The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-12-27 00:00:00

WAREHAM.

The first of our Christmas dinners took place at
the Black Bear Hotel on Thursday last ; a goodly
attendance of yeouuniry from 'Purbeck and the sur-
rounding districts suiscuibled. The chair was tilled
by 'lames Panto'', Esq., the vice-chair by Mr. Chas.
Kent. The dinner was excellent, and served up in
first-rate style by Mr. and Mrs. Sworn, giving gene-
ral satisfaction.

The Christmas show in the different butchers' shops
in this town has maintained its usual credit, as well
in regard to quality as abundance. Alr. Whittle, iu
South•strect, had a splendid show of capital beef,
and one of his sheep was a perfect wonder, both for
size and fatness, as was also an extraordinary fat
lamb. Alr. Davis' shop displayed its usual excel-
lence., and the prime quality of his aiiinuils was
muck admired. The other stalls had a good display
and attracted very general attention.
The Shareholders of the Swanage l'ier Company
have receives' the following very satisfactory Report
of the Engineer, Captain Aloorsom :—Swanage l'ier
and Tramway. —Swanage. 11th December,
Dear Sir,—l send von the c.:rtilicate for the month
eliding this ihiy. The Pilot if the Pier in place ex-
tend to the whole length of s2il fcet, and the plank-
ing is completed to nearly IWO feet. The whole of
the timber, iron work, and cranes are on the spot,
eseept a few fender piles. The moorings have yet
to he delivered. I believe the middle of .January
will find all the pier and tiautway completed as far
West as the laud has been permissively procured.
You are aware that vessels have already unloaded
their cargoes at the Pier.—Truly yours, W. S. Akan:.
sow, Engineer. William Phifpard, Esq., S:eretary.

