The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1866-12-18 00:00:00

More tbrongh not having Fellable urn atatistint than tLa
agriculton.U. livery now and again there Wad • feelit g
abroad that there wu a had crop, and that oi mach
wheat would be wanted; orders were sent to all Will ta
of the amid by merchant.; ani when corn arrived tt
inn.t be mold at whatever price it would forth. Perhaps
200 or 21.1 thousand quarters were imported more than
Win 1.1U11.1.0, &Mi. as It 11414.1 t be aid, it cent prima
Arran to • tUM they ii. for w. ul I in if they hut proper
statistic.. As to tho mein. of eoll..M.rig the etati.tiee,
i.eap;eovol of iti being done through the Boar's of
Unardians, as mounded by lb. Homer. For several
: year. hut mint Statistics for Scotland bat been collected
hy t tin, Ilitthlattiti ocin to, through Mr. 1111111 hi %X
ant nolorly Imeationo-d their am, ctnessa, and in In land
it had been Jul.,. bat by the police. lie ohjoctel, true!
ever, to the eiriploymeid of notion in such • work in
Kngland, and thought it quite unnecessary, for
here it °mild be done through themselves. Sneaking
sif the imperfect manner in which corn returns are made
Ise Raid he had known men all his life in the corn trade,
who had Decor made a return. There CAA • penalty .if
£lO for not making a proper return, but he had only
knoms on, iinstmice in which • sums was summoned for
neglecting to give hie reser n, and that was many years
ago. As to the amoont of barley returned, it was only
ohm, one fourth of the quantity grown. The returns
gave about 75,0.10 qrs. • week, but that was only during
nix months of the year, which gave about 2,001,000 tit 0.
er annum. Now about 5,0110,000 qrs. were malted
annually in this country, arid it was well know, that
double the quantity was grown that was inAterL hr
2 quite mire that, the obtaining of correct returns,
which would enable propev averages to be made, would
be for the pad of agriculturist. and the community
at large.
Ilr. C. RAM. ailla seconded the proposition.
The resolution on being submitted was carried
unanimously.
Mr. OALPIII asked Mr. Damen how he proposed to
oollect the corn returns, an.l remarked that a large
quantity went into consumption that was never sold
isa any market at all,

Mr. MINIM thought that, wn.ild he some difficulty
in getting correct returns unless troth buyers sod
sellers made them, but be bored it would not beomne
neetesary for seller. to make returns bectuas the
buyers at the marketa were to much fewer in number.
He thought returns might hi obtained which would
answer all purposes if they were mado at a mach
greater nninber of merkete, and one or two of the Cor-
poration in each tiwn made It their businews to see
that the returns were made.

Mr. T. C. Sammie* remarked that the beet corn only
yeas sold at the markets, interior being consumed on the
faro, or sold there, yet that ought to be ash:dilated when
estimating tithe elouvas, and valuations. /le was
opposed to its being made known before harveat that
there would be • short crop, for thr t would lead merchi.ots
to import • great quantity, and the farmer. would be in
a worse position than now, which was bad enough fur
them to pay their rents.
The CnanutAx remarked that Mr. Galpin's ques'ion
was answered by the lecturer, who pr posed that •
morels of the corn consumed at borne should be sub.
mitted to the appraiser, lie thought if the penalty of
£lO was not sufficient to make buyer. give returns, it
should he raised to LW.
Mr. H. LOCK suggested that the farmer should make
a return once • year of what he actoally got for the
corn consutned on the farm, for it to be returned with
the other prioes.
Mr. J. HOMER remarked it was farmers' own fault the
tailing" :or., was not brought to market; it would be
done if they paid wages in money instead of partly in
kind.

Kr. CLuipirn said in Kent farmers paid their
labourers 3t. IL a day, and the rent a entrains was 2.
a week each. Ile bellowed Dorset wages were equal to
that—loa. • week, with oorn alba. • bushel, cottage rent
free, potato ground, and fuel; although this onset, had
been decried ail paying the labourers len than any
other.

Mr. J. Hosea proposed " that • well-considered and
accurate aystern of eollesting agricultural statistics.
would materiolly further the interests of agriculture,
end be henefloial to the community at large." He
entered steam. length into the difileu Wee of the question.
Supposing that in 1887 there was a bountiful harvest,
end they grew fourteen million quarters (two above the
average, according to Mr. Daseen's °dilatation), he
thought the knowledge of the quantity grown would
scarcely have the effect oontemplated, because he
questioned whether more than eight million quarters
would be taken to market, for it was well
known that whenever there were low prices and
a Rood yield of wheat, many held over a
portion for another year. Again, if in 18G8
there was • bad harvest, it was known it would be so
long before tb• statistics would be taken (a fortnight
before harvest) both to the farmers, the corn factors,
and the world. Therefore, he thought it questionable
whether the great advantage generally anticipated from
taking corn otatistice would result. Mr. Damen had
often quoted France is this matter, but it must be recol-
looted that France had not adopted the same free-trade
system as England had ; they bought In the cheapest
market and sold in the dearest, but the French Covent.
meet had at times prohibited eeportation and fined
the prim, of bread. [Mr. Damen said It had not been
done for • great number of years.] However, he thought
they would not be in a much better position if they had
the statiitics, unless they could be assured that the
whole moduct was consumed the same you.. If men
liked to speculate who could hinder them? and if
farmers, when the returns showed 12 or 14 million
quarters had bees grown, liked to hold over their corn
for • year or two, what could prevent them? He
thought statistic* would not have much effect in
regulating priors., but that their law would be supply
and demand. But statistics would be of any benefit
to the country he said let thorn be take" by all means.
As to the method of doing it, lie thought Government
district surveyor, would be very objectionable,
and that • better and more correct plan
would be for it to be done locally. A
Government appraiser for Itorebester Union would
be incapable of judging the extent of the product from
not knowing the nature of the land and the quality of
tiara it grew, but a parishioner would know all about it.
He suggested that • fortnight before harvest there
should be a vestry held in each parish, and one or two
men appointed (according to the number of aorta to be
valued) to look over the cereal crops, and send in their
estimate in the gross—so many acres of wheat producing
me many quarters, and the mime with barley. That
return should be forwarded to the Clerk of the Union,
and he, adding the returns from the several parishes
together, should send the gross to the Board of Trade
or of Agriculture. That would obviate any objection,
for there would be nothing inquidtorial about it.
. _ . . . . . .

