232 
Tlie Past Ayricultural Year. 
Cheshire. — Brassey Green, Tmyorley. 
The extraordinarily wet and cold autumn, winter and spring we experienced 
in 1879 has totally unfitted all wet and cold lands for cereal crops ; and the 
farmers in Cheshire are resolving to diminish their tillage-grounds and 
increase their pasturage. Early potatoes withstood the wet weather better 
than most other green crops. Turnips and mangolds most generally proved 
a failure ; and there were hundieds of acres prepared that could not be got 
upon to sow, which have proved a very serious loss. The losses in the early 
part of the year amongst cattle, sheep and horses were much more numerous 
than usual. But the greatest disaster which about one-fourth of the Cheshire 
dairy tarmers have recently experienced was in consequence of the great 
depi-ession of the cheese trade which took place at the close of the winter, or 
very early in the spring. 
Numbers who had been offered COs. and over for their dairies in the autumn, 
sold ultimately at 35s. and under ; and unless in better times they had laid by 
in store, they cannot possibly grapple with present difficulties. As all my 
farm is down in grass, and nearly all drained and well-boned, I had after 
May a good bite of grass, though rather heavily .stocked with sheei) and 
feeding-cattle : still the cattle did not thrive so well as usual. The losses 
amongst sheep, chiefly through the rot, have been more numerous than usual, 
though not so heavy as in some other counties. Out of the grazing flock of 
l.'SS I have kept sixty-nine through a portion of the winter, and only three 
appeared to be affected, and two of these only in a very slight degree. The 
remainder 1 am now disposing of to a neighbouring butcher at lOti. per lb. ; 
and he says they answer his purpose better than heavy weights at 'dd. Stocks 
of cattle in general are very much out of condition, and an unusual number 
are now casting their calves, and I scarcely ever remember barren cows and 
stirks being so numerous. Within the last few weeks cattle for the dairy 
have rapidly advanced in value. No doubt the great rise which has recently 
taken place in the value of cheese, and prospects having thus improved, is the 
chief cause of this advance in tlie price of live-stock. 
The stiffest portions of my farm, which all lies upon clay, have at times, 
through the heavy rain, sustained a little damage by the trampling of the 
cattle. I have, however, reaped the advantage of draining and having it in 
a good state of fertility. There is a great scarcity of grass on large tracts of 
clay-land, which is mostly rmdrained in this part of Cheshire, but a good 
supply on light and rich soils. The late depression should teach agriculturists 
to live in times of sunshine and prosperity within their means, p^and guard 
against a lavish expenditure. It should incite them to be skiful and energetic, 
aiming at a high state of cultivation, and, if possible, making their farms 
jiroduce more than their predecessors got. 
Joseph Aston. 
Nottingham. — Wollaton . 
(1.) Live-stock. — The prolonged winter of 1878 made evident two things. 
If stock had sufficient care and proper food, they were healthy and did well ; 
when neglected in these matters, they suffered considerably. Particularly was 
tliis the ca?e with sheep, and especially ewes. On many grass-farms whtre 
the chief stock kept are dairy cows, some one, two, or threescore ewes are 
often wintered hardly. Among these there was generally great mortality ; half, 
and in some cases all, the ewes died. But on farms where they had a little 
corn, bran and hay given to them they did well. I used hay-chaff o,d lib., a. 
half-pound of decorticated cotton-cake, and half-pound malt-culms per head 
