98 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



auce both in a social and national point of view. Is 

 there any good reason why England and Wales should 

 be behindhand in such investigations, when the other 

 portions of the United Kingdom, Scotland and Ireland, 

 have had their agricultural statistics already carried 

 out with a method and precision most creditable to the 

 officials ? 



The subject of Agricultural Statistics has been brought 

 before the Industrial section of the International Con- 

 gress during the past month, and fully discussed. It 

 was introduced by two papers prepared by Mr. James 

 Caird and by the Registrar-General of Ireland, and by 

 the programme for the section drawn up by Dr. Farr. 

 The statistics of agriculture, unlike those of trade, 

 which are compiled by the public revenue departments, 

 can only be procured by a special organization ; and 

 unless that can be made as little cosily as possible its 

 continuance will be objected to on the ground of ex- 

 pense. Moreover, that branch of the inquiry which is 

 most variable is less disliked by the farmer than the 

 other. The extent of land under the several crops 

 varies very much from year to year; but the annual 

 fluctuation in the num.bers of live stock is less consi- 

 derable. 



No one will, we think, deny the truth of the obser- 

 vations made by Mr. Caird, that " food being the first 

 necessity of life, it behoves nations, in their collective 

 capacity, quite as much as individuals in the interest of 

 their families, to ascertain the sources and extent of the 

 probable supply ; and as, in our northern latitudes, 

 wheat, the staff of life, yields a crop only once a year, 

 if the season should prove unfruitful, there is no help 

 for it in nature till another year comes round. The 

 difference between the produce of a good and a bad 

 year may be as much as fifty per cent, even in our tem- 

 perate climate, though the average variation from year 

 to year in the British Islands probably does not exceed 

 five per cent. But other kinds of food, much in use in 

 Northern Europe, are likewise subject to the variation 

 of seasons. Beyond them all, in this respect, is the po- 

 tato, which only fifteen years ago formed the staple food 

 of millions of our countrymen in Ireland, and of mil- 

 lions also on the continent. The famine and its dire 

 results, in 1847 and 1848, which followed the failure of 

 the potato crop in these years, seemed for a time to 

 have shaken all confidence in this root as a principal 

 article of food. But the gradual return of healthy 

 crops is unhappily restoring this treacherous root to 

 the too easy confidence of the poorer peasantry in this 

 and other countries. With the increased wages now 

 received by the working classes, a greatly increased 

 consumption and consequent demand for animal food 

 has sprung up. The high prices paid for meat of all 

 kinds, and the increased scarcity and high price of wool 

 are giving a new direction to agriculture within the 

 British Islands. Stock farming is more profitable, and 

 less costly in labour, than corn ; and the extent to 

 which the surface of the country is being changed, from 

 one kind of crop to the other, can only be ascertained by 

 correct returns, in the absence of which an alteration 

 of the most important nature may be going on of 



which the nation collectively is altogether ignorant. 

 If one farmer finds it more profitable to lay one-fourth 

 of his farm to grass instead of corn, partly from the in- 

 creasing profit of live stock, partly from the scarcity 

 of labourers, the probabilities are that other farmers, 

 impelled by the same causes, are following the same 

 course. But how vast may be the result of a change 

 seemingly so simple ! If we assume one-fourth of the 

 corn crop of these islands at ten million quarters, we 

 may be suddenly thrown on the markets of the world 

 for this enormous supply ; every corn market in Europe 

 and North America would be agitated, an export of 

 bullion and derangement of the monetary affairs of the 

 country would follow, all interests would be effected, 

 and disastrous consequences ensue. But a change like 

 this, which is perfectly natural, would be accompanied 

 by no such evils if the fact of its being about to take 

 jilace were ascertained befoi'chand, and the requisite 

 remedy thus opportunely provided. On the contrary, 

 such an increased demand for the produce of other 

 countries would, in that case, stimulate a legitimate 

 interchange between nations, and promote the best in- 

 terests of all. A remarkable example of such a change 

 is shown by the agricultural statistics of Ireland. Be- 

 tween 1849 and 1859, the change in the agricultutal 

 management of that country has involved a diminution 

 of one-fifth of the land yielding corn, and an increase 

 of nearly one-half in the number of live stock." 



In countries possessing a uniform survey of the en- 

 tire surface, the extent of the various crops might be 

 ascertained from the map, by merely noting the par- 

 ticular crop growing on each field. The period at 

 which the facts may be best observed is between seed- 

 time and harvest. There is, then, sufficient time left 

 to tabulate and prepare the returns, so as to be pub- 

 lished in September. The estimate of the produce may 

 be taken in November, and be ready for publication by 

 January. 



The Congress have sought to impress upon the va- 

 rious governments the vast national importance of this 

 subject. An early and accurate knowledge of the sup- 

 ply of food at the command of their people, from year 

 to year, is the very basis of political and commercial 

 prosperity. The loss occasioned by a single unneces- 

 sary food panic is more than the whole cost of the 

 inquiry would be for a century. And the facilities of 

 international communication ai'e now so great, that 

 the natural or accidental deficiencies of the harvest of 

 one country may be repaired from the abundance of 

 others. 



The following propositions were affirmed by the con- 

 gress : " That it is desirable in every state to determine 

 the quantities of the principal kinds of produce an- 

 nually — That in the case of agriculture the area of the 

 land under each crop should be annually returned, and 

 a return of the live stock obtained not less frequently 

 than once in every five years, and if possible every 

 year — The quantity of the produce should also be esti- 

 mated— Tlio means to be employed should vary ac- 

 cording to the circumstances of each state; but especial 

 care should be taken to avid exciting the prejudices 



