nant to come in and sow so much wheat. Does the incoming tenant plough up the wheat eddish ? —Yes, where there is a lease to that effect, it is generally provided. You say that sometimes by lease the incoming tenant has a right of entry to put in the wheat crop ; how is it if he has no agreement ; how is it by custom .'—There is no custom to give him a right at all. Is land generally held by agreement and not by the custom of the country ?— It varies so much as to the holdings in Devonshire that you may say there is no general custom in the county with respect to that. Has tlie outgoing tenant any claim for improvements that he has made on his farm ? — None at all. For cake purchased for the food of cattle ?— No, I believe it is never recognized on that principle in our county, except by special agreement. In your opinion is the tenure of land in your part of Devonshire such as is not encouraging for the improve- ment of its cultivation ?— I think it is ; I think if proper encouragement were given and a better mode of tenure existed, or some legislative enactment was passed, that the land could be vastly improved m the county of Devon. You hold land underlease?—! rent £700 a year under lease. You have also compensation for improvements at the end of your terra ? — I am to have in the new lease ; it is a suggestion that was made by myself and some other parties, and the agent is coming into it ; he thinks it would be better to bind the tenant to good farming and give him some compensation at the end of the lease. So that, in fact, you are disinterested in the evidence you give .'—I am quite disinterested in the evidence I give ; I have no interest beyond the public good ; I happen to hold under a long lease, and am to be com- pensated for any manure I may have at the end of that lease, and the remainder of my farm is my own. Point out to the committee what you consider to be the defects in the tenure of land in Devonshire .' — A great deal of land in the neighbourhood of Exeter is held on lives. The committee do not wish to enter upon the question of church leases, but is the land held on lives, to which you refer, under lay landlords ?— A great deal is held on lives. Mr. Henley.] Do the occupiers actually hold it under lives ? — Not altogether ; there is a great deal of land in the county leased for lives. Some years ago I held some land in trust and do at this moment, under a noble lord ; he is the owner of the fee- simple ; I have a lease for life on it, and some part of this proper! y is held on a single life, and at this moment we cannot carry on my improve- ments ; I cannot say to the tenant, " You do not farm your land well," because he would reply " I may be turned out at the end of any one year if the life drops," and, consequently, a very bad system of cultivation goes on there ; we are almost squabbling about fitting up the buildings ; some dispute has arisen within the last fort- night whether the buildings shall be put up in a first-rate way by some arrangement, or whether tliey shall be put up in the old fashion style that the lease binds us to do. With respect to land held for a single life, when the life becomes infirm, or when illness takes place, the tenant in possession ploughs up all the land and sows it with corn ; there is no law to prevent it ; I have known many instances of that, and the land gets deteriorated because there is no preventing it ; " quiet sow, quiet reap." If you can sow your crop, and the day after it is sown the life dies, you can take it off again, and the land goes on in that state ; no land can possibly be farmed worse than it is, and there is nothing to prevent it. If compensa- tion could in some way be insured to them when the life dropped, a better cultivation would take place ; it is a crying evil in my neighbourhood, that single thing. Then again, a great deal of land is held under lay land- lords for short terms, such as seven years. Chairman.] Have those short terms the effect of se- curing the tenant sufficiently ? — No ; in some farms in the former part of the lease, say for three or four years, the tenant improves the land, and the next three or four years he will be exhausting it again ; I have a relation who farmed in that way ; I said to him " It strikes me fhat some of this land could be improved ;'' he said, " What is the use, I cannot get more than seven years' holding in it ; it is to pass into other hands at the death of the life, and I cannot improve it ?" I said, "It would be worth more if you could ;" he said, " Yes ; I could make a couple of hundred a year more of it." Would it be desirable to give tenants compensation for draining and otherwise improving the soil ? — Yes, I think so ; it would be one of the first things to be done. Is there much improvement of that kind required in your part of Devon ? — Yes ; there is a great want of im- provement, and I have found that farmers are quite ready to invest their money if they get security ; I have spoken to many of them, and they say, " If I was sure to get it again, and could get a lease, or get compensa- tion in case anything should happen if I should quit my farm, I should be quite ready to iavest every shilling I have got in it." In some parts of Devonshire the farm buildings are of a very moderate character, are they not ? — They are very bad indeed. You have not, generally speaking, a very great uumbei of good farm buildings in Devonshire ? — No ; some have been erected by some gentlemen lately. Is that an impediment to the increased produce of the soil ? — Yes ; they cannot make the best of the land with bad farm buildings ; they cannot farm the land to the best advantage under those circumstances. In some parts of Devonshire catch meadows may be made at moderate expense ?— Yes ; there are a great THU: I'AKMER'S MAGAZINE. 243 nmiiy there already, and more might be done in that | uay ii good deal. If tenants had a good system of eompensation they i would be disposed to improve tl)e farms in that way? — Yes, in every way ; I see a disposition to do it among j the farmers ; but there are so many short holdings in I Devonshire, and there is such insecurity altogether, that there are not many men who have an inducement to in- vest their money in that way. As a practical man yourself, and conversant with the views of a large body of farmers, are you of opinion that they would so avail themselves of this privilege of com- pensation if the legislature granted it, and that they would increase the employment of the labourers to any extent ? — Very much, I should think ; indeed I have instances of it near me, where men have had long leases granted, and at the beginning of the lease they have improved tlie land very much indeed. I have been reclaiming some land lately, having taken a new lease in the farm which I rent, at the expense of ,£"20 an acre. Mr. Newdegate.] What is the length of the lease ? — Fourteen or IG years. Chairman.] Witii a compensation at the end.' — Yes, for manure, and some part of the permanent im- provements, such as drainage ; my landlord is going to do part of it. Would anything which increased the employment of laboui ers be very desirable in Devonshii'e ? — Yes, indeed it would ; the bett.'r farmer a man is, the more labourers he employs, and the better he pays them ; it is gene- rally the bad farmers that pay the worst, and employ the least. You think that the state of the Devonshire labourer is such as would render it very desirable to find any means of giving him increased employment? — Yes, certainly. Have you any other observations to make to the com- mittee ? — I received a communication this morning from a very practical man who lives near me, which I can pro- duce to the committee if desired; but it mevely states those facts corroborating what I have stated. There are many instances of tenants having offended their land- lords, who have had six months' notice to quit, and who have received no compensation at all, and they are obliged to quit. I know many instances of that taking place in the county, and I also know instances where bad tenants have been obliged to make compensation to the landlord for the bad farming. I think it quite desirable that the law should give the landlord the power of recovery from the bad tenant, as well as the tenant to recover from the landlord. Mr. Newdegatk.] You have spoken of leases upon lives ; are there any fines upon renewal ? — It is generally determinable upon the death of the life ; perhaps there is nothing but a heriot, or the best beast is taken by the landlord ; the man who holds the fee-simple generally steps in, and takes the best beast, and the land is delivered up to him in a very miserable state. There is the practice of heriots or fines, but not to a great extent ? — No, it is not a matter of great conse- quence ; that is the greatest fine imposed. Then the evil you complain of is the uncertainty of the tenure ? — Yes. In your case you have proceeded upon a systen which mitigates the evil of that uncertainty by giving you com- pensation for improvement ? — Yes, that is the thing that is wanted generally. And that is done by private agreement ? — Yes, that is done by private agreement ; but we have many cases where that private agreement cannot be entered into, cases where parties cannot let upon lease ; it is required to have some legislative enactment to protect tenants. It is not the good landlords who need to be meddled with, but it is tlie bad ones, and t!»oic who cannot give com- pensation, who require to be dealt with. Tlicn it is desirable that the landlord should have the power of giving compensation and entailing the payment of that compensation upon the property ; you mean the difficulty arises from the landlords being tenants i^or life, and not being able to give security for compensation .' — Yes, there does want some general legislative enactment entitling the outgoing tenant to receive remuneration by fair arbitration ; the matter then would be quite satis- factory, and there would be no difficulty in it at all. Then you are an advocate for a law which would entail upon an estate compensation not given under the agree- ment by the landlord or by any possessor ? — Where a private agreement is entered into, the law would be of no use ; I should wish to have a law made that would give an improving tenant, whenever he quitted his farm, com- pensation for what he had not had remuneration for. In default of an agreement from the landlord ? — Yes, in default of an agreement of that sort from the land- lord. Would not it be equally just that the law should let the land ? — No, I would not have the law let the land ; let every man make the best bargain he can with his farm, only do not let him dispossess the tenant without giving compensation for what is in it. Is not the rent of the farm in the agreement between the landlord and tenant ? — Y'es, certainly. Why should not the rent be put on the same footing as the compensation for improvement .' — There is a very wide difference between the rental and the compensation for improvement ; one is the landlord's property, the other the farmer's. What would be the practical difference to the landlord if he had to take a less rent or to pay a higher compen- sation. Supposing a landlord to let a farm, and the law to step in and to say, " You shall pay compensation to the extent of i;500,"" would not it be the same to the landlord where he w^as bound to pay that £500, as if the law decided that he should receive less rent ? — No, I think there is a wide difference ; because if the law says you shall pay your outgoing tenant compensation for what he has not derived a proper remuneration from during the time he has occupied that land, the incoming tenant would glacUy take it ; the better the condition the land is in, the more money the landlord would let the farm for. I have lived long enough to put farms in a very good condition from being in a very bad one, and I should have been the gainer if I had paid a large sum, and had had the land given up in a better condition. Would not that almost be saying that the law should relet the land, although at a higher rent ?— No ; the land is my pi'operty ; I select my tenant and put a rent that is fair upon it ; the law that I want is one to enact thit a tenant shall not be dispossessed and have his private pro- perty left there for the benefit of another person. Then you would have the law decide the whole ques- tion ? — I would have the law merely to say, that at the end of the occupancy proper valuers should be called in to say what that man had done upon the farm, and which he has not had remuneration for ; and the incoming tenant or the landlord should be bound to pay over a reasonable and fair sum, which a reasonable, and fair, and honest man should say he was entitled to. Then if the law does not secure to the landlord an in- coming tenant, the landlord would have to pay the com- pensation ? — I never saw a fair landlord that could not get a tenant for his land. At the same time there is an uncertainty about it ?