The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-08-24
Agriculture IN England.


It appears that the agricultural re-
sources of the British Islands have been
greatly moderated in this country. We
have for some time past regarded this
country as the purveyor of England,
and we have, therefore, fallen into the
belief that her own production of meat
and breadstuffs is inconsiderable. There
is, moreover, general impression in
this country that British soil is mainly
engTossed by large estates and permit
ted to lie idle in the shape of parks and
game coverts. These notions are con-
sradieted by the facts as set forth in
report on agriculture lately published
by the British Board of Trade.
Concerning the ground under cult
walton, it appears that there are in En-
gland, Wales and Scotland $4,000
farms under cultivation. These are
graduated as follows: Small farms of
80 acres or less; average farms con-
tanning from 80 to 800 acres and large
farms exceeding the last named figure.
1t further appears that 20 per cent. of
the whole number belong to the
first category, % per cent. to
the second and only 3 per cent. to the
last. The aggregate of arabic land is
set down at $4,000, 900 acres for Eng
land, q millions for Wales and Al mil
lions for Scotland. About three-fourths
of this area belong to farms of three
hundred acres or less. The total sur
face of British Islands, exclusive of
lakes and rivers, comprises 100000
acres. Only about two-sevenths Of this
are devoted to pasturage, moors, game
preserves. and parks. The land under
tillage is quite as minutely subdivided
as in the United States. OF plowed
land and meadow the United Kingdom
can show twice as much as Hungary,
four times as much as Sweden and Nor
way, fifth more than Spain, and a
sixth more than Prussia, although each
of the States named has larger actual
acreage of land.
In the production of wheat the
United Kingdom takes rank immediate
ly after France, the United States and
Russia yielding in most years about
one-third of the enormous quantity
supplied in 1874 by the former country.
Her exhibit of bushels to the acre is
not approached in Europe or America.
During the year 1875 the area in the
British Islands devoted to the cultiva-
ton of potatoes was considerably larger
than in the United States, and the yield
per acre was far greater. The elabo-
rate system of fertilization and tillage
practiced in the United Kingdom
secures returns altogether dispropOr-
tionate to the extent of the surface
allotted to the crop from every species |
of cereals and vegetables adapted to
northern climate. This report demon |
strates the fact that England would be
classed among the purveyors rather
than the consumers of graz if the rate |
of inhabitants to the square mile were |
no greater than in Hungary or France.
The quantity of live stock grown in
the British Islands appears even more
OF horses, for instance,
in agriculture we find that |
country accredited in 1875 with more
than any other European country, eX-
cept Russia and France. Her returns
of neat cattle, for the same year, aggre-
gate 10000, 600 head against II, 100000
in France, and 23,O00,O00 and 27,000,-
900 assigned respectfully to Russia and
the United States. But in wool grow
ing she shows to the best advantage.
The British Islands contain nearly
100000 head of sheep, total not
exceeded by the boundless pastures of
this country, and exceeded only by
Russia and Australia. These facts eX-
plain why England. long anterior to her
and manufacturing expan-
sion, was a rich and powerful nation.
If she can accomplish such results upon
her limited area, what can we not do
with our millions of acres Of superb
and yet untouched by the pillow?