June  ]§,  1896. 
&!(>  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
LOW  PRICES. 
We  are  so  accustomed  to  speak  of  present  prices  of  agricul¬ 
tural  produce  as  low,  and  the  actual  truth  is  so  undeniable,  that 
we  are  apt  to  forget  how  mu^h  the  depreciation  in  value  leally 
means,  and  what  a  small  pr  >portion  of  the  occupier’s  loss  has, 
in  many  cases,  been  borne  by  the  owneq  although  his  liberality 
in  meeting  h's  tenants  by  reduction  or  return  of  rent  may  have 
been  apparently  very  great. 
It  is  only  by  making  comparison  of  actual  prices  realised  on 
the  same  farm  at  the  different  periods  that  we  can  arrive  at  the 
exa  t  truth.  We  have,  therefore,  been  comparing  looks  of 
1877-78  with  those  of  1895-96,  and  will  give  herewith  the  result 
of  our  investigations. 
1877. 
1895.  Defreci 
ATION. 
£  s. 
d. 
£ 
8. 
d. 
£ 
s. 
d. 
Wheat  per  quarter  ... 
2  10 
0 
...  1 
6 
0  ... 
1 
4 
0 
Barley  „  „ 
2  8 
0 
...  1 
3 
0  ... 
1 
5 
0 
Oats  „  „ 
1  4 
0 
..  0 
14 
0  ... 
0 
10 
0 
Beef  per  14  lbs . 
0  9 
9 
..  0 
6 
9  ... 
0 
3 
0 
Mutton  per  lb.  ...  ... 
0  0 
8 
..  0 
0 
6  ... 
0 
0 
2 
Potatoes  per  ton 
5  0 
0 
2 
0 
0  ... 
3 
0 
0 
Wool  per  stone . 
0  17 
6 
.7.  o 
13 
0  ... 
0 
4 
G 
the  farm  had  been 
carried 
on 
in 
1895 
un 
Je 
•  similar 
conditions  of  cropping  and  management  as  in  1877,  on  the  basis 
of  actual  pioduce  sold  in  that  year,  the  depreciation  in  value 
would  have  worked  out  as  follows:  — 
Produce.  Depreciation  in  Price. 
£ 
8. 
d. 
£ 
S. 
d. 
280  qrs.  Wheat  at . 
1 
4 
0 
=  336 
0 
0 
190  qrs.  Barley  at . .  ... 
No  Oats  grown  in  1877. 
1 
5 
0 
=  237 
10 
0 
700  stones  beef  grown  and  fed  at 
0 
3 
0 
=  105 
0 
0 
15,000  lbs.  mutton  grown  and  fed  at 
0 
n 
2 
=  125 
0 
0 
GO  tons  Potatoes  at  . 
3 
0 
0 
=  180 
0 
0 
260  stones  wool  at . 
0 
4 
6 
=*  58 
10 
0 
£1042 
0 
0 
Showing  a  loss  of  more  than  £1000  in  value  of  the  produce  of  a 
farm  of  less  than  400  acres.  As  the  original  rent  o‘  the  farm 
was  £450,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  dep  eciation  is  equal  to 
2*31  times  the  rent  and  that  even  if  the  land  were  handed  over 
to  the  tenant  as  a  free  gi't  how  impossible  the  old  methods  of 
cultivation  would  be  at  the  present  time 
It  has  only  been  by  adapting  his  methods  to  the  changed 
circumstances  of  the  times  that  the  fa  mer  has  been  able  to  keep 
going  at  all.  Herein  lies  the  reason  for  the  great  differences 
that  have  appeared  in  the  severity  of  the  depression  The 
heavy  clays  have  hitherto  suffered  the  most,  but  at  the  worst 
they  will  make  grass,  though  the  process  of  get  mg  a  good 
grazing  surface  may  be  a  slow  one.  But  the  clays  are  no 
worse  off  than  the  thin  chalks  of  Hist  Yorkshire,  Lincolnshire 
and  some  of  the  southern  counties,  for  if  laid  down  to  grass 
these  latter  soon  become  little  better  than  an  Australian  sheep 
run,  whilst  they  are  quite  unsuitable  for  the  semi  market 
gardening  crops  now  so  extensively  grown  on  loam  and  sand. 
