420 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
.May  8,  1902. 
bread,  for  5d.  or  5id.  per  4lb  loaf  could  not  be  classed  as  a 
dear  price,  and  the  action  of  the  millers  and  bakers  in 
anticipating  a  rise  in  the  price  of  Wheat  by  promptly  raising 
the  price  of  flour  and  bread  has  brought  alarm  into  the 
mincls  of  a  large  section  of  the  community.  It  does  not 
follow,  however,  that  dearer  flour  necessarily  means  dearer 
bread,  or,  at  any  rate,  not  dearer  in  the  same  ratio,  for  we 
can  show  by  figures  that  in  the  past  the  price  of  the  baker’s 
loaf  has  not  regixlarly  followed  the  value  of  Wheat. 
This  question  is  of  great  interest  to  farmers,  for  it  is 
apparent  that  if  the  middlemen — the  miller  and  the  baker — 
take  advantage  of  the  duty  and  make  it  an  excuse  to  take 
an  extra  profit  Avithout  paying  the  farmer  any  more  for 
his  Wheat,  the  latter  Avill  get  all  the  public  kicks  and  none 
of  the  half-pence.  It  is  not  the  old,  but  the  new  story — 
the  ascendancy  of  the  well-organised  middleman.  The 
ruling  factor  is  the  big  miller.  When  there  Avas  a  Avind  or 
Avater-mill  in  every  village,  millers  Avere  too  numerous  to 
be  brought  into  combination.  Since  the  milling  has  become 
centralised  into  large  concerns,  and  into  feAV  hands,  com¬ 
bination  has  become  easj%  until  at  the  present  time  the  price 
of  flour  is  not  ruled  as  it  should  be  by  the  price  of  Wheat, 
but  by  the  autocratic  Avill  of  the  committee  of  the  Millers’ 
Association.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  if  these  people  can 
artificially  raise  the  price  of  flour,  they  can  Avith  equal 
facility  prevent  Wheat  from  increasing  in  value  as  long  as 
there  is  sufficient  supply  in  the  market  to  meet  present  needs. 
In  1839  the  average  price  of  Wheat  Avas  70s.  8d.  per  qr  ; 
the  price  of  the  4lb  loaf  Avas  8^d. 
In  1849  the  aA-erage  price  of  Wheat  Avas  44s.  3d.  per  qr ; 
the  price  of  bread  Avas  6d. 
In  1857  the  average  price  of  Wheat  Avas  43s.  9d.  per  qr ; 
the  price  of  bread  Avas  5^d. 
In  1887  the  average  price  of  Wheat  Avas  36s.  4d.  per  qr ; 
the  price  of  l::)read  per  4lb  loaf  Avas  4|d. 
In  1893  the  average  price  of  Wheat  Avas  25s.  5d.  per  qr  ; 
the  price  of  bread  per  4lb  loaf  Avas  S^d. 
Last  year  the  price  of  Wheat  Avas  28s.  per  qr  ;  the  price  of 
bread  Avas  4^d.  per  4lb  loaf. 
Under  the  influence  of  the  neAv  import  duty.  Wheat  has 
risen  2s.  and  3s.  per  qr ;  but  it  is  still  5s.  beloAA^  the  1887 
level.  36s.  4d.  The  millers  and  bakers,  hoAve\’er,  are  not 
satisfied  Avith  the  1887  price  of  bread,  4|d.  ;  but  have  raised 
the  price  to  5d.  in  some  districts,  and  5^d.  in  others,  Avhilst 
loudly  threatening  a  further  rise  to  6d.  The  Avorst  feature 
of  this,  as  Ave  said  before,  is  that  the  great  British  public 
does  not  trouble  itself  to  read  market  reports ;  but  Avhen  it 
finds  its  breadloaf  dearer,  gives  a  groAvl,  and  imagines  that 
•the  farmer  must  be  getting  bloatedly  rich.  Wheat  Avould 
hav'e  to  rise  greatly  in  price  for  the  farmer  to  get  any  real 
benefit  immediately,  for  there  is  very  little  Wheat  in  the 
stackyards. 
