New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1866-11-10


When NJ. Fisher gets to Switzerland he wakes en-
thusastc quotes the poets, and is loud IN his praises
OF the agricultural population. custom IS mentioned
existing nea Lausanne, and perhaps elsewhere, OF
letting land upon half profits which Is SAID TO answer
very well The farming is marvellous Every inch
is improved: there is waste Of land by iencng and
The population is extremely dense. well hOuseu We'll
fed and prosperous, though there is family Of five
persons for each fifteen acres The secret OF tins ~
that there are few great bar0nial residences; and
these few arc generally built by EnGlishmen, and
seem sugularly out Of place. The number of pro-
pre1r for each 100 families in Switzerland Is 20; in
the Canton Of A.Eoise it is 9i in that Of Fr5ourg the
same. The country hardly produces sufficient corn
for lcr own consumption, but she exports butter and
cheese II must be remembered, also, that she MAIN
taips q great number Of strangers England can
hardly look 20 Ler for any supplies Of lood, but she
might nationally import little political economy.
The first thing in Germany, in an agricultural way
which attracted Mr.. Fishers notice was the cele-
bfatcd Schloss Johannisberg, iamousior vine winch
nobody except kings privileged totase, though you
may buy great many bottles OF 1t IN NeW-Ao OK, an
correct as TO labels corks and everything except The
fluid itself Prince Mettenich, be 1t understood, l.
Lecitmis and as there is very little Of this remark
able tipple be sells it only 10 their maieSties. AZ
least nobody under a Duke can get any. The vine
growers in the negl5Orhood call their VINE Johannis-
berger; and dare say that IT Is quite as good as
the Princes Own, il You only think so.
In Belgium Mr.. Fisher found the cattle interest 10
boring under two difficulties. There was the Kinder
pest to begin with. The people also We're complain
ING that The British demand had nearly doubled the
prce OF meat-an advantage TO the producer, but no
Joke to the consumer. Wheeupon Mr.. Fisher moral
izes: " Has rich country like England moral night
10 enhance tie price upon the workers Of Belgium Z
tie concludes that ave" should try to increase the
number of farmers, 10 encourage the bllage OF our
Lands: we should then have a much larger supply o.
meat and a consequent reduction in the price" We
agree with Mr. Fisher. II Is rather hard upon con-
SINNERS i'm other countries that they should have 10
pay higher rates Tor meats because OF the neglect Ol
British farmers 10 81. their land properly. But then,
in this most velal world the Longest purse Is APT 10
carry it.
Mr. Fisher. true 70 his theory, troccs the agycui.u
raj prosperity oi gium TO tie fact that the tenants
are owners of the land. All is comfort, Hospitality
and respectabltv. The luxuTance of the crops as
tonishing. TheI margolds are superb" The tuE-
nips are marvcs for size and beauty. The clover is
two feet high. Everything is utilized. The dogs IN
stead OF being arrested and inconunenty drowned
are harnesSed to wheebaTows, and drag with proven
bal canine fidelity, Cooking happy in harness.
though not dsiuclined, suppose, to get out OF It.
The girls and children work in the fields under the
parental eye Potatoes plentiful, but not being
the sole dependence OF the peasant do not entail q
curse when they are themselves under cloud There
is steady crop Of fax. Cattle are plentiful and have
plenty to eat The little cheeses, the eggs, the but
ter, all are delicious. In short Belgium is Paradise
ReCained for everybody except the dogs III the CARTS
and even for them the supply Of bones is perennial.
Holland is the Eden of the bovine race. They
browse upon land only few inches above the water
and give down millions of gallons Of milk, with no fear
of the predestnate shambles. in Holland Is the
MANIFEST of GuadruDeds The breed of black and white
has been kept pure-the Hollanders would have
nothing to do with shOrt-hOrnS. There Is comfort
able butter-and-cheese aspect in the very houses OF
the inhabitants The land is carefully tilled-and all
for the cows The ocean has yielded them - fresh
fields and pastures new" Mr. Fisher says that En-
gland has nothing show like the Dutch cereal pro-
duce and he gives the figures TO prove his assertion
The very export of butter and cheese is miracle-n
1868 for instance, 1852 600 pounds Of the former
and y So, 900 of the latter. England gets about
four-fths of the butter and twothrds of the cheese
Belgium and the colonies Of Holland take butter, and
Prussia Russia, and Sweden, cheese.
Nj Fisher observes that there is little IN Holland,
or Belgium, or Switzerland, or France, which large
English farmer would call good farming; there " are
no Steam-plOws few hrashIng machines, none OF that
vast apparatus which toolishly suppose ndispen-
sable; but there is IN all these countries more
minute a more careful cultivation Of the soil, and
there is also that which should be the principal object
in all farming-a larger amount of produce from the
land larger quantities Of food for the people, which is
obtained without exhausting the soil" Meanwhile,
England gets meat from abroad Mr.. Fisher says that
the steamer in which be sailed from Rotterdam was
loaded down with cattle and sheep for the English
market. Three other steamers came from Rotterdam
the same tide all equally loaded with live stock. And
this goes on week after week.
The moment Mr.. Fisher gets back 10 England be
begins with true Anglican inconsistency 70 grumble
and to gorify. On his way through Essex to London
his ewes are refreshed by such fields Of turnps as he
has not seen abroad. While at Harwich he blows up
his breakfast execrates the new Great Eastern Hotel
and signs for the beautiful morning meals which he
purchased in Rotterdam for the insignificant amount
of one shilling sterling. But not for one moment
does bis true British pluck abate. II meat is not to
be had abroad then his bucOlc tcuOw-eitlzens must
4 II Lavu nr amin
ing the grazers Of other lands will with proud self
suficiency fall back upon her own tlage. Re
enforced and refreshed by great variety OF statistical
tables in which Mr. Fisher has added, subtracted,
multiplied, and divided for his country's good until
his pastoral treatise looks like nautical almanac, the
United Kingdom must make the most Of her 81 600 600
acres Of arabic andmust get 20 tuns OF green crops
from each acre which will produce2 500 coo 900 pounds
Of meat or 80 pounds of beef, or mutton or veal or
pork for each human being in the happy and no
longer hungry islands There will be l0O0OOOO acres
left for clover 81 000 600 Of arabic pasture
land and 10 600 Geo 600 Of waste land for cattle and
sheep, milk and butter. Let England, if she wishes
" to retain her proud position among the nations of
the world turn her attention TO the proper culture OF
her own soil ~ This is the concluding deduction and
memorable Q. f. d. Of Mr.. Fishers travels, and il
seems very much like the old saying about the public
beneactor who makes two blades Of grass grow where
one grew before. With the husbaudry Of Flanders
on her plains and of Tuscany on her hill Sides En-
gland might easily raise food for double her present
population Increase the number Of rural la6Orers
Diminish the non-productive classes-the mere talk
ers Subdvide the land. These are Mr.. Fishers
prescriptions for langushng British husbandry, and
extremely judcious ones they appear 10 be.
Mr.. Fisher gives us, by way Of appendix, an Essay
on 1.-The Production Of Food, p" read by him before
the Social Science Congress in Bernc in leG5. We
lack space in which TO follow him through this; but
his assertion that "the capacity Of land TO support
human life has never been tested 70 its fullest
tent, is worthy Of attention. Land in its natural
labor 10 land which makes it productive. What is
taken from the soil in the shape of food must be