372 HIGH FARMING, 1837-1874 



British corn. Wool maintained an extraordinarily high price. 

 Lincoln wool, for instance, rose from 13d. per Ib. in 1851 to 27d. 

 in 1864. Even when corn began to decline in value, meat and dairy 

 produce maintained their price, or even advanced. Money was 

 poured into land as the best investment for capital. Men like Mechi 

 of Tiptree Hall, who had made fortunes in trade, competed for farms, 

 and became enthusiastic exponents of their theories of scientific 

 agriculture. Rentals rose rapidly ; yet still farmers made money. 

 Holdings were enlarged and consolidated ; farmhouses became 

 labourers' cottages ; a brisk trade was carried on in machinery. 

 High hopes were entertained of steam. Enormous and, as has since 

 been proved, excessive sums were spent on farm buildings. Drainage 

 was carried out extensively, and it was now that the general level 

 of farming rose rapidly towards the best standard of individual 

 farmers in 1837. Crops reached limits which production has never 

 since exceeded, and probably, so far as anything certain can be 

 predicted of the unknown, never will exceed. 



During the period from 1853 to 1874 little attention was in 

 England paid to improvements in dairying. But in live-stock 

 progress was great and continuous. The advance was the more 

 remarkable as it was made in the face of outbreaks of the rinderpest, 

 pleuro-pneumonia, and foot-and-mouth diseases. Foot-and-mouth 

 disease had been more or less prevalent since 1839, and pleuro- 

 pneumonia since 1840. But the scourge of rinderpest in 1865, 

 commonly called the cattle-plague, compelled energetic action. 1 

 In stamping out the pest the two other diseases were nearly ex- 

 tinguished, so that good results flowed from a disaster which caused 

 widespread ruin. The multiplication of shows encouraged com- 

 petition ; stock-breeding became a fashion, and " pedigree " a 

 mania among men of wealth. 



It was in cattle and sheep that the improvement was most clearly 

 marked, though neither horses nor pigs were neglected. Not only 

 did Shorthorns, Herefords, and Devons attain the highest standard 



1 In the week ended Feb. 24, 1866, 17,875 cattle were returned as infected 

 by the disease. The Cattle Diseases Prevention Act, dated Feb. 20, 1866, 

 made the slaughter of diseased animals compulsory. The effect was seen at 

 once. In the week ending March 3, 1866, 10,971 cattle were attacked, and 

 in the week ending March 10, 10,056 were killed. At the end of April the 

 weekly tables showed 4,442 attacked ; towards the end of May, 1,687 ; in 

 the last week of June, 338. In the last week of the year the number had 

 dwindled to 8. Appendix I. to Report on Cattle Plague during the years 1865, 

 1866, 1867 (Parliamentary Paper of 1868, Cd. 4060), p. 4. 