-- A letter from the peishbonrhood of Taunton
whidi we base j.t received confirms very strongly
what aas listety said elmoit the effect of ergot in pasture
upon ilecalf COW:. Three of the principal
uainely, .rye-gries., coeksfout, ausl )0110W Oat-
uere covered %WI ergot iii elictolwr, and the con-
sepreses has been that the greater part of the cows
have slipped their calves. A little attention would
prevent such calamities. Er•-• 4 widow if ever appears
in the eddisli or lattermath, arel it is there that the awe
h!..1 prs•guant-ewes stimuli lie placed in October awl the
Is sinning-of November. It is only on the Bents that the
ersot grows in any abundance, atui a little observation
, will show whether they are effected or nut.—M. J. A.
Acitteut.TVltal. Lewd' scarcity
of agricultur.:l labourers in various part-iof the country,
particularly during the last harvest, has induced the
I oxford Farmers' Club—one of the most dourdhing
societies of Ile, kind in the kingdom, and numbering
sees ral hundred members—to direct its attention to the
subject, with a view to ascertain the causes of and
remedies for the present state of things. The subject
was intmeineed by Mr. Mein, late steward to the Duke
of Marlborough, and at,,,,, the causes chiefly insisted
upon in the course of a lent and able discussion on
Wednesday last were the low wages and uncertain etn-
ploymient given to agricultural labourers, which induced
them to bring up their families to other trades el s
more remunerative character ; the high condition in
which the land is now cultivated, whereby heavier crops
are grown, and consequently the same number of men
cannot cut and carry it in the AMC time ; the continual
drain Upoll the labouring population to feed the army,
ttavy, and militia ; 4:titian& ; the introduction of the
railway 'system, with its crowds of porter's, policemen,
, and signalmen : the prejudicial influence of the law of
Settlement aiiml the falling off in the number of Welsh
• and Dish laliourers. The Rev. J. Clutterbuck, of Wit-
teriliam, Berks, particularly insinted upon the baneful
. effects of the 1...5e el Settl.•inent. His dellberate con-
, viction, after the best consideration he could give to it,
and after a rather long experience, Ulla that it was im-
p...able to swer cAllillate the demoralising effects *Lich
the I.aw of S •ttle went has prmlneed 111.11 the labourers
of Una country, eseecially by encouraging habits of im-
providence. Rehire the new Pour Law was enacted he
: wrote a letter to the rinite on the subject, specially
fixing on settlement by hiring Asl.l service an the master
evil. it called forth # leaslieg article in the same strain,
alld that portion of the law was repealed, 110 t because
the Tow, took it up, hut because, like the present
Law of Settlement, it was utterly indefensible. He
thought hernight arisel to those who were AO fond of free
Irmle to strike off with one 'depth.ss blow this shackle,
fettered the employer by a link he might strain,
but which lie could not entirely break. Mr. Thoturun,
of Culisain, the president of the society, &leo denounced
the Law of Settlement, and was of iodation that there
ought to be free trade in labour as iii everything else, to
this \ —that every man should have the power to
take Ins ',dour to any market lie thought proper, the
~u ,f settlement, or any other law, notwitlistan:lieg.
Ile so:detained that the agricultural labourers of this
saonitry had been degraded and steeped in ignorance,
awl they were 110 M repayieg the fanner with a retribu-
tlen sihiich, however much to be deplored, was not to
lie wondered at; and if they uwaut to be elude they
isitst rs.inove thief plague-spot, *lot vet to work to raise
that fallen race, the labourens of England. The fol-
lowing restiluf was IlltilllatCly carried unanimounly :
" That, a. the price of labour must he regnlatesl by the
aupi•ly and demand, it in the opinion of this club that
the time has arrived alien seniething must he done to
cultivate a better feeling bet wren mid ~,,, re closely
; smite the employer and the employed, the interests of
the two being i•ientical. That to effect this it is neces-
Al I LHORSE. wiry, jim the tir-t places to repeal or alter the Law of
- :••• t;lemi lit r.wily—" That the owners and oCcu-
-3ill.lioitNl: Sr. .INDlalte--Tlme pie, of the soil should do their best to improve the
members sir this dub assembled at a., 11.. at I lab nis.r.sl soul physical esonlition of the industrial classes,
Imi on Wednesday last, when a lecture had beenI supplying them as much as possilde with remunerating
arranged by Ir. *W. 12. Spooner, of Eling, but, , labour during the whole year, and with piece•work
owing to indisposition, that gentleman was not able I Wlien practicable ; providing them with comfortable
to attend. L oiler these circumstances, Mr. Stun- dwellings on and near the farms, and in every way
niers very cleverly introduced the subject of prepar- encouraging the itidneitti,ll.l.u6s :rite eaenni
radon for the root crop, and a
tamcut nit ployer may user the • y,
"". I the !Assurer himself he comforts, le. widen etl, an
discussion ensued. happy." Anil lastly,—" That machinery aliould be in-
tnehiced as much as pow.ib:e to supply the deficiency of
_ _
&Annual Is boa."
_
COTTON FlabM A r Mr. Cross, writing from
Manchester to the editor of the Timers, says--I Alla much
obliged to " An titmi Resident in the West Indies and
, Australia," who in the times of Thursday bears such
! clear and decided testii tttttt y to the intelligence, indus-
(From the Agri,a(tural Gu.:ctlr.) tr), and independeeee of ths• Chinese in Australia.
They are jirecisely the class of men that are required
A great change in the relative value Of our different in queensland as ridton-faruiers ; inasmuch as pillions
crop.; has taken place of late years. There was a time , who pret..r to work for the twain,, are li".i•ly to excel in
when nearly all were only secondary to that of wheat. producing that excellent stapled cotton for the growth of
which indeed was looked upon at least ad the iltilleitllll which the climate of the Pacific has no equal in the
crop from which any t of prelit was to be de- world. In is reedit speech, Mr. Thomas Barley. M.P.,
rived ; and hence eaoli fanner would if possible so sr- stated that the soil of Queenstown was capable of yield'
range matters as to get a recurrs•nee of wheat in the ro- i,. emit, of ginned cotton per acre per annum, of a
tation MI often as possible, and restrictive clauses in sitiality worth Is. to .is. per lb. Now, I happen to know
leases or other agreements between landlord and tenant that our bon. member ix especially well informed iii
were insisted mein to meets' that exhaustion of soil consin statistics, and that lie is not in the habit of
which such frequent taking of a corn crup is kusiwn to snaking rand statements before the public. I will.
produce, however, purposely put both the price of cotton and
Such restrictions, however, have for some time yield per acre on a loser scale. Queensland cotton
been becoming less stringent, partly arising f the : would sell in Liverpool at price* ranging from fid. to
increased use of artificial tuanun•s, and slightly (nets Is. bd. per lb.—average at ltd, per lb. ; this would
another cause, tlus operaf of which is only just be- enable purchasseni to pay the growers 6d. per lb.,
ginning to be felt. We n•fer on the • Mout to the which reckoning only 50111 b. of ginned cotton per acre
low price of wheat, not n•nilering it worth while for per annum would give £l2 lris. per acre. Where the
the farmer to bend all his energies to its production, plant grows as pen:tonal, (Inc man Call with ease attend
and on the other to the higher price of meat, making it to ACYCII acres of land, thus etiabling each individual to
of more importance to Kende • greater supply of earn £147 Ins. per annum. Instead, howevet, of work
cattle food, ing single-handed the Chines: cotton farmers should

