, 1877-08-06
FARM PROSPECTS.

Groat Cron1xing-Ikents Must I3o Reduced
Landau ElA- Hall Gtssttit, Julv2U.
Agriculture in England Ia passing through a
cris!s. There Ia great ularm aud no inconsllera-
ble amount Of suffering. Many farmers Of late
years have been ruined. .nany fnr1ns arc vacant,
md there Is Qreut difficulty In finding tenants.
In son,c districts the difficulty amounts to inl-
possibility, mud land-ow,tcra lnyc been forced to
become farmers themselves unl to cultiynte
their own land. My, there are not few cases
IN which tho offer to give faru, rent free for
some years talis u brahO my ono to undertake
to pay moderate rent at future period. Tho
leaders among the tenant farmers recommend
their brtthren TO bring up their children to any
trada blt that of agriculture. Thcsc arc synlp-
toms Of chaoge OF w',lrll no o',e
Gun confidently predict thu, issue but
lpeutous. II Il means permanent depreciation
In tho vulue Of land, 1t means social, and peE-
llaps rolttlfai, revolution. II IL n.rans onlv
ta conditions ana p,s ss Sa' Y ~ new s'e
old Systems arc dying, mud tnat llcncefort;
classcs who are Interested IN tic land"
acs ~ ' s c.ssssea ssn &C., of q ha. as
duo to any temporary or accidental cAlise. We
have had two Ietletent haryests, but they lp!-
lowed unoif Que which was very abundant, and
even 1873 md lB16 were not to bo classcd with
is It my novelty ~ farmers TINT couple Of bni
SEASONS should como together. Such events rs
these are tle ordinary Incidents Of their occupa-
tlon, and IL !n any c,so they have been tho lust
have been already full OF misfortune from
some other souFce, Nor has ths loss
# . ei,S pstS II Sy ass sfsss Instances, sasg '' pecs !,
sufficient to account for, widespread distress.
The importation Of fresh incut from America
Inns been scare. but as yet II has been nothing
mart- In short, neither havr tho seasons nor
the prices buen yet So adverse as to explain the
losses nil depression which lave con,a upon tho
farming Interest. Nor, again, do VIC find III, tho
history Of former periods Of e1ooa1y anticipation
ANYTHING that exaetiy laraaiclss the present case.
atolitot,: It was always full In prizes TINT gayu
alarm. Ti,css laws werc lrylsc,f to maintain a
Used value nt whe1t, aud It Was tho fact that
Inv had promised that Id 10 tho periodical out.
cry Of ruin from tho farming Intcrrsts. When
at last these laws wero ai,ol!she IL WAS cxpyct-
Ell that wheat could no nfsro be grown lE En-
falsIfy this prediction. Wheat fell fur year
or two, but tho hrst lad season srnE it
up again; Of = was d!scasercd that. III spite Of
tbo snMpsftsoe . f11% EEurope and America i
prices; anu the low price, wbcn It lid occ,1r, was
not only compensated by the large crop, but hy
an 1ncrlase beyond what was erer knuwn be-
fore, The extension Of drainage aud tho Intro
tGttto OF foreign IlIanutcs mil feeliug-8tIlG4
brought up the average returns from the soil to
pitrh they hatl never previously reached. At
tue same tllnr, the extraordinary develnpment
In trade an.l manufactures raised wages In tho
manufacturing districts and carried tleat and
wool to prices unticarl Of. Thcss intlueneea in
combustion not only delivered the british farr,-
er from anticipated ruin, but EAyG Him pr,,s-
rtrity hu hatl never bcfurs at'aincd. Ia result
which tuvoy4l tho consequence tint ycnt4 dur;
IuE tho quarter Of q century between 1915 an.f
1sTi not only did not tall, but unquesssonably
tendel to rise.
But in every one OF the cleu,cnts Of this pros
pcrlty there has now occurred u c(lcrI. Cum
petition frnln Abroad still Assumes NOW phases.
Wheat eauIes pot un!y Sroln illsE! . und t!'e At
lantic scaboasd, but from India, Australia. and
California. Meat Itself L. now imported from
America. md even II this should not bs, Oh a
scale to dtpfvsA prices 1t Will probably, at least,
prevent nlay further rise. Hut, In addition II
these uld sourse. Of ,aprrehs;s',o''. shs farmer
The cost necessary Tor production has immense.
ly Increased. htors labor is needed unlcr the
new systsln Of farming than under the old, aud
tho movement OF which the strikes were only u
30 pef cent. Machinery has Indeed been
largely introduced; but l'laehtres, too, are VERY
costly. Again, foreiyn natures, Whs are now
20 much depeutlcd III to augment the bulk IN
tho rickyatA, are, considering deterioration Vt
lualty, 50 per ecnt lcarcr than they used to be.
The positfon on tho whole u this; tlat though
DfQAufc AHu pE1cEA ~ u0t ~ 4tt L4l4 Ou+ yet ~
produce Involves u,uclt greater uutay; while
there seems 10 longer my r9onI ioF cxpc.tfn.
that prizes will 60 higher. TllrEcEora matters
look very black for tllose who ouiy think Of
farming as farming used to be. For such per
SONS there Is only one element Of tue outlay
that can be reduced, and that element II the
rent. TO spend less On labor ncans TO grow
tnure Wcets; 10 speud less on ARTIFICIAL 1nalurcs
means to gror less cora; 10 speu,l less on ma
chimes mcai.s to Get worse wurk done; and
therefore there + pothinY for 1t but to spend
less tn the hire of tho lasiI.