— Not at all. You do not mean to say that the taking" of land at an increased rent is a certainty ?— No, not that taking land at an increased rent is a certainty ; times may vary, and R 2 214 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. a liuuJred things may alter the position of matters. When I took the farm I now occupy, I took it in a very poor state, insomuch that the land, though it is called a good farm, did not grow the first three years more than 20 bushels of spring corn per acre. I took it of course at a less rental from being in such a bad state. At the end of my lease my landlord stepped in, and he certainly was pleased to compliment me ; but he said, " You must pay a higher rent." " Very well, how much more?'' "So and so." I said, " Very well, I shall take it ;" and I shall be a better gainer, and be better able to pay a higher rent now the land is in condition, than I should be able to pay a low rent with the land out of con- dition. Supposing that you had declined to give an increased rent, and the landlord would have had to pay you a com- pensation, he would then have to fish for a tenant ? — He would not have much fishing for a tenant for a farm that is in good condition. Then what is the difference between the two princi- ples ; you make the landlord directly liable for the im- provement, with the prospect of the increased rental, that is, you make him liable to a payment ; what is the diff'erence between making a man liable to a payment, and making him liable to a deduction from his rent .' — I think, on the one hand, it is but fair and common justice that I shall not be dispossessed of my property, that is, that I shall not be turned out of my farm at six months' notice without receiving some compensation for the good farming I have bestowed upon it ; on the other hand, if I were a landlord I should be very sorry to have anybody interfere with the choice of my tenant, or the direction of my rental, that belongs to myself; the one is a public question, and the other is a private question. Where is the distinction, or how do you establish a distinction, as regards the landlord .-' — If I understand tlie question rightly, it is meant to put the question in this way, that the legislature has as great a right to choose the landowner's tenant as the outgoing to get compensa- tion from the incoming tenant. I think there is a mon- strous difference ; in the one case I should be willing, as a landlord, to pay the outgoing tenant, and in the other case, as an incoming tenant I should be wUling to pay the landlord ; but in the case of its being my own private property, no man has a right to say, I will choose your tenant, or fix your I'ental, or separate, as I think, the es- tate from the owner; on the other hand, too, if you suffer the land to be deteriorated and out of condition altogether, what does it pay for some years ? it is just like a horse almost worked to death, it takes a monstrous time to get him fit for work again, and so it is with land out of condition. Does not the difficulty arise here, that you assume that the capital has been laid out ; if notice has been given to the landlord that the capital was to be laid out, would not it then be just, and only then just, that he should be rendered liable for the re-payment of it ? — I would give the landlord notice of the improvements wanted to be done. You wish to see a system established by which, after due notice to the landlord of the outlay of the capital, the tenant shall have the power to regain so much of that capital as is unexhausted in improvements .' — Yes, exactly so. Mr. Henley.] This land you have spoken of as being held on lives in Devonshire, is that any considerable portion of the county ? — It is a good deal here and there scattered about; I know a case of a man the other day, a farmer in the western part of the county, that held some land under a noble lord ; and his brother told me that the life being a lingering one on the farm, his neigh- bours lent him horses and ploughs to plough up all the land. Was that land originally on three lives or one life ? — Originally on three lives. It is now under-let to the occupying tenant? — This is under-let, but it is the same with the leases ; I let mine to under-tenants. In those cases where the land is under-let, generally speaking, is the occupying tenant paying a highly in- creased rent for it ? — No, he will not pay the rent that ought to be paiduponit,becau3eof the uncertainty of the tenure, nor can he farm the land in the way it ought to be farmed, from not being entitled to any compensation when the life drops. Then the committee are to understand that the lessees for lives are under-letting this property, without making any profit upon it .' — I am letting some property now for a great deal less money than it would otherwise let for. The question is, whether the land now held by lessees for lives, and under-let, is under-let by them at a greater or at a less rent than that which they are paying to the head landlord ? — They are not paying to a head landlord at all, it is held for a life. They pay something ? — No, they pay no rent at all, they have held it 20 or 30 years. Then if it had been granted for lives they must have paid a fine at the commencement? — Yes; they put in three lives; it is a very common plan in Devon; a nobleman has the power under the settlements to lease certain portions of his estate for three lives. Then if this is granted for three lives, a fine having been paid at the commencement, there is no rent taken year by year .' — None at all. In your judgment, at the termination of those hold- ings who ought to pay the tenant-right ?— The person who becomes the possessor of it at the end of the term. That is to say, the landlord who has been receiving no rent at all for 20 to 30 years from the tenant, you would saddle with the payment of the tenant-right? — I would only saddle him with the part which the in- coming tenant would fairly and justly be entitled to pay for. As to buildings, and all that sort of thing, I would only let him pay, having due notice to repair or erect a building at all, only a certain portion. What certain portion should you think just to be paid by the fee-simple landlord, he having had no voice whatever, nor anything to do with the land during the three lives ? — I would give him the same voice as other landlords. But he has no voice by law ? — I would give it to him. You have stated yourself to be a disinterested wit- ness?— Yes. If all other parties were in the same position as you are, then you think they would have nothing to com- plain of ? — Of course they would not, if they were in the some position as I am. Your condition being that of holding under an agree- ment for 16 years? — Yes, with compensation at the end of the term. Which was done by agreement between you and the landlord ? — Yes. In Devonsliire, if the tenant of a Lady-day holding sows wheat at Michaelmas, on quitting the farm at Lady-day, is he entitled to receive anything for it by the custom of the country ? — No, he does not sow it. If he did sow it, he would be entitled to nothing ? — Of course he would not do it. That is the custom of Devonshire.'— Yes, the in- coming tenant steps In to sow unless there is a private agreement that the outgoing tenant do it by being paid for it. Would not the same common law step in,thatwhere a man sows he mows ? — No, it is not the custom in Devonshire. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 245 Yon are quite sure of that? — Yes. Mr. CoLviLE.] On which side of Exeter do you live ? — On the Plymouth side. What is the ordinary course of farming in your part of Devonshire, not on your own farm ? — It varies very much ; it would take a great deal of time to describe it. There is a great deal of good farming in the neigh- bourhood of Exeter, and a very great deal of bad. Is not the ordinary course of farming this, that they breakup land, take as many white crops as they think pi'oper, and let it lie down till the natural fertilities of the soil are restored ?— It may be so in some isolated districts in Devonshire. The manure becomes the property of the landlord ? — Yes. When the tenant leaves his farm ? — No, where they are tenants-at-will from year to year, the tenant is subject to six months' notice; and whenever the six months' notice is given, there is an auction, and the tenant sells off everything. He is allowed to sell the manure as well .' — Yes, at least they do it. According to the custom of Devonshire, are they allowed to sell any part of the produce off? — There is no agricultural custom existing scarcely in the county there ; they vary so much it would take a great deal of trouble to define them. Is not the custom that they are allowed to sell the reed, but not other straw ? — By lease. By agreement also ? — Yes, by agreement, that is ge- nerally the case ; they are not allowed to sell hay or straw, the covenants restrain them ; but they sell reed. Then the custom is, that a tenant when he is going out never sows wheathimself but by agreement; on the custom of the country the incoming tenant may make a breach for wheat ? — By agreement; but not by the custom of the country. Have you any custom as to machinery? — No. Not as to threshing machines ? — None at all. There is a great deal of cider made in Devonshire? — Yes. Is there no custom as to cider presses ? — Sometimes they are the property of the tenant and he takes them away ; if not the property of the tenant, ho leaves them. Is the cider press considered a trade fixture or an agricultural fixture? — It is considered, I suppose, as a trading fixture, hecause it is just in this way, if the te- nant puts it up, he takes it away ; ifltis the landlord's property, it remains there. 'i'hen there is that distinction between a threshing machine and a cider press, that the tenant could take the cider press away, but not the threshing machine? — Yes ; and if it is his own property, if he put up a threshing machine, he could take it away. But it is a part of the freehold ? — It is not a part of the freehold. You say that you are a landlord as well as a tenant ? — Yes, to a certain extent. Will you say what form of agreement you give your tenants? — What little property I let was let previous to its coming into my possession, and it was let in the common ordinary course of agreements; there was nothing special about the matter. You do not give your tenants security, though you say it is desirable that they should have it?— I wish the law to do it ; and I am willing to grant a lease that would give security. Are your lands let on lease or yearly tenancy ?— On lease; and I would do it for this reason, that it would be beneficial to everybody, the community would derive one- third more produce. Tlien is there any objection to giving a rider to the present lease, to give security at the deterTnination of it? — No ; I am ready to do it. Have you not a draining company in your neighbour- hood ? — Yes. Do they not drain for the tenants where thoy have security; have they not some such clauses in their rules? — I do not know their rules. Is it the fact that if the tenants have security, that this draining company will drain for them ? — I do not know that they would, without being paid for it. They would lend them money if they had security for it? — I do not know how that is. Do you know any farms where security has been given ? — Yes ; very few. You do know of some? — Yes. Is not it the custom in Devonshire to let farms by tender ? — Yes. Do you know in any of those farms where security has been given, and they have been put up to tender, whether they have been let at more or less rent than previously? — I cannot say at the moment; I know where security is about to be given a tenant will take a place with very great avidity. That is a great test of the advantage of security to the landlord? — I am quite satisfied if security of tenure were given, and compensation were given, thelandlord would generally let the land for more money at the expiration of the lease ; in the event of short leases, one half of the lease is taken up in irnprovmg, and the other lialf in injuring the land. You cannot give any case where the landlord has given security, and at the expiration of tlie tenancy the farm has been put up to tender? — That practice being so new, I cannot speak to that. Evidence of Mr. Jeremiah Smith. Chairman.] You reside at Springfield Lodge, Rye, Sussex ? — Yes. You are a landowner and occupier of land? — Yes. What is the size of your farm? — In occupation, up- wards of G,000 acres, and I own upwards of 1,300 acres ; I occupy in the whole upwards of G,000. What is the usual time for giving up land for out- going tenants in the Weald of Sussex ? — Michaelmas. What are the terms of arrangement between the outgoing and incoming tenant ? — ^As to the notice of quitting ? As to the terms of valuing between the outgoing and incoming tenant ? — We have a custom existing in