That  a  duty  of  Is.  per  qr  can  ipso  facto  raise  the  A’alue  of 
Wheat  by  more  than  a  shilling  per  qr  seems,  and 
must  be,  an  absurdity,  and  there  is  reason  to  believe 
that  the  recent  rise  in  value  might  have  taken  place 
just  the  same  had  no  registration  duty  been  included  in  the 
Budget.  If  that  be  the  case,  Ave  may  see  Wheat  keep  its 
price,  or  go  dearer  still,  in  AA’hich  case  the  short-sighted  and 
unreasoning  portion  of  the  British  public  Avill  indulge  in 
a  louder  howl  against  the  Wheat  tax  ;  but  if  the  rise  in  price 
has  really  and  truly  been  caused  by  trade  and  public  scare 
at  the  imposition  of  the  duty,  Ave  shall  not  have  long  to  Avait 
before  Ave  see  prices  return  to,  or  nearly  to,  their  old  level.  But 
that  is  only  the  price  of  AA^heat.  Will  the  miller  and  baker  reduce 
their  prices  as  readily  as  they  have  raised  them  1  In  their  own 
interest  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  they  aauII  not.  The  miller  Avill  be 
especially  unAvise  to  take  a  temporary  advantage  of  con¬ 
sumers,  for  otherAAUse  it  is  quite  possible,  nay  even  probable, 
that  the  flour  duty  Avill  be  increased  in  the  near  future  ;  but 
the  nation  Avill  never  consent  to  such  a  thing,  after  being 
Avarned  in  such  a  practical  manner  that  assistance  given 
to  a  home  industry  Avill  be  so  used  for  selfish  ends. 
To  shoAA’  hoAv  little  free  trade  there  really  is  noAvadays, 
Ave  are  informed  that  in  many  places  millers  are  boycottecl 
by  the  bakers’  associations  if  they  supply  small  quantities 
of  flour  to  consumers.  The  bakers  thus  have  the  retail  trade 
in  their  oAvn  hands,  and  charge  sometimes  as  much  as  8d. 
for  a  3lb  bag  of  fine  flour,  or  at  the  rate  of  3s.  2d.  per  stone 
of  14lb.  At  this  rate  the  flour  from  a  quarter  of  Wheat 
Avould  realise  84s.,  or  more  than  150  per  cent,  profit  for 
retailing.  The  offals  Avould  pay  for  the  milling.  We  see 
it  stated,  as  an  excuse  for  disproportionate  prices  for  flour 
noAvadays,  that  under  the  roller  system  the  flour  is  finer,  but 
a  quarter  of  Wheat  does  not  produce  so  much  of  it  as  it  did 
under  the  old  millstone  system.  So  it  may  be,  but  a  quarter 
of  Wheat  Aveighs  36  stones,  and  none  absolutely  disappears 
in  the  process  of  milling.  It  it  does  not  come  out  as  flour, 
it  does  as  offal,  and  if  there  be  2  stones  less  flour  and 
2  stones  more  offal,  the  difference  at  6d.  per  stone  Avill  only 
be  Is.  If  there  be  27  stones  of  flour  at  Is.  3d.,  equal  33s.  9d., 
and  9  stones  of  oft'als  at  8id.,  equal  6s.  4^d.,  a  quarter  of 
Wheat  costing  31s.  produces  40s.  l^d.,  or  9s.  l^d.  for  milling 
and  profit.  As  small  millers  are  keen  enough  to  grind  Wheat 
in  small  quantities  for  5s.  per  qr,  which  includes  profit  on 
their  labour  and  delivery  in  small  lots,  we  see  that  at  Is.  3d. 
per  stone,  Avhich  is  the  lowest  market  value  at  present,  the 
miller  is  making  a  very  handsome  profit. 
Work  on  the  Home  Farm. 
Last  Aveek  everything  Avas  “  a-hloAving  and  a-growing,” 
but,  alas!  the  Avind  A^eeied  into  the  north-east,  and  Ave  haA’e  been 
glad  to  don  our  OA’ercoats  for  a  time.  To-day  Ave  have  a  change 
back  again  to  milder  conditions,  and  are  glad  of  it.  The  cattle 
ont  on  the  bare  pastures  must  have  felt  the  bitter  east  wind 
severely.  We  can  proAude  coats  for  ourselves,  but  not  for 
them.  Nature  provides,  or,  rather,  is  willing  to  provide,  coats 
for  them,  but  not  if  Ave  coddle  the  animals  up  in  close  and  badly 
ventilated  sheds.  We  make  hothouse  plants  of  them  ;  they  lose 
Natnre’s  coat  because  they  liaAm  no  need  for  it.  Then,  because 
Ave  are  short  of  litter  and  food,  or  of  money  AvhereAvith  to  buy 
them,  Ave  turn  the  poor  things  out  to  fend  for  themselves  as  best 
they  can.  Cattle  Avhich  have  been  out  in  the  open  Avith  but  little 
grass  to  eat  and  nothing  else,  must  be  loAver  in  condition  than 
they  Avere  a  Aveek  ago.  He  is  a  short-sighted  farmer  Avho  grudges 
cake  for  his  stock  Avhen  there  is  such  a  rosy  prospect  for  the  meat 
trade. 
