The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1877-10-09 00:00:00

THE DORSET COUNTY EXPRESS AND AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1877.

If taveat Sm.ent.—Nfe.ans. f'ornben and Buell, of
Southover farm, Frampton, had their harvest supper
on We lnaslaT last. Over 11.10 sat down, and the
labourers, their wives, and familial, were well feasted.
So merry were they that they kept up the fun till
half put four next day, and on Thursday wee a grand
turn-nt for rabliting, when they had good eport, and
killed swarme of the nibbling beanie.

At the recent conference 1 the delegates from the
Flnyers' and Fanners' Associati no, be.bles the -
promise offored by the Farmers, the followin„o proposal
was made on the part of the buyers :—" 'fhat m all
trans:talons in earn, in Salisbury and Warminster
markets, the seller shall allow a discount of 6.1. in 4:10,
or one quarter per cent., when payment is made in one
week after Ilate of purchase, provided that the corn
shall have been tlelivered tu- detained at the WiKII Of the
purehater ; if payment is made after that date no
mija-
count shall be allowed.--This elsetition, however,
woo not at the time accepted by the fanners delegates.

THE AGRICULTURAL RETURNS
For Great Britain have just been issued. From them
we gather the following particulam relating to the
country and the County of Dorset :

Altogether the number of returns from occupiers of land
is 556,9112, as compared with 517,341 in 1871 a, and fr, 411
owners of Live Stack 5315, as compared with 5,587 in
1876, showing • slight diminution.
As regards Great Britain the cultivated area has in.
creased by 160.000 acres since 1876, and by 1,372,001 acres
since 18121, the reetwetive increases in each 111, ision since
the latter year being 912,000 acres for England. 2110,000
acres for Wales, and Zol,oeo acme for Scotland. Seine
portion of this increase is doubtlesti due to more accurate
returns and to the greater experience of the collecting
oflicers enabling them to detect accistentil errors, but its
certain that the greater part is caused by reclemation of
Marsh or Mountain Land.
As regards corn crops, the area under wheat in the
United Kiruplom %MN 3,321,001 acres, being an increase of
6 per cent. over 1870, but the figures are still much below
tame of past years. The autumn seed tinie is reported to
have been fairly favourable for this important crisp, hot
the rise in the price of wheat ilit nut take place
sufficiently early to increase materially the l,roadh sewn.
The acreage under barley in Great Britain shoves a
decrease from last year of inure than 4 per cent., while for
este the figures show little variation either, in Great
Britain or in Ireland, Where this crop weenies no less
than 1,172,1100 acres, or nearly 79 per coat. of the total
acreage under corn crops.
The variations in the other corn ernes do not call for
much remark, and the total acreage under corn is almost
the same as in 1876, but it must be remembered that
there had been fur some years past a very considerable
decline, amounting for the United Kingdom since NW to
807,10111a.•ree, or about 8 per cent.
Turning to green crops, potatoes in Great Britian 'howl%
Plight increase over the rigeres of last year. though they
are still below those of any other year since lell7 ; while iii
Irelan•l there is a still further decline on the reduced
acreage of late years. Turnips and swedes in Great
Britain have 72,000 acres lese than in 1570, aii•l their area
is now smaller than in any of the past feu years. Koine of
the collectors state - that the decrease is owing tO
intended for turnips but not sewn at the earlier date of
the returns having been eironeously excluded. It is also
alleged that the uncertainty of the crip is the chief cause
of the decline. Other green rroN in Great Britain slow
a con.siderable Increase, most of which is in vetches Sr
tares, which were Wall on 2.5 per cent. more laud than in ,
1876 ; and the aggregate acreage under greets crops shows I
very close agreement with the previous year.
As regards other crops, the small acreage under flax in :
Great Britain has slightly decreased, and in Ireland it has !
also decreased, bring now only 12,3,1100, as corupareil with :
213.000, in 1867.
Hops have again increased In Great Britain, and are ,
now grown ou 71,000 screa
Less land has teem left under bare fallow in Great
Britain than in 1076, owing to the tuore favourable aced !
time, and if allowance lie made for the :acreage ut ternips
before alluded to as not IPUillg sown at the earlier date of
the returns, the difference will le considerable.
As regards clover an•l rot mon grasses in Great Britain,
there is • decrease of 47,010 acres, or 1 per cent. . • but in
permanent pasture of hay there is an increase of 138,010 t
acres, and in pasture not for hay of 75,0011 acres.
There is an increase this year of 11,600 acres in the area •
of orchards in Great Britain, which some of the collectors
ascribe to new plantation, of fruit trees induced by the
increasing demand f• 4' fruit in the large towns.
- Taking now the various descriptions of live stock, a
satisfactory increase may again be uoted in all the clam%
of horses enumerated in Great Britain. Agricultural
Wrses present only a trifling ineream, stud it is elated that
the employment of steam cultivation in seine counties
enables the fanners to economise labour in this reseed. •
Br, ssl 111111,1 end young horses are nee e dous by 3-per
cent, since 1e76, and by 7 per cent. vito•e Is7o Our stuck of
horses has also 'wen materially augmented by use imis,rts
from abroad, which natiffiere.l 40,763 in 1870, and 24079
in the flrst 8 mouths of the premnt year, the experts of
British horses having been in these perOsts respectively
2,701 and 1,479.
There id again a large falling off in Um number of
horned cattle ins Great Britain in spite of the steady
increase of lat s years in pasture land. The decrease sine,
1870 in various classes of cattle have lasm cone per cent. in
cow., 6 per cent, in other cattle &hese two years of age,
and one per cent, in young eattle, suakiug the total
decrease in all libels of cattle 21 per ceut. *unity of
keep, foutaudaumith disease, Will fear of cattle
plague We •ng the cases merit ioutit by the
collectors aa aeooiniting for the continued falling off,
and the late restrietions upon importatien and removal,
are also stated to have affected the numliers. In some
counties, tnoreuver, many lama are Mull to have changed
hanslsilluring the past year, while some have remained
untenanted, aml the stock of cattle 1.1311 (dila Ipeen reduced.
lii Ireland also cattle have decreased by about 3 per cent.
There is a small decline in the stock of sheep in Great
Britain, which is ale, ascribed to scarcity of keep. Lambs,
however, sore rather more numerous, and the total number
of sheep and lainlis thus differs very slightly from that of
- 1870, although a falling MI of Hire than two milhous, or
Dearly 7 per cent, is shown since 11471. The retures of
cattle, and espeeially of sheep and lambs in particular
counties, vary somewhat I rout th, we of the past year,
owing to the earlier slate of the returus, according as it is
the hal:4 in each county to breed or to buy stock for the
. .

summer's feed.
• Pigs in fireat Britain have increased br 8 per cent.
during the past year. The collectors state In ague esacs
that more pigs are being kept instead at cattle awl sheep,
and also that the last two years have been Ire. !rum
disease. It is also remarked that the earlier date would
bring into the returns many young pigs, winch at the
later date would have been sold to roamers, and thus
have been unrecorded.
TOTAL AREA ARO ACREAGE UNDER CORN ('Rot's, GREEN
CROPS. DAHL FALLOW. GILASR &AL
DORSET.

1577, 1,4%.
Total Area .. 11.7.t.Ngi
Tut o Acreue under Crop, Baal 1rd,00.1 47n.15M
alai Grata

Corn Crops:
Wheat ..
Barley or Hero