966 



Agricultural Labour in January. [feb., 



Sweden (month of December). 

 Anthrax, Blackleg. 



Switzerland (for the period January i$th — 21st). 



Anthrax, Blackleg, Foot-and-Mouth Disease (143 "Stables" entail- 

 ing 2,176 animals, of which 34 "Stables" were declared during 

 the period), Swine Fever. 



The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries have been furnished by the 

 Board of Trade with the following report, based on returns from 

 correspondents in various districts, on the de- 

 Agricultural I abour mand for agricultural labour in January : — 

 in England Outdoor employment was hindered by bad 



during January. weather in January, and labourers not 

 attached to the staff of a farm lost time in 

 consequence. There was the usual seasonal slackness in the demand 

 for such extra men, and though the supply was also more limited 

 than usual, a surplus was reported in a number of districts. Their 

 w^ork chiefly consisted in threshing, hedging, and carting and spreading 

 manure. 



Northern Counties. — There was but little employment for extra 

 labourers in these counties during January. The number of such 

 men who sought work was also small, and, apart from several days 

 on which outdoor work was stopped by bad weather, generally about 

 balanced the demand. An excess in the supply was, however, reported 

 in the Stockton-on-Tees (Durham), West Ward ( Westmorland), and 

 Leyburn, Pickering, and Sherburn (Yorkshire) Rural Districts. 



Midland Counties. — Rain and snow interrupted the employment 

 of extra labourers somewhat considerably in these counties. When 

 the weather permitted there was a moderate demand for men for 

 such work as hedging and ditching, repairing fences, threshing, and 

 carting manure, but the supply was in many cases in excess of 

 requirements. 



Eastern Counties. — A good deal of time was lost by extra labourers 

 employed at threshing. The partial failure of the root crops was 

 further accountable for irregularity of employment for extra men, 

 particularly in Norfolk and Suffolk, where the supply was in excess 

 of the demand in many districts. 



Southern and South-Western Counties.- — Extra labourers were in 

 moderate demand for threshing, hedging, ditching, draining and 

 manuring land, but their employment was generally somewhat irregular. 

 An excess of such men was reported from several districts in Surrey 

 and Hampshire, and also from the Chailey (Sussex) and Westbury 

 and Cricklade (Wiltshire) Rural Districts; certain correspondents 

 referred to the demand for extra men in their districts being 

 smaller than usual on account of the forward state of farm work. 

 Men for permanent situations were still reported as scarce in the 

 Godstone (Surrey), the Stow-on -the- Wold and Thornbury (Gloucester- 

 shire), and the South Molton (Devon) Rural Districts. 