our neighbourhood of full and half manures. By the custom of the country, when is the outgoing tenant entitled to compensation for full manures ? — The unexhausted manure on the farm, the manure that has not been used ; that is termed full manure ; but the manure which has been applied the year before, and from which various crops of different kinds, aud of a fair natui-e have been taken, that is called half manure. The full manure will not have been applied to any crop at all ? — No ; that manure is exposed to view. You mean by full manure the dung in the yard? — Yes ; everything exposed upon the farm in the shape of manure is termed full manure. Then is the half manure paid for equally, whether it has been applied to a crop of corn or to a crop of tur- nips ? — No ; the parties who are called in to adjust the compensation, value it as between outgoing and in- coming tenants. It is upon a different principle, whether the manure has been applied to green crops or white crops? — Yes ; tlicre is a diiTerenco wluther it is purchased manure or manure made on the farm ; those matters arc taken into consideration by the valuers, nnd of course, f lie 246 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. liauurc of tliu crop taken from tlie siil ; one crop wijiild draw more largely upon the manure than another, and the gentlemen called in to judge of that, adjust the matter between the two tenants. Do the valuers value the manure differently accord- ing as it has been made? — Of course; if this yard manure is made in a yard used for the fatting of cattle, the valuer will place a different price upon it from what he would do if it was merely a straw-yard in which the cattle had been fed upon straw only. Can you state what is the difference of value between the worst kind of manure and the best ? — I am not in the habit of valuing ; I can form my own idea when I go over to take a farm ; but I am not in the habit of striking a value. To say I do not know what the value is between the two, I should not say the truth ; but that is not a portion of my business. Would one load of oil-cake-made manure be worth two of mere straw ? — ^Yes, I should say more than that ; I should prefer one good load of rotten oil-cake manure to three of common straw manure, and I do not know whether I should not say to four of the other. Are bones used in your neighbourhood ? — Very little. Is rape cake used .' — Yes, and nitrate of soda, rags and guano. Are they all allowed for? — Yes, according to their relative value as to the length of duration in the soil ; for instance, rape cake is considered more lasting than guano, rags again longer than guano, and of course the gentle- men who come in to make the valuation are quite com- petent to judge what is right and fair between the out- going and incoming tenant. Are those valuations made easily without giving rise to much dispute ? — There is no dispute at all. What class of men are the valuers employed by the farmers generally? — Men of the first respectability. Practical men ? — Yes, practical men, men of the first respectability ; they are men of character all of them. They go by some general rule they have found suited to the neighbourhood? — They are practical men, and they of course vary with the times. Guano is of recent introduction, nitrate of soda has not been applied many years, but practical men soon learn the value of them on the different crops ; when the gentlemen meet together they consult, and they soon ascertain the relative differ- ence of one from the other, and in that ratio they charge to the outgoing tenant and incoming tenant. Is chalk used in your neighbourhood ? — No, not at all in my district ; it is in the county 40 miles further down westward. Is it compensated for ? — I have no doubt of it; it is considered very lasting. Has draining been found necessary in your neighbour- hood ? — Yes, and it has been done to a great extent. Is that compensated for ? — Yes, that is a point that every man knows, too, in valuing the giving compensa- tion for draining, more than any other point almost ; that I consider to be a matter very desirable. What is the term of years generally given for drain- ing?— I should say from 10 to IG years ; I should say the permanent draining ; the opinion "generally goes from 10 to 20, that is a vague opinion. My idea is that com- pensation ought to be given to 14 years for permanent drainage, one-fourteenth part to be deducted every year. You have no compensation for building?— None ; we consider that buildings erected on the estate become part of the fee of the estate ; that is the common law of the land, and we know nothing to the contrary. In some parts of the wealds of .Sussex the buildings are not of the very best quality, are they ? — In my dis- trict they are ; as you get further wes^t they are not so good ; ours are generally in a very good condition, but tlisy are capable of much improvement. My opinion is, that buildings are things which ought most certainly to be encouraged to be erected, and which could be done by proper protection in this way, that if the landlord did not like to take the buildings he should allow the in- coming tenant to take them., or the ou'going tenant to remove them. What materials are they made of?— Brick and tile, and timber, with us. As a very large occupier of land, should you say that good farm buildings are essential for improved farming by conducing to the thriving of the stock ? — We cannot farm without ; it is impossible to do so. 1 can only say that I have one estate which I took some years ago, which was without a stable or oasthouse, and I erected the whole of the buildings which were necessary, and ran the risk of what was to come after. I did that at an ex- pense of .i,'800. You think, that though you considered it expedient to run that risk, it is a risk which you ought not to be compelled to run ? — No, certainly not ; I ought not to run the risk. If the landlords sent over their stewards, and were satisfied at the end of the term that the build- ings were necessary, there would be no difficulty in ad- justing the matter. If the buildings were left to the tenant to erect such as he thinks necessary, and he had the privilege of removing them at the end of the term , or yearly occupancy ; if the landlord will not take them, let him offer them to the incoming tenant, andif he will not take them, let him have the privilege of taking them away, and there would be no fear of the tenant erecting unnecessary buildings ; now, if he erects a building, he is at the mercy of the landlord. You have described the system of giving compensation for various manures in your neighbourhood ; has it a good effect upon the farming of your neighbourhood ? — It has a very considerable effect ; on those estates where this kind of understanding has been encouraged, they have been improved much faster that others where land- lords have held aloof from the matter ; there has been no such improvement ; we could not compel our land- lords to enforce this compensation where they have no objection to it ; it is the custom of the neighbourhood, but there is no law to enforce it. There have been cases where confusion has been created ; not very often, but it has been so. But where the right is admitted, there is no confusion in adjusting it ; but where the right is disputed, then that confusion is produced ? — Yes, the landlord says, I know nothing but the law of the land, and if you get a tenant who says, " Well, I shall take no more than my landlord will take of me when I leave, ' there comes a difficulty. Where the right is admitted by the landlord, and it is a mere matter of settlement between the outgoing and incoming tenant, it is perfectly easy ? — Perfectly easy ; there is not the slightest difficulty, and there the estate is improved considerably. Can you speak positively as to the high state of culti- vation that prevails in those cases in your district ? — All the estates that have upheld this principle improve faster than the others. And those estates are in a satisfactory state for the landlord and for the tenant ? — Yes, and the rents have improved very considerably too ; it must fall back into the fee of the land, the buildings, and the employment of manure ; it must come to the entire benefit of the estate ultimately. You can speak positively that not only the farming has been improved and the farmers have done well upon this system, but that the landlords have done well too by re- ceiving an iiicrea?e of rent ? — Yes, most assuredly ; in some instances almost double, and the tenant has thriven THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 247 too ; wherever the tenant does well, the landlord docs well ; where the landlord is disposed to grind, the tenant does not well, nor the landlord ; the more liberally the tenant is treated the more confidence he has ; and if there was a law so that there should be do difficulty in quitting, the district would improve much more than it has done, though it has improved so largely. If you heard tliat any landlords were apprehensive that their tenants under compensation would put too much manure into their land, and saddle the properties with high and speculative charges, should you consider that apprehension a visionary one, speaking from your ex- perience ? — So far as manure is concerned no man can ever dream of such a thing. You have never heard any landlords complaining of undue and extravagant expenditure of capital on the part of the tenants? — No, T have heard the other side a thou- sand times. You have chiefly heard the landlords complain that the tenants have not expended enough ? — Yes ; where the custom of the country is upheld wc find they get a better class of tenants and that greater improvements are made. Mr. Newdegatb.] You have been speaking of customs ; do they prevail only in certain districts ? — Tiiey prevail in our neighbourhood to the extent of 40 miles. They do not have the force of law ? — None whatever, that I know of; that is what we are seeking ; it is the want of the force of law that creates the difficulty ; we have no law, wc have a custom that honourable land- lords uphold, but if you get a landlord not disposed to uphold that honourable understanding, the law is dead against you. Then the custom is not sufficiently acknowledged to have the force of law ?— No, not at all ; when you go into a court the law is against you. You spoke of draining, and you proposed to spread the compensation which you think sLould be given for the draining over fourteen years ? — Yes. What would be the prime cost of the draining, that is, the original outlay for draining? — That would depend upon what materials yon use, whether first, second, third, or fourth class of tiles, and what depth you are going to, whether three, four, or five feet. Would the average cost be about £4 an acre ? — It depends upon the thickness you lay them ; I have some land I have drained 20 feet apart. What would be the cost there ? — Our cultivation is a liftle different from many counties : we have a great many hops, and we do it thickly ; we look at what it will cost us a rod. How many years does it fake to remunerate you for the draining that you have described in your hop ground ?— Fourteen years, deducting one fourteenth part every year, and at the end of the fourteen years it becomes the property of the landlord. How long does it take to compensate you in the value of the crops ? — I say fourteen years ; I ain ready to give up one fourteenth part every year, and at the end of the terra the permanent draining would sink into the hands of the landlord. The committee have had a great deal of evidence as to draining, and generally the term which will com- pensate the tenants has been placed at seven years. In the case of a hop garden, that is perhaps the most valuable of all land, if it is worth while draininsf, do you not conceive that the tenant is paid for draining that land in less than fourteen years ? — I apprehend that the terms now spoken of, of seven years, would be where the landlord finds the tilos and the tenant finds labour. At the end of seven years 1 should be compensated fi)r my labour, but not for my labour and the tiles too. This draining I speak of would stand as sound at thf end of 30 or 40 years as it would at the cml of fonrleen year?, and be nearly of the same service to the soil. You have mistaken the question ; the question was not for how many years the draining would stand good, but in how many crops the tenant would be repaid tlie capital he laid out in draining ? — I say fourteen years. Mr. Henley.] The committee are not to under- stand that there is any eustoin, but that it is a private acrrecment between landlord and tenant, by which those payments take place? — There is no private arrangement in particular ; it is a generally under- stood thing in the neighbourhood that such a custom exists. Which is not capable of being enforced except by custom ? — No. Will you inform the committee what are the customs that can be enforced ; who does the manure belong to upon the farm ? — To the teiaant. If a tenant goes away and the farm is not relet, what can the tenant do with that manure? — Nothing at all ; he cannot take it off; it must remain then the land- lord's property. Would it remain without being paid for .' — If the landlord chose to take it. Then it is not the tenant's property ?