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

A COSTLY PAUPER.
At the last meeting of the Bradford Beard of Guardian
the case of George Penny, a use of about 66, who died ti
31st ult., In the Wakefield Lunatic Asylum. o
tioned as one of the most costly that had over come undiu:
the notice of the board. Penny was adtuittol tothe
asylum on the 10th August. 1e36, and had consequently
bocu there 49 years. This was before the Jr
Amendment Act was passed, and previous to the fortoa.
tin of the Bradford Union in DX. Penny would 1,,
to Wakefield by the overseers of Bradford, who th,„:
managed the Workhouse. His father lived mu Westgato.
and the Guardians, at their periodical visits, never failed
to make some reference to this costly pants.r. Ten
shillings per week bad to be paid for the in.tintenance
Penny for the whole of his forty.mine years alssle at the
asylum. This item came to the large total of i 1.217,
It the money spent on him wore calculated at compound
interest it would amount to no holt than .4:2,1500. Thus, as
one of the Guanlians observed, although th, poor fellow
was but • humble penny in his lifetime he was a costly
to the ratepayers of Bradford.

THE SOMEitsEr AND Donsgr.
We oh.rer.A., jwirtaai) thought it railer
simple on the part .4 the Great Western chairman to
plain that the South Western with the Midland had
agreed to lease the Somerset and Dorset Railway. no
new line naturally belongs to the South Western and the
Midland and among other advantages it will give the
South *ettero, what it is believed they have so ns
desired to get, and which will be a great advantage to the
public, • wiiy into Bristol rid Basingstoke. Why should
the South Western n3t have • line to Bristol? The Great
Western has one to Birminghatu, to get which they unade
in their wisdom immense sacrifices—we loran they pai4
an enormous price for it. The South Western's 1110111
to Exeter approaches Bristol much nearer than the Great
Western.. to Bristol approaches; Birmingham. There is no
doubt that the Bristehans would rejoice beyond measure
in the service of a second line to London via the Smith
Western, and as Bristol is a place of large and growing
traffic, and as the South Western really made no great
sacrifices to get there by means of the new lease, the
measure is not only natural but caleulataL To the Mid-
land, also, the measure is ot obvious advantage, especially
as Bournemouth is becoming so popular a place, and they
will gain by tuimus of the new line sparrow gauge route
to bxeter and Plymouth. We think the public would
have been much dissatisfied if the Somerset and lit-ct
line had fallen into the hands of the Great Western, fur
not only would it in that case have been used naturally as
a block line, but it would have become the property .4 a
company not so popular as tither the Midland or South
Western.

--
DORSET FARM NOTIES.
As harvest in this part of the country is now all but
finished, we may act improperly review our work and
prospects. It Is cheering to 'won this by the assertion
that never do we recollect a year in which harvest work
has been carried on more carefully, or the labour been
better performed by the men engaged in it—so lt so,
that our harvest home will iudeed be a thank-offering to
our stall of fanu servants for having put their best foot
foremost in what is always a more or less anxious awl try.
log time. The weather, too, for the last half of August
and the beginning of September lied been exceedingly
fine: and though in this " country of the mist" we had
the fog turn to rain, and become that ptoverbial "8 ntteh
mist which wets the Englishman throngh tithe skin." yet it
has soon been fine and warm again. Well, the general result
has been to enable us to make the best of our crepe, though
certainly hardly up to the average in quantity or quality,
though we fancy the late fine weather has done much to
mend up matters. The upstanding wheats have proved to
be cleaner in the straw than was at one time anticipated'
but much of the wheat laid by the heavy storm., will, of
course, be very different. Al regards this country, we
are convinced that earlier barley cutting would be to
advantage this crop in yield and quality. but as the weather
this season would not allow of this, the colour will not
be so tine as we like to see it. It is however fortunate
that the weather has kept fine, as where " seeds " were
mixed with the grain these are found to be so rampant
that in many instances they grow above the corn, and WO
hope one good result will be to enhance the value ,tf the
straw, as there is a great deal of very indifferent hay
about. Oats here were • fair crop, and have been wen
got together. Our next concern will be about to potatees,
Some weeks since there was a general wail, as the tarot,
crops were diseased, a state of things we have not known
here before. However, we fancy that much of the row
plaints resulted from anticipation, of which the wmther
has fortunately prevented the realisation. Keep is plen-
tiful, but farmers hardly know what to do or how to act,
as foobandonouth disease is rampant through the county,
and though it does not seem to be of • violent type it yet
upsets all one's proceeding*, and sadly interferes with the
general management of the farm. Still we look forward
hopefully in this as in other matters, and have determined
to purchase such stock as our meadows will carry, and
await the results with patience, as experience has taught
us the evil effects of giving way to panic. Fortunately our
flecks are looking unusually well, and the owes have gone
regularly and most completely, and we arc now looking
forward to an abundance of keep—.!. D.
A wonderful change has taken Iplace in the weather,
and, consequently, ill the appearance of the country,
not to say too much of the prospect. of the agricultural
world. Occasionally. it is true, may still be heard com-
plaints of the yield of the wheat crop, but good samples
we may hope will abound; and though another
cannot he expected, there is every probability that the
crop may prove far better than was supported when
the many reports were sent in. How valuable that old
wheat which was eaten by horses and cattle would be at
the present time, were it In the stack ! and I 'relieve the
, fact is, that there are very few old stacks to gladden the
heart and replenish the pocket; but it is of no us. to cry
over spilt milk, and thin week will see nearly all the corn
stacked, and, what is better. harvinsted. If thingg might
have been better, let us remenrher that there was every
appearance of their being Inc worse. At one time both
, quality and quantity were in jeopardy. There is an aloun-
an co of keep in the land, and were it not for the foot-
awl-mouth !lineage, ntock of all kinds would be doing well.
Carbolic &cot scents to Ito the cure. eatinot our friends
who have tried it give us all the benefit of their experience
Potatoes, of course, are neither all that the eye can desire,
nor exactly that in which the nose will delight. Still even
t that precarious crop . re pr, 111 l iging than it was. lam
, happy to add, the rows which were too froquent amonipit
the labourers have been but few. Let tin now rest and be
; thankful.- it' .J .1' ~ mansions &dory.