It  may  be  said  that  the  farm  expenditure  has  beei  much 
reduced  of  late  years.  So  it  has,  but  nothing  like  the  40  per 
cent  which  is  lepresented  by  the  reduction  in  the  receipt'. 
Ta  ing  rent,  labour,  manures,  feening-stuTs,  &o  ,  and  putting 
all  together,  we  should  imagine  that  25  per  cent,  would  more 
than  cover  the  saving  in  these  items,  so  that  the  occupier  has 
had  to  bear  not  only  his  own  40  per  cent,  reduction  of  his  promts 
but  15  per  cent  of  that  which  should  in  strict  justice  have  been 
carried  by  the  owner,  labourer,  cake  and  manure  merchant,  and 
tradesman.  As  this  15  per  cent,  would  be  about  12  per  cent. 
per  acre,  if  we  add  to  it  the  40  per  cent  reduction  o*  profit,  say 
8  per  cent.,  we  have  a  loss  to  him  of  £1  per  ac  e;  as  £1  per  acre 
was  a  fair  profit  in  the  better  times  we  find  the  profit  now 
reduced  to  nil,  and  though  a  small  profit  with  a  quick  return 
may  be  a  fine  thing,  no  one  can  live  without  a  profit  at  all. 
This  is  really  all  that  can  be  expected  of  the  old  system,  even 
if  carried  on  with  skill  and  industry.  But  what  is  to  replace 
it  ?  We  must  vary  our  crops,  introducing  new  ones  where 
possible,  so  as  to  produce  a  higher  average  bulk  ;  we  must 
make  intelligent  use  of  artificials,  which  were  never  known  to 
be  so  cheap,  and  we  must  practise  the  strictest  and  truest 
economy. 
By  introducing  the  new  crops  the  old  four  courses,  Wheat, 
Turnips,  Barley,  seeds,  will  not  be  repeated  so  often,  and  better 
crops  will  result  after  a  longer  rest  We  hope  in  another  paper 
to  give  a  few  details  from  actual  practice,  showing  what  can  be 
d  ne  in  this  direction. 
t 
WORK  ON  THE  HOME  FARM. 
The  rain,  which  at  first  was  very  partial,  has  become  general,  and 
fallen  in  large  quantities.  The  improvement  in  farm  prospects  has  now 
become  most  marked,  and  though  too  late  for  Mangolds  there  should 
now  be  no  lack  of  Swedes  and  Turnips  even  on  the  strongest  and 
roughest  of  soils. 
That  many  districts  have  been  in  a  parlous  state  there  is  no  doubt, 
and  we  have  heard  of  clod  breaking  being  performed  with  hammers 
between  Potato  ridges.  However  necessary  such  an  operation  might  be, 
we  cannot  envy  the  lot  of  the  unfortunate  cultivator  who  was  reduced 
to  it.  All  this  should  now  be  changed,  and  a  fair  tilth  may  be  obtained 
after  all. 
Clovers  are  now  in  flower,  and  nothing  will  be  gained  by  waiting  for 
more  bulk  before  mowing.  We  shall  get  ours  at  once  (weather  permit¬ 
ting),  and  try  for  a  second  crop,  which  should  grow  well  now.  Meadows 
laid  in  early  are  also  ready  to  cut,  and  will  do  little  more  good.  The 
present  crop  is  a  very  light  one,  also  taken  in  this  case ;  but  the  first 
crop  must  be  cut  at  once  to  give  time  for  a  Becond  to  ome  to  maturity. 
Mangolds  having  come  very  slowly,  the  weeds  will  get  big  and  do 
them  much  harm  ;  they  should  therefore  be  carefully  side-hoed  at  once, 
by  hand ;  the  horse  hoe  would  not  go  near  enough,  and  might  cover  up 
the  little  Mangold  plants.  Early  cleaning  is  most  necessary  for  Mangolds. 
