The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-09-30 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL REFORM.
The recent letters in The TiMee on agricultural topics
has evoked the flowing letters in reply : -
Your general readers must sometimes read with surprise
the letters which appear in your columns upon agricultural
topics. I need not say that farmers are frequently astonished
at them, and marvel much at the wit ice they contain.
It was said of old in the noillitude of counsellors there it
safety, and surely the farmers have many cottusellors. Pad
a here counsel is so conflicting what are City to Ulla of it?
In The Timer of last Saturday Mr. Soott said "the great
want of the day is that mediocrity arable land should be laid
down as permanenpasture." To-day (Sept. 201 The Triers
contains Mr. Mechet m
letter, beaded •• Agricultural Reform,-
In which he condemns " our attachment to the old pastoral
and attributes it to lid, that we have this year
"only foor millions of acres Of wheat mit of f orty dive
millions of farmed laud."
Mere are tweet the fanners' advisers at direct variance in
their (Tinton. Mr. Scott says more pasture and more beef
and mutton. Mr. Mrs-hi says has past lire and more wheat.
Mr. Mehl pants to Mr. Profit's Loin, and says Mr. P ~,,, t
has on hie land 3., per cent. in extent of wheat, hut Mr.
Scott told us on Saturday that "Mr. Prong has not had on
Iris farm for ten years a horn or n hoof," not an anismil
' " -'•

power looms and the call for weavers would be enor-
mous. Cloth would be dearer ; but that, Mr. Aytoun
says, would only fall on the consumer. Abolish
thrashing machines and return to the flail. This was
Wel come forty years ago, but Lop( Brougham did
not think it to be good pditlcal economy. It would
find more work for the agricultural poor. It would
make bread dearer; but, Mr. Aytoun says, that would
only fall on the consumer. Any of thest plans would
make far Inure wink and enable us to support a larger
number f workmen, and, so far as our home constant,
tion goes, we have only to put on a highly protective
duty, and we may, indeed, throw it on the consumer ;
this Mr. Aytoun, no doubt, contemplated, but forgot to
mention. Our foreign cmitimners,would, indeed, fall off,
you would be able probably to tell whether this
would be a good thing or a bad one for the country,
but if they tihd they can get geode 10 per cent. cheaper
elsewhere, it would be unnatural that On° lambi get
their engineers from I.il•ge, or at Messrs. Burtneste
and Wain's, in Denmark, instead of Newcastle.
lint it is said that the masteri may bear the loss-
-10 per cent, is so little too give up. Vet it seems to ice
that the proposed nwasure would take inf rather none
• -- _ _ _

...._ ....... . . . . . ..
except six hones, not is bullock, or a sheep, Or a pig. Mr. than 10 per cent, of the master's profits. If a firm
Prout may thus grow more acres of wheat, hut man does
not live 1 bread :done, herinims heel and mutton nn 1 a monnausces business with, say, £lOO,OOO, they ought to
,y
little, M the present toy a very little, pork. What tanner make frail 10 to 20 cent, on their capital - -i.e., the
can reconcile such conflicting advice? In the forty.ryve mit. partners should divide £lO,OOO or £720,000 as year ; but.
lions 'd acres "f -far'''''.l 13". r. 31r. 31reld includes not in order to do this, such a firm will pay little short of
only the rich meadows of Devon, Somerset, Yorkshire. £lOO,OOO in wages to workmen every year, so that a
Ch“hire, and the SUM:out Counties. but the meadows of
Ireland saturated by the rains of the Atlantic and thus reduction of one tenth of the work thine by those work-
men wonhl be a loss to the masters a £lO,l 00 a par,
unsuited for the growth of wheat, anti also the hill.sides of
Pentland, where the cattle are bred tool reared. Plough up or trim one half to the whole interest of their capital.
most of tht se, and where would be the supply of you,,g Even thin is not all. A large portion of the work is done
cattle, to be fattened by such farmers as Mr. Me.,bl, who and it large portion of the cost is incurred by machinery,
does not breed • bullock or a sheep? Wr have been often eoali, tte. 9 lie interests of the capital so laid out will
told that we must make the hest t,f om produce—that is. be lowered, hut the cost if the machinery anti coals
grow the crops which w i 0 pay us hes!, übeCior they be beef
and mutton Or wheat. barley, or even ,u,,,ar, and it is not so will he AR rillitsh for nine Infors' woik as for Mu, as if
long Since when it Ssiao soi,l the y'sllep of the liseissippi the filys 'Sr let down they caiinot I, raised a,,,,ahr to the
alone would feed the people of England. and that this roquimite heat •so that if tho men were to work only
supply. supplemented by the produce of Southern Russia, nine hours a dav, anil to receive only nine-tenths of
would he always sufficient to prevent a snitch enhanced
rice of wheat here. so that it mattered not what the crop their former wages, the masters would still lose one-
p tenth of all the work done by machinery. This at least
a Engiand should be, and besides large imports wi inld ,""" beget „
bnce exports ; SO that the halance would always be right. -'n Ide ma as
to an igunt man like me, who h
But to-day Inept 291 Mr. hi hi
condemns buying for 6" 1 us 'en in might up to thiiik ti at there is ?ant must be a
wheat as a - suicidal practice," anti says, inipot t less wheat I market prim. If hash wrong, lam willing to change
by breaking up the sources of supply •if your beet and mutton, i my views and to propose to my bristlier farmers to keep
Is it not difficult for no poor fanners to decide upon all our corn in hand till it rise to famine price. Hither-
which of or CoMiSellors to lean, and what adds to lor dint- . to, I should have considered such a course to be about
rutty is when we read in tlnse letters in The Timm written ! an foolish as it would be wicked, but if the engineers are
by such aide correspondents, statements if Lois the eee•.' e ,
right I mush all along have been wrong. So I hope
opposite of what we See abont us. Mr. Saniterson. in his ; that.. `..— -..-, w'hi 'ma will ulighten —Voursdiellient
letter of Inesthiv, says rind - the keerivid crop is better r ""`.`""' "*" - n i v - ' s
than it has been for several years." Now, we know that in servant,- stiStritAMUS.
the East of England, where this root is lamely grown this
Is in direct contravention of the fact, in the spring there MR. NASMYTH ON THE ENGINEERS'
was. fair plant. but June and July sore cold, the bulbs are
eniall and stinted, anti the weight per acre will be unusitally snaKE.
light ; the eel', good in Pall Mall, to bad in sulfa,. The following letter, which Mr. James Namne

