848 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



[No. 6 



But. there must be a market for mutton; and to 

 etfftc.t that, you f^hould (jet Bakevvell's hreed, 

 which I'utten so readily on very ijood land, that a 

 coniaion apphcation of it is saUin^:, to use instead 

 of bacon. The provincial asseinblics of France 

 have employed smufiglers to o;et (badly chosen) 

 Entjiish sheep. Half the kinirs in Europe have 

 done the same, to jjet Spanish sheep; both very 

 wisely; I hope your American assendilies vviii be 

 equally wise, and take care that the Ibod produced 

 in the state is applied to the breeds that will pay 

 best for it. 



We miiy thus compare Entrland and Arnerica, 

 pupposinrr" 300 acres bought and farmed by the 

 purchaser. 



ENGLAND. 



Produce of 300 acres, five 

 rents, at 12s. or SI. - 



Deduct: 



£. s. d. 

 900 



£. s. d. 

 ijand-tax 8s. in the pound, 



at a 4s. cess on 180Z. 27 



Rates 4s. 6d. - - 40 10 



Tithe 4s. 6d* - - 40 10 



Roads - . - 3 10 



Assessed taxes - - 8 



114 10 



£785 10 



Deduct further: 



Labor - - - 150 



Interest of 5040Z. at five 



percent. - - 252 



Interest 1200L former's ca- 

 pital - - - 60 



462 



Nett £ 323 10 



51. 3s. per cent, on 6240Z. 



Repairs [of houses] supposed the same with 

 both, and therelbre, omitted. But quere — Mr. 

 Jefi'erson's Virginia, p. 258, where he says they 

 are built so badly as to last only 50 years: ours last 

 160 years of wood, and much longer if of brick. 



A3IERI0A. 



Produce of 300 acres, sup- 

 posed the same as in 

 England, but the price 

 as 7| 10 11 - 



Deduct: 



9. d. 



613 







£. 



Taxes 7d. per acre - 8 



Labor at cent, per cent, 

 higher than England 300 



Interest of 1051/. at five 

 per cent, the purchase of 

 300 acres at SI. 16s. 9d. 52 11 



Interest of 900Z. farmer's 



* On an average this would be too low; and if gath- 

 ered, it would be 901. 



capital, at SI. per acre, or 

 20s. less than Enurland 45 







406 6 



£206 14 



Nett - - . - . 

 10/. lis. percent, on 1951/. 



Quere — If labor should be reckoned so high 

 as 300/. But note, that the actual labor in Ame- 

 rica in amount, must not be regarded, unless, you 

 take Americnn products, which are very much 

 below ours. I have supposed the American land 

 as good, and the produce as large as in England; 

 consequently as much labor. The prices sent, of 

 oxen, cows, sheep, &c. justily the lowering the 

 stock of American farms 20s. an acre; but it will 

 not justify it, if they are not as well built, and in- 

 closed as in England, which I suppose them to be, 

 estimating the purchase of our land not at 10/. 

 16s. but at 16/. 16s. an acre. I have supposed 

 very good husbandry in England at five rents; 

 but then I give America the equal advantage of 

 it, by allowing her the same. 



The error, if there is one, I conjecture to be, 

 supposmg the whole American farm, what the 

 Sutfolk one must be, all cultivated at a good price 

 per acre ; whereas it is obvious that the great 

 profit to be derived from agriculture in America, ig 

 to have 1000, 1500 or 2000 acres of waste adjoin- 

 ing to such a larm, which waste should be, by 

 very simple methods, converted to sheep walk, 

 and so made the dunghill for the cultivated land. 

 In such case, the rent of that waste would be the 

 interest of the money it would sell for; as the 

 country is peopled, the rent so estimated would 

 gradually rise, till at last it would answer no lon- 

 ger to adhere to such a destination. The object 

 is very important to convert wood to profit at 

 small expense. I have grubbed several acres, the 

 expense 10/. an acre; but the wood pays: with 

 labor cent, per cent, higher, and wood of no value, 

 wood land thus acquired, would be dearer near 

 51. per acre than land improved, cultivated, and 

 built, in England. 



The return of a sheep in England, weight alive 

 1501b. may be estimated at 10s. besides keepmg 

 up or renovating the stock: mutton at 5c?. and 

 wool at 9d. long, or Is. 3d. short (9c/. producing 

 more money than Is. Sd). In America, mutton 

 at S^d. and wool at Is. a sheep ought to yield 

 7s. 6f/. Suppose 1000 acres bought for 1000/. and 

 feeding 1000 sheep only, yielding 7s. 6d. each, or 

 even but 5s. and here is a profit at once arising, 

 such as in England we know nothing of: but 

 from all accounts, this is not the husbandry, and 

 therefore I suppose a market impracticable. 



England per cent, on capital. 

 Ditto, nett profit. 



America, 

 Ditto, nett. 



£ 15 11 



Team, seed, wear and tear, reckoned to neither 

 of these, will reduce the interest on the Englisb 

 capital to about 5| per cent. 



BradfieU-Hall, Jan. 18, 1792. 



