The Express.
London, England, 1850-04-03 00:00:00

THE AGRICULTURAL DISTRICTS.

TO Tin 'DMZ OF Tan DAILY Innis.
KnaTFolin, SARelit 30.
Bli,—ln compliance with year expressed wish, I
send you a few motes of my observations in several
agricultural districts, into wt.'s& las led putly
eattl b
bagasse and in part by the desiradge for myeall
how harmers sad hems are by the present
state of prices. There are Si- casettes in which
there are greater diversities of fanning than that
from which I now write, varying from very good to
very bad husbandry; but, with the exception of a
narrow strip on the Middlesex side of Hertfordshire,
where there is some permanent pasture land, nearly
all the farmers of this county have placed too great
reliance on the price of corn, ecammqmatly complaints
at premat are loud and generaL complaint, how-
ever, is not always to be takes as a true
index of the actual state of the affairs of
my farming brethren. Of this I heard yesterday
a curiousillustration. The belt of gems land which
lies on the southern aide of the county is chiefly
devoted to growing hay for the London market, and
as shay-farm is usually undertaken by Sin poessmed
of very little capital, and in favourable seasons is
managed at small expense, the proportion of theArces
produce paid for rent is invariably large. When,
therefore, a bad meson centre, when grass is deficient
from too dry a spring, or hay is spoiled from • wet
summer, the hay-farmer is commonly in a state of
distress, and looks to Lis landlord for an abatement of
rent. But though the majority of hay-farmers are
poor, that is not universally the ease ; and especially
there are men amongst them, who having risen from
the condition of hay-carters by frugal rocketry, con-
tinue as farmers the same course of thrift and parsi-
mony, and make money. One of these was
tenant to a large proprietor of hay-farms in this
district, where, about three years ago, the
hay crop, from long drought in the spring.
was nearly a total failure. As usual these tenants
required some abatement of rent, and acme of them
was louder in demanding relief than Mr. —, who
occupied several hundred acres of grass land. Abate-
ments were road, to all the tenants, including Mr.
—, bat I heard from one of his neighbours that this
proved to be one of the moat profitable years Mr.
had experiecc:d since be had been a farmer.
The bay crops of the previous two years bad been
abundant, and, consequently, the price of bay in the
London markets very low, and Mr. -- not being
pushed for money, had sold little or none of his two
years' crops. When,.therefore, the year of deficiency
came, and with it came a great advance in the price
of hay, Mr.-- cleared a good profit, from he ability
to wart for a favourable market. But then Le claimed
and received an abatement on his rent as a distressed
hay farmer. No dcubt like his neighbours he bad
that year a short crop ; and it will, perhaps,
be said that his prudence ought not to
be the means of placing him in a worse condition than
his less provEent and careful neighbours, and I
mention the ease simply to show that, though
doubtless there is much agricultural distress, all the
voices that swell the chorus must not be taken to
express the actual state of the farmerr.
I entered Hertfordshire through that rude and cold
district known as the " Chase, and rode through''
Northaw wood., Little Berkbampstead, and y-
fordbury, to Hertford ; and though the whole of
that district is not celebrated for the enterprise of its
occupiere, and is unquestionably difficult and expen-
sive land to cultivate, I could not help remarking
that there are evidences of improvement and exertion
greater than I had ever before sten in that quarter.
Amongst these may be mentioned the very general
redaction of the hedgerows, aid the improvement 1
and reparrion of the farm buildings. From the fineness
of the season, the work onthe laud is in a very forward
state, but I should like to have seen a few more sheep-
folds and more green crops. I am told, however, that the
farmers are becoming convinced that in order to sne-
ered they mast rely more upon stock and less upon
corn-growing. In Hertford market this morning I
heard- an opulent farmer complaining vehemently of
the low price cf corn, when on its being suggested
that he roust have cleared some money by her stock
during the past year, he said, Well, sheep have not
done amiss; if it bad not beeo for the sheep I should
ban) been entirely ruined." Every one who heard I
this knew it to be a ridiculous exaggeration ; but it
illustrates at once the compensating effect of stock
fanning for low prices of grain, and the random way
in which farmers are apt to talk when priors are low.
The price of wheat in Hertford to-day was some-
what better, by about Is. 6d. the quarter on an aver-
age, nis well as I could learn. I heard of one parcel of
wheat having been sold at 325. the Hertfordehire
load of five bushels, or nearly 6s. sd. per bushel.
Another fact which I learned in this place satisfied
me that the farmers of the district, whatever they
may say, are not abandoning themselves to despair;
one of the principal agents for the sale of artificial
manures informed me that he bee this year sold a larger
quantity rf such fertilizers than he has ever before
sold in one season. This looks like a determination
to grow turnips. I was offered beans weighing
nearly 70Ibr..per bushel at 245. per quarter, and peas,
rye, and grooliag barley, at proportionately low
pricer. Surely farmers who are within the reach of
the London markets will not neglect to avail them-
selves of the safe operation of feeding sheep on a large
scale, and the extent t o which the Hertfordshire far-
mers are buying artificial manures proves that they
are awake on this subject.
I have heard a gcod many remarks and some
difference of opinion, on the subject of •
movement recently made by some of the
farmers art inding this market—to effect a re-
duction in the charges of their tradesmen. Why
any thing like an association should be necessary to
effect that object does not appear very obvious; and
the fact that a protectionist land agent appears to
have been one of the chief instigators, if not the origi-
nator of the movement, together w.th the protectionist
twang of the resolutions passed at a close meeting,
gives colour to the opinion I heard expressed, that it
was intended as a diversion in favour of the landlords;
with the view that reductions in farming bills might
render redactions of rent less urgently demanded, limn
many of the farmers of this country are in a frame of
mind to " savage " somebody, is certain, and land-
lords are rather nervous about having farms thrown
upon their hands just now; for though there is still
an active demand for farms, new tenants will not
now take them at present rente, or indeed at all,
without additional accommodation in the way of
buildings, and so forth, and exemption from some of
the territorial burdens formerly submitted to as mat-
ters of coarse. _

The resolutions I allude to are as follow:
As the value of agneulttwal produce is greatly lessened
the free imp-mutton of foreign corn, it is the opinion of this
meeting that farmers in general must adopt a system of wise
and vigilant economy, wending to every branch of expendi-
ture unavoidably incurred.

