TJie Allotment System 



131 



come to demand the best men in the district. 

 And let the landlords look to it also, and put 

 ofif any inertness. Their personal daection 

 and sympathy is not a little required down in 

 these rural districts ; and the mal-administra- 



tion of the Poor-law is greatly their concern. 

 To them is still the kingdom and the power ; 

 to them it may yet be the glory, as it is as- 

 suredly the duty and interest to come and 

 help in this mater. 



PRICE OF LAMB. 



THE rationale of the following article, 

 from Land and Water, with reference 

 to the cheapness of lamb next year, is mixed 

 up with so many probabilities and contin- 

 gencies, that we are afraid it would be 

 injudicious in either buyer or seller to 

 rely upon the prediction. Besides, although 

 dear as lamb has been, it is not altogether 

 due to the scarcity in the market. There 

 have been as many lambs in the market 

 throughout the country as usual, and the prices 

 have simply risen. proportionately with those 

 of other meat, and not exceptionally, as here 

 sought to be made out. 



The price of lamb during the present 

 season has been higher than it was ever 

 before known, and whatever terrible anticipa- 

 tion may disturb the mental equilibrium of 

 Paterfamilias as regards the extravagant price 

 of butchers' meat, there is little doubt that 

 we may venture to promise favourably for 

 future seasons as regards the price of lamb, 

 although during the present year lamb will 

 not be very much cheaper than now. Mutton 

 and beef may perhaps be dearer yet, but this 

 cannot maintain a higher price for any length 

 of time. In the case of stock, the Agricul- 

 tural Returns shew a decrease, but there is 

 every reason lO believe that next year will 

 display an increase, and then meat must 

 become cheaper. Lamb, however, will most 

 assuredly be cheaper next season ; and this 

 prophetic declaration is so positively asserted 

 as certain of fulfilment, because, incongruous 

 though it may appear, lamb is so awfully dear 

 this year. Never was the price maintained 

 so long at IS. per lb. as it has been this year, 

 never before has there been such a scarcity ; 



other years' lamb by this time has been as 

 cheap, if not cheaper, than mutton. And why 

 is this ? It is because we have learned 

 at last that it is a penny-wise-pound- 

 foolish policy to kill the goose that 

 lays the golden eggs. So our farmers, in 

 many instances, are reserving their ewe lambs 

 to form their breeding stock, and are holding 

 the wethers back, thinking that on account 

 of the high price of mutton, as full-grown 

 wether sheep they will command more 

 remunerative prices. For the past few years 

 lambs have been forced upon the market in 

 large quantities, in consequence of the sadly 

 unfavourable prospects of the root and green 

 crops, as well as because panic-stricken 

 farmers hardly cared to risk the chance of 

 their feed being suftlcient after their former 

 experiences. Once bit twice shy, is a very 

 old proverb, and to no class is it more per- 

 tinent than to farmers. Several seasons 

 back, farmers declined to sell lambs at a fair 

 remunerative profit, thinking it more ad- 

 visable to turn them into mutton. Their 

 feed promised well, " but there's many a slip 

 'twixt th' cup and the lip," and a dry summer 

 ruined their prospects. Turnips were a 

 failure, and the young hoggets had to be 

 sent to an overstocked market, glutted 

 already with half-grown sheep, and sold 

 at a loss, for an old song, or as the 

 dealers declare " given away !" because the 

 scarcity of food was universal throughout the 

 country. Farmers are quick to learn, and 

 so they ceased to breed their own lambs, 

 and bought in the markets the necessary stock 

 for consuming their fodder, if they had any 

 fodder to consume. But the result of this 



