390 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER 
October  24,  1901. 
the  production  of  eggs,  butter,  and  milk,  are  an  obvious  necessity 
to  our  rapidly  increasing  urban  population.  That  agricultural 
banks  must  greatly  aid  the  creation,  or  rather  multiplication,  of 
small  holdings  is  equally  clear.  The  critic  may  argue  that  money 
is  cheap,  and,  for  anything  like  a  reasonable  security,  easily 
obtainable.  But  the  small  farmer’s  business  is  too  small  for  the 
present-day  banker  to  take  much  account  of,  and  failing  the  per¬ 
sonal  assistance  of  a  friend  or  neighbour,  the  struggling  man  is 
too  liable  to  fall  a  prey  to  the  seductions  of  the  GO  per  cent, 
money-lender.  That  direct  neighbourly  help  may  be  denied  for 
lack  of  confidence,  but  granted  through  an  intermediary,  is 
proved  by  a  case  Mr.  Haggard  refers  to,  hut  possibly  with  only 
partial  knowledge  of  the  facts.  If  one  member  of  a  family  will 
lend  money  to  the  bank  at  3  per  cent,  which  another  member 
of  the  same  family  borrows  from  the  bank  at  6  per  cent.,  is  there 
not  a  useful  field  of  operation  for  these  agricultural  banks?  We 
know  that  in  the  case  mentioned,  a  direct  loan  was  refused,  and 
could  not  have  been  effected. 
One  solemn  fact  is  apparent  to  all.  Strict  adherence  to  the 
four-course  system  is  a  thing  of  the  past.  Few  tenants  will  now 
take  farms  under  the  old  restrictions,  and  we  do  not  blame  them. 
The  farming  puzzle  is  difficult  enough  without  encountering  any 
unnecessary  impediments.  On  light  and  thin  lands,  which  do 
not  readily  lend  themselves  to  the  methods  of  the  small  dairy 
farmer  or  are  in  too  isolated  a  position  or  deficient  in  build¬ 
ing  accommodation,  the  natural  tendency  is  to  revert  to  some¬ 
thing  akin  to  the  sheep  run.  On  the  other  hand,  where  the  soil 
is  fertile  and  near  to  markets,  the  question  of  buildings  is  no 
difficulty,  but  from  many  quarters  we  hear  reports  of  the  cutting 
up  of  large  holdings  and  the  creation  of  small  ones,  the  buildings 
being  partly  provided  by  the  landlord  and  partly  by  the  tenant, 
under  the  Compensation  Act. 
If  Mr.  Haggard  is  right,  and  we  see  no  reason  to  doubt  that 
he  is,  the  farmer  of  250  to  600  acres  will  slowly  but  surely  become 
an  extinct  species,  and  the  land,  which  is  not  well  situated  or 
good  enough  for  intense  cultivation  and  the  smaller  agricultural 
industries,  will  be  farmed  in  big  blocks,  by  the  moneyed 
monopolist  who  can  make  the  best  use  of  machinery  and  economic 
labour.  In  his  summary  Mr.  Haggard  lays  special  stress  on  the 
lack  of  rural  labour  almost  throughout  the  country.  To  bring 
labour  back  to  the  land  we  must  give  the  labourer  a  direct 
interest  in  it,  and  for  this  reason,  if  for  no  other,  we  should 
encourage  the  creation  of  small  farms.  We  can  vouch  for  the 
truth  of  the  statement  that  the  labour  trouble  is  most  acute 
where  the  whole  of  the  land  is  farmed  in  large  blocks.  Small 
farmers  are  always  willing  to  give  manual  help  to  the  bigger  man, 
who  can  give  them  valuable  assistance  with  his  teams  in  return. 
We  see  that  “  Mr.  Punch  ”  has  a  fine  cartoon  on  this  question 
of  rural  depopulation,  in  which  the  exodus  appears  to  be 
attributed  to  the  superior  attractions  of  town  rather  than  any 
special  drawbacks  of  the  country.  A  Yorkshire  County  Court 
Judge,  however,  is  of  opinion  that  the  conditions  of  country 
labour  have  a  good  deal  to  do  with  the  matter.  He  is  reported 
to  have  said  that  “  There  were  no  labourers  in  the  country-side, 
and  the  case  before  him  showed  what  a  serious  thing  these  yearly 
engagements  were.  When  a  man  got  into  a  place,  and  there 
were  circumstances  which  did  not  suit  him,  he  had  to  serve  the 
complete  year  without  any  chance  of  getting  away.  It  was  not 
likely  he  rvould  serve  under  those  conditons  if  he  could  get  an 
appointment  in  a  town  where  he  could  serve  by  the  hour  and  go 
away  when  he  liked.”  There  is  much  truth  in  this,  for  the  great 
scarcity  lies  amongst  the  yearly  unmarried  men,  who  feed  horses 
and  go  to  plough  whilst  boarding  with  the  farmer  or  his  foreman. 
