288 HISTORY OF AGRICULTURE 



It appeared as if the abolition of the Corn Laws was not to 

 have any great effect after all. 



Now at last the great body of farmers began to approach 

 the standard set them long before by the more energetic and 

 enterprising. Early maturity in finishing live stock for the 

 market by scientific feeding probably added a fourth to their 

 weight. The produce of crops per acre grew, and drainage 

 and improvements were carried out on all sides, the greatest 

 improvement being made in the cultivation and management 

 of strong lands, of which drainage was the foundation, and en- 

 abled the occupier to add swedes to his course of cropping.^ 



It was in this period that Shorthorns, Herefords, and Devons 

 attained a standard of excellence which has made them sought 

 after by the whole world ; and other breeds were perfected, 

 the Sussex and Aberdeen Angus especially ; while in sheep 

 the improvement was perhaps even greater.^ The improved 

 Lincolns, Oxford Downs, Hampshire Downs, and Shropshires 

 took their place as standard breeds at this period. In 1866, 

 after many years of expectation and disappointment, agri- 

 culturists were furnished with statistics which are trustworthy 

 for practical purpose, but are somewhat vitiated by the fact 

 that the live stock census was taken on March 5. which 

 obviously omitted a large number of young stock ; so that 

 those for 1867, when the census was taken on June 25, are 

 better for purposes of comparison with those of subsequent 

 years, when the census has been taken on June 4 or 5. 

 Between 1867 and 1878 the cattle in England and Wales 

 had increased from 4,013,564 to 4,642,641, though sheep had 

 diminished from 22,025,498 to 21,369,810.^ The total acreage 

 under cultivation had increased from 25,451,526 acres to 

 27,164,326 acres in the same period. 



There was, however, one black shadow in this fair picture: 



^ R. A. S.E. Journal, \d,s(>,T^. 60. ^ Ibid. 190 1, p. 30. See below, p. 343. 



^ Board of Agriculture Returns, 1878, and R. A. S.E. Journal, 1868, 

 p. 239. Young estimated the number of cattle in England in 1770 at 

 2,852,048, including 684,491 draught cattle. — Eastern Tour, iv. 456. 



