1864. | Agriculture. 103 
and increased in numbers during this period. Mr. Strafford receives 
entries for his herd book from fourfold the number of short-horn 
breeders ; and the influence of this, the dominant breed of cattle, in 
crossing the general stock of the country, has wonderfully increased. 
Messrs. Duckham and Tanner Davy report no falling off in the num- 
ber and quality of the more local breeds of Hereford and Devon. Both 
Down and long-woolled sheep, and especially the latter, have made 
great strides, both as to increase of numbers and general improvement ; 
and much more general interest is taken in the improvement of the 
breeds of swine. The public attention has lately been drawn, or rather 
driven, to the fact that disease is rife among our stock, and it is said 
to be increasing. It is one great point in proof of great agricultural 
improvement that an evil of this kind, whether general or local, and 
wherever it exists, is not now left to fester, but is exposed and probed 
by an energetic public agitation, which will undoubtedly promote its 
cure. 
The greater rapidity of growth, and the increased size of our im- 
proved stock, are owing partly to the better food we give our stock, as 
well as to their increased precocity, and the enormous extension of 
better bred stock. And thus, as part of this experience, we have a 
supply of more fertilizing manure and an increased growth of grain 
crops. It is, we believe, the fact that there are more acres of corn 
grown now than before has been ever known in England, and we look 
upon this as a proof of agricultural progress. And, so long as this is 
consistent with the maintenance of fertility, it is certainly for the 
interests of the consumer. It is said our climate is especially favour- 
able for the growth of green crops. We believe there are more 
bushels of wheat per acre grown here than in any other country, 
whether we have so good a climate for it or not. And if the pre- 
sent extravagant cry for laying land down to grass which has hitherto 
grown grain and green crops in alternate husbandry shall to any extent 
prevail, we do not know who is to benefit by the change. Landlord, 
tenant, labourer, and consumer are alike interested in the larger pro- 
duce and more energetic cultivation of arable land. 
The progress which we have thus sketched has been achieved rather 
by the extension of good Agriculture than by the invention of any new 
process during the period of it; and yet there is enough of novelty 
and change apparent, too, on comparing the present farmer with his 
predecessor. Bones and rape-cake, soot and salt and gypsum, lime 
and marl, and composts used to be the principal methods of adding 
directly to fertility ; and indirectly the same end was attained by the 
cultivation of successive green crops, feeding rye and rape, vetches 
and turnips, and cabbages off successively upon the same field. This 
“double” culture was advocated confidently as the perfection of arable 
cultivation twenty-eight or thirty years ago. Hear Mr. Middleton, 
who edited the 20th edition of Arthur Young’s ‘ Farmer’s Calendar,’ 
writing on this very practice. ‘That very numerous class of supine 
persons,” he says, “whose minds are so weak as not to adopt this 
practice, which-is the most improved that is known, will certainly con- 
tinue to complain of hard landlords and bad times. Such characters 