There  is  an  increasing  tendency  to  cut  the  term  of  service  down  to 
six  months,  and  the  men  are  much  more  exacting  as  to  the  terms 
on  which  they  will  hire  themselves.  The  farmer  who  goes  to 
hi  rings  nowadays  has  often  to  endure  a  most  searching  cross- 
examination  as  to  the  age,  size,  and  value  of  his  horses,  the 
amount  of  Corn  that  is  allowed  them,  the  hours  of  work,  the  food 
and  beer  for  the  men,  the  hours  for  retiring  to  bed  and  rising, 
&c.,  Ac.,  and  is  obliged  to  go  through  it,  looking  pleasant  and 
good  humoured  if  he  wishes  to  get  any  men. 
That  farmers  will  fight  hard  against  breaking  through  the  old 
customs,  especially  the  engagement  of  yearly  men,  is  but  natural, 
for  none  but  farmers  can  realise  the  inconvenience  of  losing  men 
at  short  notice.  As  a  rule,  married  labourers  like  long  terms  of 
service,  as  they  do  not  like  moving  about  when  they  have  a  fair 
place  and  a  good  cottage.  Farmers  have  become  much  more 
ready  to  hire  men  on  these  terms  since  the  single  men  have 
become  so  masterful  and  difficult  to  deal  with.  This  district  was 
considered  by  Mr.  Haggard  to  be  highly  favoured,  and  one  of  the 
few  prosperous  ones  he  found  in  his  travels,  but  disappointing 
yields  and  drooping  markets  are  having  a  very  depressing  effect, 
so  that  notices  to  quit  farms  have  been  handed  in  to  the  estate 
offices  in  large  numbers  during  the  past  fortnight.  Will  Mr. 
Haggard’s  appeals  to  the  Government  have  any  effect?  They 
might  if  the  men  in  office  had  not  their  hands  so  full  of  other 
business. 
Work  on  the  Home  Farm. 
The  weather  is  still  fine,  but  the  very  heavy  dews  and  fogs 
have  been  almost  as  beneficial  as  rain  would  have  been  to  the 
roots.  Swedes  are  still  improving,  and  there  is  a  decided  improve¬ 
ment  in  the  demand  for  sheep.  The  shortage  in  the  numbers  as 
shown  by  the  agricultural  returns  may  have  an  influence  on 
this  demand,  as  it  may  be  encouraging  speculation  on  the  part 
of  graziers.  The  lambs  are  doing  well,  and  cleaning  up  the  early 
Turnips  at  a  rapid  pace.  A  great  many  of  these  roots  are  rotten 
and  of  little  value.  Mangolds  are  likely  to  be  immense.  To-day 
we  have  seen  some  men  at  work  storing  them.  Too  early,  we 
think.  Why  not  get  all  the  size  possible  and  all  the  weight 
besides?  they  may  not  keep  well  if  stored  before  they  are  ripe. 
Very  few  Potatoes  are  now  in  the  ground,  and  the  land  is  already 
being  drilled  with  Wheat.  Many  farmers  are  ploughing  seeds 
which  turn  up  fairly  well,  but  the  land  is  very  dry,  and  some 
seem  to  doubt  whether  there  is  enough  moisture  for  the  WTheat  to 
germinate  in.  The  roll  is  following  quickly  after  the  ploughs, 
and  very  little  harrowing  is  needed. 
