EECENT FACTS. il5 



iiisliiug oue meal per day for all his cattle up to the middle ot April, 

 1872. There "were S tons of the corn-fodder, making; -with the hay, 11 

 tons of forage from 2;^ acj*es. 



MISCELLA^-EOUS. 



titcam culture in Europe. — In Great Britain there are single establish- 

 ments for manufacturing steam-plows so extensive that they employ 

 constantly not less than 1,200 men. In England between 400 and oOO 

 sets of steam-plows are held by companies and by individual owners 

 for hire, and give good profits to the proprietors. In Scotland joint- 

 stock companies are investing in laud and steam-machinery and secur- 

 ing large dividends ; and in Germany, also, steam-power is working a 

 revolution in agriculture. 



British agricultural returns. — In illustration of the value of the agri- 

 cultural returns now annually collected iu Great Britain, English jour- 

 nals reproduce the estimate of Mr. Caird, based on these returns and 

 l)ublished in the London Times of September, 1871, and shoAv its corre- 

 spondence with the actual result. According to the estimate, with a late 

 harvest, an import of 11,000,000 quarters of wheat would suffice for the 

 wants of Great Britain for the present year, but with the expected early 

 harvest, 10,000,000 quarters would be sufficient. The imports for the 

 year up to August 1 were about 10,000,000 quarters. 



The agricultural returns of Great Britain for 1872 give the following 

 particulars : Wheat, 3,599,158 acres, showing an increase of .8 per cent, 

 over the wheat acreage of 1871, and 2.8 per cent, over that of 1870. 

 Barley, 2,316,235 acres, showing a decrease of 2.9 per cent, from the 

 acreage of 1S71, and 2.3 per cent, from that of 1870. Oats, 2,705,615 

 acres, showing a decrease of .3 per cent, from the acreage of 1871, and 

 2.1 per cent, from that of 1870. Potatoes, 501,083 acres, showing a de- 

 crease of 10.1 per cent, from the acreage of 1871, and 1 per cent, from 

 that of 1870. Hops, 61,929 acres, showing an increase of .3 per cent, 

 over the acreage of 1871, and .2 per cent, over that of 1870. On the 25th 

 of June, 1872, there were in Great Britain 5,021,106 cattle, 27,922,861 

 sheep, and 2,781.890 pigs. In the number of cattle there was an increase 

 of 5.3 per cent, over that of 1871, and 4.1 per cent, over that of 1870; 

 in the number of sheep an increase of 2.9 per cent, over that of 1871, and 

 a decrease of 1.7 per cent, from that of 1870; in the number of pigs, an 

 increase of 11.4 per cent, over that of 1871. and 28.3 per cent, over that 

 of 1870. 



Agricultural progress in Scotland. — A few months ago, iu au address 

 before the Haddingtonshire Association, Scotland, Mr. George Hope, 

 illustrating the advance which had been made in agTiculture within his 

 own recollection, said that he had seen the county thoroughly tile- 

 drained, and the farmers enabled to dispense with i^laiu fallows, substi- 

 tuting large crops of potatoes and turnips. The product of the graiu- 

 crops had increased 50 per cent., and in many cases had doubled, while 

 the number of sheep and cattle fed and marketed had increased 200 per 

 cent. A few years ago, scarce a penny was outlaid for manures and 

 feeding stuffs, but now the annual outlay for these equaled the rental 

 of the whole county. At the time of his speaking there were eight 

 steam-plows in the county. 



The secret of a prosperous agriculture. — ^Iv. Mechi. the well-known Eng- 

 lish agriculturist, says that it is precisely because J^ritish farmers have 

 their rustomers, the British manufacturers, almost at their doors, while 