Aid, INS those employed in trade are reaping oonsiderable
advantage frcm the cheapness of food, it is thought that the
tradesman should now be ebbs, without injury to himself, to
make a considerable reduction in his charges.
This meatier is also of °pintos that the tradesman,
artisan, and labourer dependent Oa agriculture should b.
made sensible that free trade is a labour question, and that
they are affected by it, on acoonnt of the serious difficolty
and distrers of their employers, arising from fursign can-
pstiUom.
Resolved—That the tradesmen in this neighbourhood be
requested to ret:uce their charges in the following ratio:
Blaasmith, to
Ditto
Ditto
AU ordinary work l5 per sent.
Collar-maker, reduced by l5 per eat.
Wheels right
Carpenter, reduced to
Bricklayer
Ditt s Maurer
Hurdle maker
Thatcher 9.1. per Ran kot.

I ought not to close this communication without re-
ference to one of the agriculturists regularly attend-
iog this marker, and who has attained more than a
local reputation, both as a farmer and a politician, I
mean Mr. Camles Lattimore. I believe it is no dis-
paragement to the many good farmers of Hertford-
shire to say that Mr. Lattimore is the highest farmer
in the county, and probably there ar few agricultu-
rists in the kingdom who employ so large an amount
of capital per acre is the ordinary operation, of farm-
ing. Mr. Lattimore was some years ago turned out
of a farm of between three and four hundred acres in
consequence of the part he took in aid of the League
agitation fur free trade, and be now holds only one
farm of 2sO of light land at Wbsatharapstsed, near
St. Albans. This farm belongs to Lord Melbourne,
aad Mr. Lattimore has a twenty-one years' lease
granted by the late vieoount. The great feature of
his system is feeding off large numbers of ewes and
lambs. His plan is to purchase the horned Danger
Somerset ewes at Guildford fair in May, and these

bring kept well, and pat partly to large whitetsoed,
and partly to South Down rams, produce lambs before
or about Christmas, and by Easter there is always
on Mr. Lattimore's farm • splendid show of tat
lambs. The Good Friday's market at Smithfield is
that at which be first begins to sell, and in the early
put of that week his farm is quite a show placer so
Zloty persona goiag to inspect leis Soaks. Ausaigat
his vl ttoru of this year were Mr. Cobden, M.P., and
Mr. Bright, M.P., wham reception, by the agricul-
tural labourers of that district, was, I understand,
most enthasiastic. Mr. Lattimore's salesmen's
sweats, for lambs sold oa the 29th instant, were
handed to him whist I was with him, and the prices
he received tell the quality of the deck sold. There
were 33 lambs sold, at 'prim varying from 335. to
375. 81. each, the average being about 355. Bd. He
has 434 lambs this year, and abut 400 ewes, all of
which will be fatted off and sold within three months
from this time. In addition he feeds many beast.,
calves, and pigs ; during the past year be had 1,038
bead of stook of all aorta on hie farm, of
which no less than seven hundred were fat-
tened and sold. The grass yeerrl value of
the stock *old from this well managed farm of 280
acres has for some years pad exceeded 51. per acre.
0f worse the produce of coin is very great. The four
wares rotation is that adopted by Mr. Lattimore.
Now, this is no amateur farming, for Mr. Latti-
more is strictly a farmer, and a close calculator, and
never undertakes an operation without a pretty clear
expectation of a profitable result.
I was pleased to hear that in Hertfordshire, a
country much infested with game, a great majority of
the landowners are giving up game-preserving. The
Marquis of Salisbury, at Hatfield, and Sir Henry
Menu, (one of the county members) at Theobald's-
park, are now the chief offinders in this respect.
The decline of game preserving in Hertfordshire is
said to date from a public dinner given a few years
ago, by the farmers of the county to Mr. Horncastle,
I a tenant of Lord Essex's, who was most unhandsomely
turned out of hie farm through a dispute with his
landlord about game. The farmers combined to sub-
scribe for a handsome testimonial to Mr. Hornell. le,
and though the anti-Corn-law contest was then raging,
Mr. Bright was itrited to the presentation dinner at
St. Alban's, where protectionist u well as free-trade
farmers were delighted with his straightforward and
earnest advocacy of the rights and interests of rural
iudastry. To that meeting, many farmers with whom
I conversed to-day, attributed the very general dimi-
nution of game preserving which has taken place in
this county.
A MIDLAND COUNTIES FARMER.

THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY EVENING, APRIL 3, 1850.

the alterations proposed by the Chancellor, are next
to impossible to be effected, sad would be Malt in-
there ars ethers which are fair sad praetor ;
end, wha'ever coarse may be takes, the resoluboas
wood to by the Roue of Comatose will remain a
convincing proof to every intelligent person of the
neoemity which exists for a revision of &stamp laws.
April 2,1860. Ism, &0., A SOLICITOR.