ytn,
Why is it that these gentlemen are in. rontinnally gin. Penslitust, Kent, has sent to The T leas for publicis-
ing us nitrite? Are farmers natty no dead to their oWII in- tion, is worth the thoughtful perusal if working-men I—
terest as to need this frequent stimulus to exertion and self- The auldeet at issue between the workmen and their ena
advancement I
ployera in the Digineerif Strike In the north of England
True, they are a quiet race, they do nit make a great figure ha= la.en so [ldly discussed :mil laid before the judgment of .
in the world. Mit, on the other band. one does n 44 see ammiz the pubne in your isilinme, that I tear ally endeaveur on
farmers any magnificent bauhrupteles, with splendid halt my part to throw a little additional light on the saldeet
crown dividends they steer clear of these. may appear unnecessary, if not intrusive. Ind as there ap-
Without advice farmers will grow all the wheat and other Pears to me to lie a part of the subject that lota not been
grain they 01511, they will fatten all the bullocks anti sheep specially adverted to, and yet. as it appears t,, me, bears
they earl, and if the general 'rude of the country should COll- directly on the pretext 141 abel. the nine hours demand is
tittle good they A-ill not object to receive good- prittes for based, perhaps you will allow me to say a 1,4 w words on the
their produce. but will be glad to particiPate in the .general subject, the pretest bring. as the leaders of this movement
prosperity of the country, with which the present price of allege, That the exhaustion of physical power consequent
wheat will certainly not interfere. Trionas IltreilembK, on a working day of th en ours is so great. In the ease. of
Lavenham. Suffolk. engineer workmen, as to justify the demand for its reduction
to nine hours" (wages remaining the Willie, lloWel•er).
In the letter which appeared in The Times of yesterday During upwards of 40 years' experience as a mechanical
from my good friend Mr. Medd, several important topics are .4,Tpeer I have witnessed inane great improvements effected
touched upon, ell one of which I entirely agree with him— in respect to dispensing with the neeessity for severe hand
viz., that our land laws awl land tenure should he adapted labour by the substituthill of nreehanical contrivances, by
to the altered conditions of the country brought Bison by I 1115,11 a of which arduous baud latsmr has teen almost en-
our accumulated wealth, the inereasrd population, and the find.- dmle away with. This result has been effected by the
introduction of costly machinery and greater capital in farm est,lisive employment of special machines ternted " ell.
operations. The course, however, which Mr. Weld recorn- gincers tools; by the add of which the 11.511,15•1•0113 masses as
mends to the couutry—in the breaking up of grass land, the well as the smaller portions of tin... obdurate materials em-
growing of wheat after wheat, in adopting the example set pioyed in the constrnetion of maehinery of all els..es are
by Mr. Pruitt In Hertfordshire—is one which I think few caused to assume the desired forms.
men wlil endorse who have considered what is involved in such an extert has the entployment of those walnut-
the whole question. cal contrivances been carried that I believe I am within the
The increase in our home supply of wheat is undoubtedly mark when I say that ono-tenths of the work that used to
an Important one, but by the side of the question of au hi- he produced lip halal laliour is IiOW effected in a vastly more
creased supply of meat, an I showed in my little work an mpiii and perteet 111111111 or by self.arthig and other machines,
Confiscate/ Far. Mag, it is really an insignitleant one. We which perform their functions with such ease Wei perfect
ran draw our supplies of corn from the enik of the earth, accuracy as to leave nothing for the workman to do hut
England, indeed, has become. her Free 'lrate, the great stand hy and watch the assiduous and action"( the
granary for the stieltitis grain of all other eellidries. hat She inachilie under his superintendence. and ellpply it With its
area from which we rail draw len. sapirlies of animal 1,0 :11 is next job.
nt present limited very nearly to the countries near b. our These admirable contrivances also snpfily the workmen,
own shores. whom speeial duty it is (0 put the parts no prishiceil to-
Mr. NI veld informs us that be has grown this year 42 bushels art 1 ler, 55 ith all She details of the umehinery executed in