—• Yes, it is, be- cause the landlord has permitted him to take it and pay for it ; he cannot, however, remove it. Again, there is the evil with respect to admitting tenants; the land- lord makes his choice of his tenant, when the outgoing tenant is leaving ; and it may be that the Incoming tenant, at the commencement of the term, when he pays yearly, is not in a position to pay the compensa- tion ; I have made my arrangements perhaps with the property of my iiroducc, which I am to receive from this farm, to go and take another ; but, perhaps, from the default of the person not paying me, I cannot fulfil my agreement; he goes back in liis rent, and the land- lord says, " I will have my rent ;" and he distrains for the rent and leaves me, in order to obtain my money from the incoming tenant, to follow him in course of law, to recover his incoming and my outgoing amount ; that is a very offensive and annoying thing ; that happens, however, occasionally, though not very often. That is a case that has occurred- where the landlord has not interfered between the two tenants ? — Yes, where the landlord will not acknowledge anything of the kind, where the landlord chooses his own tenant, and he will not interfere with the custom. Is there any custom between the outgoing and in- coming tenant in your neighbourhood at all than can be enforced by law ?— None that I am aware of. What is the custom with regard to acts of hus- bandry ; what is the holding?— Michaelmus, Is there any act of husbandry with regard to turnips, for instance?— Ours is not a turnip district; wc have a custom so far, that we get the ploughings, tlie sowings of the seed, and the dressings, which are taken in the enumeration of the valuation from the outgoing to the incoming tenant. By law, if a tenant was to work his fallows, and sow grass seeds, and do various other acts of husbandry upon the farm, and went away at Michaelmas, he would have no claim by law upon the incoming tenant? — I am not a lawyer, but I believe there is no claim by law; but I have very little doubt we should get it given by a jury of the country, and we should show tliat we have the common understanding ; that of course is a very litigious and very expensive process, and it is a position we ought not to be placed in ; we only ask for a just right for our property ; I contend, and know it from experience, that the landlord's property is benefited by our exertion and expenditure. 248 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. If a jury Viould give this matkr upon the custom, though it'js not the written hiw, it has the same cfFeet as law ? — Why should we he pliiced in a position to appeal to a court for common justice? Go stop by step ; you were understood to say that there is a custom ? — Yes. Then upon subsequent examination you say that cus- tom is only by a sort of tolerance of the landlord, and now you say it would be enforced by a jury ? — In case you get a landlord not disposed to acknowledge the custom, and a corresponding incoming tenant disposed to give all the annoyance he can, your only resource is an appeal to a jury. Then if a jury would sustain the custom, it shows that that custom has the force of law, and therefore for all practical purposes it is the same as law ? — It is so ; that is the sense of the country ; but by law we cannot carry into effect the sense of the country, and we cannot get our rights without being placed in an improper posi- tion, and at great expense. Do you know whether there have been any cases in which this payment for manure has been enforced in a court of law? — No; it has generally been settled by arbitration. If a pel son would not consent to have it arbitrated upon, do you know what the course would be then ? — Some two or three years back there were some cases. Where the parties recovered ? — No ; for the last ten years there has been nothing of the sort attempted in court; it has been generally referred to arbitration. There was a case in my neiglibourhood this last year, in which the incoming tenant objected, and the land- lord would not interfere, and the matter stood over three or four months ; and it was at last left to a re- ference, and they adjusted it. The arbitrator would have only to ascertain the amount ? — Pardon me; they ascertained what the amount and value is in the property that the tenant ought honestly to pay. That would be as to the amount; but whether he had a right to pay anything is another question ? — That is the question ; I am not a lawyer. With regard to those cases you spoke of as occurring ten years ago, and which went through a court of law, if something was recovered there, that would establish the custom ? — Tliey did recover in those particular cases, as far as it went; but they got only a portion. That was as to the amount ? — Yes, as to the amount. Do you know what was established by that decision ? — No, it was not a matter that I was interested in ; I know they took up some G or 12 months, and of course there was a great deal of moving about from place to place, and it was some time before the thing was brought to an issue. If the thing had been recovered by law, that would have established the custom ? — Yes ; they only esta- blished certain points. I cannot say what points have been established. I can only speak of the question that took place in one of the parishes in which I was an owner and occupier last year ; the party would have had recourse to law then, but the thing was better un- derstood, and they called in parties to arbitrate to pre- vent going into court. Then is it the duty of the arbitrator to say what is the amount or what things are to be paid for ? — Tliose things which are to be paid for, and the amount. Both one and the other ? —Yes, both one and the other. Both to settle the custom and the amount to be paid under the custom? — Yes. That was settled by the consent of both parties ? — Yes, after a great deal of correspondence and diffi- culty. To prevent the going to law ? — Yes. You have told us that you took a farm without buildings upon it, and put up buildings; was it a farm taken under louse? — -Yes. And being destitute of buildings, was it taken at a low rent ? — It was taken at the full rent of the period. Was the farm in a good or bad condition? — In a bad condition ; I expended £^50 an acre to reclaim some of it. What was the nature of the reclamation ? — Draining and grubbing bogs. And at the cost of £50 an acre for draining? — Yes, and clearing and grubbing. What was there upon it to be grubbed ? — Wood, and what is generally in bogs. Timber or underwood? — Brushwood. What was the value of the brushwood ? — Not a farthing. And £50 an acre was expended in reclaiming tliat land ? — Yes, and rather more. Wliat is the value of the land now, speaking of the land that you laid out £50 an acre upon in reclaiming ; what is the value of that land now to let per acre ? — Between £2 and £3. Fifty shillings, or under , fifty shillings? — I can answer the question ; it is over 50s. I am the present tenant. You say it was planted with hops ? — Yes, the follow- ing year. Is the planting of hops included in the £50 ? — No, it had nothing to do with the expense of planting the hops. What was the land worth before you planted the hops after it was reclaimed to let, per acre; that is, after your expenditure, before you planted any crop ui)on it, what was it worth to a tenant per acre to rent ? — I slioiild say 50s. What is the nature of the soil? — It is a fine deep loam. Is it titheable .' — Yes. There is a tithe to be paid in addition to theSOs. ? — Yes, there is a tithe of more than £1 an acre. That would be £3 10s. ?— Yes. AVhat rent did you pay for that land before you began to lay out the £50 upon it ? — I took it in common with the farm. How much an acre ; did you value it at anything ? — No; it was not worth anything. It was thrown in with the rest ? — Of course it was my business and my occupation. I valued it at nothing ; it was worth nothing ; in fact, it was an in- cumbrance to the estate ; the brushwood was 13 or 14 years old, and not worth a farthing ; I put it all into the first tier of drains. It was charged to the rates and to the common charges of the parish, and of course it was open to a certain degree of tithe, and I put the whole into cultivation. It was a nuisance to me when I took it ; there were all those charges upon it in com- mon with the rest. You say it was liable to certain payment of tithe ? — Yes, a very small tithe indeed was put upon it. If it was only liable to asmalltitlie ; the parson only had a tenth ? — That was a matter of agreement. He is only entitled by law to a tenth ? — Yes. If the parson's tenth was worth something, the re- maining nine-tenths was worth something to somebody else? — No, you do not understand me. I say it was liable in common with the rest of tlie farm ; there it was; there was a certain plot of land, and it was all taken into consideration as regards tlie rates and tithes of the parish ; it was wortli nothing to me, I know nothing of what tliey put upon it; there was so much put upon the farm in common. THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 249 Your answer was or your statement was, that it would pay something in tithes ? — It washable; it could pay nothing, because there was nothing grown upon it. There was wood upon it ? — It was worth nothing, but merely the chopping off; it was impoverished with wet and overrun with grass. It Is worth 503. an acre per year now, i,'50 an acre having been expended upon it? — Yes. In how many years do you expect to be repaid for that? — I have been paid for it years ago. By i)lanting hops? — By my mode of cultivation, which was planting hops. How long have you held the land?— Fifteen or IG years. Have you had any claim upon the landlord for any- thing ? — No, the draining and everything is sunk into the estate, and the landlord has got the benefit of it ; we have agreed upon the marsh land, and the buildings are all sunk into the land, and I am paying an increased rent, and I have given up all my buildings, and 1 did it only from the encouragement of cultivation, because my hands should not be tied; that farm produces three times what it did 15 years ago, and I am employing six times the number of hands. I pay an increased rent, and I have been well remunerated. Is there much land capable of being made worth 50?. an acre now lying waste in your neighbourhood ? — No ; ours is a very splendid district ; there has been a great deal of land reclaimed that has been worth little or nothing ; it has become much improved. Is there much land in the neighbourhood that you are acquainted with, upon which it could be necessary under any circumstances to lay out a greater amount than £50 an acre? — No, that is an extreme case. That being so, you having as a good tenant been willing to lay out that money upon a 16 years' lease, have been repaid many years ago? — Yes, several years, on that particular outlay on that particular spot. If it has been so satisfactory to you upon that mode gave a just and fair remuneration from the outgoing to the incoming tenant, to be adjusted by respectable people in the district, that the under-draining and the general improvement of the county, so far as additional manure and various other matters of that kind are concerned, a very large quantity of labourers would be employed upon the property, and larger produce would be taken from the soil ; there would be a very great improvement going on ; no man can tell the extent it would go to. 1 admit that where we are living upon estates, and where the farms are held with confidence, and where thei-e is a good understanding between the parties, there the improvements are going on, and the produce does increase ; if it became the law of the land, the improvements would go on at a very rapid rate. Can you point out to the Committee any advantage, and if any, what advantage there is that would exist by legislation over private agreements? — I consider that legislation then does away with all confidence as to any particular acts of A. and B. It is the common law of the land, and every man has the law to look to ; if he knows he has protection in laying out his property, it becomes an A B C thing. You would have no more protection then than there is now, where an agreement is made ? — There are no agreements ; our general letting is a yearly occupancy ; there are no special agreements. If there were special agreements the tenant would be as well protected as by law ?