The Labour Bill in Farming. 
73 
employ them only in other ways. For example : " Forty years 
V ago," writes Mr. Mathew, of Knettishall, near Harling, " six 
men upon this farm did nothing but thresh corn from harvest 
till June 1st in the succeeding year. Now I do not use a flail 
, at all, and still I employ more men than were employed here forty 
I years ago, though I grow no more corn : indeed the acreage of 
corn is now rather less than it was then. Machinery does not 
lessen the demand for manual labour, but diverts it into other 
channels. In some districts the value of labour used to be cal- 
culated by the price of wheat ; and the price of one bushel of 
wheat, added to half-a-crown, was the weekly wage paid for an 
adult labourer. Thus, when wheat was selling at 305. per coomb 
(4 bushels), the wages would be lO*. a week. During the 
Crimean war, wheat rose to 445. per coomb, and the farmers in 
my parish then advanced wages to \?>s. per week. At that time 
■a. great many men were out of work." 
The following is the Labour Account upon a Light-land Farm 
in Suffolk, containing 367 acres arable land, 23 acres pasture, and 
37 acres sheep walk : — 
Date in 
May. 
Daily Wage of 
able Men. 
Amount paid for 
Labour annually. 
Cost of Labour per 
acre upon 400 
acres.' 
e. 
d. 
£ 
s. 
d. 
1847 
2 
0 
565 
15 
6 
1848 
1 
8 
623 
8 
5 
1849 
1 
6 
557 
6 
9 
1850 
1 
6 
535 
7 
8 
1851 
1 
4 
507 
2 
3 
1852 
1 
4 
494 
19 
6 
1853 
1 
6 
526 
0 
8 
1854 
2 
0 
660 
8 
4 
1855 
2 
0 
676 
19 
5 
1856 
2 
0 
757 
11 
11 
1857 
1 
10 
692 
13 
10 
1858 
1 
8 
674 
6 
2 
1859 
1 
8 
647 
4 
4 
1860 
1 
8 
696 
18 
8 
1861 
1 
10 
727 
3 
9 
1862 
1 
10 
689 
19 
4 
1863 
1 
8 
689 
14 
5 
1864 
1 
8 
638 
0 
6 
1865 
1 
8 
605 
16 
10 
1866 
1 
8 
640 
16 
0 
1867 
1 
10 
681 
2 
11 
1868 
2 
0 
721 
19 
2 
1869 
1 
8 
652 
0 
9 
1870 
I 
8 
616 
13 
9 
1871 
1 
8 
618 
15 
7 
1872 
2 
0 
694 
10 
4 
1873 
2 
2 
700 
18 
5 
1874 
2 
2 
719 
12 
7 
£ s. d. 
1 7 101 
3* 
1 14 Ih 
I 16 41 
1 10 
1 12 1 
1 15 0] 
* This calculation allows a little labour for the sheep-walk. 
