MINUTES OF EVIDENCE 



TAKKX BEPOKE 



THE ROYAL COMMISSION 01 AGRICULTURE. 



SEVENTH DAY, 



TUESDAY, 26xH AUGUST, 1919. 



PRESENT : 

 SIR WILLIAM BARCLAY PEAT (Chairman'). 



SIR WILLIAM JAMES ASHLEY. 



DR. C. M. DOUGLAS, C.B. 



Ma. G. G. REA, C.B.E. 



MB. W. ANKER SIMMONS, C.B.F. 



MB. HENRY OVERMAN, O.B.E. 



MB. A. BATCHELOR 



MB. H. S. CAUTLEY, K.C., M.P. 



MB. GEORGE DALLAS. 



MR. J. F. DUNCAN. 



MB. W. EDWARDS. 



MB. F. E. GREEN. 



MR. J. M. HENDERSON. 

 MB. T. HENDERSON. 

 MR. T. P. JONES. 

 MB. E. W. LANGFORD. 

 MB. R. V. LENNARD. 

 MR. GEORGE NICHOLLS. 

 MR. E. H. PARKER, 

 MB. R. R. ROBBINS. 

 MB. W. R. SMITH, M.P. 

 MB. R. B. WALKER. 



Mr. ALBERT BUCKLE, Cleveland Chamber of Agriculture, called and examined. 



4960. Chairman: You are the representative of the 

 Cleveland Chamber of Agriculture? That is so. 



4961. You have put in certain statements, which 

 perhaps you will allow me to incorporate in the day's 

 proceedings, without reading them? Yes. 



(Evidenrr-in-chiff handed in by Witness.) 



4962. (1) I am of opinion that in order to ensure 

 increased production of agricultural produce a 

 guaranteed minimum price for cereals and other agri- 

 cultural commodities must In- given, as with the pre- 

 vniling and ever-increasing high wages, the poorer 

 hinds will not p;iv for cultivating, and the tendency 

 will be, and undoubtedly is, at the present time for 

 this class of land to revert to grass. If a guarantee 

 of 70s. per quarter were given for wheat and other 

 cereals in proportion, I think this would be a wise 

 policy as it would encourage farmers to keep their 

 land under the plough and to grow all they possibly 

 could. 



(2) At the present time farmers are suffering most 

 from shortage of labour, and from this cause cannot 

 fret tin- bes't out of their land, the larger farmer being 

 in a better position than the small one as he can take 

 advantage of up-to-date machinery 



With regard to the dairying branch of forming 

 were it not for the assistance we get from the women 

 who have been trained to this work, I am certain 

 many of us could not carry on, shorter hours and half 

 holidavs being entirely unsuited to the industry. 



(3) The policy also of the Ministry of Food in en- 

 couraging farmers in the outlying districts to sell 

 milk in preference (as was their custom in the past) 

 to making butter and cheese, is having a most detri- 

 mental effect upon our herds as it was their custom 

 to rear their calves on the separated milk. This 

 system in impossible when the whole of the milk is 

 sold off. 



Dairy farming is the most arduous of all branches 

 of farming and should be the best paid, otherwise 

 many will go out of the busi';< 



(4) System of Cropping in Cleveland. 



A four course system of cropping is practised 

 on the major portion of Cleveland, i.e., fallow or 

 roots, wheat or barley, clover, oats; in some cases 

 beans following wheat instead of clover. 



On the lighter lands and near the towns a 6 course 

 is sometimes taken, i.e., potatoes, wheat, turnips, 

 barley or oats, clover, oats. 



The Dales farms are mostly worked on a 3 course 

 system ; temporary seeds are sown to lay 4 to 6 years 

 followed by oats, roots or fallow, barley or mixed 

 crop to be seeded down again. 



(5) 



Cost of 1 acre u-heat after fallow. 





 3 

 5 

 1 

 6 



Rent and rates (2 years) 



Four times ploughing at 2Ds. ... 



Three times cultivating at 8s. ..: 



Ten tons farmyard manure at 10s. 



Three times harrowing and drilling ... 10 



Two bushels seed ... ... 1 



Spring harrowing and rolling ... ... 5 



Weeding ... ... ... Q 2 



Harvesting and marketing 2 2 



Less 26 cwts. straw at 2 10s. . 



18 3 

 326 



Estimated yield 4 quarters cost = ... 15 6 



Note. It may be well to point out, that though the 

 cost of an aero of wheat is very high after fallow, yet 

 the advantages are apparent through the whole course 

 of cropping. 



(26329 39 8) Wt. 2183113. 2000. 10/19. H. St. G. 34. 