— No, I should say not. Why not ? — Because you get one laiullord disposed perhaps to grant them and to go into these agree- ments, and another will not, hence there comes a stopper to improvements ; but if it was the law of the land, the general improvements would go on. That only applies to cases where there is no agree- ment ; my question to you is, where there is an agree- ment why could not the tenant be as well protected ? — You cannot get all landlords to grant an agreement; I want the land to be going on improving simul- of private agreement, why could not it be extended to j taneously. other ])arties ?— It is the only thing wished^ for, that | la your opinion should the law supersede private there should be a protection given, so that the tenants ' agreements? — The way I should answer that question could be satisfied that they would be remunerated when \ is this : if the law of the land was that a man should be they left the farm ; if they did not have a lease, which compensated for what there is upon his property, which is a further stimulus, tliough not a sufficient stimulus, ! shall be decided to be an improvement, and shall be then I have no doubt large improvements would go on. ; beneficial to the estate, by impartial people, then it is You were satisfied to lay out this extreme expendi ture upon a lease ? — Yes, I could see my way clear that it would repay me for what I have laid out ; it was a speculation I took up, and it answered my pur- pose. Being an extreme case, why should not other parties be as well capable of guarding themselves in outlaying their capital as you have been in outlaying yours ? — The nature of our occupation is by the year generally. If parties choose to take leases, and the landlords choose to grant leases, the tenant could be protected, and the landlord could give him the protection neces- sary ? — The landlords in our district are not disposed to give leases ; this is the only occupation that I am now alluding to. The reason is, that the 1 andlords are not willing to grant the leases; not that it would not secure the te- nant if they chose to do it ? — It would not secure the tenant unless they made a special agreement. If they chose to make a special agreement, hfe could doit? — Of course he could; but as the law stands, I may say very few men would be mad enough to go to the expense of laying out their capital. Can you point out to the committee any advantage, and if any, what advantage there is that would exist by legislation, over private agreements ? — I am quite con- vinced in my own mind that if the law of the land only much better for the common law to admit that it does away with any difficulty of making any private ar- rangement whatever, and then there can be no diffi- culty if I throw myself into the hands of an indifferent person ; I can have no advantage nor have a right to take advantage of my landlord, nor can he take ad- vantage of me, if he throws himself into another man's hands; that is the fairest way; and the opener it Is left the more generously and liberally people will be treated. Those dilapidations on the farm are to be a set-ofF against the improvements ?— Yes; they ought to be fairly taken into consideration, and no honest tenant would object to that. That ought to come in in the question in regard to the buildings. Of course the question of dilapidations would come as an off-set in the case of the buildings ; any permanent buildings a tenant places up, the dilapidations would be a deduc- tion against them ; in the same way it would apply in striking the valuation for crops and manure most as- suredly ; no tenant should be allowed to outrun a farm unfairly and unjustly. Should the amount be ascertained by the capital ex- pended by the outgoing tenant, or the advantage to tlie incoming tenant; that is, should the principle of pay- ment be the capital expended by the outgoing tenant, or the advantage to be derived by the incoming tenant ? 250 THE FARMER*S MAGAZINE. — Ytiu ctuuiot (ax the iiicoiiiing tenant for what there is not in or upon the soil, but what there is before tlic eyes of the valuers they will put their price upon, and tlicn in striking" value they will consider what the out- croing tenant has taken the crop from ; they can only judneby the expenditure the outgoing tenant has been put to, and then they will make their deductions and draw the balance of what the incoming tenant is to Should the incoming tenant pay for any capital ex pended upon the land from which he would derive no benefit? — Certainly not ; the incoming tenant should not be taxed for anything the outgoing tenant has paid, from which he, the incoming tenant, would derive no benefit. Then the principle would be the value to the in- coming tenant, and not the amount of capital expended by the outgoing tenant ? — He would have to pay nothing for that which he did not receive a benefit from, but which the outgoing tenant had derived the benefit from. As to the half manure, he would pay what was shown to be right, according to how much of that manure still remained in the land unexhausted, and according to the idea of the valuers, who would say what they thought to be right and fair for the in- coming tenant to pay ; that is, liis proportion where the manure was capable of producing another good crnji ; he ought to pay for it. You say that drainage ought not to be considered ex- hausted in less than 14 years ? — Our permanent drain- ing would stand 30 or 40 years. You have stated that the tenant who drains land should not be entitled to receive payment after 14 years?— No; I said if the tenant finds the tiles, and does all the labour, and parts with all his money, he should take off one-fourtecntij part each year, and at the end of 14 years it should become the landlord's. After 14 years lie would be entitled to receive nothing? — No. Upon what principle do you come to that conclu- sion ? — Because the tenant would have been fairly com- pensated. How do you calculate the tenant's compensation? — I am sure I do not know, except by experience. You say you have arrived at that conclusion ; you must have had some ground of calculation ? — My ex- ]icrlence has told me that at the end of 14 years the tenant would be compensated for his outlay. Do you calculate it by a certain per-centage upon the capital, or a sort of sinking fund to repay the capital ? — If you place a tenant in possession for 14 years he will get crops in those 14 years which will compensate him. If in the judgment of the valuer the improvement of the crops in seven years gave the tenant a fair tradhig interest upon his capital (and a sinking fund to rejjlace his capital), would not his interest be at an end? — If the question is left open, of course ; the mode of drain- ing varies very much ; I am speaking of the most per- manent draining we have in the district ; we have other draining, that at theendof seven years would be a com- pensation ; and when the valuers go over the estates, of course they are very minute and careful in ascer- taining in what mode the drainage has been done, and then, from the expenditure and nature of the draining, they can come to a fair conclusion of what the in- coming tenant or landlord ought to pay. In no case docs it run longer than 14 years ? — No, I am speaking of the best and most costly drainage. You have stated that the incoming tenant ought to pay for everything he derived an advantage from ?— Certainly. Permanent drainage, executed in the best manner, is of considerable ailvantage beyond tl-ie 14 yeiii's ? — Yes, it would be an advantage for 30 years. Why is not the incoming tenant, upon that princi- jile, to pay for it ? — Because the tenant would be com- pensated in the 14 years, and therefore it would not be right or just for a tenant to ask the owner of an estate, or to expect anything beyond the time he is compen- sated. Supposing the outgoing tenant to get his money back, he has no claim upon anybody after that period, be it seven or fourteen years ? — No. That would be the principle on which you think the valuers ought to act ? — Yes, and I think they do act upon it. That would be rather in contradiction to the principle spoken of before, the benefit to the incoming tenant ? — Not at all, 1 think. You were understood to say, you thought the prin- ciple of valuation was the benefit to be derived by tlm incoming tenant? — It depends upon the sort of dr;iiu- injr. With regard to 14 years, I said, I think, at the end of seven the tenant would have sunk half the drain- ing, and the incoming tenant would pay them for the other half of it; at the end of the second seven ycais he would have reaped as much benefit from it as I should have done, and at the third seven years he would have reaped a much greater benefit ; the benefit docs not cease at the end of the 14 years because the deduc- tion ceases then. 'i'hen the man who comes in at the end of the 14 years reaps a benefit and pays nothing for it? — Yes, and pays nothing for it. The incoming tenant reaps a benefit and pays nothing ? — Yes. The landlord would send his steward ovcv to look at the estate, and see the condition of it. Suppose I have had a 14 years' lease, and my capital is out at the end of 14 years, the steward would tliin come over and look at the estate. And the landlord would then get more rent ? — Y( s, and very fairly too. I do not object to that, nor to the outlay after we have had a fair and just return for our capital. If you had a fair return for the capital you have ev- pended, it is perfectly reasonable that then the lanil- owner should reap the benefit? — Yes, it is the interc-fc of the landlord and the tenant, and if they do not go on hand in hand together they can neither of thcin thrive. And you cannot give any certain knowledge of the custom except as you have told us ? — Nothing bcsyond that we have no difficulty with landlords well disjiosed to the thing, I could name an instance in one of the parishes where the landlord did not choose tointerfcic because he did not understand the nature of it; he had not a steward; and he would not interfere; he was ;i very good gentleman, but he did not know anything of it ; the incoming tenant was one of those rather twisty ones, and it caused difficulty. Y"ou complain that in some cases you have known tenants permitted by the landlords to enter farms who could not pay or would not pay the valuation ? — There are such cases, but they are very rare; I look upon tlie hardship of that. How would you propose to remedy that ? — I would propose that the tenant should be allowed to hold over until the incoming tenant has paid, or the landlord lias interfered and compelled the incoming tenant to pay. If I held over a day, I presume I should be liable to be seized for my rent, and then there would be two te- nants, and the incoming tenant come and takes pos- session, and says I will pay you to-morrow or next week, and all those kind of things. I contend that THE FARMER'S MAGAZINlL. 251 the oiifgoiijg tenant slioiild liave tlic privilege of Iiuldliig" over until lie is reimbursed all the valuation. If your view was adopted, that the ontgeing lenaiit should have the privilege of holding ovir, who is to cultivate the farm ? — Then it would become the interest of the incoming tenant and the landlord to interfere ; the parties would be all interested, and the incoming tenant and the landlord more particularlj' ; that would goon bring about an adjustment. If the outgoing tenant is to hold on, do you mean that he is to hold on and prevent the parties cultivating the farm ? — Yes, until the matter is adjusted. But not to cultivate it himself ? — No, if the farm is let to a new tenant he cannot cultivate, he could only hold possession till he got his demand paid him which he is entitled to, and the landlord would feel it is interest to see that the incoming tenant does settle with the out- going tenant. If lie holds possession, of course the other man could do iiotliing with the land ? — Certainly not. That is what you mean ? — Yes ; and keep him out entirely till it was paid. It would be a complete alteration of the holding of the hind? — It would give a right to the tenant to en- force his claim, or to hold until he got his right claim, and until that claini was fairly adjusted, give him the tight of holding possession of the property, because how the landlord may be quietly looking on, and the in- coming tenant giving the outgoing tenant all the an- noyance he could. If I had the jiower to hold over, it would be the interest of the landlord to see that my accounts were adjusted and settled. You cannot make the valuation till tlic completion of the tenancy ? — No, not until the 11th of October. Generally about Michaelmas time there are a great many changes, and of course the valuers fix their times, the parties are engaged in the district, and they may come a day or two before, or it is arranged that they shall come a day or two after ; that is made a matter of mutual arrangement between the parties ; we do not get to this difhcnlty till the inventoi'y of the stock is taken, and the day of payment comes ; then comes the difficulty. Would you give the outgoing tenant the power of holding on till the valuers had agreed what was to be paid, and in fact till the money was paid ? — Yes ; and then the landlord would see to the incoming tenant, or direct his steward to see the matter adjusted, that the farm may not stand still. If the landlord has the power to recover the rent of the tenant, what consequence is it to him whether the farm is cultivated or not ? — If the farm remains uncul- tivated he may distrain, unless there is nothing left to distrain upon. Then the thing would be at an end ? — Yes ; it would not be very convenient to me as a landlord ; that of course is a state of things that could not exist. Your view is, that the outgoing tenant should be allowed to hold on, not to cultivate the farm till he got his money? — Yes, it is so. That would be your opinion? — Yes; and I am quite satisfied that it would work well for the landowner as well as the tenant, because the landlord would take care that the incoming tenants were parties that could pay, and not wishing to take up the land to give any annoyance ; that I am quite convinced of. Which you think would bo likely to take place under other circumstances ? — No doubt about it at all; it would keep out a class of people that are an annoyance to society ; it would shut out dishonest men, or men who were disposed to quibble. Mr. T. Egicuton.] Who are the valuers chiefly em- ployed ; you speak of them as persons well informed on the subject of manure; are they in your i^art of the country farmers themselves? — Yes, to a great extent, and men of standing, and character, and property. 