Dr. Armenia& who has manifest.' a thorough know•
ledge of the circumstances and grievances of agriculttp
riots, secondsd the propoeition. He attributed tie
defective legislation of past years on agricultural gawp
Untie to • lack of information and statistics, and thought
this and other farmer.' clubs should bring the matter
before Government without deley—(applauw). The
products of agriculture depended co much upon the
@muse that he thought it imperatively nes:weary in
ot-ier to prevent great crises happening in our domestic
history, that faithful and full statistics should be ool-
lected—(hear. hear). It was true the club wane small one,
but if through Mr. Homer's lecture and their efforts the
question were widely taken up and carried to a thecessful
Woe, the greater Would be the honour devolving upon
them and the county generally—(hear, bear).
Mr. italics in reference to the remarks of Mr. J.
Homer, rid he had no doubt the IMF of supply and
demand would rule prices, but aa to one-third of the
wheat grown in any year being held over to another, it
WY • fact that with but very few exceptions there win
scarcely any corn so kept in the handed farmers. [Mr.
Homer : They are too poor.] Or too prudent—either one
or the other. It was known that after two or three
great harvest, and low prices the quantity lett in the
hands of the growers was not enough for the consump-
tion of the country in three months. A few Loge
farmer. in Dorset and elsewhere might hold over, but
the ex.iption he might say was frequently to sell much
too early from the want of statistics. [Yr. Homer :
And from want of money.) The oorn product in this
country varied more than in any other country in the
world, and, the sheen.e of proper facts oaths subject, was
to the iliaailvantage of everybody except a few fortunate
speculator.. $o far uhe was personally concerned as a
corn Castor, the les' information they possessed the
better, bet he waa patriot enough to wish for statistic,
for the general good. He approved of the kcturer's
proposal Cc taking the statistics rather than kir. J.
:limier's, on the ground that the plan of the latter
would lead to ill-feeling especially in small parishes.
fie thought it best to leave the work to those who were
above suspicion, and let it be done twice a year as in
Franco—once just before, and again immediately after
harvest,

TIONSI maintained that marishioaers could
heat estimate the quiultit) of the corn that the land
would produce.
Mr. T. SAWIDCII.B inquired who supplied the returns
at the corn deficient in Franca
Kr. Dawn said the the merchants under certain
lam:ernment roatrictions.

gr. BAUPDIIIB said if Government were going to
supply any deficiency be should not object to statistics,
but emit waa left to the merchants they might import
ten times the quautity required.
Mr. Batten remarked that self-interest would prevent
their doing Met.
Mr. J. (Lump had always been an advocate for agri-
cultural statistics, but he should object to making •
notion to the Board of Guardians, which Included
fanners of every parish, who would be competitor, with
his In eme he was leaving the farm. Re thought the
returns should be made to some indifferent body, such
as the Board of Trade, or if they could get it, the Baud
of Agriculture. And if fanners nude the returns them-
solve., there wu no likelihood of their stating eight
sacks an acre instead of ten, became that would lead to
• great importation, and primes would be lowered.
Mr. J. Muria said according to hie ingestion the
returns would never go bafcre the Board of - Guardians
Mail.

--
MT. 0. HOMER offerrod some remarks On the diem.
•follo of itke PePer. As to the collection of statistics
he never proposed that the Board of Guardians should
roe them, but that they should simply appoint the best
two men they could And In the neighbourhood to do
the work ; he could mention the namesof several in whom
they would all have confidence. They might be sent
to the Board of Guardians sealed, who would pass them
through their clerk to the appraiser, who might be
sworn to secrecy, and be would out up the totals nod
send the result for the Unice to Government.
A eordial vote of thanks was palsied to the lecturer at
the motion of Mr. It, Oman, 111001n1 by Mr. Cumesstre.
Some oonverantion followed Sc to the deairabdity of
bringing the opinion, of the meeting to the notice of
Government, and it was ultimately agreed to
memorialise Government to appoint a Board of tgricul-
tore, and the secretary was requested to commanicate
with the Central Permeate' Club, and other clubs in this
county, to 6110erinin their views on the subject in order
that united sellout might be taken.
A vote of thanks to the Chairman closed the pro-
seeding'.