The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-12-11 00:00:00

MR. C. S. READ ON AMERICAN
AGRICULTURE.

In London, on Monday night, the usual meeting of the
Farmers' Club was held at the Inns of Court Hotel, Holborn,
Mr. Treadwell presiding. Mr. C. S. Read, one of the Assist-
ant Commissioners of the Royal Agricultural Commission,
gave an address on "America and its Farming." The at-
tendance was very large.
Mr. Read began by observing that at one of the late
meetings of the club a member had remarked looking at
him, that there were some who had "America on
the brain," but for all that he would not make any
apology for bringing the subject of America before
them. There was a typical farmer who had said to Mr.
Bright, speaking of America, "I wish that cursed
country had never been discovered." But America
had been discovered, and now its powers of agricul-
tural competition had to be dealt with. This was the
subject he proposed bringing before them, not in a
" paper," not in an essay or an oration, but in a friendly
chat. The subject was vast, and the most that could
be done by any one writer or speaker could but touch
the hem of its huge garment. He replied to the criti-
cisms passed upon the reports of the Assistant Com-
missioners on America, and stated that they had kept
to their instructions, which were to record agricultural
facts and to collect trustworthy statistics
Mr. Read then went on to speak of the two chief
agricultural subjects—the production of wheat and of
beef. There was no fear of competition from South
America, as agriculturists there grew cotton and
tobacco, and would not turn their attention to wheat
and beef. The Eastern States, again felt the competi-
tion almost as severely as England, for there land had
even gone out of cultivation. It was from the wheat-
growing prairies that we had to look for competition.
He had calculated the cost of freight, and adding
these costs to the cost of raising corn he maintained
that wheat could not be brought into the Mersey under
408. the quarter, and even then, he contended, the
wheat thus produced would bring on land exhaustion
in time, when there would be an increase in the cost of
production, In fact, if we could get over the next 25
years he would not fear much from American competi-
sion.
With respect to beef, however, Mr. Read thought
there were serious prospects of competition from the
vast herds of the Far West, for there was no question
but that the American growers of beef would be able
to land beef in England at 6d, the pound.
The only good-looking barley he (Mr. Read) had
seen in America was the Californian, and the Ameri-
can brewers preferred that to the Canadian barley,
even though they had to pay upon it an import duty
of 7ic. per bushel. From this fact the growers of
barley here might take heart, and believe that the
malt and barley would not be displaced from beer, as
some had prophesied, for the Americans were the
most ingenious people on the earth, and if they found
it best to recur to malt and barley for beer, the same
thing would no doubt have to be done here. As to
the price of cheese, they would not see it so low as it
was in 1879. The merits of American butter were
very small at present; the Americans made a very
Inferior article, but they would no doubt improve, and
send a better butter to England. With regard to
bacon, he rejoiced to know that in England there was
a prejudice in favour of British bacon sufficient to
support a difference of 2d. per lb., and he hoped this
would continue.
Summing up the question of the position of the
British farmers, Mr. Read said the farmers had not
made prs)gress in the last season. Like so many
Micawbers, they were hoping that "something would
turn up ;" but unfortunately, he did not know what
would turn up. The British farmer eenld defy com-
petition with all countries except America. He did
not care for the eompetitors in Europe, for what with
their overwhelming armies, their worn-out soil, and
their debts, the British farmer had nothing to fear
from them, but from the ingenious and industrious
people of the West a serious eompetition had to be met,
and the question was how this couldbest be done. The
Americans had some virtues which might be imitated
with advantage in this country. For instance, every
one rose early in America, The traveller could get as
good a breakfast there at five o'cloek as he could get here
at nine o'clock. The American farmer and his men were
in the fields long before the hour when the English-
rnasi got up, and the American merchant had a half-
day's work done before the merchant in this country
bad arrived in his counting-house. Then, in America,
they had an advantage in• having no leisured or idle
class, education was better and cheaper than in Eng-
land, they had a Government department wholly de-
voted to agriculture,rthey gave greatuttention to pedi-
gree stock, their business was conducted upon the
principle of weighing their produce and every farm
had its weighing-machine for live and dead stock;
they also gave little time to sport, and much more to
reading. They lived, too, without many of those
surroundings which were regarded here as "home com-
forts." In regard to the future of the American nation,
he confessed that he deemed it likely to become the
greatest on the fare of the earth.
Several speeches were subsequently made by farmers,
who eemplained that farmers here were handicapped
by the Impositiep of the extraordinary tithe, the
heavy local taxation, the law of distress, and other
drawbacks which were wanting in America.
Mr. Pell, M.P., maintained that the figures in the
report made by the Assistant Commissioners were
quite accurate, and he pointed out that corn freights
between America and England were lkely to become
higher, and that the operation of other causes would
keep up the price of English wheat.
Mr. Duckham, M.P., Mr. Finlay Dun, and others
also spoke.

It is officially stated that 5,419,05 bushels of grain
are ice-bound on tne EPA) Car4l,