The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1876-09-07
The Anti-MonoPoliSt.


timing from fifty to three hundred acres,
and large farms exceening the last
named figure and it appears that seven
ty per cent. to the second, and only three
Per cent. to the last. AS regards the re-
spective areas occupied by the three
classes, we may set down in round num-
bers the aggregate Of arabic land ut
twenty-tour millions of acres for Eng
land, two and three-fourths millions for
Wales, and four and a half. millions for
Scotland. Now, of these totals the space
covered by small farms represents, fol-
lowing the order of the countries named,
fifteen, twenty-three, and fourteen per
cent. farms OF average size absorb fifty
six, sixty-eight, and fifty eight per cent;
while only twenty-nine per cent. in Eng
land, nine in Wales and twenty.three in
Scotland are comprised in the larger
holdings. In short, threc-fourths of the
area belongs to farms Of three hundred
acres or less and thus the land under
tillage in Great Britain is quite as min
utely subdivided as the United States.
Some Of the details set forth in the re-
port OF the board OF trade respecting the
growth of cereals and cattle raising in
Great Britain are equally worthy OF at
tention. In the production OF wheat the
United Kingdom takes rank Immediately
after France, the United States and Rus
STA, yielding in most years about one
third of the enormous quantity supplied
in 1873 by the former country. Her
exhibit OF bushels tor the acre is utterly
unapproached in Europe or America,
and only parallel by one Of her own
colonies-New Zealand. Asregards the
cultivation OF potatoes the area devoted
to that purpose in the British Islands
during the year just closed was consid-
erably larger than in the United States,
and the yield per acre was tar greater
From every specie, indeed, OF cereals
and vegetables adapted to u northern
climate, the elaborate system of terliliza
ton and tiliage practised in the Unitee
Kingdom secures returns altogether dis
propOrtiOnate to the extent of surface al
lotted to the crop. 1t is, in TACT. de
monstrated by this report that, were tn,
ratio OF inhabitants to the square mil
no greater than in Hungary or in France
England would be classed among tn
purveyoss, rather than the consumers
of grain.
The quantity of live stock which Grea
Britain contriyes to rear within her mar
now territory will appear even NOR
surprising to those who identity her wit
manufactures and trade. OF horses, fo
instance, combining ourselves to thos
employed in agriculture, we find he
, credited in 1875 with more than an
other European country except Russi
t and France, and falling short OF the lat
' ter by less than four per cent. Her II
turns Of reat cattle tor the same year ae
gregatc ten million head, against eleve
: million in France. and twenty three an
4 twenty-seven assigned respectively I
Y Russia and the United States. But it
in wool growing that her achievement
D are most signal. Few persons are pr
;, pared to hear that the boundless pas
lures OF this country support no NOR
sheep than the British Islands, whic
l now contain nearly thirty four million
e a total exceeded only by Russia and
the combined colonies of Australi;
The fact that the British manufacturer
in the face of such an enormous hon
production are buyers OF wool in ever
market on the globe, may well impre.
: us with the scale of their operations.
We may notice one other poir
! brought out in this report. Inasmuch
: the United Kingdom, NOTWITHSTANDING
= its agricultural fecundity, is constraine
by the density OF its population to com
plete its provision OF food from ioreie
t sources, it is desirable to know wheth'
# the fund has OF late years increased {
: diminished in those countries which a
O accustomed to victual the English ma
;, ket. From collation. OF statistics
! would appear that in all the conuguo
= States the number Of neat cattle is sligt
~ augmented. while that Of sheep
sensibly declined. We infer that I
T time is not far distant when Great Br
ain, which has We'll nigh learned to re
= on our Western States tor breadstuf
in will draw her supplies fbeefand mutt
r. from the same quarter.-New Iork So