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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



out a very decent crop. Recurring to the subject of ploughing, 

 his lordship observed that the association had been led to ex- 

 pect that a steam plough would have been set to work in the 

 neighbourhood on that occasion, and he hoped some day they 

 VFOuld have one. He would not, however, express an opinion that 

 a steam plough would answer in this part of the country ; in- 

 deed, he thought its success, considering the great unevenness 

 of the soil, was very questionable. The implement, however, 

 might be tried, and it would then be seen how far it could be 

 adapted to this soil. There were many improvements in 

 agricultural machinery of which the farmers in this part might 

 avail themselves with great advantage. Some of them, he had 

 no doubt, were present at the last meeting of the Royal Agri- 

 cultural Society at Canterbury, in the summer, and had learnt 

 some useful lessons from what they saw. Some of the imple- 

 ments were constructed upon the latest and most valuable im- 

 provements, and although many were not adapted to this 

 part of the country, some undoubtedly were. He was con- 

 vinced that the steam cultivator might be generally used 

 here with great advantage, as also the haymaking machine, 

 which was but little seen here ; but none of them who had 

 seen one at work could fail of being convinced of its great 

 utility and value in the saving of time. There was also a ma- 

 chine for lifting corn from a waggon to the rick, which would 

 be found very useful and could be adopted anywhere. 



At the Bromyard Meeting 



Mr. King King said he was afraid the past season had 

 not altogether been a very prosperous one for farmers, of whom 

 he WBS one ; but he was happy to say, as far his own expe- 

 rience went, that he thought [it would be found they had 

 righted on their legs, and that things would not turn out 

 quite so bad as there was at one time reason to expect. He 

 had thrashed out some seed wheat, as most farmers had done, 

 and he was glad to say that it was a very decent sample 

 Although the hay crop was a total and entire failure, there 

 was still a good deal of fodder of one sort or another, which 

 he hoped would enable them to bring their stock creditably 

 through the winter. He also hoped they would never live to 

 see, at least not for many years to come, such a season as they 

 had lately passed through. 



Lord William Graham said he could not but condole 

 with them on the unfavourable season they had had ; but, 

 with his hon. friend, he trusted that their worst anticipations 

 would not be realized, as he believed that a considerable 

 breadth of corn had been harvested in good condition in vari- 

 ous parts of the country. At the same time, the damaged 

 hay crop, with the partial failure of the roots, would, he was 

 afraid, require all their ingenuity to enable them to carry their 

 cattle in a good and wholesome condition through the winter. 

 That, however, was a matter which he had no doubt had oc- 

 cupied their attention, and that they had taken the opportu- 

 nity, or were about to take it, of obtaining as much artificial 

 food as they conveniently could before it rose to an enormous 

 price. He had been told that the best way of treating the 

 damaged hay crop was to steam it, as it was thereby made 

 more nutritious and more valuable for the animals, and that 

 a machine for steaming might be obtained for £7 or £8. Two 

 or three farmers, therefore, by combining, might easily obtain 

 such a machine, to their great advantage. That was really a 

 matter of great importance, because if they were obliged to 

 sell their cattle during the winter from want of keep, they 

 would probably be enabled to do so only at a ruinous sacrifice. 



THE PRESENT POSITION OF THE FARMER. 

 At the Loughborough Meeting 

 Mr. Chas. Wm. Packe, who presided, said : I happen to 



remember the time when farmers were enabled to make very 

 large fortunes. I do not believe it is possible in these days for 

 farmers to make large fortunes. The cost of production is so 

 great, and the situation in which you are placed in regard to 

 cereal and animal produce is such that the same means do not 

 now exist for making those fortunes which have been made 

 by farmers. I could name now the sons of those who made 

 large fortunes by farming, but I do not believe it is now possi- 

 ble to do the same. Gentlemen, in commencing this matter I 

 am led to refer to language which fell from the Right Hon. 

 the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who said that the conse- 

 quence of (I must use the word) Free Trade in corn to the 

 farmers had been such, in stimulating their success, that this 

 prosperity of the agriculturists was the groundwork which led 

 him to propose to Parliament the late measure of Free Trade. 

 Now, gentlemen, there is not a more patient race of people, I 

 believe, in her Majesty's dominions than the British farmers* 

 Let me take you back for the last 70 years, and compare your 

 situation now as farmers with what it was during the greater 

 portion of that period. During those 70 years I will take the 

 averages of the value of cereals, issued by order of Parliament, 

 once in seven years, on which, since the commutation of tithe, 

 the tithe averages are paid. Now I think that from 1790 to 

 the end of last year comprises 70 years, and let us see the ex- 

 perience of that period and the prices obtained, and then we 

 will not be at a loss to know why many farmers who were 

 once making considerable fortunes have been barely making 

 sufficient during the last fourteen years to enable them to live 

 respectably. The average from the year 1790 to 1796 was 

 568. Id.; from 1796 to 1802, 76s. Bd. ; from 1802 to 1808, 

 848. 6d.; from 1808 to 1817 (nine years), 92s. 5d.; from 

 1817 to 1824, 63s. 9d.; from 1824 to 1831, 63s. 3d. ; from 

 1831 to 1838, 52s. 3d.; from 1838 to 1845, 583. 8d. And 

 then we come to the two periods of seven years whichfare the 

 fourteen years' averages since Sir Robert Peel's Act passed in 

 1846 ; and the first average is 483. 5d., the other 57s. 8d. 

 But let me tell you that the fluctuation during the last 14 

 years was very much greater than at first sight appears, for 

 the prices for six years out of the 14 years named were down 

 the highest to 44s. 3d.; and the years 1792 and 1835 were 

 the only two years during the past 70 in which the prices 

 were reduced to those of the six years to which I have 

 alluded. Now these are facts which are sufficient to show 

 that we have no right to take for granted what the Chancellor 

 of the Exchequer says, who is not a practical man, and who 

 does not understand the practical working of agriculture as we 

 do. He does not understand it, I say ; and yet, with a smile 

 upon his face, and cheered by a section of the house, he says, 

 " Look at the farmers ; see the agriculturists— see how they 

 prosper under Free Trade, and therefore I propose to you (the 

 mercantile classes) an extension of Free Trade by the French 

 Treaty." Now I have a right to criticise that statement, that 

 the agriculturists have prospered under Free Trade; but let us 

 see what has been done during the last session. Wherever any- 

 thing has been done, whatever could be done has been a stab 

 at the British farmers. In the first place, we have now what 

 we never had in operation during the last 150 years; foreign 

 malt can be imported into this country. Since the days of 

 Queen Anne foreign malt has not been admitted into this 

 country. You may, indeed, be able to compete with the 

 foreigner in barley, from the difficulty they experience in 

 bringing it over ; but whatever may be the difficulty in the 

 way of importing foreign barley, no such difficulty exists in the 

 article of malt, because in malt the grain is quite dry, and 

 freed from all moisture ; and this competition in malt may 

 some day be a serious disadvantage to you, What else besides 



