THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



151 



FARMING AS IT WAS. 



COMMUNICATED BY LOUD WILLIAM LENNOX. 



There caa be no doubt that the high prices of labour, rent, 

 maaure, taxes, and rates are the principal evils with which the 

 agriculturist has to contend, and it is to a reduction in these 

 particulars that he must look for relief. la the present article 

 it is not, however, our intention to dwell upon the by-gone 

 question of free-trade in corn, or argue the repeal of the malt-tax, 

 still less to diacuas the present system of taxation; but merely 

 to give a brief statement of what farming was sixty-six and 

 thirty-six years ago. It would be a work of supererogation to 

 point out what it is at the present day, for the reader will pro- 

 bably be more conversant with the subject than the writer, 

 whose live stock (to quote the lines of Sheridan) consists of a 

 pony and a pointer, and whose land may be found in the migno" 

 nett^-pots outside his window. Being, however, of an inquiring 

 mind, I have taken the trouble to refer to documents of former 

 times ; and being in possession of the accounts and expenses 

 incident to a farm which has been held by a friend of mine 

 since the year 1790, I purpose laying before my readers an 

 account of the prices of grain and labour, of the expense of 

 cultivating a given portion of the land in 1792 and 1822, and 

 of rent paid and poor-rates levied on the farm in question. 



This farm, I must premise, is about 300 acres, of which 

 about 180 acres are under the plough; the remainder upland 

 pasture. 



First, then, the rent was per annum — 



In 1792 £300. . . . Poor-rates £ 30 



In 1822 500* ..Ditto 



It was free of great tithes. 

 Prices for labour paid in 1792 and 1822 were — 



1792. 

 s. d. 



Thrashing wheat, per qr 3 6 



Ditto barley, ditto 110 



100 



1822. 

 s. d. 



Ditto oats, ditto 1 6 



Thatching, per square foot 1 



Labourers' weekly wages 10 



Hire of a team of three horses, with 1 -i 9 n 



man and boy, per day J 



The cost of manuring — 



1792. 1822. 



Dung from Ss. to 4s. 5s. to 7s. 



Expense of cultivating fifteen acres of wheat in 1792 (eight 

 folded, seven dunged) : — 



£ s. d. 



70 loads of dung, at Ss. per load, cost 10 10 



Two teams drawing out dung seven days, at 



12a. each 8 



Man filling 7 days, at Is. 8d. per day Oil 



Ditto spreading, ditto ditto Oil 



Ploughing 9 



Harrowing and mowing 1 8 



Seed, five quarters 14 



Harvesting and housing 6 11 



Thrashing 37 qrs. 4 bushs., at 3s. 6d. ner qr. . 7 11 

 Rent £15, poor-rates 30s ", 16 10 



15 



8 



Total £75 8 1 



Sold 37 qra. 4 bushs., at £14 per load 105 



Deduct 75 8 1 



Profit £29 11 11 



* It is here to be understood, that the estste let at £500 a 

 year, free of fjreat tithes : the value of such tithes is included 

 in the rent. Indeed, tithes are only that portion of rent which 

 belongs to the incumbent or the impropriator. 



Expense of cultivating fifteen acres of wheat in 1822 would 

 amount to £109 14s. 6d., which, deducting the price of 37 qrs. 

 of wheat sold at £14, would leave a loss of £4 148. 6d. 



By this it appears that the price of labour and manure was 

 as follows : — 



£ s. d. 



In 1792 58 18 1 



In 1822 79 14 6 



£20 16 5 



Increase of rent 10 



Ditto of rates 3 10 



d. 

 

 

 — £13 10 



We now proceed to the growth of barley; and with respect 

 to the malt tax, I would suppose it to be 'at what it was in 

 1792. The price of malt was then 473., and barley 203. 6d. 

 per qr. : the highest price in each case. 



Subjoined is the expense of cultivating fifteen acres of barley 

 in the years 1792 and 1822 :~ 



1792. 



£ 8. d. 



Ploughing, at 129. per day 9 



Seed, 6 qrs., at 29s. 6d. per qr 8 17 



Harrowing and sowing 1 8 



Labour 3 15 



Mowing 2 5 



Thrashing 75 qrs., at la. lOd. per qr. 6 17 6 



32 2 6 



Rent 15 



Poor-rates 1 10 



£48 12 6 



Sold 35 qrs., at 208. 6d. per qr 110 12 6 



Deduct 48 12 6 



Profit £62 



1822. 



£ s. d. 



Ploughing 11 5 



Seed, 6 qrs,, at 26s. per qr 7 19 



Sowing and harrowing 114 



Labour 5 5 



Mowing 2 5 



Thrashing, 75 qrs., 2s. 3d. per qr. . 8 8 3 



36 16 3 



Rent 25 



Poor-rates 5 



Sold 75 qrs., at 263. 6d. per qr.. 

 Profit . . 



£66 16 3 

 99 7 6 



£32 11 3 



In the latter year the price of the best barley was 26s. 6d., 

 and malt ?S\ 11 ^r n-nrter. 



I have selected the period of 1792 as one of general reftr- 

 ence, since it is that from which the great increase in rents, 

 poor-rates, and general expenses may be justly dated. And 

 here it may not be out of place to give an extract from the 

 Journal of the Royal Society of Agriculture, to show the ave- 



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