British Aginculture. 
281 = i5 
me. The information is collected by the constabulary, a 
emi-military loice, stationed in all parts of the country, and 
arranged by the Registrar-General, and annually printed. 
Not for twenty years afterwards were there any complete 
turns from Great Britain. After long perseverance I suc- 
eded in obtaining a Resolution of the House of Commons in 
vour of the collection of agricultural statistics, which was in 
onsequence carried out for the first time in 1867, the coUec- 
on of the returns being made by the officers of Inland Revenue, 
nd their arrangement for publication by the Statistical Depart- 
ent of the Board of Trade. The experience gained by ten 
ears' repetition of the various inquiries has created such a fund 
local knowledjre amons: the officers of the Inland Revenue 
at there can now be no doubt entertained of the substantial 
curacy of the returns. Minute accuracy is not expected or Their accmacj 
quired, but the comparisons from year to year show the relative sufficient for 
X ' ^ , , pructicul us6> 
ccuracy obtained to be sufficient for all practical purposes. 
It appears from these returns that though there was an excep- Their main 
onal decrease in the acreage of wheat in 1876, arising from the features. 
eat floods in the autumn seed-time of 1875, which prevented a 
nsiderable proportion of the land being sown, no great change 
as occurred during the past ten years in the production of wheat 
Great Britain. It has somewhat diminished in England and 
rgely in Ireland, but the diminution is quite made up by a 
orresponding increase in barley. Oats remain much the same, 
nd the total extent of arable is very slightly altered. 
The permanent pasture during the same period has increase/l Increase of 
per cent., no doubt from the increased cost of labour and the l'^^*''^'^^- 
adual rise in the value of live-stock and its produce. This 
crease of 8 per cent., amounting to nearly one million acres, 
ot having diminished the extent of corn, must represent an 
dition of that breadth gained by reclamation during the ten 
ears ; and, as some considerable extent of land is yearly taken 
cm cultivation by the increase of towns and the construction of 
ew railroads, this shows an important gain by agricultural 
nterprise. 
The general extent of green crops has very slightly altered in 
e ten years, potatoes alone showing some diminution. A large 
crease, however, in the proportion of mangold is shown by a Increase of the 
se of 100,000 acres more than in 1867. This is a root-crop mangold crop, 
culiarly well suited to the deep soils and dry and warm 
imate of the south-east and southern counties ; and its keeping 
ropenies, continuing well into the following summer, are a 
reat recommendation to the stock farmer. A rise of 40 per 
nt. in the breadth cultivated, within so short a period as ten 
ears, is a convincing proof that the great value of this plant 
