The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-10-24 00:00:00

:floret Count Expreos.

TUESDAY. OCTOBER Sl4. IV&

NOTES OF THE WEEK.

"Are you going to send us to the workhouse,
sir ?" said a labourer to a farmer the other day,
in relation, to a reduction of wages to the extent
of a shilling a week. "how much less than
nineteen shillings a week did you take of ine
last year ?" was the retort, "I don't think I
earned so much," answered the man, and his
employer thereupon referred to his labour book.
The investigation showed that his guess at the
man's earnings was under-estimated. Reckoning
a shilling a week, or loss than a half-penny a
pint, for the beer supplied during forty-eight
weeks, and one pound two shillings for harvest
beer—its actual cost to the farmer who brewed
it—he found that this man had received in value
a few shillings over fifty-two pounds in twelve
months. Extra pinta of beer given at odd times,
and other perquisites, were not taken account of,
so it is obvious that the statement was a little
under the truth • The man had received at least
a pound a week in money and in kind, although
his nominal weekly wages were only fifteen
shillings, and he had lost five days in the year
through illness. He is head-horseman on an off-
hand farm, and, as an exact adding-up showed,
had received just a shilling a week more than
his mates. Now, if a delegate of the Union had
" interviewed " this man, what would he have
said Why, that this head-man on a farm in
one of the home counties was paid only fifteen
shillings a week. Neither the labourers nor
their spokesmen in the Union ever condescend
to consider such trifles as extra earnings at
piece-work, or in harvest, or the value of beer
and other perquisites, when they make a state-
ment of wages received. The "art of putting
things" is very well understood by both, and
their tactics are those of the special pleader,
however vociferously they may declare that they
are speaking after the manner of the impartial
judge. Sometimes, no doubt, the "agitator"
is misled by the disingenuous statement of his
client; but usually he can hardly fail to know
that ho is repeating a false declaration. The
labourer who, on being asked what he earns,
quote. his nominal weekly wages, always much
leas than his average earnings, deserves the
reprobation of all truthful men; and the Union
delegate who repeats the statement, well-know-
ing that it involves a suppr,stio oeri, is guilty of
bearing false witness against his neighbour. This
is a serious charge; but the persistency with
which untruthful statements of the earnings of
farm labourers are published, in spite of remon-
strance, renders plain speaking a simple duty.

The result of the Cabinet Council on Thurs-
day will not be known for some time, but it is
not a little singular that after the Cabinet had
been in deliberation about an hour the Russian
Ambassador drove up and took Lord Derby off
from his colleagues. The result was that the
Cabinet broke up apparently without the
presence of the Foreign Secretary, and with the
matter consequently still in suspense which
they had met together to decide on. In all
probability that last interview of Count
Schowaloff with Lord Derby will be found to be
one of the turning-points in the whole trans-
action. It throws light on the rumour that the
Czarewitch is about to visit London, and we
may yet hope that some amicable solution may
be struck out for the Eastern Question. At all
events, we now know that diplomacy has not
said its last word; and it will probably be
, found that the alarmists have done their worst,
' and that the prospects of peace are beginning to
brighten.
It will be a satisfaction to Asayriologists to
learn that the most competent man to till the
late Mr. Ceo. Smith's place has been appointed
to carry on those researches in the East with
which Mr. Smith's name is now imperishably
connected. M. Ilormuzil Kassam is a native of
Mosul, and, trained by Layard, has served a
good apprenticeship in the very best school as a
, scientific traveller and explorer. There is this
additional reason fur the employment of M.
Kalamai : lie was one of the captives for whose
rescue the Abyssinian war was carried on; and
having cost us tor hiv recovery some eight
millions, it is only right we should make some
use if such a treasure-trove. This modern
Orintiztl will do us good service, we hope,
against the Ahrintan of decay and neglect in
the East, aud if he brings out any of the buried
treasures of antiquity, we shall regret the !us
the treasures which we lavished some eight
•years ago in digging him out of the depths of an
, Abyuinian dungeon.
! Amongst the causes which will engage the
attention of the gentlemen of the long robe,
: during the forthcoming term, is an action for
, deLmiation of character, brought by a well-
known freethinker against a clergyman of the
! Church of Englar.d, who formerly belonged to
! the Independent persuasion. As far as we can
ascertain, the dispute which led to the coin-
mission of the alleged offence, originated in a
lung discussion which took place in London
between the two parties concerned. The
proapeet of a heavy washing in public of very
! dirty linen eves cordial satisfaction to sensation-
lovers in the Northern and Eastern suburbs of
London

Ile" Society for Promoting Christian Know-
ledge has seen the success of the Bible Society
in moving into their palatial quarters in Victoria-
street, and now have decided to move out in the
same way, into one of the main thoroughfares.
Their present quarters in Lincoln's-Inn-Fields
are airy and central enough for most purposes,
but there is a desire to get more into the world;
and as they have a large building fund of
upwards of £40,01.10 it may as well be sunk in
an investment of this kind. Their plan is to
erect a large and commodious building on the
new Northumberland-avenue, and to accommo-
date the Gospel Propogation, and any other
Church Societies that want house-room in a
central situation near the Embankment.