1 think with the class of gentlemen I am alluding to wc have not a man that is not of the highest respecta- bility as a yeoman. They are paid for it ? — Yes. When you entered upon the farm you have spoken of, had you payments to make to the outgoing tenant ? — ' Yes, ni)on all my occupations ; I have not a single foot that I did not pay for, and I am asking no more than I have paid for my land. What did it amount to per acre? — It depends upon the amount of hops. In the case which you have stated of the farm which you took, what did it cost you? — That was lo or 10 years ago; I could not say at all ; I can say one thing, that it would come to a great deal more now, ten times the amount. CiiAiKMAN.] Have you any doubt that it is cheaper for a tenant to pay a reasonable compensation for im- provements than to take to a farm that is starved to death, and bring it round himself? — If any tenant takes a farm out of condition, it would take him three or four or five years to bring it round to a paying condi- tion at all with us; in the hop district it would take even longer. I am convinced that it is the interest of the tenant to pay a fair compensation for what is in the soil, to bo adjusted by responsible gentlemen ; and it is tlie greatest interest to the landowners themselves, who are the most interested, and their estates would im- prove, and nothing could pi-event it. You sjieak from the experience of your neighbour- hood, that the estates have been improved under this system, and the landlords have received increased rent? — Yes, the production is increased Vv'onderfully, and the labour also to a large extent ; and the rent has increased in the same ratio. Mr. Newdegate.] You misunderstand a former question which was put to you when you said thecom- l)ensation for draining was for 14 years ; you did not allude to such an instance as this hop ground which you reclaimed ; you said you reclaimed it 14 years ago, and had long since been compensated for that im- provement; therefore you were compensated in less time than the 14 years ? — The very particular spot you allude to I drained in three tiers of draining, at great cost. Then is that expense included ? — That of course is an uncommon thing ; that is an unusual thing, and has nothing to do with the common rate of farming. It was bog land, and 1 laid three different tiers of drains; the last tier I laid at the common depth of two feet si.v inches, and will remain for ever, or at least it may do. 'J'hen you were compensated for that within the period of 14 years ? — Yes, because you must under- stand, that was for the cultivation of hops ; and being for hops expressly, it made me a return, it hajipening to be a fortunate spot, quicker than in the ordinary time; it is not an ordinary case of draining at all. I merely put that as a case to show that there are gen- tlemen in our district, if they could have a law giving them a certainty of being fairly dealt with, who arc disposed to lay out even ^^50 an acre in reclaiming the ground. Your idea of what is desirable, is that some general enactment should supersede all private agreements? — My opinion is, that there ought to be some general enactment by which parties could be governed, without going to ask Mr. A. or B. whether he would do this or that ; there should be a general law of the land to say what is right to he done, and as the tenant pays for those thincrs to give liim what he pays 252 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. for, and to say wLatlie lias to pay for when lie leaves ; I go to Mr. A., he may say, " Go on ;" but Mr. B. may say, " If you do not like it leave it." You wish a general law to regulate this matter, totally apart from and independent of all agreements ? — Yes, I am satisfied that as soon as it has passed into a law, every landlord, when he sees the working of it, will introduce it generally, Mr. T. Egerton.] In that, do you mean with or without notice, in respect to those improvements ; that a farmer should be bound to give notice or not ? — As far as the permanent improvement of buildings, and per- manent draining, and the employment of manure goes, to give notice to the landland ; but in the event of the landlord's sending his steward and saying " I will not allow it,'' then the tenant ought to be fairly remu- nerated. That is in fact without notice ? — Yes. Then your answer comes to this, that It should be done without notice ? — Yes, I should say so. Mr. Henley.] Were you to be understood that you drained one piece of land three times ? — Yes, three tiers deep. Was it done atone and the same time? — As quick as we could drain the lower water and fill the land up ; it was at three diiferent depths; the first was as deep as this room. Mr. T. Egerton.] Was it with pipes ? — With tiles. With soles ? — Yes, with soles. Chairman.] That piece of land which has been dwelt upon so much, was an extraordinary good piece of land ; it was deep loam though in such a bad state ? — Yes, it was a fine piece of land, there was no end to it; it was of the finest quality, and from seeing the state of the soil I was quite convinced that there would be no end to its productiveness, and so it has proved. The Evidence o/Mr. George Harriett. Chairman.] You reside at Basingstoke, in Hamp- shire?— I do, in its immediate vicinity, at North Waltham. What is your profession ? — I occupy a small portion of land of my own. I attend only to agricultural pm'suits. What is the usual time of giving up farms in Hamp- shire ?— At Michaelmas. What does the incoming tenant pay the outgoing te- nant for ? — Not a sixpenny piece. The custom is gene- rally that when a lease is nearly expired, say this next Michaelmas, the new tenant would have access some time before Lady-day ; he would come on to prepare his turnip crop ; he would prepare for that crop, and have about June or July a certain portion of land to enter upon to prepare his wheat season ; there is nothing else he would be permitted to do until after harvest ; he would first come to prepare his fallow for the en- suing year, and for the wheats a short time before Michaelmas. Does the dung belong to the landlord or the outgoing tenant ? — To the landlord ; in fact there is not a single thing the outgoing tenant can claim ; he would feed the stock next year on the hay and straw grown the last year of his tenancy, but he cannot dispose of it ; he may keep the incoming tenant out, and say, I will have the yards and fodder myself, and consume the hay ; the incoming tenant has no claim to one ton of hay unless he purchases it by agreement ; he can never enforce it ; in fact if there is a squabble between the two, the incoming tenant is in an awkward position. The outgoing tenant, if he chooses, may spend the hay ; he cannot sell it ? — He spends the hay. The cus- tom is so vague, that 1 know an extensive farm where there are 200 tons of hay that the outgoing tenant does sell, and the incoming tenant must buy hay ; there is a great portion of hay belonging to the old tenant still to sell ; he left at Michaelmas twelvemonth ; it is a large farm of a gentleman lately dead. Would it be desirable to give compensation to the out- going farmer for various heads of improvement ? — I do not think there is a question about it, as regards the benefit to the outgoing tenant and the incoming tenant, and more particularly to the landlord, and decidedly to the public at large, for this reason, as soon as agriculture could be brought into the same position as almost every other business is, there is a great desire on the part of the tenantry to farm up to the last moment as well as they have hitherto done, if they could but be assured that the outgoing tenant would be paid for unexhausted im- provements ; knowing that they could not then with- draw it themselves, and that the outgoing tenant would be paid for it, the eft'ect of that would be that they would farm well to the very last moment. Is chalking beneficial in any part of your neighbour- hood ? — I consider it on a great portion of our land superior in its ultimate eft'ect to dung ; many of our sour clays are more benefited in the tillages ; it is only to pay for the chalk, and it is a great advantage in the plough- ings. In fact, I have heard carters say they could find it out where there has been a list of land not chalked ; if they were ploughing in the dark they would know when they came into the track ; it pulverizes and separates the tenacious soil, and it works cleaner in every way and better. Basingstoke is near a very wide district of chalk ? — A great deal of it is all chalk ; we have chalk even where we have a great depth of land. I have sunk several wells, and in gravelly bottoms, below which there is chalk ; and in clay the same. Is there a large proportion of this wide district of Hampshire that would be improved if the surface were dressed with chalk ? — A grtat portion of the clays are materially benefited by it ; there is also a gravel which is of that sort that it will run together and get hard and callous, on which we find the chalk valuable ; where the land is in its nature chalky, of course the chalking is not so beneficial. Is it your opinion that if the Hampshire farmers had compensation for chalking their land, they would be likely to do so ? — To a great extent I have no doubt they would ; generally speaking I should say so. Would this lead to a great increase of employment for the labourers .' — Very much so ; I have frequently chalked expressly for the labourers ; you can get it done at 25s. an acre ; I have had it done at 20s. Does not it generally cost between £2 and £Z ? — No, from 25s. to 30s. ; it has not exceeded that in our neighbourhood for years ; we frequently get the chalk at two feet depth. On many parts of the range you have to go to the depth of 30 or 40 feet, have you not .' — No, not one in- stance where chalking is carried on ; it is not in one in- stance in 100 ; I never knew but one, and the party said it would not pay, they must go so far down for it, and they opened another place for it. You are not acquainted with those parts of Hamp- shire where they sink a well 30 or 40 feet deep to get to this chalk ; nor whether that does cost 56s. an acre ? — ■ No ; when I first went into the county £2 was given ; it will pay to put on any of your labourers to chalk land. There is not much drainage required in your neigh- bourhood ? — None, not in the immediate neighbour- hood ; there is in the Woodlands, where the Duke of Wellington lives ; in that district he and Mr. Chute arc draining extensively. Is there a considerable extent of land there that would THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 253 be benefited by draining ? — Yes, the whole district called Woodlands, lying between Reading and Basingstoke, is very extensive, very lieavy strong wet land. In such a year as this is the wheat suffering much for want of draining ? — Yes, I have heard persons say they are suffering very much where the land is not drained. To what extent an acre should you say ? — I cannot say; I have heard as a general observation, that the Woodland wheats were looking bad. And there you think if the tenants had compensation for improvements they would be likely to employ the labourers in draining ?