of !Wields wheat (the ,ourbed kind) th... same land which =0 perfect a manner that all they trace it is to make a
;Ist year produced 45 bushels white wheat. few a•ljustinetits Nacre need be before they are finally lived
Now, iii addition to such a practice Inn hey tinsourol in ! Ins their rattly,: places hi the entire nerchiae under eon-
principle and opposed to the scientitte deli. er. st hat stnietion,
has been gamed! By grow MI ett,,t liter AI-al, Slr. Mechi • 14, like inantier the trams it ti. and fro. and the liftiny of
has simply saeritive.i that Islam of In, root crop. 11.1 the t
,Tal"ttent Itatts of the iii.o•Liovry ni irogresi coil
lamb, heels s,wu with is tosterative crop for hist:wee, man- it or for lb' eceent 4.: 111, details lip 111-- ---If main.;
gol I—the result, I.) the statements Oven if the nia.bile s 1.. foli• reft to is all pm formed by trucks nue
Tiptree crops, *intl.t probably have been a prisluce of someriht.ihronon,ni y is, „I
:a) or 40 tons of roots Per err, Those would have fntvrtlol.cit ,thik. all aiol 1,...ivy liii, Ice elleetl by erilissi if
past for a large number 44 bullocks and slo elt, tt tml of • the 5. oristrileiiiill, Man) id st liii
mangoid prodin.ing sonie lvii,. if 1,..1 aby am sr.aot the polder°rrs as well Re
of fanuers to potst coin- the mite drib II,• parts al, LliSell Lae their places with searee
mended by (It Miahl. the result wit: tilt la, a cousidemble ' any anis, ciulde labour_
increase in the :thready high pen, of meat, while the inllnence
. If there tots, thing more than another that must strike
Upon the sitheat market by the increase 44 ou Mune r wheas
the m 44 an iidelii_suit I isitorirednecring.ei-
e w rop onld ioaliiiesinial. Sizilio4o the (saintly Were
iithlidinelid it latisi Ore of pii)sival
to adopt the system of Mr. Print, who, I believe,
eveltion eee,/,,eieel \Sail the wida la...bleed id all
the whole of his land evrry year, awl, lamer licar cl:snaesl/1 lota his ti Wilt, have the least colts.. to complain
London, sells the whole of his produce, straw in- ,
11111-51,1r0f b. undue denial:sla oil their pliyabal strength and
dudish few or no animals bng ei kept upon the fans,
exertions it is the eia;il44 r WI of ilo• per,air day,
meat, under allell a t• 0115•1551, Would Very 4.001 fatione
irksome toil and hard work being mimed to a 1,11,11i:111,
pricos; lord, as Sir. Prout's system risiirss very little labour
,while to such worlunen as feel int. :1,1,1 in th=ir
(Scarcely any in A hiter . the poor would siren lack employ'
lion (and there are many such) every liniaess eotieur 1 With
meat. I think, further, that She. Weld's advice as to pliingh- the production of machinery is a soorce of niod pleasing and
big up poor grass land is equally unsonn,l, T shouTil say- try instructive issupation. a never ceasing application of all the
and Improve it. Noland sooner yield. to r med eial measures tnhrb d d
~
r,tine t
and generoustreatment than pasture. some ten yerust ago my
in effecting some id the greatest events of the a4e
farm inana,ger strongly tiered me to break lira weer of poor in
grass. I (objecfoil, and instructed hits to drain It, to harrow it
well two or three times a year, and b, give lbw:mint:di kept
upon it marigold, corn, or cake. This th. 1.1 is loos as toc..s
Mee,' of Postare mily inII II I. Again, eveil•
practical man knows that to beet I smstessfully a certain
proletrtion of permanent paatiire 53 neeessary. if not indis•
• Ide. and that more Stock cam raiivil mom farms
•
I lining Milne 20 or :X) per cent. of grass bind than MI !oil,
i'lusieely arable. With our ever iliereaditg populatiom if
the people are to has te I, more animals itti:d be br,d. The
prices of store st..ck are Si enormously brgli that Mlny
tanners are actually iisterred at the present time hem lat -
big stock to fatten durlug the winter for fear of never see-
ing their inolicy again, and yet Mr. Nl,chi reeonimends a
• oirse which would infallibly ha I to a diminution id our
st, ick. I can only account for the erroneous notions my
friend ha= put hineard hty envie oina that he has always pur-
sued the plait of II buying iu ' instead of breeding his cattle
and sheei..
Slr. Weld has recommended others "It watch the s!gns
iI the Mules.- but the reports he quotes of Mr. samolcmon
and Idr. Scott appear to litre, for the nine, obscured his
own, usually, clear 15111, ste.,
JAMES HOWARD
Clapham-park, Bedford, Sept, 21.

