246 AGRICULTURE. 



crop of barley on this land, grown after a year's fallow 

 without manure, would not have been less than three 

 quarters per acre. The actual crop varied only a few 

 bushels in the whole field from five quarters per acre. 

 We cannot state to half a bushel per acre, because we do 

 not know exactly what allowance to make for a few trees 

 which stand in the field. The barley was not of first 

 quality, worth 22s. or 23s. per quarter. In short, the 

 extra barley just paid for the guano. Still we think that 

 we had an advantage in the transaction. The increased 

 crop kept down annual weeds. We expect to find an 

 advantage, perhaps 5 cwt. of clover-hay per acre, this year. 

 Independent of the pleasure of seeing a good crop on poor 

 land, we should be just willing, on mercantile grounds, to 

 repeat the transaction, and we believe that a similar 

 description would be very applicable to average cases of 

 buying guano and selling produce. When we come to the 

 second means of improving a farmer's position producing 

 the same quantity at less cost, there is no doubt, no 

 balance; the account is pure gain. Be it much or be 

 it little, he has improved his position by the whole. If it 

 has cost him 4d. to thresh a bushel of wheat, and by a new 

 method he threshes it for %d., on a crop of twenty bushels 

 he has improved his position by 3s. 4d. per acre. If it has 

 cost him 8s. per acre to plough his land, and by an im- 

 proved implement and method he ploughs an acre in the 

 time which three-fourths occupied before, he has improved 

 his position by 2s. per acre on every ploughing. If by the 

 removal of fences and trees he adds one productive acre to 

 every ten (Pusey, p. 26), he has improved his position by 2s. 

 per acre, supposing the rent to be 20s. How we are getting 

 on ! We should soon put a rent between the farm where 

 these things are well done, and where they are ill done. 

 But we give these merely as the simplest and unexaggerated 

 examples. And let there be no mistake : read Mr. Pusey 's 

 pamphlet. Improved and efficient implements do not cost 

 more than the unimproved and inefficient frequently less. 



