124 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



THE DAIRY INTERESTS OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



BY HENRY E. ALVOBD OF EASTHAMPTON. 



For many generations the agriculture of England has been 

 the model for all peoples. Regarded as one of the most im- 

 portant interests of the kingdom, it has been fostered by the 

 government, patronized by the nobility, promoted by the 

 researches and aid of the foremost scientists, and, favored by 

 all classes, brought to a systematic and productive condition 

 well-nigh approaching the perfection of farming. No Eng- 

 lishman of rank or wealth has felt his position cpuite satisfac- 

 tory, unless he was the owner and cultivator of agricultural 

 land; and the tenant-farmers of Great Britain have, as a 

 class, been among the most prosperous and contented people 

 of the realm. 



But now the farming and farmers of England are in a 

 state of the utmost depression. Over all British agriculture 

 there hangs a gloom which is deepening every day. Parlia- 

 ment has discussed the subject at length as one of the most 

 serious import ; the English journals devote columns to its 

 consideration ; the relation of landlord and tenant has be- 

 come unsettled ; the whole great interest is demoralized. A 

 royal commission has been charged with the investigation 

 of the trouble, and its members are seeking information in 

 all the food-producing countries of the globe. 



As it now appears, the whole difficulty (serious enough, 

 but very simple) is just this : American farmers are able 

 to sell bread and meat to the English people, in their own 

 markets, cheaper than British farmers can. 



The splendid farms of Great Britain, with their choice 

 stock, perfection of cultivation, and practically scientific 

 management, but over-taxed and rent-ridden, cannot com- 

 pete with the cheap, broad acres, and virgin soil of new 

 countries. 



The English farmer stoutly resisted the first attempts to 

 supply his countrymen with wheat from foreign lands, but 

 soon yielded that ground. Then he felt sure, that, even 

 when he bought our corn to make it, his beef could never be 

 undersold. To his dismay, the last two years have dispelled 

 that idea. Then he turned to dairying. No cheese could 



