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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



" His own conviction was they could not have too 

 much light (Hear, hear), and if they attempted to hide 

 their heads with the idea that they were not under the 

 vigilant supervision of those who would look after their 

 defects as well as their excellences, they would be cer- 

 tainly taken advantage of, and left in the dark. These 

 opinions he had expressed years ago, at one of their 

 quarterly meetings, when the subject was so distasteful 

 to the general body of the iarmers, that a resolution in 

 favour of agricultural statistics was not even seconded. 

 Since that period a belief had crept in, that 

 agricultural statistics would, at least, do no harm. 

 Whether they were of any good was a question still 

 mooted. But he was informed that when the corn- 

 factors wished to make their estimate of the probable 

 produce of the harvest, they sent round their emissaries, 

 who estimated the result to a great nicety ; and 

 why should they (the farmers) not have the 

 same knowledge of their prospects in ihe market, where 

 they had to dispose of their produce ? If they chose to 

 remain in the dark, the factors would take other means 

 than agricultural statistics to ascertain the probability 

 of abundance or scarcity in the market; and he had 

 heard of factors who, by going into a field and rubbing 

 out the ears, could tell to a nicety what that field would 

 produce. A gentleman, too, acquainted witli farming, 

 had told him he could ascertain the produce by the 

 same means, to within a peck per acre, (Cries of 

 " No, no.") He relied upon the authority he had this 

 statement from as accurate ; and, if it were so, why 

 should not the results of the harvest be known to them- 

 selves as well as to the dealers in corn, who were not 

 so much concerned with the produce of this country as 

 with the likelihood of a profitable return on what they 

 might import from abroad?" 



This argument has been used often enough before now, 

 but it is nevertheless a very suggestive one. If it is 

 worth the while of the buyer to obtain such statistics, 



Burely it is that of the seller. And, could there be 

 a fairer way than by the Government supplying them 

 simultaneously with this information. If you will only 

 tell him how much corn there is in wheat, barley, or 

 oats, a farmer ought to be at least equal to any other 

 man in "rubbing out the ears." Of course we are not 

 going to suppose, as Mr. Packe seems to think, that 

 every acre of land throughout the kingdom gives 

 exactly the same pioduce per acre. But we may make 

 the estimate of a district by looking over the crops, or 

 rubbing out tlie ears. And who could do this so 

 conveniently or so certainly as the farmer himself? 

 To be sure, there appears, so far, some diversity of 

 opinion as to the late harvest, at any rate in Leicester- 

 shire. Mr. Farnham, another of the county members, 

 " believed he could congi-atulate them on one of the 

 most abundant harvests in the memory of man." The 

 honourable gentleman was at once met with loud cries 

 of " No, no," " He was sorry they dissented from this 

 opinion. He had read it in the public prints, and had 

 heard it from those upon whose authority he could 

 rely. If ever they could be congratulated upon having 

 had an abundant harvest, it was now." Being again 

 stopped with " No, no," Mr. Farnham very discreetly 

 changed the subject. On sitting down, liowever, Mr. 

 Burrows rose to express his dissent from Mr. Farnham's 

 opinion of the harvest. They had got plenty, but it 

 was not of the right kind ; they could not turn it into 

 money, and if they did not make money it was " no 

 go." (Laughter and cheers.) The Chairman, too, 

 " believed much of the corn in the neighbourhood had 

 grown, and was therefore of less value than in former 

 years." 



This would go to make the liarvest of 'fifty- 

 seven more a question of quality than quantity. There 

 is little doubt as to the latter; although, by this show- 

 ing, the damaged corn would appear not to be quite 

 confined to the northern or more backwai'd districts. 



THE LATE STEAM-PLOUGH PERFORMANCE AT STIRLING. 



The production of a steam tilling-machine is so far 

 above the improvement of any ordinary implement in 

 national as well as agricultural importance, that how- 

 ever our great societies may hesitate, or influential 

 individuals neglect, to aid practical inventors witli their 

 munificence, we are determined that the Press (as far 

 as we are concerned) shall labour to introduce the new 

 machinery, by the dissemination both of sound views of 

 its capabilities and value, and faithful records of its 

 actual performances. We arc anxious, therefore, to 

 guard against rousing wrong impressions in the public 

 mind, either by a coloured statement or an erroneous 

 judgment ; and if a too flattering report of the achieve- 

 ments of a steam plough or digger, not borne out by 

 subsequent trial, hinders instead of advancing the 

 subject in the esteem of the farmer, so, on the other 

 hand, hard measure dealt out by a leading authority 

 in agricultural journalism both prejudices the cause at 



large, and (what is of smaller moment) damages the 

 inventor whose maclrine may be in question. 



In the Times, and also in the Mark-lane Express, 

 of October 26th, appeared an account of the Stirling 

 trial of Mr. Fowler's steam-plough ; the stated results, 

 the estimate of expense, the opinion as to the condition 

 of the soil, and the character of the work done, being 

 confirmed by the Agricultural Gazette of October 

 31st. And the testimony is that, not only was the 

 ploughing performed in a most satisfactory manner, 

 and more effectively and beneficially than horses could 

 have done it, but the saving in expense per acre, all 

 things considered, was from about one-third in ordinary 

 ploughing, to more than one-half in deeper work The 

 North British Agriculturist, of October 28th, in its 

 description of the proceedings, differs widely from the 

 foregoing in its figures and measure of approval ; and 

 we feel sure our amiable contemporary will pardon us 



