THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



429 



pieces of the Ayrshire cattle. The Jury assure us it could 

 not have been Mr. Paton. Possibly, then, it was 

 Kome enthusiastic cowman, who with less delicacy 

 tlian his master was determined to win on any 

 terms. The danger he ran nmst be a warning 

 to others. Let employers be especially careful 

 that their names are not associated with " con- 

 duct no honourable or honest man would be guilty 

 of." In other words, let animals, as we have 

 so o'ten urged, be exhibited only in fair condition. The 

 offence is, after all, but one of degree. We have sheep 

 still clipped into shape, although the Rules of nearly 

 all our Agricultural Societies specify that they should 

 not be thus prepared. We have pigs over-fed to an 

 extent as injurious as absurd; and we have seen horses 

 tortured as low dealers treat them in a fair, so that they 

 should carry their tails well when they went before the 

 judges. The latter have, perhaps, stricter duties to 

 perform. Let them far more frequently than they 

 have done condemn animals whose " preparation" 

 is only an insult to their experience, and ability for 

 the office they have accepted. 



Perhaps the most curious commentary on this 

 case is the formal protest of a Suffolk agricul- 

 turist, whose letter is given ^n another part of our 

 paper. He actually objects to the finding of the Ayr- 

 shire jury, assuming, on the evidence we have publish- 

 ed, that the animals had been tampered with, and 

 that Mr. Paton knew something about it. A7e cannot 

 of course prevent our readers forming their own opi- 

 nions, but the great deduction will have to be drawn 

 by the Committee of the Ayrshii-e Agricultural Associ- 

 ation. Will they now pay over the premiums to a 

 gentleman so satisfactorily "not proven" to have 

 done anything wrong ? We shall watch their proceed- 

 ings with some interest. 



CORN AVERAGES.-MICHAELMAS RENTS. 



SiK, — The return of Michaelmas, which maybe con- 

 sidered the termination of the farmer's year, induces 

 me to send you the result of the average prices of wheat, 

 barley, and oats, for fifty-two weeks ending on the 25th 

 of Sei^tember, 1858, viz. : — 



Wheat 46s. 10;^d. per imperial quarter. 



Barley 36s. Oid. ,, 



Oats 24s. llfd. „ 



For the information of your agricultural readers I 

 annex the weekly averages from the London Gazette. 

 It will be seen that the highest price for wheat during 

 the year was 56s. 3id. per imperial quarter for the 

 week ending the 3rd of October, 1857, and the lowest 

 price was 42s. 6d. for the week ending the 28th of 



August, 1853, being a difl'erence of 133. 9^d. per impe- 

 rial quarter, or very nearly 25 per cent. 



I remain, sir, your obedient servant, 



CHARLES M. WILLICH, 

 Actuary, University Life Assurance Society. 

 25, Suffolk-street, Pull-mall, S.W., Oct. 10. 



Weekly Average Prices of Wheat, Barley, and 

 Oats in England and Wales for Fifty-two 

 Weeks, ending the 25tu op September, 1858. 

 (Frora the London Gazette.) 



Nov. 



Dec. 



October 9, 1857. 



., 16 „ . 



„ 23 „ . 



„ 30 „ . 



6 „ . 



13 „ . 

 i'O „ . 



27 „ . 

 4 „ . 



» 11 ,. . 



„ 18 „ . 



„ 25 „ . 



January 1, 1858. 



8 „ . 

 „ 15 „ . 

 „ 22 „ . 

 „ 29 „ . 



Feb. 5 „ . 



„ 12 „ . 



„ 19 ,. . 



„ 26 „ . 



March 5 ,, . 



„ 12 „ . 



,, 19 V . 



„ 26 „ . 



April 2 „ . 



9 .. • 

 „ 16 „ . 

 „ 23 „ . 

 „ 30 „ . 



7 „ . 



14 „ . 

 21 „ . 



28 „ . 

 4 „ . 



11 „ . 



18 „ . 



25 „ . 

 2 



9 ','. * 



„ 16 „ . 



., 23 „ . 



„ 30 „ . 



August 6 „ . 



„ 13 „ . 



„ 20 „ . 



„ 27 „ . 



3 „ . 



10 „ . 



„ 17 .. . 



.. 24 „ . 



October 1 „ . 



May 



June 



July 



Wheat. 



Sept. 



8. (1. 



56 3-726 

 55 8-979 

 55 10 8011 

 55 6971 

 53 11-6451 

 52 63141 

 8-876| 

 3527' 

 8-154 

 3-913 

 5-408' 

 3-694 

 5-758 

 7-882 



47 1 0-765, 



48 8-45r 

 48 9-845 



6910' 

 9337^ 

 8 896 

 6-449 

 0-375 

 6149 

 3-390 

 6-654i 

 2-398. 

 3382i 

 1-791J 

 2-735 

 9-048! 

 5-347 

 2-387 

 44 11-103 

 4t 6.496' 

 44 8-1821 

 44 9 860 

 44 7 641 

 43 10 025 



43 0348 

 8-822 

 4-486 

 3-193 

 4839 

 8-746 



44 10-590 



45 2-306 

 1-957 

 6-167 

 3024 

 1-98) 



44 11-408 

 44 2.618 



47 

 46 

 45 

 44 

 45 

 45 

 45 

 45 

 45 

 44 

 43 

 43 

 44 

 44 

 44 



42 

 43 

 45 

 46 

 45 



45 

 42 

 45 

 45 



52)2,436 11-779 

 46 10-380 



