222 
The Past Agricultural Year. 
into a meadow, more than half of which had repeatedly been 
flooded by the Avon : they remained there until the middle of 
November, weie then put to roots, sold in January at 74s. 9rf. 
each, and proved when killed to be perfectly sound. It must 
not be supposed that because dry food and salt saved these 
sheep, where upon the grass alone they would certainly have 
become rotten, that such food is to be relied upon with entire 
confidence if sheep are allowed to go upon meadows which have 
'been entirely under water — in this case half of the meadow had 
been free from floods. It only goes to prove that such treatment 
will prevent the disease upon any land where men of common 
prudence would usually allow sheep to graze, but where in 1879 
they became rotten. No grass-land in the Midland Counties 
was safe. 
" Enough has been said of the farming here ; there are neigh- 
bouring farms of lighter land in good condition, the occupiers 
of which I doubt not can show more satisfactory results. They 
have escaped serious loss ; but profits of farming in 1879 we do 
not hear of ; throughout the whole of this district the reverse 
is very generally unquestionable and to very serious amounts. 
The deficiency in the harvest would vary from 20 per cent, 
upon the best lands to 50 per cent, upon clay-lands, which, 
from previous unfavourable seasons and other causes, were in 
bad condition. Roots were generally less than half a crop, and 
the preparation for another wheat-crop was deplorable. While 
on the grass-lands hay was injured, feeding-cattle, unless aided 
by oil-cake, did not get fat. Dairy-cows milked badly and 
became very poor, young stock did not grow, and, to crown this 
list of disasters, sheep are rotten to a fearful extent. The only 
redeeming feature in the weather of 1879 was the dry autumn, 
which rendered it possible to sow more land with wheat than 
there had before been any hope of doing ; but the prospect of 
the condition of the land when the wheat comes off is not 
cheering. Taken altogether, the season of 1879 was by far the 
worst of the last half-century." 
Mr. Charles Whitehead's land lies on the other side of the 
island. Kent is dryer, whether in wet seasons or in dry, than 
Worcestershire. The district, too, from which Mr. Whitehead 
writes is one of freer soil than that of Chadbury. It will be 
seen, however, that the difficulties of the season have been as 
great in the one county as the other. Mr. Whitehead says : — 
" With regard to the question submitted to me as to the 
effect of the severe winter and very wet spring and summer of 
this year upon agriculture in this district, west of Maidstone, in 
Mid Kent — (1) As to the health of the live-stock of the farm, 
