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British Agriculture. 
agriculture, will be treated in greater detail. The practice of 
agriculture, the characteristic crops and breeds of cattle and 
their management, and the system of cultivation, will be de- 
scribed, and the aids which chemistry and mechanics in recent 
times have afforded to the cultivation of the soil and the rearing 
and feeding of live-stock. 
CHAPTER I. 
Home and Foeeign Supply of Food. 
Value of cereal 
and animal 
food imported 
from abroad. 
Rapid rise in 
value of meat, 
the compara- 
tively high 
price of which 
jiays for long 
transport. 
One of the most important functions of Government is to 
take care that there shall be no hindrance to the people sup- 
plying themselves with food and clothing, which are the first 
necessaries of life. And as these are, in one form or another, 
annual products of the earth, dependent for their abundance on 
the skill, capital and labour employed in its cultivation, much of 
the safety and welfare of a country arises from the condition of its 
agriculture. That of England has attained an exceptionally high 
productiveness. The best of our land has long been occupied, 
and, though there is yet much of the inferior class that admits ol 
improvement, it has become our interest as a nation to lool< 
also for further supplies from the broader and richer lands o 
other countries, which, to their advantage and ours, the beneficen 
principle of Free-trade has placed within our reach. 
The progressive increase of foreign supplies during the pas 
twenty years is marvellous, the value of foreign cereal am 
animal food imported having risen from 35,000,000/. in 1851 
to 110,000,000/. in 1876. The greatest proportional increas 
has been in the importation of animal food : living animals, fres 
and salted meat, fish, poultry, eggs, butter and cheese, whit 
in that period has risen from an annual value of seven to thirt' 
six millions sterling. More than half the farinaceous artirl 
imported, other than wheat, are used in the production of be 
and spirits. 
The imports of animal food during the first fourteen years 
free-trade were comparatively small, the difference of price he 
and in foreign countries not then affording a margin sufficient 
encouraging to justify costly arrangements of transit. But 
the price of meat in this country moved steadily up, rising ii 
few years from fivej)ence to sevenpence, nine])ence, and e\ 
a shilling a pound, enterprise with skill and capital were cal' 
into rapid action to meet the growing demand. It been 
clear that an .article so valuable could cover the cost of carri: 
for much longer distances than corn ; a pound-weight of m i 
