1908.] Agricultural Labour in England. 217 



Hops in Bohemia. — The Board have received through the Foreign Office a report 

 from the British Consul at Prague stating that the hop plants in Bohemia have come 

 through the winter well, in spite of the light covering of snow. At the beginning of 

 May pruning was nearly finished. In the Saaz district the area under cultivation is 

 undiminished, in the Annhaer district it has decreased by 6 to 8 per cent., and the 

 Dauba district by 20 to 25 per cent. It is estimated that in the country as a whole, 

 die cultivation of this crop will be reduced by 2\ to 3 per cent. There are very few 

 hops remaining from last year. 



Hops 011 the Pacific Coast. — The British Consul at Portland, Oregon (Mr. James 

 Laidlaw), in a despatch dated 8th May, received through the Foreign Office, states that 

 according to the latest reports, many of the smaller hop growers have either ploughed 

 up their yards or left them uncultivated, reducing the acreage in Oregon between 5,000 

 and 6,000 acres, and in Washington about 2,500 acres. This represents a reduction of 

 abjut 22 per cent. 



The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries have been furnished 

 by the Board of Trade with the following report, based on about 

 212 returns from correspondents in 

 Agricultural Labour various districts on the demand for 

 in England agricultural labour in May : — 



during May. Agricultural employment was generally regular 



throughout May, except that day labourers in certain 

 ■districts lost a little time in the early part of the month through rain. Hoeing and 

 weeding, potato planting, preparing the land for root crops and sowing spring corn 

 -caused a fairly good demand for this class of labour, which was usually fully met. A 

 scarcity of men for permanent situations was reported from several districts. 



Northern Counties. — Correspondents in Northumberland^ Cumberland and 

 Westmorland report that employment was generally regular throughout May, and the 

 •demand for extra labour was fairly good. Employment for day labourers was slightly 

 interrupted by wet weather in Lancashire. In Yorkshire also day labourers lost a 

 little time on account of the wet weather ; men of this class were in demand in certain 

 ■districts for preparing the land for green crops, hoeing, &c. There was some scarcity 

 of men for permanent situations in this county. 



Midland Counties. — Rain caused a little loss cf time to day labourers in Cheshire. 

 In Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire employment was generally regular, and the supply 

 •of labour about equal to the demand. There was a fair demand for extra labour in 

 Leicestershire, as farmwork was somewhat behindhand ; men for permanent situations 

 were reported as rather scarce. Day labourers in Staffordshire and Shropshire were 

 in somewhat irregular employment at the beginning of the month on account of rain, 

 but afterwards this class of labour was in fairly good demand for such work as hoeing 

 •corn, potato planting, preparing the land for root crops, and sheep shearing. There 

 was generally a full demand for day labourers in Worcestershire and Warwickshire, 

 with an adequate supply ; men for permanent situations were rather scarce in the 

 latter county. Wet weather caused some interruption to employment in Northampton- 

 shire and Oxfordshire, where, when the weather permitted, hoeing, threshing, and 

 other work generally provided sufficient employment for extra labour. A demand for 

 shepherds, wagoners, and cowmen is reported from the Wellingborough ' Union 

 •( Northamptonshire). Employment was fairly regular in Buckinghamshire. Extra 

 labour was in some demand for hoeing and threshing in Hertfordshire. In Bedford- 

 shire wet weather caused day labourers to be in irregular employment during the early 

 part of the month ; the supply of this class of labour was generally balanced by the 

 •demand. 



