349 
THE BEST MEANS OF INCREASING THE 
HOME-PRODUCTION OF BEEF. 
The mild winter of 1888-9 and the plentiful supply of keep have 
had, practically, no effect in adding to the cattle-population of 
Great Britain, the increase being only 0 - 2 per cent. Whilst 
there is scarcely any difference in the numbers in England as com- 
pared with those of last year, Wales shows a decrease, and only in 
Scotland has any progress been made. Cows and heifers in 
milk and in calf have shrunk in numbers : this is a result 
sincerely to be deplored, and one that cannot easily be reconciled 
with the general immunity from contagious diseases, though, un- 
doubtedly, there are other agencies at work which tend to retard 
the progress of rearing. 
Throughout the great dairy-districts, with which I am prac- 
tically acquainted, the development of the town milk-trade has 
been a potent means of lessening the numbers of our home-bred 
stock. The risk incurred and the personal superintendence 
necessary to attain satisfactory results were held by many to be 
too great to justify the effort, and hence they preferred to adopt 
the questionable alternative of purchasing at note (i.e., in-calf) 
rather than of raising their own stock. The general expansion 
of the milk-trade has had a further deteriorating influence 
on the returns of the dairy-farmer. Much less attention has 
been paid to the selection and use of well-bred bulls, and hence 
there is a great falling off in the quality of the young stock. 
Twelve years ago there were in my parish 160 cows, on four 
farms, that could probably not have been excelled in any one 
parish in the county, whilst well-bred bulls were kept, and the 
stock was nearly all home-reared : although we have an equal 
number of stock to-day, they are vastly inferior in quality. 
En many districts the want of sufficient and suitable buildings 
for the rearing of young stock is another formidable obstacle 
which must be grappled with. There is clearly room and to 
spare for the expansion of British agriculture, under skilful and 
intelligent direction, in the raising of home-products of a perish- 
able charactsr ; of these, milk and meat are the most important. 
Two years ago many hundreds of calves were sold in Derby 
market at 2s. 6d. to 15s. per head; to-day (May 6) they have 
made from 28s. to 60s. Now everyone is rearing, but not with 
the most satisfactory results, the mortality in many cases being 
very heavy. 
If the lands of Great Britain are stocked and cultivated or» 
rational principles, I see no fear of the land returning to a prairie 
