AN ENQUIRY. 3? 



Value of all Agricultueal Pkoducts. 



Auotlier fact of interest is that wliereas in 1812 

 the total value of the agricultural and pastoral 

 products of the United Kingdom is placed at 

 260 millions sterling by Colquhouu, and in 1820 

 at 2-50 millions sterling by Spackman, the value, 

 as taken out by Mr. Mulhall in 1889 was prac- 

 tically the same as at the latter period, namely, 

 251 millions sterling. Again, Mr. Caird (after- 

 wards Sir James Caird) estimated the value in 

 1878 at 2G0 millions ; and Mulhall, in 1895, esti- 

 mated the value at 2o0 millions. 



These figures, at the best, go to show that 

 whilst the total value of the products of our 

 farming have been more or less the same during 

 a period of 813 j^ears, the character of the farming 

 has been enormously altered from arable to pas- 

 t>»ral, and the rural population has, at the same 

 time, enormously decreased. 



Milling. 



There is not a county in England but in which 

 it used to be common to find " the miller and his 

 merry men." 



To-day, however, scores and scores of mills in 

 every county have been closed, owing to the fact 

 that there is no work for the men or for the 

 masters, Avho formerh^ had the carrjdng on of the 

 local industry of milling. 



Less than forty years since nearly the whole 

 flour used in this country was manufactured from 

 the wheat bv the British miller, and at the same 

 period we were also exporters; but nowadays, in 