Having  got  the  Mangolds  in  Ave  are  ploughing  the  falloAvs.  The 
surface  is  clean,  and  little  rubbish  comes  up  from  beloAV.  The 
ploughs  are  cutting  thousands  of  Thistles,  and  doing  much  good 
thereby.  We  are  careful  not  to  plough  too  Avide,  and  Ave  use 
shares  Avith  a  good  Aving  to  them.  The  depth  to  Avliich  Ave  go  is 
6in,  and  it  is  not  too  deep  Avhere  Thistles  are  plentiful.  Some  of 
our  friends  Avill  say,  ‘'"Our  land  is  shalloAV  and  stony;  Ave  cannot 
plough  6in.”  Well,  plough  as  deeply  as  you  can,  but  remember 
that  Thistles  are  much  at  home  amongst  stones,  and  Avhere  there 
is  a  Avill  there  is  a  Avay.  By  going  doAvn  to  the  rock  aa’c  keep 
loosening  it  and  bringing  it  to  the  surface,  which  is  the  best  place 
for  it  if  it  is  not  too  large  in  size.  Stones  on  the  surface  are  most 
useful  in  conserving  moisture^ — a  great  point  these  droughty 
seasons. 
The  cold  Avinds  have  cut  the  Barley  a  little  on  Aveak  land,  but 
not  seriously,  and  a  mild  rain  would  soon  mend  matters.  The 
surface  is  dry  noAv,  and  favourable  for  harrowing  the  Clovers  in 
Avhere  they  are  still  to  be  soAvn,  so  the  Avork  had  better  be  done. 
The  harroAvs  for  this  purpose  should  be  very  light.  Some  fanners 
use  an  improvised  han-oAv,  made  of  hedge  bushings  or  light 
branches  of  whin.  But  failing  a  set  of  light  harrows,  take  a  few 
teeth  out  of  the  lightest  you  have,  leaving  just  sufficient  to  stir 
the  .surface  once. 
Every  lamb  should  noAV  have  its  tail  cut,  and  castration, 
AA’here  practised,  should  be  completed.  The  eAves  also  must  be 
Avell  docked,  as  it  Avill  soon  be  fly-time.  Besides,  nothing  looks 
AA'orse  than  a  flock  of  filthy,  undocked  eAves.  It  Avould  be  good 
policy  to  be  liberal  Avith  cake  in  these  cases  also.  Pastures  are 
not  good,  and  sheep  in  good  condition  are  ahvays  ready  for 
market.  Some  farmers  make  pens  Avherein  to  cake  their  lambs. 
We  belieA’e  in  letting  the  eAves  have  a  share;  they  Avill  not  get 
it  all — the  lambs  Avill  see  to  that — but  they  Avill  pass  on  in  their 
milk  to  the  lambs  Avhat  they  do  not  put  on  their  oaaui  backs. 
The  ridge  haiTOws  must  now  be  used  among  the  Potatoes, 
especially  amongst  those  planted  early.  The  Aveeds  Avill  soon 
get  strong  and  less  easy  to  kill.  If  Ave  bare  any  of  the  Potato 
sprouts  the  one-horse  ridging  plough  will  soon  coAmr  them  up 
again,  and  complete  a  bit  of  good  cultivation. 
Sale  of  Butter  Regulations,  1902. 
The  Board  of  Agriculture,  in  exercise  of  the  powers  confeired 
on  them  by  section  4  of  the  Sale  of  Food  and  Drugs  Act,  1899, 
do  hereby  make  the  following  regulations  :  — (1)  Where  the  pro¬ 
portion  of  water  in  a  sample  of  butter  exceeds  16  per  cent,  it 
shall  be  pre.sumed  for  the  purposes  of  the  Sale  of  Food  and  Drugs 
Acts,  1875  to  1899,  until  the  contrai-y  is  proA-ed,  that  the  butter 
is  not  genuine  by  reason  of  the  excessive  amount  of  Avater  therein. 
(2)  These  regulations  extend  to  Great  Britain.  (3)  These  regula¬ 
tions  shall  come  into  operation  on  the  fifteenth  day  of  May,  One 
thousand  nine  hundred  and  tAvo.  (4)  These  regulations  may  be 
cited  as  the  Sale  of  Butter  Regulations,  1902.  In  Avitness 
AA’hereof  the  Board  of  Agriculture  haA’c  hereunto  set  their  Official 
Seal  this  Twenty-seond  daly  of  April,  One  thousand  nine  hundred 
and  tAvo. — T.  H.  Elliott,  Secretary. 
