The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1875-09-14 00:00:00

NIL DUDSDON, M.P.. ON AGRICVLTURS.

At the harvest home dinner at Dareembe, near Lewes,
the Hight Hon. J. 0. Dodson, M.l'., who presided, in
Proeo-11,:: "Success to the Barcenthe Harvest Home,"
rentarked :—lt is this year a special relief to have arrived
at the coneltudon of our harvest. It has been a year of
considerable anxiety. It is well known that sailors and
fanners are the people who most immediately depend
instil the influence of the westher- —(liear, hear). 'This
year our proverbially flekle climate has out-done Its own
caprice, and male the fortune* of the gallant Captain
I:011011 and the still more gallant Captain Webb —(ap-
plause). Whtn they had tine everything that courage
and endurance, skill MO forethought could devise to
ensure YUCCOsa, they were not more at the merry of the
elements than the fortunes of the farmer* have been this
year (hear, hear). They had been remintial that they,
in this part of the country at all events, had eecasion to
lou thanful fur what on the whole we, • successful
harvest. We are (continued Mr. Dodson) lirel forteii,,te
In that respect, VI has been peintesl out, than theme in
many other parte of the kingdom and, intleed, taking
the kingdom through, according to the best estimate.
the wheat harvests generally, the wheat crop will be from
Ui to i per cent, below the averse!, and that means that
our native acres, instead of proilinting bread enough to fill
the mouths of It millions out of 32 millions in the United
K will only produce enough for 13 or 14 inillions,
a... 1 the r..st w:11 lime to be made up by importation.
We must net, however: complain of our native acres.
Many of them have yielded Letel harvests since the time
alien the Romans first introduced civilised apiculture
UrnollitSt ; and although we have aMA whit.* is not
first•ratc, and • climate which is decidedly secoieltrate,
Use skill and enterprise of the farmers, and the perste-
venue...) anti industry of our labourers (applause) con-
trive to extract from the land in acreage n produce
cant...ding, by from onesthird to one-fourth, nearly all
countries in Europe and America and the Southern
Hemisphere, concerning which we have any information.
truly just take one country, which is • very fair country
to lake ill regard to grain crepe, a civilised and fertile
ettentry, with good climate and that is France.
The average wheat acreage produce of the United
Kingdom, not in England alone, mind you—i. about
three quarters awl a half ; in France the average pro-
duce of wheat I. not more than from two to two and
a hall. The average acreage produce of oats throueh the
United Kingdom is flee quarters, and In Franco it does
not exceed three. The •VCIIIII4II prteluce of barley in
the United tm is between four and live quarters, and
in Frauce not much more than two and a half, or from

Eat three. And if you g 0 tO live stork an. la e mto
runt not only the number but their superiority in sise,
you will find our average produce of meat greater than
that of “ny other country. The fact ilk in regani to farm-
ing, there are only two countries which at all come near
u.- and Pelgium, and we are well ahead ..1 them.
Next to those two is the colony of New Zealand, and there
again we are well ulmad. lot toe say this, that though
we have such good reason to be prowl of our farming it is
very rowykaldo that, our information concerning the
.rodir.-of4our land is less complete than most other
civilised countries. It looks almost, instead of being-
prowl, we Are aaleimed of it, and have something to cono
ce..l fia..gliterk Looking at the lliikrellt 4.pinions a.. ts
the use .4 information of this kind. Mr. la.losa mid it i
g. iee.slly 1.1111141.04 they KO Of UN) to lievernment, mei to
Parliament, and to public mon, to enable them to measure
the 1,10111.011.1 and strength of the country., awl to ascertain
Its pr. ere.. over a given peri.sl.4 year.. hey are islieved
b. le .4 twe to nen of huxiness, bunkum ouch information
les-sent., or tend, to prevent at all events, exaggerated
'-it rehen.lons slot exaggerated expectations 1%. to the
*mould .4 any particular article of pnollice or of (fool, and
tin. contrihute, to prevent extreme fluctuations of Prices
and to give that steeliness which is one great advantage
to a pro.peren, business. Welk now, as I nail, ..pinions
will differ am to the value of this kind of information, and
.1110 think it is little more than a toy for the gratification
of phil.w.pher... At all events I would say we have now
had expenence .4 the collection of agricultural statistics
for a great nuinher of year., and I think nobody will say
that any harm as conic .4 that- (hear, hear) —and I think
3..0 will also 'tree in thi., that as we are to have agricul-
tural statistics it is letter to have correct than incorrect
ouvs—la_pplausek I would add one other reason for it,
which. [am not above containing, would weigh with ma—
le:Mintage feeling of national pride in the superiority of
our farming, and therefere I would like to have good and
reliahle stattstics, to which we might confidently Point at
showing the extent to which our fanning is vuperior to
that of other conntriet. I should hove the time to not far
distant when we shall uot remain behind the United States
and France, and the greater part of our colonies, and
leant' other countries on the Continent in this respect.
The right hon. gentleman resumed his seat amid loud
applause.

Tin ClfsmkiL Tr/Skim—ln tunnelling the t 'hannel the
most costly labour of any will be the removal of the coca.
rated stone, clay, and soil. Tunnels driven underground
have usually shafts at intervals through which the dis-
turbed earth it raised, and their frequency, by enabling
the excavation to he broken up into short lengths, reduces
conm.lerably the arduousness of the work. Such advant-
ages, however, will not exist in the ease of the projected
Channel TunneL All the earth, or rock, or clay, or chalk
will have to he removed to the terminal shaft' at either
end, and this toil and expenditure must increase as, by
Progression of industry, the headinp are removed to
greater distances from the ends. Nevertheless, the task
is now fairly in hand, and we may rely upon the spirit and
the lefties of the age in which we lire to carry it through
cliectuanr.—Builikr.