'that battle for the vicariate of Clerkenwell,
won after a tussle which in its rougher features
was disgracefully like an old-fashioned municipal
election, is a memory of sorrow to the parish.
Certain debts were incurred by the church-
wardens which will have to be paid, only
the unfortunate feature in the business is the
entire absence of the necessary funds. The
vestry have no power to levy a church-rate, and
the desire of a certain number of that body to
make a voluntary rate is being resisted in the
parish with tremendous—one might almost say
imperial vigour—vigour. In the vestry itself
the war of words has very nearly developed into
a war with fists. At a public meeting recently
hold on the subject, charges of the most discre-
ditable nature were made against persons of
repute) in the parish. Nay; so high as the
contest become, it will not surprise one in the
least to find the last act of the election of
a vicar of a Church of the Establishment played
in a police-court.

The wonders of Dr. Slades's mediumship are
as nothing compared with those reported in the
current number of The .Weditina. A medium
named Bullock (unethereal appellation!) has
been conveyed, a /a Mrs. Guppy, from Islington
to Clapton the while his hands were manacled
and he was tied up in a sack ! All tho doors
were locked at the time. It is noteworthy that
when Mr. Bullock reached Clapton the spirits
proceeded to bring him his umbrella and hat
which in the hurry of transit he had left behind
at Islington. When the sitters in Church-
street, Islington found that the Bullock had
flown, they wended their way on foot to Clapton,
and met the young gentleman on his way back
again. The report of this extraordinary occur-
rence is given with great circumstantiality in
the Medium, and its accuracy vouched for by
several witnesses.

AGRICULTURAL RETURNS FOR DORSET.
The agricultural retnrns for Great Britain for the
year Ind have just been publiiibed, and we have been
favoured with an early copy from ti,g Mani of Trade.
The tables three in number. No. I relates to the
total acreage under env., and acreage under each
kind of corn crop; N.,. 2 acreage under each kind of
green crop' and under flax, bops, hare fallow, and
grass; and No. 3, number of horses, cattle, sheep' and
pigs. From them we extract the following liardculaes
relating to our Own county.
Under table No. 1 we find that this year the total
of acreage under all kinds of crops, bare fallow, and
grass, war 478,1a_4, being a little over 4,000 acres more
than in 1875. Thbi was constituted as follows -
Wheat, 11,329- more than 9.000 acres short of 1875:
I Earley, 39.900-nearly 2,000 less: Oats. 23,170-about
1.000 more • Rye, only 889-a dozen below what it was
li, 1875. Beans, 3,316 some 500 lees; Paw, 3,130-
116 Y 150 has The total tinikr corn crops was 111,731,
as agaluat 11zi,805 in 197.1.
Table N 0..... 2, whichrelatesto the green crops, shows
ll.' that L"
in 'nwe thni. year we had 2,6.18 acres devoted
W P°Wt•°",,, .bobvir • falling off of about 200 Itcrea from
last year. "imps ; .3 was over 500 an. chow a etrease o a
aCreav the number devoted to the roots
being 41,233 ; r
Mangum
3rear, thb yea the Is Pretty near the same as last
year Is aaa. mara=zdie 5,148. We have got this
to Carrots than 1n 1875;

but the space &Retail is but 93 acne even then.
Cabbage and Rape commands 3,350 acres-231 he.
than in the previoes year. Vetches, &c., are about
1,300 under 1875—being 7,151. While the total under
green crops is 2,250 leis—viz., 60,633. Flax differs by
something like 50 acres less-383 being grown this
year. Of Hops, according to the returns, we do not
seem to have grown a single acre - but still we only
had 9 last year. Our ancrupped Arable land amounts
to 6,796 11Crel-1110rB dal] A thousand acres AIA,VO that
of 1875. Clover and the like uanipies 57,440 scree—
about 3,000 imvea.e. The returns for the permanent
'mature show us that tie farmers of Ibirset find grazing
more profitable than corn, there being an increase of
some 9,000 acres devoted to this purpose, as against
1875. Towards this object 241,185 acres were devoted.
In table No. 3 we are told the number of Horses,
Cattle, Sheep, and Pigs in each county. We in
Dorset had 320 more horses than in 1875; viz., 15,632;
Cattle are about the same an last year- 75,874; Sheep,
some 12,000 lees 866,386; and Pigs give an increase
of nearly 2,000-42,044.