— Yes, and no doubt Mr. Chute and his Grace are meeting their tenants in that way. Some of the tenants you think are anxious to drain ? — Yes. Are you acquainted with the south of Hampshire .' — Not much. Have you any other remark to make to the commit- tee ? — Only as regards the feelings of the tenantry gene- rally. Holding the situation of chairman of the Basing- stoke Agricultural Protection Society, it is frequently mooted as matter of conversation, and the feeling most assuredly is, with the largest holders of land, that the protection of a lease is required, with a covenant which would entitle them to compensation at the end of the term for all improvements that the incoming tenant would be benefited by ; there is nothing more simple that the insertion of such a covenant, as the incoming tenant would receive the advantage of the unexhausted improvements. You mean that if a tenant had laid out his money foolishly, that then the incoming tenant should not be called upon to pay for that ? — Most assuredly he should not. With the means you have of knowing the feelings of the Hampshire farmers, are you prepared to state to the committee that they wish for a recognition of tenant- right, and the protection which tenant-right would give to their capital ? — Most completely so ; in fact there have been lately some exchanges of land that sbow the want of such a principle. There is one instance I know, where a farm has been held upon three different terms, and been in the family thirty years, and the landlord dying at an advanced age, the property has come to another branch of the family, and the tenant not doubt- ing that he should have a renewal of his lease upon as equitable terms as under his old landlord, farmed high to the last ; he is now asked by the new landlord to give a very exorbitant advance (having been, he and his father, upon it 30 years) ; he said, " No, I cannot afford to give i,'200 increased rent ;'' he offered £100 : but whether he is right or not is a matter of indifference to the principle ; he is now almost in the position of a six- months' tenancy, and he is not able to avail himself of that which we know is customary for tenants, that is, to take as much out of the land the last two years as he can fairly and legally, to compensate himself for that outlay which he would not receive in any other shape ; conse- quently he is placed in a position to say, " I must do what I can this year." That only shows the state that tenants are in when they are compelled to do that in order to protect themselves, by means that are injurious to themselves, the landlord, to the land, to the incoming tenant, and to the public at large. Are you of opinion that the body of Hampshire far- mers are not only desirous of this protection being given to them by the Legislature, but that if they obtained this protection for their capital, they would make a greater outlay of money, and would thereby benefit the condi- tion of the agricultural labourer ? — I will state an instance as to this particularly : I am farming my own land. I two now, and I have increased my stock, and I am a seller of hay largely, and I have such and such increase in my corn crops." "Aye, but you are holding your own land ; you receive all the benefit. I must be mad to do it as a tenant ; fifty things may arise ; I am a tenant-at-will, or unless it was at a very early part of my lease I could not do it." Only within this week a person who has done well as a tenant and bought pro- perty, said, " You and I can do this upon our own holdings, but I cannot do it upon that which I am a te- nant of, for this very year I have received notice to quit upon a farm that I expected to have held for many years to come." You say you have increased the productiveness of your own land ; what means have you adopted for that ? — I formerly farmed on the four-field system ; about seven years ago I was induced to try the six-field system, and since that time, by my keeping more stock on oil-cake, &c., there has been a greater productiveness of the soil ? On giving you the particulars you will see what it is : a good fallowfor turnips, then barley, grass, the third year oats, on once ploughing and pressing, tares, rape, or mustard, or turnips as a preparation for wheat. Do you use artificial manure ? — Yes, bones and guano, and salt. Do you think that the productiveness of the Hamp- shire hills generally would be increased by the use of bones ? — Materially so ; and in this way, supposing you do not use it as a permanent dressing ; any dressing that will promote the growth and increase in a turnip crop, for instance, we are able to bring this poor land, without the wear and tear of the dung cart, into good land by giving our sheep corn or oil-cake with the im- proved turnips. The turnips are not very good upon the Hampshire hills?— Not where they are broadcast, but where there are any artificial manures drilled in as I have drilled for some time ; I have this year not only enough to keep my extra stock, but I was able to take 300 ewes into keep this spring, and if it had been a good turnip year I should have sold i,'200 worth of hay. You have doubled your sheep ? — Yes ; I do not be- lieve I shall this year feed one acre of grass off, but I shall have early oats, trefoil, early tares, and winter tares following. We have a very early winter tare, and then the common winter tare, and the summer tare ; I shall not require with my stock of sheep one foot of grass. And you think many of the Hampshire farmers, if they had protection for their capital, would be able to increase their stock in something like the same proportion? — I know it to be done, even by tenants, under the present system ; where a few years ago such a thing as a fatting beast was not dreamed of, there they are fatting now ; and in the adjoining farm to me the young man who has taken it has been fatting oxen and sheep, which he has sold off, and keeping the exact amount of stock, even larger, in fact, than it used to do as a breeding farm ; this is all extraneous, both beasts and fat sheep ; I never knew one to be fatted on the farm formerly ; he fats some 200 or 300 head beyond the stock that for years has been carried on that farm ; the oil-cakes used has increased and very much improved the manure. Are you of opinion that in order to insure those im- provements being made, the wish of the Hampshire farmers for protection, for reimbursing them their capital , ought to be complied with? — I have broached the subject for months, and have never had a dissentient voice ; they say, only give us the advantage of a lease if it can be had, and where leases are not granted, a notice of two years on the part of the landlord or tenant, with have said to others, " Why not do so and so? I have a compensation clause in both cases, and we should be doubled my sheep ; where I formerly carried one I have satisfied. 254 THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. Mr. Newdkgate.] Is the necessity fw this felt prin- cipally in the absence of proper ngreenients, or ia the difficulty of recovering the due of the tenant, under an agreement ? — I am not aware, and I do not believe there is any agreement within 10 or 15 miles of me that gives compensation; it is done too much through an agent, who says " There is a lease." I have a lease in my pocket. I wrote into Norfolk to know what is doing there. A tenant may point out some trifling thing he wished to be altered ; the agents would not listen to it ; they say, " If we do it to you, we must do it to all." Of course it is entirely at the option of the tenant whether he takes the land or not ? — Yes, of course. Do you know that the system which has prevailed beneficially in Lincolnshire, originating in that way, has extended to a custom ? — I have heard of it. Do you know that ? — No ; I have heard that it has almost become sufficiently permanent as a custom in a limited locality. Would not it meet the objections of the Hampshire tenantry if agreements prevailed, and facilities to i-ecover under them were afforded, that is, if it were the general custom to give agreements, as it is in Lincolnshire, and increased facilities were given by the legislature for re- covering under them, would that meet the wishes of the Hampshire farmers? — Yes, most assuredly, either in leases which would have a clause to give compensation for that which is actually beneficial to the land would suffice ; or where gentlemen are not disposed to give leases, but prefer tenants at will, I have heard many tenants, men holding 2,000 or 3,000 acres of land, say " In the absence of a lease, let us have a two years' notice ; not to be thrown on our beam ends at the caprice or at the death of the landlord." Then what they desire is this, that they should have the power of recovering against the property .' — Y^es, against the property, or rather of the incoming tenant, for, as I have before said, it would not fall upon the landlord. And increased facility for recovery by law .' — Quite so. Then supposing those points granted, would they desire a general law by which compensation should be settled independently of agreement and dilapidations, settled and recovered also independently of all other agreements ? — Most assuredly they would, upon this broad principle, that it would be beneficial for all parties ; it would do away with the prospect of litigation if you went on one general broad principle, even if you chose to let the present custom of the counties remain as to the mode of leaving the farms ; if it were understood that covenants were to be introduced into the agreements, that the incoming tenant should pay for the actual unex- hausted improvements upon the farm upon a valuation, as Mr. Smith has said is done in Sussex, by accredited persons, practical men should value what is actually un- expended upon the farm, and that that amount should be paid, so that simply that which is beneficial to the in- coming tenant should be paid, not the capital that has been sunk, and capriciously laid out, without benefit to the landlord or tenant, that would be satisfactory to all parties. The question is whether they would wish the same principle extended to dilapidations ? — Most assuredly ; in common honesty I cannot ask the legislature to give me a one-sided measure. Then your view, at all events, is that the system of letting land, so far as the conditions for compensa- tion and improvement are concerned, should not be a matter of private agreement, but that it should be ar- ranged by law ? — In so far as I mentioned before, that which is beneficial to the incoming tenant should be se- cured to the outgoing tenant ; the landlord should, be secured against loss by neglect or dilapidations, and ther© should he one general law in the case ; that would not aftcct the jiarticular mode that may obtain either in Sussex or Norfolk, or Yorkshire, or elsewhere; but there should be one simple enactment, by which both the landlord and the tenant would be protected. You know tliat tlic most extensive improvonienla have obtained in Lincolnshire without it ? — Yes. Tlien is tliere anything peculiar in landed property, which should render it just to subject its tenure to such a system as thi.^, tliat would not equally apply to other property ' — It is almost invariably applied tt to do it, is he not? — In most eases. Has there been much improvement in your recollec- tion in the cultivation of Wiltshire ? — Very great im- provement, no doubt of it. Under wliat circumstances haa that great improve- ment taken jilace? — In a great measure the down land has been exceedingly improved, and so has the other, from artificial manure; and there is a great inclination to feed stock or corn, which is done now to a much greater extent than formerly. It has be( n progressive for the last 25 or 30 years ? — More so within 10 or 15 years. That has gone on under the existing order of things ? —Yes. The increased value of stock has pointed out to par- lies that they can make great profit by introducing t!iat sort of husbandry ? — ^They manure the land higher, and produce greater crops of corn. And that has extended itself very rapidly ? — Yes, VC"y rapidly lately. And that without any protection except what the tenant and landlord can make by private agreement? — It has gone on so progressively from the first, there was never a period for stoppages to make a talk of it ; now people begin to find that more can be done than ha-^ been done where there has been compensation. Having done so much without compensation, to the groat gain, generally speaking, of those who have car- ried it out as well as the public, why should not they continue that system ? — It is a very expensive opera- tion, and men would require a great deal of capital ; and being so short a time as eight years, there is no time to keep one regular system; we are obliged to alter the system so often ; a man is obliged to cultivate according to his lease. Is there anything to prevent parties taking leases for longer than eight years ? — Two years' notice and com- pensation would answer as well as the lease. Is there any difficulty in parties taking leases for a longer period than eight years? — Yes, the landed pro- prietors will not grant them. That is because they do not choose to do so 1 — Yes, I wanted a 21 years' lease myself. In your judgment ought landed proprietors to be com- pelled to grant leases for a longer term than eight years ? — I do not approve of compulsion. You do not go to that length .' — No. Mr. T. Egerton,]— What price do you pay for your bones?