No. 10. 



Effect of Railways upon Agriculture. 



299 



And therefore if the charge made for the 

 conveyance of earths was very low, should 

 you think that in that particular case the 

 calcareous sand from the sea-shore might 

 be carried profitably tor considerable dis- 

 tances into the interior ? — I think so; and 

 in many in.-^tances where there are moors 

 and waste land, it would be well worth the 

 while of the proprietor, having a railway 

 passing through that district, to construct a 

 tram railway from the railway on to the 

 moor or waste land. 



Is not nitre also, and lime, in certain dis- 

 tricts, used, which might be transported 

 with advantage to great distances'! — Yes. 



You are aware of the improvements that 

 have taken place in agriculture, by the in- 

 troduction of those foreign chemical ma- 

 nures? — Yes. 



Is not the utility of them as stimulants 

 limited to a short period? — Bone-dust, which 

 is brought very extensively from the conti- 

 nent of Europe to this country, is a very 

 permanent manure. Guano is less perma- 

 nent, but it has this advantage, that it en- 

 ables the farmer to grow an extended breadth 

 of green crop, for the feeding of cattle and 

 sheep; and if the green crop is grazed, he 

 is enabled to increase the produce of his 

 farm. 



But that requires to be renewed at short 

 periods? — It requires to be renewed at 

 shorter periods than bone-dust, but it has es- 

 tablished extra stock manure upon the farm. 



But altering the earths would be a perma- 

 nent improvement of the soil ? — It would ; a 

 great deal of mossy soil, if you lay on even 

 half an inch, in some cases, of sand, or more 

 especially alluvial soil, it will render that 

 ground productive for many years. 



It is necessary, in order that those ma- 

 nures may be made extensively useful, that 

 the charges upon railroads should be very 

 low? — It is. 



You have given a calculation of the bene- 

 fit to a farm on the supposition that the rate 

 per ton shall be Id. What would the ad- 

 vantages be, supposing the rates were to be 

 reduced to one-half or one-quarter? — There 

 can be no doubt that a low rate of charge 

 would very greatly tend to the increased 

 consumption of manures, and to the trans- 

 port of earths for agricultural purposes; that 

 would give a much increased produce to the 

 land, which would enable the agriculturist 

 to furnish his commodity at a lower rate; 

 that again would increase the consumption 

 in large towns; and in manufacturing popu- 

 lations it would also create a greater traffic 

 upon the railways, and enable them still fur- 

 ther to reduce their rates; and as the hea- 

 vier articles are more consumed by the 



working classes, it would add very much to 

 their comfort ; and there are great tracts of 

 country which would be cultivated to much 

 advantage, if favoured with railway commu- 

 nication, which are now allowed to lie com- 

 paratively barren. 



Looking, therefore, to those results, ought 

 not railroads receiving high profits to be 

 obliged to extend branches laterally to dis- 

 tricts which want of communication has left 

 in comparative unproductiveness? — I think 

 so; it has occurred to me upon this point, 

 that it would be a great advantage if, by 

 some public authority, the country should be 

 divided as regards railways, into sections, so 

 that there might be systems of railways es- 

 tablished for those different sections, accord- 

 ing to their respective wants; a system so 

 established would be enabled to provide 

 branch railways into districts which could 

 not of themselves afford to pay for a rail- 

 way; they would be enabled to do that, be- 

 cause this branch, though it did not pay it 

 itself, would pay as part of a general system,, 

 in consequence of the additional traffic that 

 it would bring upon the line. 



Referring again to the benefit to agricul- 

 ture from the introduction of railways, and' 

 consequently of cheap conveyance, can you 

 give the committee any particulars of the 

 advantage of the transport of the carcasses 

 of animals, as compared with the old sys- 

 tem ? — Without a railroad it is impossible to 

 transport fat cattle any greater distance than 

 from 50 to 70 miles, without very great de- 

 terioration ; but railroads will afford the 

 means of transporting those cattle 300 or 

 400 miles with great advantage, and in car- 

 casses they may be transported 700 miles; 

 and in that way meat may be brought from 

 the most distant parts to populous districts at 

 a very small additional expense, which, with 

 the expense for transporting either beef or 

 mutton in the carcass, does not amount to 

 more than one-third of a penny for five hun- 

 dred miles, so that you may have meat near- 

 ly as cheap in London as you have it in In- 

 verness. There is another great advantage 

 arising from this easy and cheap mode of 

 transit; which is, that the little country 

 butchers, who purchase lots of cattle and 

 sheep for the consumption of the town or 

 village in which they may live, always find' 

 among those lots a few that are of too good' 

 a quality for the consumption of their par-- 

 ticular district; and if they are enabled tO' 

 send them to a great distance to a more- 

 wealthy part of the country, they not only- 

 supply those rich communities with the su-'- 

 perior article that they want, but they can: 

 supply it at a cheaper rate; and again, thi3= 

 enables them to sell the medium and inferior 



