THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



133 



of very little account, except amongst the very humblest 

 clasaea of the people, who, by-the-bye, have not many chances 

 of tasting it, except from the few animals that occasionally die 

 from dizziness or from old age. The sheep are ordinarily kept 

 as long as they will yield a fleece ; and when they have lost 

 that faculty, they are immediately consigned to the slaughter- 

 house, and become, as it were, a species of tabooed, or refuse 

 food. 



The variety of corn, seed, roots, and wood was very sin- 

 gular; and, judging from the qualities of many of the spe- 

 cimens, there can be little doubt that agriculture in Hungary 

 is capable of much greater things thau it has yet exhibited, 

 or than the greater portion of Europe could exhibit, even 

 when under a much superior kind of management. 



After wheat — which in many instances was very fine, 

 being thin-skinned and full of flour— the maize and the 

 beet are largely cultivated, not to omit, however, one or two 

 fmo samples of barley. 



At the close of the Exhibition the Hungarian Committee 

 invited the English exhibitors to a kind oi petit souper, in 

 order that they might have an opportunity of tasting the 

 pure Hungarian wines, and witnessing the warmth of Hun- 

 garian feeling. After supper the usual loyal toasts were 

 proposed and reciprocated, the Emperor Francis and the 

 Queen Victoria being duly honoured by the company. The 

 reception given by the Hungariansto the English was really 

 hearty and truly welcome, and, as such, was responded to 

 by the latter. 



CULTIVATION OF WASTE LANDS. 



BY CECIL. 



A very interesting subject was recently discussed by 

 the members of the Central Farmers' Club, which leads 

 to more expansive views, and the consideration of other 

 important features connected not only with the object 

 then introduced, namely, "The best means of improving 

 the cultivation of poor and hilly lands," but also the 

 " Cultivation of waste lands." 



There is a vast number of well-meaning philanthro- 

 pists whose zeal on behalf of their fellow-men ca.-ries 

 them by flights of romantic fancies into regions unsuit- 

 able to the cultivation of earthly productions, and whose 

 notions of agrarian felicity are purely chimerical. When 

 it is announced that there are 20,000,000 acres of land 

 in England and Wales, which are not cultivated, it is 

 necessary to inquire where they are situated ? or upon 

 what authority such an estimate is formed. From the 

 best information obtainable at the time, and supplied to 

 me by a gentleman connected with the Board of Trade, 

 it was estimated in the year 1847 that the quantity of 

 uncultivated land in England amounted to 3,454,000 

 acres, in Walts to 530,000 acres, and in the whole of 

 the United Kingdom to 14,700,000 acres. Confining 

 these remarks to England and Wales, the quantity, in 

 round numbers, assimilates with the proportion spoken 

 of by Mr. Sidney at the meeting, already referred to, of 

 the Central Farmers' Club. The fallacies of Mr. Ernest 

 Jones's proposal, at a meeting held in Smichfield, to cul- 

 tivate waste land by the agency of supernumerary me- 

 chanics, wese so clearly expounded by Mr. Sidney as to 

 render it quite unneces ary to offer any further illustra- 

 tion on that point. Questions, however, emanate from 

 these subjects. Is there really any considerable quantity 

 of uncultivated land capable of profitable cultivation ? 

 If so, what is the most practicable means of attaining 

 that object .' not merely with reference to the best system 

 of management, but with respect to the capital essential 

 to carry out the project. That there is a quantity of 

 land of a character capable of profitable cultivation there 

 cannot be a doubt. There is a considerable portion in 

 South Wales, for example, especially parts of Glamor- 

 ganshire, Breconshire, Carmarthenshire, and Cardigan- 



shire. It is well-known that in those counties there are 

 mountainous tracts, which, from their altitude and the 

 components of the soil, are unsuitable to the growth of 

 grain or roots ; yet there are, even among these, spots well 

 adapted to supply sheep with summer food ; indeed they 

 are at present, to a limited extent, used for that purpose, 

 and they are capable of great improvement. There are 

 also considerable districts which only require judicious 

 management and adequate capital, to render them very 

 advantageously productive both of cereals and roots. 

 More than this, there are still greater portions partially 

 but miserably cultivated, and that arising from two un- 

 impeachable causes — want of capital, and want of enter- 

 prise and judgment. Here the operation of draining 

 may be carried out with the greatest benefit. 



The problem hence arises, how is the necessary capi- 

 tal to be obtained .-' To suppose that uncultivated lands 

 are likely to be reclaimed to any appreciable extent by 

 private individuals is not consistent with probability. 

 Very few farmers are disposed to encounter such under- 

 takings upon an extensive scale, and the only way waste 

 land is brought into cultivation by them is by annexing 

 portions to adjoining farms ; but this is usually beset with 

 many impediments: occupiers of farms in the vicinity of 

 uncultivated wastes have seldom more capital than 

 they require to conduct their original holdings, and the 

 attempt to embark in such enterprises without ample 

 means can never be attended with success. I have known 

 several instances where common lands have been enclosed 

 and allotted to the adjacent farms, the occupiers of which 

 have crippled themselves seriously, by withdrawing part 

 of their capital from the cultivation of their original 

 tenancies, and have therefore not been able to do justice 

 to either. I also know instances where the portions of 

 land so allotted have simply been enclosed by fences, 

 yet the land is to this day left in its primitive condition, 

 producing nothing beyond scanty fare for sheep, or per- 

 haps a few youni^ cattle, although the soil is capable of 

 great improvement. 



To bring waste land into cultivation through any sys- 

 tem by which the mechanic or farm-labourer can be 