The  horse  hoe  must  follow  the  hand  hoe  pretty  closely  to  give  the 
finishing  touch  to  the  weeds,  as  well  as  to  keep  the  soil  loose  on  the  top. 
If  a  hot  spell  were  to  follow  immediately  after  these  heavy  rains  the 
surface  would  soon  bake. 
Swedes,  also,  should  never  be  neglected  with  the  hoe;  weeds  only 
rob  the  little  plants  of  the  support  intended  for  them  alone.  Every 
advantage  should  be  taken  of  dry  weather  for  hoeing  and  thinning. 
Plants  thinned  out  are  liable  to  grow  between  the  rows  in  showery 
weather,  and  if  allowed  once  to  get  strong  they  are  very  difficult 
to  kill. 
Rape  for  autumn  keep  should  now  be  sown,  either  3  lbs.  per  acre 
drilled  or  7  lbs.  broadcast.  We  prefer  the  tall  growing  varieties  of  Rape, 
as  sheep  eat  the  stalks  better. 
METEOROLOGICAL  OBSERVATIONS. 
Oamden  Squabs,  London. 
Lat.61°  32' 40"  N. ;  Long.  0°  8/  0"  W.;  Altitude  111  feet. 
Date. 
9  A.M. 
In  the  Day. 
1896. 
CD  C3  > 
a  ~ 
flo  J 
Hygrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion  of 
Temp, 
of  soil 
at 
1  foot. 
Shade  Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature 
Rain. 
June. 
U  CO  c3 
£32 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Wind. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
Sun. 
On 
Grass. 
Sunday  ..  7 
Inchs. 
29-614 
deg. 
66-4 
deg. 
64  2 
S.E. 
deg. 
61-6 
deg. 
66-8 
deg. 
62-8 
deg. 
110-4 
deg. 
44-3 
Inchs, 
0-222 
Monday  ..  8 
29-603 
61-7 
56-2 
S. 
60-1 
74-7 
53-7 
119-3 
51-1 
— 
Tuesday  . .  9 
29-504 
64-9 
60  4 
N.E. 
60-3 
73-7 
53-7 
118-9 
47  7 
0-223 
Wednesday  10 
29-527 
58*0 
56-4 
N. 
60-9 
62-5 
56-7 
8 1-6 
5  -0 
0-464 
Thursday..  11 
29-825 
61-4 
58-2 
N.W. 
598 
75-4 
55-1 
121-9 
550 
— 
Friday  ..  12 
30-106 
67-0 
60-9 
N.W. 
61-1 
80-0 
54-8 
118-9 
50-2 
— 
Saturday..  13 
30-090 
72-7 
64-0 
N.E. 
61-9 
81-8 
55-0 
125-3 
49-9 
— 
29-753 
6  4*6 
60  0 
60  8 
73-5 
54  5 
113-8 
50-6 
0-909 
REMARKS. 
7th.— Alternate  sunshine  and  showers  throughout;  heavy  rain  between  10  P.M.  and 
midnight. 
8th.-  Heavy  shower  at  3.30  a.m.  ;  alternate  cloud  and  sun  after. 
9tli.— Spots  of  rain  early  ;  overcast  day  ;  almost  continuous  rain  from  7.30  P.M. 
10th.— Almost  continuous  rain  till  9  A.M.,  and  from  11  A.M.  to  8  p.M. ;  overcast  and 
damp  between 
11th. — Rain  early,  and  overcast  till  9  A.M. ;  generally  bright  and  sunny  after. 
12th. — A  good  deal  of  cloud,  but  frequent  bright  sunshine. 
13th.— Suuny  and  warm  as  a  whole,  but  cloudy  at  times  in  the  morning. 
Welcome  rains  in  the  first  half  of  the  week,  but  hot  and  dry  at  the  close,  Tempera¬ 
ture  nearly  5°  above  the  average.— G.  J.  SYMONS. 
