( 402 ) 



XV. — A Report on the Agriculture of Cumberland, chiejly with 

 regard to the Production of Meat. By Thomas Farrall, of 

 Dovenby, Cockermouth. 



It is now twenty-two years since Mr. William Dickinson wrote 

 his very able Report on the Agriculture of Cumberland, which 

 was published in the ' Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society,' * 

 and in which he gave a very interesting account of the system 

 of cultivation pursued at that time. Much of that system is 

 unchanged at the present day, and need not be described here ; 

 I therefore intend to confine my remarks chiefly to the improve- 

 ments which have taken place since the date of his Report, parti- 

 ticularly with respect to the production of meat. Up to ten or 

 fifteen years ago, many farmers depended exclusively upon the 

 production of grain in order to meet their rent, rates, and taxes ; 

 now they generally rely upon corn-growing and meat-making 

 concurrently; sometimes upon the latter alone, the production of 

 meat having within a few years become a striking feature in the 

 agriculture of the county. In proof of this, I may state that a 

 farmer on returning home from market twenty years ago, would 

 have been asked over and over again, how wheat was selling : 

 now the first question is, "Was there a dear auction?" 



Statistics affecting Agriculture. 



It may be well at the outset of this paper to give certain 

 statistics, as published in the Returns collected by the Board of 

 Trade from the time of the cattle plague in 1866 up to 1873 

 inclusive, in order that it may be seen how lands have been laid 

 down to permanent pasture ; how corn-growing has become of 

 secondary consideration ; and how the live stock of the farm has 

 been numerically multiplied, chiefly with the view of producing 

 meat for an increasing population. 



Table I. — Number of Horses, Cattle, Sheep, and Pigs in Cumberland. 



Vol. siii., p. 207, 1852. 



