in Northumberland and Durham in 1887. 
623 
accounts show a profit greater than the average, they are given 
in detail for the purpose of comparison. (See page 625.) * 
These accounts are most interesting and instructive. A few 
comments upon them mav be permitted. The amount paid to 
labourers has been almost exactly 1/. an acre, but as will be 
seen hereafter, the entire cost of labour is not covered by this 
sum. The expenditure on artificial manure and cake has 
averaged nearly 25s. an acre. The receipts for Cattle, Sheep 
and Pigs, with Dairy produce, amount to 2851/. a year after 
deducting purchases, or 31. 15s. Ad. an acre over the whole 
farm. During the last two years they have averaged 41. 8s. 6d. 
an acre. The receipts for Poultry figure as a considerable 
item in the accounts of recent years. In these ten years' 
accounts we have the materials for estimating the average value 
per acre of the produce of the farm from its own resources : — 
£ £ 
The gross receipts are 6747*8 
The purchases of manure are 259 "2 
„ „ food „ .. .. 758 "7 
keeping „ 23-8 
fThe deterioration in vahie of stock . . . . 137 • 7 
1179-4 
The purchase of live-stock 2898 '3 
4077-7 
Balance £2670-1 
This, on 757 acres, gives for every acre a sum of 31. 10s. Qd. 
to be divided amongst the landlord, ttie farmer, the labourer 
and the tradesman. We have already seen that the labourer 
has got more than II. of this. It appears that the farmer got 
only 12s. 3^?. of it. 
It is certainly curious to find the profits of the last year so 
far above the average, notwithstanding the low prices of meat 
* An explanation of the third column of figures in the table on page 624 
is perhaps required. The question is frequently asked what proportion of the 
receipts of the farmer is expended in rent, labour, &c. Now in order to bring 
breeding and fattening farms to a level, it is necessary to deduct the purchases 
of live-stock from the sales — otherwise a farm which is self-maintained will show 
a much smaller total of receipts, and consequently a larger proportionate expendi- 
ture. In this case, if gross receipts be taken, rent, rates, &c., only represent 17 
per cent, instead of the traditional one-third, or if gross expenditure be taken, 
gross rent is 18 per cent, of it. A breeding farm for which no live-stock was 
purchased might produce as much meat, but the receipts would only appear as 
3849/., and the rental would in that case absorb nearly 30 per cent, of the 
receipts. By deducting the cost of purchased stock from the value of stock sold, 
we arrive at the value of that produced on the farm. 
This may, however, include depreciation in value of dead stock. 
