82 
The Labour Bill in Farming. 
of the year require the greatest amount of labour — wheat more 
than barley, mangolds more than swedes, swedes more than tur- 
nips, and turnips more than coleseed, which " may be fairly 
termed the farmer's refuge." These are the premises upon 
which Mr. Mathew justifies his conclusion that the farmer 
can carry on his business, dispensing with much labour, and 
leaving the labourer and consumer to be the chief sufferers. 
As to another course open to the farmer — to lay down more 
land in grass — he does not doubt that this may and will be 
done ; but adds, " it may increase the quantity of store cattle 
and sheep, but, I think, it will not materially increase the 
quantity of fattened sheep and cattle. In my opinion, no 
greater quantity of stock is fattened under any system of farming 
than under the old four-course system, which has stood the test 
of several generations." 
I will now give the labour outlay upon three farms in a state 
of high cultivation in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. The first 
consists of 1076 acres, of which 162 are heath, 50 pasture, and 
864 arable, the arable land comprising 384 acres of light and 
480 of strong land on chalk. The net rental received by the 
landlord (free of Property Tax) is 1477/. The gross rental 
paid by the tenant, including Land Tax, tithes, rates, and taxes, 
is 2012/. The amount distributed in cash for labour during the 
year ending Lady-day last, was 1453/. Besides this sum, the 
farmer, at harvest time, gave his men malt and hops worth 
68/. 14s. ; the harvest supper cost him 9/. 13s., and he estimates 
the beer given during the remainder of the year at 37/. 15s., 
making an addition to the labour bill of 116/. 2s., or a total of 
1569/. During the same period, the sum of 2414/. 16s. was 
spent in feed and manure, making a total outlay of close on 
6000/. The farmer here has carefully worked out his profits 
during the seven years he has cultivated his present holding, 
and, after debiting his house-keeping account fairly with every 
article of farm produce consumed, he says he has only made 
7 per cent, on the capital employed, about 9000/. I may add 
that he farms under lease, and therefore enjoys security of 
tenure. On another farm of 800 acres, rent and tithe came 
to 1130/. ; cost of labour, 1775/. This farm consists of light, 
easy working land, with only 10 acres of pasture, the remain- 
der being arable. On another farm of 370 acres (300 arable, 
mixed soil, and 70 pasture) the rental is 50s. per acre, in- 
cluding tithe and rates ; the charge for labour is 37s. Qd. per 
acre; the average earnings of the labourers are 17s. per week 
in cash, and the perquisites or extras are reckoned at about i 
3s. per acre. 
At Blennerhassett, the whimsical co-operative farm carried on 
I 
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