Dec. 1894.] GENERAL AGRICULTURAL NOTES. 229 



Harvest Wages, 1894. 



District. 



Number 

 of Farms 

 included 

 in 



Returns. 



1 



1 Number of Men employed 

 (exclusive of yearly paid 

 Servants and of casual 

 Men employed for a few 

 days only). 



Average Earnings per 

 Month of 26 working Days 

 during Corn Harvest 1894, 

 for the Number of Men 

 in preceding Columns. 





Regular Men 



{ but not 

 yearly Men). 



Extra Men. 



Regular Men. 



Extra Men. 



5 Northern Coauties - 



3 Midland „ 



5 Eastern „ 



5 Home 



5 Western „ 



17 

 4 



33 

 7 

 7 



136 

 31 

 554 

 103 

 74 



75 

 6 

 56 

 63 



£ s. d. 

 4 7 9 

 7 4 4 

 6 11 1 



4 11 4 



5 6 5 



£ s. d. 



3 16 3 : 



4 16 4 

 7 4 2. 

 4 10 1 ' 



Total and average - 



68 



898 



200 



5 18 5 



5 0 3 



It is observed that, in the North of England, the harvest 

 wages are usually lower than in the other districts. This is 

 partly because the north country labourer usually gets more 

 perquisites, such as food, drink, and lodging, partly because 

 the harvest is not usually undertaken by piece-work, and partly 

 because he receives a higher and more uniform rate of wage 

 throughout the year, which is supposed to represent a sufficient 

 remuneration for any arduous services he may be called upon to 

 perform at special seasons. 



In the districts of Cambridgeshire, from which returns were 

 received, the cost of harvest is said to have been unusually high, 

 owing to the heavy crop being much laid by storms. Par- 

 ticulars are given in the report showing the cost of harvesting-in 

 the March district to have amounted to 19.s. lOd. per acre. 



In his October report Mr. Wilson Fox states that during that 

 month employment had been generally obtained by agricultural 

 labourers, owing to the heavy root crop, and also to there being 

 a good deal of threshing work. It seems, however, that more 

 men were in irregular work throughout the country in October 

 1894 than in the corresponding month of 1893. 



In the North of England, where the number of odd men is 

 comparatively small, owing to the hiring system, work was 

 regular in Northumberland, Westmoreland, Cumberland^ Cheshire, 

 Yorkshire, and Derbyshire, but a few men in irregular work were 

 reported in certain districts in W^estmorland, Lancashire, and 

 Yorkshire. 



In the Midlands, some men were in want of work in North- 

 amptonshire and Huntingdonshire, but generally employment in 

 those counties and in Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Worcester- 

 shire, and Rutland is said to have been satisfactory. 



In the Home Counties of Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckingham- 

 shire, Kent, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Sussex, and Surrey^ 