With  Wheat  down  at  26s.,  several  fields  which  would  have 
been  drilled  are  being  kept  unplouglied  to  be  grazed  until 
February,  and  then  sorvn  with  Barley.  Much  threshing  has  been 
done,  and  there  is  little  but  disappointment  to  chronicle.  Even 
W'heat  is  not  so  good  as  the  earlier  threshings  promised.  Barley  is 
very  uneven.  The  best  crops,  which  promised  six  quarters,  are 
coming  out  little  if  anything  over  five,  but  the  fair-size 
commands  about  30s.  per  quarter,  which  will  do.  The  lighter 
crops  from  drier  soil  are  in  few  cases  exceeding  three  quarters, 
and  the  price,  23s.  to  24s.,  makes  matters  worse.  Markets  are 
glutted,  and  buyers  are  having  matters  all  their  own  way.  The 
same  thing  applies  to  Potatoes,  which  are  down  to  40s.  The 
finest  quality  ever  grown  at  3d.  per  141b.  !  !  What  will  the 
consumer  have  to  pay  ? 
The  farmer’s  wife  is  grumbling,  for  it  has  been  a  light  dairy 
this  year,  and  poultry  is  very  cheap.  Plenty  of  fair-sized  fowls 
may  be  purchased  at  Is.  6d.  each.  No  wonder,  when  such 
myriads  of  pheasants  are  reared ;  and  they  are  shot  much  earlier 
than  they  were,  and  at  a  season  when  they  will  not  keep.  The 
other  day  we  were  shown  a  photograph  of  8,000  pheasants  running 
about  in  one  field.  We  are  getting  very  few  eggs,  many  of  the 
hens  being  in  a  dilapidated  state  of  moulting.  We  see  chemical 
food  recommended  to  be  given  in  the  water  as  an  assistance  over 
this  trying  stage.  Why  not  give  milk  ?  If  a  supply  of  skim-milk 
be  available,  an  allowance  mixed  with  the  drinking  water  would 
help  wonderfully  to  bring  the  birds  into  good  condition. 
- - 
RAINS  IN  S.  AUSTRALIA.— The  State  Agent  for  South 
Australia  has  received  a  telegram  from  his  Government  stating 
that  further  splendid  rains  have  fallen  throughout  the  colony, 
and  that  harvest  prospects  for  the  coming  season  are  consider¬ 
ably  improved. 
BARBED  WIRE  IN  CHESHIRE.— The  Duke  of  West¬ 
minster,  speaking  at  the  Cheshire  Dairy  Show  last  week,  said  he 
would  offer  prizes  of  £20  and  £10  next  year  for  the  most  successful 
farmer  who  had  no  barbed  wire  on  his  land,  and  he  hoped  that  if 
any  of  his  tenants  used  barbed  wire  it  would  all  be  removed  by 
next  week. 
BISHOP  AS  AGRICULTURIST.— The  Bishop  of  Peter¬ 
borough  (Dr.  Carr-Glynn)  has  been  turning  his  knowledge  of 
agriculture  to  account.  Recently  his  head  gardener  fell  ill,  and 
his  lordship,  unable  to  get  the  grass  in  the  palace  grounds  pro¬ 
perly  cut,  forthwith  ordered  about  thirty  sheep  to  be  bought  in 
the  local  market  and  put  to  pasture.  After  three  weeks’  grazing 
the  sheep  cleared  the  episcopal  park  as  clean  as  if  it  had  been  cut 
with  a  grass  mower.  This  work  accomplished,  the  bishop  sent  his 
flock  back  to  market  and  sold  them  at  a  profit  of  3s.  a  head. 
BRACKEN  AS  LITTER. — There  has  been  considerable  corre¬ 
spondence  in  the  “  Field  ”  lately  concerning  the  value  of  bracken 
fern  as  litter  for  live  stock,  and  the  broad  result  is  to  show  that 
for  this  purpose,  whether  regarded  from  the  comfort  point  of  view 
or  in  a  manurial  sense,  few  materials  are  equally  suitable.  Inves¬ 
tigations  have  proved  that  dried  bracken  is  especially  valuable  as 
an  ingredient  in  the  manure  heap,  but  it  is  to  the  remarks  of  the 
latest  contributor  to  the  discussion  that  we  wish  particularly  to 
refer.  According  to  this  writer,  it  is  believed  by  many  that 
animals  littered  with  bracken  are  safe  from  the  attacks  of  insect 
pests,  and  he  mentions  in  support  of  this  belief  the  experiences  of 
certain  kennel  huntsmen  who  long  used  it  for  foxhounds.  If  it 
really  possesses  this  peculiar  virtue,  bracken  is  likely  to  become  a 
favourite  material  for  littering  other  kinds  of  animals  besides 
dogs. 