— Half-inch bones 18s. a quarter, and £1 for the dust. Mr. Heni.ky.]— A quarter of eight bushels?— Yes. Mr. T. Egerton.]— Referring to your answer with respect to the 20s. an acre, into how many rents do you divide your farm ; that is, in taking the farm, do you not take the value of the farm and divide it into so many rents, the rent of the farm forming one certain propor- tion of it only .' — As I understand the question, it means before the profit is taken ; m that case, it is generally three, we consider. Mr. SoTHERON.]— Three exclusive of profit, that is ? —Yes. Mr. T. Egerton.]— What proportion does the profit bear? — It depends so much upon the season; in some years it is a good deal worse thin profit. In a highly cultivated state of farming, does it bear a much higher ratio than in a low state of cultivation ? — In my opinion it would ; there would be much more employment of labour. The question refers to the difference which goes into the farmer's own pocket in highly cultivated farms and in lowly cidtivated farms ?— There is a considerable difference, of course. Would it not be to the farmer's interest, even towards the end of the term, with probably an increased rent to pay, to keep up the increased cultivation, in order to get his own profit ? — No doubt of it. Mr. SoTHERON.]— The shorter the lease the more you think it is necessary to have some arrangement for com- pensation ? — Yes. Is the usual tenure in your neighbourhood an eight years' lease? — Yes. Therefore in the course of eight years, supposing the tenant to lay out a great deal of money, your opinion is that he has not the means of recovering a fair return for the money so laid out ? — No. If instead of eight years it were 21 years, the argu- ment would be much less forcible ?— Yes. At the end even of 21 years are you of opinion that, under any circumstances, it is just that the outgoing tenant should receive, in some shape or other, a compen- sation for whatever he has put on his farm, which he has not already had the benefit of? — Yes. Are the Committee to understand your opinion to be that any law that should deal with this matter should be compul-ory upon landlords, to compel them to make any arrangements with others but such as they choose to make in their own farms ?— It would be making the law of no effect without it ; but of course people like to do what they please with their own. You were understood to say just now, that though you wished to see it given, still that it should be upon the principle that every man may do what he pleases with his own ; you do not wish to see it given compul- sory, that the landlord should not, if he chose, to in- clude a clause in his lease, to say that it should not operate upon his property ? — I should wish to do so. As to those gentlemen who form your club, what is their opinion ? — They are all of about the same opinion as myself ; that we as landlords should not like to be compelled to do things against our own inclinations. Y^ou say that the cultivation of Wiltshire has improved very much lately ? — Yes. And you think that it is a benefit to the landlord as well as the tenant? — Yes, and the community. That which you would suggest would be a still greater improvement to the property, to the landlord, and tenant ? — Yes. You think that it would create a better class of farmers, and the estates would be generally improved .' — Yes, and the farms will be smaller ; we shall employ , the same capital on less land. s 2 ','GO THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. That is what you suggest, as what you think would be to the benefit of both parties. Is not the probability that the landlord, even if he had the power by special clause in his lease to exempt his farm from the operation of such a law, if it were found to be practically for the benefit of the landlord as well as the tenant not to exer- cise that power of preventing such a law from operating upon his farm, he would not exercise it ? — No doubt that would be the case. Mr. Stafford.] — Do you think that agricultural improvement has been retrograding in Wiltshire during the last few years .' — No. It is still going on in the same proportion as it has been going on in the last ten years ? — Yes, it is still going on. Quite as rapidly ?— Yes ; but it would go on faster if longer leases or better tenure were given. You have seen no sign of its stopping at present ? — I cannot say that I have seen any. Evidence of Mr. Henry Blandford. Chairman,] You reside in North Wiltshire, in the parish of Poulshot, in the neighbourhood of Devizes? —Yes. Are you a practical farmer ? — Yes. What extent of land do you occupy ? — My rental is under £^500 a year ; my land not 200 cicres. I rent heavy, wet land. What is the time of entry in your part of Wiltshire ? —Lady-day. Has the in-coming tenant the away-going crop ? — The in-coming tenant takes possession of the farm on the 25th of March, by paying for all tillages. We have but a small proportion of arable land in our neighbourhood ; it is generally grazing and dairy land. The tillages are paid for and the labour of manuring. The same line of argument does not hold good with myself as with Mr. Chandler ; many farmers in my neighbourhood have not more than ten or a dozen acres of arable, and we get no return for the outlay of our capital upon our pasture land. Is there much land in North Wiltshire that requires draining ? — Yes, a great quantity of the land in the lower section of North Wiltshire. If that land were drained, could much of it be brought under the plough with advantage ? — There is a difference of opinion. I am not sufficiently acquainted with it to give a decided opinion. You have no doubt it requires draining ? — Yes, it re- quires draining, and I should break it up if I had the opportunity, if it were thoroughly drained. I cannot say a great many men in the neighbourhood would break it up ; they would consider they had advantages for feeding which would compensate them in grass. At present the out-going tenants would have no com- pensation if they drained the land themselves ? — No, none whatever. If they had compensation, would they be likely to drain their land .' — I have no doubt they would very largely. Would that give a great deal of employment to the labourers in the winter ? — Yes, draining must. At pre- sent the expense of pipe draining in material is not more than 24s. an acre, and the rest goes for labour. You pay 64 to 70 per cent, for labour in draining. Is your knowledge of North Wiltshire such as would enable you to say anything would be desirable that would increase the employment for the agricultural labourers in winter ?— Yes, we want labour, more par- ticularly during the winter months. On all the grass land district in your neighbourhood there is a difficulty in finding employment in the winter months for the labourers ? — Yes, we have men thrown out of employment ; in fact, we have to keep the men, who emigrate into the corn-growing neigh- bourhoods in the summer. They can afford to give them a longer job, and they go out of our neighbour- hood and get 40 or 50 acres of corn to cut, instead of having 10 or 12 only with us ; then they come back and throw themselves upon our parishes for employ- ment during the winter months. You say there is a difference of opinion as to the breaking up of grass land ; some of the farmers would be disposed to break it up .' — Yes, the largest section of the more energetic men would do so ; there are men that have done tolerably well grazing and dairy- ing, and they have not the capacity for any other system of farming. Therefore, in your opinion, there would not only be an increase of employment to the labourers in the ex- ecution of the drainage, but also an increased improve- ment in the cultivation of such parts of the grass land as it should be found expedient to break up? — Most assuredly ; there is very little labour growing out of grass land during the winter months, merely tending the cattle ; it takes two acres of land to support a beast, two to two and a half, and one man can look after 20 beasts in the winter months on ordinary pas- ture land, merely giving them the hay; if those two acres, or two and a half, were broken up, there would be the thrashing out the corn, the carrying out the manure, and cutting the chafF for the cattle, that would increase wonderfully the labour necessary on two acres and a half of land. And taking the whole together, this would be a great advantage to the labourers of that district of North Wiltshire? — Yes; of course labour must be of the greatest advantage to the labourers during the winter months, when labour is short. Is there any other remark you wish to make to the Committee .' — No ; no more than that we are very de- sirous of having tenant-right, believing that it would lead to a more regular expenditure of capital in agri- cultural matters : it does not seem reasonable that a man should be laying out his money in improving land towards the latter end of his lease, without he was se- cure of getting a return of it. In many cases people give up their estates when the rents are raised, rather than pay the increased rents; they have lately in our neighbourhood, although the land is worth the rental ; I have known one or two cases myself where men have given up their estates, convinced at the same time that they were worth the increased rent, but they did not like paying the interest upon their own money ; it is a foolish feeling, but that has been the effect of it in a large portion of land in our neighbourhood ; almost all the tenants of one gentleman changed in the last few years, in consequence of the higher valuation of their farms, from the improvement in the style of agricul- ture which they had pursued. Mr. Henley.] You have said that there is a great deal of land in your district that wants draining? — Yes, a great deal. Has there been any draining done in any part of that district? — Yes, large quantities have been done. Taking the district of which you speak, is the larger proportion of it drained or undrained ?—Much the larger proportion is undrained. What, in your judgment, is the cost per acre of draining the pasture land of tliat neighbourhood with tiles? — It is a very rcntentive clay soil in our neigh- bourhood, requiring draining at about 30 feet apart, and the cost in tiles would vary, it used to cost us 40s., but it is not more than 24s. now for inch bore tiles. And the labour per acre ? — The labour per acre de- THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 201 ponrls upon circumstances; we penerally Rivo .^s. a score, that is for 20 poles. Of course the labour is calculated as the tiles are, according to the nature of the soil ; and how far apart the drains may be placed. What is the average width at which you place the drains in North Wiltshire ; do you put them in the furrows ? — Generally so, because the furrows have been regulated by the nature of the soil, and we put the drains the same way. Speaking generally, about what is the cost of drain- ing pisture land per acre? — We have so many descrip- tions of soil, you cannot generalize them. Speaking of the parish in which I live even, one part of it is a sandy soil, and the other is a stiff clay ; a drain once in a chain would do for one, and once in fifteen feet would not do for the other. Upon the clay what would it be where it is 15 feet ? — It would cost about 34s. for the labour, and 24s. for the pipes. That would be something like ^3 ? — Yes. In your judgment,''over how many years ought that expenditure to be thrown? — I think the result ought to serve us as a guide. In some instances I have known drains silt up and roots to get into them in a few years ; others I have known to remain as good as when first made for 12 or 14 years. Supposing the tenant to have outlayed £3 an acre in draining his farm, if then he should receive notice to quit as soon as it were done over, how many years ought he to have a claim upon the incoming tenant? — My judgment in that matter differs from others; I think if the draining were efficient in every respect he ought to be paid the whole outlay ; on the contrary, if it was not worth anything, he ought not to be paid anything. He ought to be paid his outlay if he went out the same year ? — Yes, if the work were well done. Supposing he goes out5 years after it is done, ought he to be paid the whole outlay then, if the drainage is perfect? — Yes, it appears so to me. If he remains 10 years should he still be paid the whole outlay? — The landlord hj