The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-11-07 00:00:00

PEASANT FARMING.

The Times puhliAtes the I flowing letter on " Peasant
Farming," than their Special NA:porter at 'Cambridge

In a previous letter upon this subject I gave the ex-
perience of a small crofter who was trying hard to make
a living out of six &era* of land, luta ented that his
work had been ilbrequited. len alb add some more
instances of this uaturein Cambridgeshire and Suffolk,
premising that it has not been my aim to bolster up
any theory as to the policy or impolicy of small
holdings, but simply to record the facts as I find them.
The danger of forming hasty conchisions is as great
it this as in other things agricultural. I have talked
with men who beginning with a bit of land, have
raised themselves from the farm labouring class
isle positions of fair independence, though at starting
they had little more than the proverbial twopence-
halfpenny in their pockets. It follows that there are
openings by which even peasants may raise themselves
into the class above them. But, in my experience,
the cases are very rare in which men have done so
simply by " farunug," in the ordinary acceptation of
the word. Sometimes they have cultivated their land
as a market garden, and then they must have a market
handy, taking their own vegetables for sale there or
having special facilities for disposing of them to ad-
vantage. The average English peasant is not qualified
for this method of cultivation and sale of produce, which
demands a quicker intelligence than he generally pos-
ceases. Besides, if vegetable gardens were multiplied to
any large extent in the neighbourhoodof large .nd small
towns, the markets would soon be overstocked, and
prices would cease to be remunerative. At present,
market gardening answers where the small cultivator
is exceptionally clever, industrious, and alert. More
frequently, however, the peasant farmer works on
the neighbouring farms, or is a jobber, carter,
earlier, keeping his eyes well open, and turning his
hand to anything by which he can make a few
shillings. In some cases which came under my
e men had bought threshing machines and Psk
them about for hire among the small holders in the
neighbourhood, threshing by the coomb, and supply-
ing the labour. One of these men had three such
machines going—" a shrewd, close fellow, 'said my in.
fonnant, "who on most days work from six in the
morning till nine at night.' Such men cannot be
kept down. They will rise, "as the sparks fly up-
wards," from whatever class they may be born into.
A few details, however, will be more instructive
than any general statement. Here is a sketch of a
Cambridgeshire parish in which small holdings
abound, and out of 113 farms only 20 exceed 100
acres. The extent of the farms there is as follows:
—3O holdings tinder 10 acres ; 24 over 10 and
under 20 acres; 25 over 20 and under 50 acres; 14
over 50 and under 100; 14 over 100 and under
200 ; four over 200 and under 300 ; and two
upwards of 300 acre*. 02 the 30 holders under 10
acres, one man got his living (so I was told) entirely
from the land, farming it in the ordinary way—that
is, raising corn and mots, and keeping pigs and a cow.
The remaining 29 employ themselves as follows :—Six
carters, carriers, and flymen, four turf dealere, one
eoprolite digger, two fruit dealers, five publicans, four
farm labourers, one shopkeeper, two dealers in stock,
one butcher, while three hold more land in an adjoin
ing parish. Of the 24 holders of tietween 10 and 20
Italy's, live get a living entirely from the land; the re-
mammg 19 have other occupations—namely, one sedge
dealer, one parish officer, one labourer, threepublicaus,
two dealers in stock, three carters, carriers, and
hymen, two flour dealers, one brickmaker, one
fruiterer, one grocer, and three hold more land in an
adjoining parish.
I was anxious to see the one man out of the 30
holding less than ten acres who was said to make his
living entirely from the land, especially as he farmed
no more than four acres. I found that he had
3a. Ir. 39p. of his own land, and hired lr. 35p. besides.
The land was good corn-growing land, and was well
cultivated. He had this year grown three acres of
wheat, yielding ten coombs (five quarters) an acre, and
worth £1 per womb ; but usually he did net expect
to grow as much as ten coombe. Then he had an acre
of sainfoin, which was consumed by his cow, while the
pigs supplied him with manure. Two or three years
ago he had lost a cow worth £l.B from milk fever. This
was a terrible blow. lie had built himself, with bor-
rowed money, a substantial cottage, the land and house
being mortgaged as security for the loan. He had no
children, and therefore lived at a small expense. But
this man, a skilful farmer in his way, who toiled early
and late, and had among his neighbours the reputation
of being a sober, indefatigable worker, complained of
scanty means and hard life. At all events, he made a
living out of his land? No, he answered. His wife
was thought a clever milliner in the village, and earned
a little money in this way. As for himself, he worked
for the neighbouring farmers when he could get a job,
and had nothing particular to do at home. Then, at
harvest-time, a farmer helped him by the loan
of a horse and waggon, and he did a fortnight's
harvesting for the farmer. He hired a home
for ploughing, harrowing, rolling, and drilling,
and then did as much work as he could manage
off his own land. He thought he worked twice as
hard as most labouring men. If, he said, he had to
trust to the profits of his four acres, he should make a
poor living. A farmer, who knew the man well, told
me he was worth a pound a week as a hired labourer,
and knew well how to make the most of his land. This
seemed probable, for he told me he had taken five
white crops in succession off the half acre lie hired,
until at last the owner, a peasant who had mortgaged
it (the land being now for sale under foreclosure), came
and expressed himself very freely upon this exhaustive
method of cultivation. _ _