The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1868-07-14 00:00:00

Jordan intelligtut.

Ogriculturt.

Sep Dassereo.—lo our advertising columns will
be found several excellent testimonials as to the merits
of Ilelliar's fly, tick, and Isar powder, and • list et the
agents of whom it may be obtained in this district,
Bsts—blr. Hannon announoos for sale by auction, on
Thursday neat, the growing crops, and live and dead
stooks, of Grorge Churchill, Esq., at Alderliolt Park,
Dorset, comprising 72 soros of corn, 140 sheep, 20 pig.,
16 horses, &a, &a
• -

AT Stockbridge sheep fair, on Friday, the quantity
penned was about up to the average, but front the
sea-city of teed, trade was vary doll, and sales heavy,
whilst• brisk shower of rain would have given much
Ida to business and put pounds into the pockets of
holders. Lambs sold at from Da. to 30a.; ewes, 30s. to
38a. Mr. Schwann sold a very One lot of lambs at 3.5 e.,
and ewes at 425., and some rant lambs at high prices.
Dealers seemed scarcely to know bow to operate, aml
holders found it bard ta sell.

Tilt WrArngz.—Such • dry hot season as the present
has not been known in the smith of Hogland for the last
70 years. There is not the slightest triton of dew at
night. This escosaive drymss Is owing to the prevailing
polar currents. If we could get equatorial currents
they would be loadod with vapoar. and we should get
rain. In all parts water has to be taken to sleep and
other cattle. In the neighbourhood of Salisbury end
other places, where there are great numbers of sheep.
water carts are in use from morning to night. It is
found more advisable to take water to the cattle than to
drive the latterelong h6t dusty road., to watering places.
It is curious that large quantities of rain have fallen in
New York.

MOlllt ABOUT THII CiDza-coasa TN DOBBIT. —ID •
recent paper by Mr. 114ley Denton, read before
the Society of Arta, we find the following retearka.
which may well form a teat for an agricultural
dinourse : -

"Tug Baal Slur—At present the beet...shop is • great hoc
to the Improved condition of tho agricultural labourer. Ilse
quality of the leer rol cider sold in the lowed waged districts
I. the worst. Tho beer is never genuine. The qumillty drank
In hay and hanest time w,u1,l .orjri.o many of my hearent.
I comet Mesh too ntconfly mrainst the prevailing CSCCASSVO use
of it. It, thy bane of the farm labourer. In those eminies
In the west where cider i• drunk instead of bp,q., theim„
poverished condition of the agricultural labourer is ercm worse
than where beer prevalb."
Ho makes some further comparisons with respect to
Done*, to which he might have added bomersel, and
leads us to the inference that eider is course rather than
a blowing, an opinion in which we are too often com-
pelled to coincide. Now, if we Inquire into the reasons
for this state of affairs, we shall find that those who
make most cider are usually small farmers with above
an average of orehird, for which they give a high rent,
as they have the chance of a second annual crop besides
the gram. What is called " • good hit of fruit" may
occur every two or three years, when cider become.
remarkably *heap, ami with this they pay for • great
deal of the work of the farm, as men will, indeed, do
more for drink than for money; the overplus is sold to
those who do not grow enough, and by them also
it is used to supplement the wages for labour. This,
then, is the state of the ease u regards the
farmer ; let In now inquire how it aff.ets the
labourvr. As long es lie initiate upon his accus-
tomed quantity of eider he mut be satisfied with
lose wages than he would otherwise command, and
as • consequence his diet =not be of the best descrip-
tion. In this pwition of affairs he mistakes stimulant
for sustenance. Cider, indeed, stimulates him to work
beyond his powers, extra cider will make him caudally
work on till late at night with inadequate fool, but the
natural result is premature old age, rheumatism, stiff
joints, • frequent appeal to the pariah, and, worse than
all, improvidence of every kind, want of proper self-
eentrol, and early marriage moulting too frequently in
a family of Cretins. The fact is that while somewhere
about 15 per oent, is added to labour expenses in the
shape of drink, and so much for wasted time in the
Innumerable stoppages to partake of it. labourers must
safari° themselves and in their families. Let any one
look at the following list of drinking allowances for the
west to be convinced of the labourer's expenditure upon
drink in every kind of work.
Labour and Cider Tariff nun Domeishire Par in.
IciatNizoWitentinitniiildri:lzne of cider per acre.
aiming and singling roota at twice, 10a, 1 gallon of cider
eliFh time.

(This is the lowest tariff c.f cider, forbere.as the head ie down
i day, it cannot *land more. &WT. Sae.'
Mi., nig Lent men, , and 5 quarts of cider per CCM.
Making straw thatch, 2a. ed., and 2 quarts of cider Per 100
bundles.

Faking 'Ted.. 4i bundles, 6 'parte of cider to 30 bundle*.

Darn :mt. frot.n 2 to ii.entdi per diem.
Haymaking, $ quarts per diem.
CIUT) lint hay, front ?. to 3 gallon• per diem.
Ilar% toting Peas, Oa., and 11 gallon of cider per acre.
Sheep ahotring. 13.. 6,1. per 100, and.. much color aa can
be got.
With thre.hing machine, 8; gallons to 60 each&

- -
Now these items represent what the labourer considers
himself to be entitled to, but besides these there are so
many customs Ind so many reasons for drinking, that it
has some Sow got to be a custom to expect cider upon
every event- A birth in the farm-house must be
honoured by • drink on the purchase of • fre4h horse
he mturt be "christened," and a big drink is inevitable.
Drink is not merely taken at meals, which AM very
frequent, somewhere about eight or nine a day, but all
day long. "It is the custom," says the carter, "to
bare • matter of half a pint after every load." It is
tree that the drink is mostly cider, as when beer is
taken it is for the most part only allowed in harvest,
and hence in non-cider districts wages are on the whole
higher and the workmen better. Many people affect to '
believe that it Is next to inoioble to get intoxicated
on cider. Oar esperienoe, o ever, is to the effect ;
that the usual farm eider hi atnger than farm beer,
and we have seen men anythirg but sohcr for days '
todether when engaged In task-work • and all the time
taking anything but nourishing food, under the
pression that tile stronger the drink the stonger it made
the drinker. Men from a eider district will sometimes
g I to a distant town lured by • higher wage; but they
mostly return, as when they have to pay in money for
their own drink they find it costs from Is. to 24. a day,
if they are to get the quantity they have been used to ;
and with men so brought up, more wages means more '
drink and a higher rent to pay for cottage and garden
ground. In the much belied county of Dorset we
believe that, taking all 'Hemmen into considera-
tion, higher wages are paid than in most rural
districts. Good men are now raised to 10s. a-week, '
which, taken tor-tlier with allowances, is equal to as
much as 15s. As Poor-law Guardians we were•stonished
not long since to find a respectable-looking young man
nhiking application for • doctor to attend his wife in her
first confinement. Upon questiouing bins as to his
occupation, we found he attended to a steam threshing
machine; and to the question of "What are your
earnings?" the answer was "9s. a week." Bit by bit,
however, it was elicited that besides this he had • bushel
' of wheat per week, • cottage and garden rent free, •
few "lugs" of potato ground, Is. • day for food, and 4d.
per eight for sleeping when out with the engine, and
sides all this "drink" Here than wan a man much
like the old woman of the story, for "victuals and
drink was the chief of his diet." who was ready to make
paupers of his family. because, as he said, his earnings
were but 9s, per week, while actually he was in the
receipt of wages intryieg from 204. to 40s. a week.