lulalcll
IC tile Coll:

er.pi

On 1414 at J.t5tif,4.14144 4T rational gnenals titla strike tor ro-
-414444t44444 wort.ine lier 4 from tea to I
ani uttelly at a 14.si to ionwine, ant lii, therefore. ilitren ti
4..4.444•11441e that when their demand is 5tri141.4•41 .1 iii ''pro
te‘t " the hare troth will le• exposed-14444144y. that thls
oil ho is merely an iirlirett anti 1111C1111iii.i attempt to es-
tort 111.414er wa,4441 under 1441,4 pretence, Thii may be 11
liar.' t.ayiirr, hot I am strongly poNuatled that It Li not tar
front the troth.
-- - •

Whatever be the issue of the present tinniest. I feel certain
the n Ault t ill be as her,toforin—natnely, a vast additional
stiinnilw will he riven by it to the contrivance and enameled
employment of all as will
fortify employers azainst the occurrence of these dissi-
trolls and intolerable interruptions to the steady employ-
ment if intelligent labour and progress if Meanness,- i.Onn•
that. while they all vastly tn the ea, and perfect-
ne,s of production. Inertia In their admirable funt.ntions
with unfailing evietness noel assiduity. while they tweet.
strike Or g..t, drunk or turn n.inle tin li.ntent to the itehisive
blanilishnients of trade ttgitators or tie:on:tient philanthro-
pists.

Mr. Nfeehl. In his anxiety that more of the land of th,,,
United Kingdom should I.e devoted in, the growing ot wheat,
ignores two very important points in the ease -the one, that ,
unless we iniport animally oil the average a lar,.,e portion of
in corn a e shall md export a large quantity of Dritish
mannfactures, for foreigners cannot continue to buy without
selling in proportion the other, that if his doctrine were
extensively carried molt in practice, beef in England would
be at least a shilling per pound, and beer made of good
English malt a shilling or therealouts per quart, to say
nothing of the inemaied inability if our large manufac-
Wring population to purchase these articles. Certain
soils, and certain farm, favourably situate for obtaining
town-made or other artificial manure, may be advanta-
geously worked in th,2 way Mr. Medd proposes, hut the
quantity of land to iituate, edinpared with the great bulk of
our agricultural aeon, i,eOiiiitnteatieety trilling. This la as
extraordinary year as regardi the wheat rep, still, iinlinit•
thug, for argument's sake, what I utterly disbelieve, that we
shall smut £3.1,000,000 worth of foreign wheat inlore next
harvest, how this, as your correspondent asserts, will dee
ptcms our trade,' 1 vannot Sen. jilt " disturbed the money
market,- as he abio states, it w•uthl, neverthele.s, necesetrily
produce an increased dealand for oar mann fa•tures, aunt there-
fore set •.n oar trade in tine very reverse Way tAI W !tat he tins.
Ones. The fact is almost every county in Great Britain
Inas its peculiar adaptation for certain products—the hop
and orchard I:1,411111i of Kent, the stock-producing pastures
of Ilereford6hire, the tine barley growing land .4 Norfolk, and
n,ther similar districts WOlll.l In all injured by the substitn-
than of a larger pi oduetion of ivlwat for their present mode
of cultivation. Steam ploughing. on the advantage of which
Mr. M veld bellS to much, in only applicable to large farms,
with their c.orrespondinglargeenclosere, and today or loamy
solls of considerahle depth. In Wales, tine province front
which I Write, ni) beliefis, 1144 half the land which at present
ta applied to wheat growing should be applied to that pur-
pose oats and turnips for their flocks and hernia would pay
them much better. It roily shock )tr. Men-hi s feelings, but
on a farm of nearly rm 11.1,1 I grow To. 4,ther erop than the
above, with thenAceptilm of clever and mangold.—Y.dlmi the.,
Dina& JoIIN LLoY D.