1869.] Agriculture. 83 



tivator in the autumn the best crop of barley I ever produced, 

 the land being now perfectly clean, and in the best possible 

 condition for next year's root crop. And I see no reason why this 

 extra white straw crop need frighten any land agent, provided 

 always the farm be in a high state of cultivation." During the 

 coming year there will, no doubt, be a good deal of what is thus 

 called cross-cropping; owing to the need of keeping clovers for 

 another year, for the young clovers have very generally failed, 

 owing to the drought of 1868. But we may say with Mr. Eead 

 that there is no need of any fear that the fertility of the laud must 

 suffer on then account. In fact, it is now well understood that a 

 farmer may crop the land very nearly as he pleases without injuring 

 the owner of it, provided he uses the means of tillage and manuring 

 which he now possesses, and which his own best interests would 

 lead him to employ. 



The cheapening of the superphosphate manufacture, owing to the 

 abundance of mineral phosphate in England, Spain, and German}', 

 and other countries, is one of the most important facts in the recent 

 history of Enghsh agriculture. That which a few years ago cost 

 ()l. or 71. a ton, containing only 15 to 18 per cent, of soluble 

 phosphate of lime, is now sold at a price which is virtually one-half 

 less. And it quite deserves a record in an Agricultural Chronicle 

 that the chairman of the South Lincolnshire Tillage Association was 

 able the other day to inform the members that he had completed a 

 contract for the delivery of 1000 tons, containing 26 per cent, of 

 soluble phosphate, at 4/. 2s. Gel. per ton, to be delivered free in 

 bags at any of the Great Northern Eadway stations within 80 

 miles of Lincoln. It must, however, be added on the other side, 

 that in consequence of the large exports of sulpliate of ammonia to 

 tlie sugar-growing districts of Germany and the colonies, all ammo- 

 niacal manures are rising in price, guano is commanding its full 

 market value, and sulphate of ammonia in particular has advanced 

 fi'om 12/. to 17Z. 10s. per ton. 



To turn now to another subject : — The condition of the labourer 

 — a question which we have several times had to name duruig the 

 past year, as having been urgently pressed upon the public attention 

 by the labours of the Eev. Canon Girdlestone, Mr. Baily Denton, 

 and others, is again brought vi\ddly before the public mind by the 

 recent report of Her Majesty's Commissioners appointed to inquire 

 into the employment of women and children in agriculture. The 

 points in which it seems from their report that the Commis- 

 sioners expect the best result to follow any active interference on 

 behalf of agricultural labourers, are the provision at a fair rent of 

 allotments of land for cultivation by cottagers, and the cheapening 

 and improvement of the cottages. To the subject of benefit societies, 

 savings banks, &c., they propose referring in a further publication, 



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