792 Agricultural Labour in England. [Dec, 



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 demand for agricultural 

 labour in November : — 



Labourers outside the regular farm staff were chiefly required for 

 harvesting the root crops, potato-lifting, threshing, hedging, and ditch- 

 ing. The partial failure of the root crops, 

 Agricultural Labour and the forward state of farm work generally 

 in England were the cause of a reduced demand for such 



during November. men in most districts, and in a number of 

 districts a surplus in the supply was reported. 

 The loss of a little time by extra men, particularly threshers, on account 

 of rain, was reported in many parts of the country. 



Northern Counties. — There was only a moderate demand on the 

 whole for extra labourers in these counties. Rain interfered with out- 

 door work in a number of districts, and employment was also adversely 

 affected by the partial failure of the root crops. Some surplus of 

 extra men was reported in Cumberland, the Clitheroe Rural 

 District in Lancashire, and the Pickering, Sherburn, and 

 Wetherby Rural Districts in Yorkshire. No change in the wages of 

 farm servants was reported at the November hiring fairs in North- 

 umberland and Durham. Correspondents in Cumberland and West- 

 morland reported a downward movement in wages at the Martinmas 

 hirings, on account of the forward state of farm work, the reductions 

 varying from about £i to £2 for the half-year. Wages were also 

 reported as slightly lower in Lancashire. At the Yorkshire hirings 

 there was on the whole little change in wages, with, however, a 

 slightly downward tendency. 



Midland Counties. — Extra labourers were chiefly required for getting 

 up the root crops and potatoes, threshing, hedging, and ditching. Rain 

 caused some little loss of time in certain districts, and in many cases 

 there was a restricted demand for extra men on account of the poor 

 root crops. The supply of such men was quite sufficient, and there 

 was some surplus in several districts, including the Chesterfield (Derby- 

 shire), Tamworth (Staffordshire), Upton-on-Severn and Pershore (Wor- 

 cestershire), Banbury and Crowmarsh (Oxfordshire), and Watford, 

 (Hertfordshire) Rural Districts. 



Eastern Counties. — Harvesting the root crops, threshing, hedging, 

 and ditching provided a fair amount of employment in many districts 

 for extra labourers. The supply of and demand for men were gener- 

 ally about equal, but in some districts, particularly in Norfolk and 

 Suffolk, extra men were in somewhat irregular work on account of the 

 failure of the root crops. 



Southern and South-W ester n Counties. — Rain caused some loss of 

 time to extra labourers in Kent, Surrey, and Sussex, while elsewhere J 

 in this group of counties, apart from an occasional interruption to 

 threshing, employment was not generally affected by the weather. The 

 demand for extra men was, however, generally speaking, reduced by 

 the forward state of farm work, and some surplus of men was reported 

 in certain districts in Hampshire, and in the Faversham (Kent), the | 

 Wincanton (Somerset), Cirencester (Gloucestershire), South Molton 