—ig -- --_____
This position of mattcni is even now beginning to oc- work in gangs of 10, 30, or 50 each, and divide the pro-
tium the attention of agriculturists, who are not at pre- ceeds of their labours, just as the fishermen do on the
sent calculating how they may manage two wheat crop, *ea coast, and as the "navvy" batty gangs do in the
in six years so rano:sty a, how to produce a succession construction of railways. I put it to the practical °pon-
d root crop,. 'Nat which makes this subject still
more important at the present time is that the tuniip ! will prefer an uncertain :is. • week in the labourious
root, which has been so extended in its cultivation as i and dirty
work of gold-washing or • certain reward of
to be every ellen, known and extensively grown, is be- 1 Over 33.4 a week in
the light and
agreeable
employment
ginning to fail just I. it, Vitine is being better under- 1 of Queensland cotton-growing.
stood, and it would appear that one cause of this, to say , wowgres IV oRK . 1 f half. or one-hundreth portion
the least, is the too frequent repetition of the crop : of the time bestowed by ladies following, with mono-
under ' 'ler eircilimodatia," of cat ai'"'te, a"d """k" 1 tonous labour, those lines and figures which may now
of cultivation. Hence, then it will be iii vain to call be bought in any country shop were given to inven-
upon the turnip to do double duty in our crop rotations tion; instead of servile imitation, what a new and glo-
when it can scarcely he maintained in its present state , rioui era would dawn upon our manufacturing world.
once in a four or six years' rotation. This circumstance [ So soon as figures of beauty become so winnow as to
has doubtless impelled the Council of the Royal Agri- , be exhibite4 in the windows of every shop, they ought
cultural Society to offer a prize for a "Report on the , surely to be left to were mechanism to multiply and
t'iw" " of the increasedDiftieulti" of Turnip eultivg" i carry out. The higher orders of taste and fancy should
tion, and the Remedies." to which announcement of then invent others, fresh from those cultivated and ex-
the subject is appended the following remark : 1 pulped minds which have enjoyed the advantage of
•' In many turnip-growing district, this crop is found observing whet art has accoinplialied at different time,
to be less hardy than heretofore, and noire liable to the 1 and in different regions of the globe, as well as of
attacks of various diseases. Competitors will be expected what nature exhibts under its most favourable aspects.
to discuss the question whether this is due to the too so soon as machinery is able to take up any kind of
frequent repetition of this crop, or to any differences in , work, or even No soon as the poor are able to make a
the mode of cultivation or the kinds of manures tut- • trade of it, the hand that is not obliged to labour
ployed." , should lay it down, and take up something new and
Now we shall not stay here to answer theme honor- better. so soon, also, as science hiss invented fresh
taut inquiries, but will take them merely as evidence of dies or new materials the same fair hands abould
the declension of a most important crop, under lin:stilt assume the office of assortment into fresh patterns and
modes of culture. new combinations of such colours and materials, keep-
To meet this difficulty Mr. Anderson, the agent of ing always the highest agency employed upon the
Lord Bathurst, at On.maister, tried last year a plan of noblest work, and thus maintaining, by a just balance.
growing alternate rows of inangels and swedes, so that the true economy of labour. Ladies often want amuse-
the former could be drawn and stored, and the latter meat ; here is • wide field open to them—a field of
used for sheep in the usual method adoptid on the Cot- intellectual amusement, too; for while the fancy is
teswulds. Both require pretty much the ramie treat- busily engaged with the creative process all the higher
inent, and as might have been expected there was It. , principles of art must be Galled in to aid in the eon-
drawback to the successor both ; in fact either separati.le struction of something which shall afford lasting
.plea-
would have formed not altogether a had crop for the sure and improvement to the beholder.—thice a Week
light uplaud soil of the district.
semismimmte.
This year this notion has been varied by growing
alternate lands of 12 rows each of *aisles and main:els,
a plan which we cm t help thinking iti worthy of at-
attention, as a bad season for the one kind of plant may

.
Hut always be that for the other, and if 011 e portion of
the crop be removed sufficient fert.lising matter will
still be left in the other portion to develope a corn crop,
or the cleared land may be imitably employed for pota-
toes, which we should imagine will be less liable to dis-
cue then when special manuring is employed..
Let us however suggmt as a mode of carrying out a
new plan of operations suited to the new regimen:lents
of the fano, that the same ground may be grown with
the same crops for two years by merely alternating the
lands as follows :