The daily gazette. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1874-1883, 1879-09-04

LaOOr. ................. I,ZtV
Seeds . artificial foods and
manure 80. 40
Tracesmen's farm bills. ........ $50
Total. ........................f3, 540
Annual deficiency. .......... f34O
This abatement does not include re-
pairs and insurance, the cost of replac-
ing machines and implements, wear and
tear OF farm horses, and ma ket expenses
nor yet the tenants household and fami-
ly expenditure, % that for at
least three years he may be
be said to have been boarding himself
ami paying at least f400 a year for the
privilege Of working hard. Lord Nor
ton in criticising this gloomy balance
sheet says very Justly that while the
farmer includes his imperial taxes in
his outlay he does not credit the farm
with the rent and cost of repairs of the
buildings he occupies, or the. supplies
for the consumption of his family which
he draws from the farm, and also offers
il % his opinion that the item of rent,
tithes and the like, at f2 los. an acre,
10 much too high, arabic land in that Sc;
ton Of the country rarely renting SO
high . f11l0s, or pasture land above
f2. Nevertheless, after all allowance
made, it Is not surprising to find this par
ticular occupi-r declaring that he does
not wish any longer to throw good
money after bad, and the general deduc-
ton seems warranted, his circumstances
being more favorable than those of the
average tenant-farmer, that under the
present 81 stem and conditions farming
does not and probably cannot pay.
It is In the details that this farmers
accounts are most interesting. Taking
the item of sales of wheat and other
acre OF arabic land have gone down trc-
mendously In the last twelve years. In
1867 the average was f8 14s. nearly.
It wavered between fS IS. Cd. till 1872,
when IL barely exceeded f6 in 1873 1t
sunk still further to f3 Is. 3D.. in 1874
| It rallied to f7. TO-, but In 1875 it went
down to if6 Ids. and since then has
touched lower depth Of f4 los. 3rd.,
| "a 13s. 4d. and ga 12s. Sd. The aver
Of the twelve years was f6 u.s., butkof
the last three years only "a lbs. These
books do not give any comfort to those
who hold that, though cereals have not
been pa, ing OF late, the high prices for
meat have compensated for this, as the
balances ofthe livestock account for the
last three years have been at the rate Of
81 49,, 81 19s. Sd. and 81 los. In. per
acre, or on an average FL It's. Id, as
against f2 4s. for the fonr proceeding
years and e. As. Sd. for the four years
before that. The wheat tables show
some curious and interesting variations.
Since 1851 the average yield per acre
has been 371 bushels, ranging from 27a
bushels up to SO taken by periods of
seven years the yield has been 38, A.,
38 aud "a bushels. The money value Of
| this crop has varied from Ell 70 ELS 16s.
! 1Od. an acre, the general average for
twenty years being ELL So. Sd.
| The value of the harvest Of 1878 was
f7 los. an acre, the smallest recorded
save f7 in 1855; for the last four years it
has averaged 60 IS. 3d., less than was
realized in any other quadrennial period
| and almost e. under the average. Even
allowing for unfavorable seasons, the
causes Of which are beyond the farmers
control, cheap freights and increased
American productiou,i 1t is commended have
made 1t impossible that the English agri-
cuiturist should get such prices as gave
him remunerative years in times gone by.
It is worth noting that while the nomi-
nal weekly rate Of wages has siuce 1885
increased from LIS. to Ids the actual
cost of labor per acre has gone up from e.
to f2 rs. The laborer gets more and
| aud does less. Taxation has not much
to do with the solution OF, the problem
saws this farmer. His public charges av-
eraged IS. I'd. per acre in q former perl
cd, and now average IS. 5Ad. Any re-
duction here could only produce shilliDgs
and the farmer requires pounds per acre
in order to retrieve his position. Gal
present." he says, s'the prospect of any
such rccov ry is hopeless. There are nc
"indications that larger produce or an
Improvement In price may possibly aug
"ment the tenants returns for 1879 he
"can make only small reductions in hi.
ssoutlay for labor. though this Is except
"ionally high and a temporary abate
"ment of rent will not restore the prOfita
"ble charac4er oil, his husbandry and ena-
"ble him to make a livelihood in place O
enormous loss" . H.
Such is typical statement in detail o
the troubles Of high-class English far
mer. That other things Is be does IL ev
ident. During the past week q humble
(, of farmers are reported as having sailed
from Liverpool to look into the condition
, of things in our own wheat-gro wing dis
! tricts. These men are acting upon tn
advice Lord Derby gave the Lancashire
farmers not long ago-to seek remed
In emigration. " tSk4s
4. At the meeting of agrlculturists II
London during the Show Week the gen