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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE, 



addict himself to other matters, he experiences the fate of 

 all persons who neglect their proper business. Each must 

 regulate his manner of living according to his professional 

 occupations, and in accordance with the place where he 

 dwells. In the meanwhile it is right to state, that if the 

 advantages are in default, the blame must be thrown, not 

 upon the profession he has chosen, but upon his manner of 

 conducting it ; and there is no reason why he should not 

 procure for himself by means of the profits he would realize, 

 the same enjoyments as every other manufacturer removed 

 from cities by the natiu-e of his occupation. 



Let us again resume the case of two farms— the one of 

 ten, the other of one hundred hectares. If a farmer who 

 cultivates ten hectares can gain wherewith to supply the 

 strict wants of his family ; if he can even, as we see many 

 do, fatten his cattle and realize savings, clearly he who 

 cultivates a hundred hectares ought to realize profits 

 sufficient to render it unnecessary to inflict upon himself 

 the proverbial parsimony of the small farmers. 



According to the calculation of a Ghentish cultivator, 

 M. Delaruye, a hectare of land, producing alternately 

 potatoes, wheat, rye, turnips, oats, trefoil, rye and turnips, 

 yield a gross profit averaging 530 francs per annum. If we 

 estimate the articles at the price of the day ( February, 1 857), 

 the average would be only 330 francs— say, for 100 hectares 

 33,000 francs, from which it is necessary to deduct the rent, 

 taxes, and interest of floating capital. These amount to 

 1C,000 francs, leaving still a balance of 17,000 francs. It 

 will be said to us, " All this is very fine in theory, but in 

 practice these profits are not realized." Well, this is not 

 a question of theory, for the scale of profits is taken from a 

 work entitled " Het Pachtersrigt," written by a farmer 

 who has realized it upon the land he cultivates, and who 

 for a series of years has been constantly called in to 

 arbitrate in cases of disputes between agriculturists. 



It may be objected to us that this refers to exceptional 

 land ; but M. Delaruye speaks of sandy soils— of those 

 lands called by geographeis "arirf and sandy plains," and 

 which require mauuring every year. 



A more valid objection will be raised— that it refers to 



land situated in the neighbourhood of a large town, and that, 

 far from the great centres of population, there exist lands 

 incomparably better which yield much less profit. But it 

 may justly be said that wheat, rye, and oats have, with 

 very few exceptions, the same value in all localities of the 

 country on account of the facility of communication ; 

 and the same may be said of the butter and meat produced 

 by the potatoes, turnips, and trefoil. The diff<:rences in 

 price, as well for the manure as for the products, if they 

 exist, are compensated for in the price of hand-labour and 

 rent. But it is true that all localities have not equally 

 availed themselves of the advantages offered to them, and 

 that cultivation is far from being everywhere so advanced 

 as in the neighbourhood of the large towns. 



On the other hand, it is proper also to observe that these 

 calculations refer to the most simple and common course of 

 husbandry. The distribution of crops given above, accord- 

 ing to M. Delaruye, has been practised for a very longtime 

 in a great part of the kingdom ; but it is no longer in ac- 

 cordance either with the requirements of the consumption 

 or with the progress of agricultural science. The gentle- 

 man farmer will avoid it : under his management the land 

 yields richer harvests. Thanks to high farming : if he 

 cultivates wheat he obtains 43 hectolitres per hectare,* 

 instead of 27,+ as M. Delargne admits; and he much 

 prefers producing green crops, by which he so greatly 

 increases the produce, that it would be rash to think of 

 estimating where its progress will stop. 



With those who have kept pace with the innovations 

 introduced by improved cultivation, or high farming, the 

 treatment of the soil is on the eve of undergoing a total 

 transformation by investing in it immense capitals, in order 

 to increase its productiveness for the promotion of the well- 

 being of all as, well as for those whose intelligence has 

 effected it, and for whom it will provide profits and 

 honours. 



Already the improved culture yields profits incomparably 

 greater than the ancient methods. It is the only principle 

 that men of talent and information can adopt : and who 

 will predict what it will one day realize in their hands ? 



REPEAL OF THE HOP EXCISE DUTY. 



GREAT MEETING AT TUNBRIDGE WELLS. 



A very numerous and influential meeting of hop-planters 

 and others interested in the cultivation of hops, was held in 

 the large room of the Sussex Hotel, Tunbridge Wells, on 

 Friday, 5th Nov,, " for the purpose of taking active and im- 

 mediate measures for promoting the freedom of the planter, 

 by the repeal of the excise duty on hops." Tunbridge 

 Wells had been fixed upon for the place of meeting, as mu- 

 tually a most convenient rendezvous for the planters of 

 both Kent and Sussex, who were earnestly urged to make a 

 point of attending. As regards the former, however, it 

 unfortunately happened that no less than three aj-ricultural 

 associations met on the same day. Two o'clock was the 

 hour appointed for the meeting ; but for some time previous 

 it became evident, from the bustle in front of the hotel, and 

 at adjacent inns, that there would be a very large assembly 

 of gentlemen interested in the cultivation of the hop-plant. 

 The proceedings were commenced shortly after two, when, 

 according to the calculation of persons experienced in the 

 numbers of public meetings, there would be very few short 



of five hundred present. Upon and near to the platform 

 were the Hon. H. Brand, M.P., J. G. Dodson, Esq., M.P., 

 Mr. Moses Body (Chairman of the Hop Excise Duty Re- 

 peal Association); Mr. Henry Snelling. Alton, Hants; 

 Mr. Berry, Canterbury; Mr. Overy, Whatlington, near 

 Battle; Mr. Monckton, East Peckham; Rev. J. Foley, 

 Vicar of Wadhurst ; Mr. J. W. Roper, Frant ; Mr. T. Bar- 

 ton, Wadhurst; Mr. Henry Hiclimott, Frant ; Mr. Hatch; 

 Mr. Charles Waterhouse ; Mr. Jeuner; Mr. G. P. Bacon 

 (Honorary Secretary to the Repeal Association); Mr. 

 Bourne, Robertsbridge ; Mr. Hilder, Bodiham ; Mr. John 

 Kenward, ITckfield ; Mr. Burgess, Bodiham; Mr. Barton, 

 Robertsbridge ; Mr. Latter, Wadhurst ; Mr. J. G. Wen- 

 man, Wadhurst; Mr. Smith, Robertsbridge; Mr. Nash, 

 Rochester ; Mr. Buss, Spelmenden ; Mr. James Dunn, Ro- 

 bertsbridge; Mr. Cheesman, Wadhurst; Mr. Henry 

 Edwards, Tunbridge Wells; Mr. J. Baker, Pembury ; Mr. 



* About 46^ bushels per acre. 

 t Nearly 30 bushels per acre. 



