Agricultural Labour in April. 



[may, 



is, however, very general mention of a scarcity of clover plants (except 

 in Scotland) ; and sainfoin also appears to be a thin or weak crop. 

 Pastures were everywhere short of grass at the middle of April, and 

 live stock out at grass consequently did not thrive particularly well; 

 an this case" also, however, the rains and more genial temperature at 

 the close induced growth and a general improvement. 



Except in the hilly districts, lambing is mostly now finished in 

 England. In the central belt of England the fall of lambs has hardly 

 been over average, while the severe weather at the beginning seems to 

 "have caused somewhat heavier losses than usual among ewes or 

 lambs. In the lowlands of the north of England, Wales, and in 

 Scotland, the fall of lambs is about average or in some places more, 

 •especially in Scotland. In the hills, lambing is mostly just beginning, 

 and it is too early to report anything definite ; but where it is more 

 advanced in the north of England, moorland ewes are reported to be 

 "lambing indifferently, and there is considerable mortality. 



The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries have been furnished by the 

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

 Agricultural Labour ^pondents in various districts, on the demand 

 . for agricultural labour in April : — 



in .bngiana Agricultural employment was generally 



during April. regular throughout April, and there was a 



fair demand for men outside the regular farm staff for such work as 

 hoeing, carting manure, preparing the land for root crops, planting 

 .potatoes and threshing. The supply of such men was usually sufficient 

 for the demand, but mention of a surplus in the reports was excep- 

 tional. Men for permanent situations, especially where the work 

 involved Sunday duty, were again reported as scarce in parts of the 

 Midland, and more particularly the Southern and South- Western 

 •Counties. 



Northern Counties. — There was not much demand for extra labourers 

 in Northumberland and Durham, but outside these counties such men 

 were generally in fairly good demand, though their employment was 

 somewhat interrupted by bad weather in the western districts. With 

 the exception of the Bridlington and Norton Rural Districts in York- 

 shire, where a surplus of extra labourers was reported, the supply of 

 these men was usually balanced by the demand in the districts 

 reported on. There was a surplus of men for permanent situations in 

 the Patrington Rural District (Yorkshire). No general change in wages 

 was reported at the hiring fairs for farm servants which took place in 

 Durham. 



Midland Counties. — Extra labourers in these counties were usually 

 in regular employment, though some men lost a little time at the end 

 of the month through rain. The principal operations at which such 

 men were employed were carting manure, threshing, hoeing, planting 

 potatoes, and cleaning the land for root crops. Some scarcity of men 

 for permanent situations was again reported in several districts. 



Eastern Counties. — -There was a fairly good demand on the whole 

 for extra labourers in these counties, which arose chiefly from such 

 work as hoeing, cleaning fallows for turnips and mangolds, carting 



