66 AGRICULTURAL DEPRESSION 



25s, tithes, rates, and taxes at 7.s 6d, interest on capital 

 at los, is put at £"] 2s 6d. 



The average market value of an acre of wheat, during 

 the fourteen years from 1880 to 1893 inclusive, has been 

 found to be £'j 2s 4d, and of barley £7 13s 9d. The 

 aveage value of straw of all kinds has been £\ 19s 3d. 

 For T892 and 1893 the acre of wheat fetched only ^3 14s 

 and £/\. 19s, and the straw of all kinds for those 

 years fetched £2 12s 6d, and £2 8s 4d. In 1892 there 

 would therefore be a loss of i6s, even with the straw sold 

 off, and in 1893 the profit would be only 4s lod per acre. 

 In 1894 there would be a loss on wheat of over 30s, and 

 probably a slight loss on barley. 



A Wiltshire farmer of experience gives the cost 

 of a four-course rotation as follows; Roots, £^ los 3d, 

 clover, £2 9s 3d, wheat or oats, £6 os 3d, barley, 

 ;^4 6s 9d. This is taking rent at 12s 6d and making 

 no allowing for tenants' interest or depreciation.^ 



In Dorsetshire, the cost of the four courses is put by a 

 competent farmer at £\Z\ the returns, taking straw at 

 consuming value, are only ;^i6 13s. This works out at 

 a loss of 6s 9d an acre per annum on average arable 

 land without allowing for rent* 



Three estimates in Dorset for an acre of wheat are — 

 £^ 9s, with rent at 30s, and no interest on tenant's 

 capital ; £7 19s, rent at 25s ; and "after two years lay," 

 £^ los, with rent at 15s. 



In Norfolk the estimate of experienced agents and 

 valuers is £^ 8s for an acre of wheat — rent, tithe, rates 

 and taxes taken at 25s; while two "of the best known 

 farmers" put it at £h^ rent, etc., being put at £\ 7s 6d. 

 Estimates collected by the Norfolk Chamber of Agri- 

 culture, put the cost of wheat or barley at ;^4 8s 4d, 

 exclusive of rent, tithe, rates and taxes, and also ex- 

 cluding, as the two estimates above do, allowance for 

 interest on tenants' capital. 



Returns were obtained by the same chamber for 1894 

 from 47,000 acres of land, producing wheat and oats 

 rather over the average, and barley just under average, 



^ Rew, Salisbury Plain, p. 8. ^ Rew, Dorset, p. 10. 



