The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-09-06 00:00:00

FARMING IN THE BLACK FOREST.

None of the Black Foresters can be called farmers in
the English sense of the term. The Norfolk and
Cheshire yeomen and tenants would smile at the rude
efforts in the way of agriculture made in these exposed
uplands. In the Grand Duchy of Baden altogether
3,200 square miles are covered with fields and gardens
pro2ucuo.! rich harvests and yielding a large revenue,
but the Black Forest division shares but little in this
distinction. Little or no heat is grown, but rye,
oats, and potatoes are produced here ar.d there; and
all the means and methods of husbandry are of a
primitive description. Yloughe, harrows, and carts or
waegone, are all rough and rude, the last of these
light in construction, consisting of inclined sides, not
of solid wood, but of unshapeu beams, crossing each
other. The women are employed in fieldwork, and
leave the lords of creation to improve their time in other
ways. As to the produce of the soil, it is only proper
to add, that Baden-Baden is rich in walnuts, cherries,
apples, and peas, and even the western terraces of the
Black Forest are not wanting in vineyards. The wal-
nut thrives at the height of 1,340 feet, but the grape
climbs above a hundred feet higher. The wild cherry
attains to an elevation of 2,600 feet; cereals are culti-
vated on the same level, and oats may be found in the
uplands a thousand feet loftier still. The cultivation
of such fields, and bringing down the produce, involve
no small labour, whilst they testify no less to the
industry of the people than to the fertility of the soil.
Farm lands are chiefly laid down for pasture; rich
mops of hay are grown and gathered in summer for
winter consumption, when the cattle are housed and
sheltered from the cold. The herds will not compare
with ours of Durham and Hereford, but an abundance
of beasts are kept, 'Which furnida delicious milk and
butter, nor is the beet to be despised.—Lcisure Hour.

AT THE HEAD OF THE "POLL "—Towards the close
of an election, when all the exertion of Sheridan's
friends had failed to secure his return, he bore his de-
feat with good humour. A sailor, anxious to view the
proceedings, had climbd one of the supports in front
of the hustings, As Sheridan commenced hii speech,
his eye fell upon the tar aloft, which he turned to ludi-
crous account by saying that had he but 500 voters as
upright as the perpendicular gentleman Wore him,
thoy wpuld yet pUtal him where be wan—at the head al
Pie,

CI%) ,t

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AGRICULTURAL IMPROVEMENTS.

Th. Tints, of Monday publishes the following letter :

Sir,—Agricultural depression is now the question of
, the day, and, judging from the numerous ins•ances re-
cently appearing in your columns, it is only by im-
provement that we can expect to compete successfully,
with foreign imports of food, and thus likewise miti-
gate considerably the ill effects of adverse seasons like
the present one.
But agricultural improvements, whether by owner
or tenants or by both combined in one, cannot be
effected without an additional inflow of capital, and
unless the channel for such an inflow be free and un
obstructed it cannot and does not take place. The
passage is, however, not free and unobstructed, but
impeded by antiquated conditions totally unsuited to
modern and altered requirt ments.
There is no security for investments so safe as land,
and none which would more readily attract capital;
but the door is closed and entrance forbidden by cost,
uncertainty, and delay, although this great country
becomes annually more wealthy.
To prove this we have only to scan your financial
columns and travel down their almost interminable lists
of British and foreign undertakings of every kind—
except the improvements of British agriculture. So
our surplus funds go in loans to foreigners to enable
them to supply our markets with food which might
otherwise be produced at home. Russia alone owes to
us probably £100,000,000, and at least another
£500,000,000 is loaned to other nations or invested in
foreign undertakings, for which, we are told by our
authorities, that we receive annually, as interest or
profit, about £58,000,000 sterling.
That there is ample scope for agricultural improve-
ment in the United Kingdom is proved by a perusal
of the Royal Agricultural Society's journals. A single
pound per acre (which is a very small modicum) would
absorb £47,000,000 sterling; but the mere drainage of
our lands requiring this improvement would probably
employ more than three times that amount.

It would be impertinent to predict what may be the
conclusions of the Royal Commissioners on this
matter, but we may reasonably suppose that agricul-
tural improvement will figure prominently as a means
of preventing or mitigating agricultural depression.—
I am, Sir, your obedient servant, J. J, MECI.I,
Tiptree-ha.ll, Kelvedon, Essex, Aug. 29.

PEDIGREE SHORTHORNS AND CLYDES-
DALES FOR THE COLONIES.

The Hon. T. Russell, of New Zealand, was a buyer
of both Clydesdales and shorthorns at Lord Dun-
more's sale, and he also bought two valuable fillies at
Mr. Martin's important sale in Dumbartonshire which
was held en Thursday, the day following that at
Dunmore.
About a week ago, however, Mr. Russell made a
still more noteworthy purchase of four very high class
young short-horn bulls of fashionable pedigrees from
the herd of Mr. IL Oliver, of Whittlebury, consisting
of one of the purest bred Oxfords in the kingdom—
Oxford Royal, by 3rd Duke of Gloster, Mr. Cheney's
celebrated Duchess bull, and the 10th Maid of Oxford,
a cow sold to Earl Bective at the last Gaddesby sale
for 1,600 guineas; Prince Wild Eyes and Duke Win-
some, two exceedingly well-bred animals of the Wild
Eyes tribe, the former by Grand Duke 22 ad and out of
Velvet Eyes, the latter by the same sire and from
Winsome 6th, bred by the Duke of Devonshire, and so
highly prized at Holker ; also a son of 7th Duke of
Tregunter and Grand Duchess Fawnley 3rd, the for-
mer a pure-bred Duchess bull, bred by Colonel Gunter,
the latter a well-bred cow of mixed Bates and Knightly
blood.

Mr. Russell has one of the largest shorthorn herds
in the world in New Zealand, and a herd of pure-bred
Herefords almost as large, and for the latter he has
been enabled to select some of the best•bred animals in
England of the white.faced breed, such as Coomassie,
the Royal first prize calf at Kilburn, and who has been
unconquered at all other shows this year; Horace
2nd, who won a Royal second prize at Bristol; and a
fall sister to Leonora, Mrs. Edward's champion cow,
who has been first in the Royal lists since calf dom.
The Times.