The Plymouth Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1878-1901, 1879-03-27
The Decline OF English Agriculture.

The Decline OF English Agriculture.
by English experts it is announced
that the farmers of England cannot
afford to raise wheat on their lands If
its ruling price is to be no higher in
future years than it has been OF late.
The question is one of the gravest
Importance to Great Britain. and one
worthy OF the most careful study in
this country. and particularly so in
Baltimore. which seems destined TO
bs one OF the greatest markets for
the sale OF wheat in the world.
Messrs. Thomas G Scott and Arthur
Fl. Sayory, authorities upon the sub
ject in England, have recently made
careful Inquiries into The condition Of
the wheat raising industry, and are
compelled TO admit that at present
figures England must abandon this
branch OF agriculture and give place
to America. 1t is shown that in or
der TO reimburse the English faImer
for his outlay in seed, labor, manure,
carriage, etc. the wheat must be sold
at 81 s. per quarter (eight bushels) at
least. The average price in the past
four months has been but 81 per
quarter, a clear loss OF Is bushel.
America raises wheat 1900 miles
from her ports Of export, conveys 1t
by rail 10 the points or shipment
transports it over 5000 miles Of ocean
to Great Britain, and sells it at Is a
bushel less than 1t costs the English
TO grow it. 1t seems almost incl edi-
BILE that this should be so, but it is
indubitably proven, not alone by the
figures OF the English economists,
but by the features OF our trade last
year.
That it should cause alarm In Eng
land is no wonder. Already is the
state Of affa;rs throughout the coun-
try simply terrible. Failures and
strikes. breaches OF trust and destruc-
ton OF confidence. declines OF income
among the rich and pauperism and
starvation among the poor, are heard
OF day after day from one part or an
other OF England, Scotland, Ireland
and Wales. One branch OF manufac-
ers after another that was before pc
culiaily England's own, has been
wrested from. her by the United
States and other countries; protec-
ZIONIST ideas have been revived in
Italy and Spain: the expiration OF
the commercial treaty between
France and Austria has brought
again tito operation the old tariff OF
exorbifant import duties in Austria,
Bismarck has declared himself pro-
tectiontist. and, after all these blows
at her manufacturing trade, England
/ finds herself confronted by proba-
bility Of the destruction of her pro-
duction of wheat. The threatened
jlow, it has been truly said, would be
the severest that English industry
1 has received in modern times. The
fall in rents OF arabic land through
J out the country would be gigantic
The extent OF the acreage devoted tC
wheat solely, or to n rotation OF crops
amounts to some 100000 acres, and
the wheat crop OF the United King.
dom is worth Qncluding the increased
rents due to iD is worth at least $780,
| 600 per annum. II America can land
wheat in England for $40 a quarter
while her farmers cannot afford to
sell their own crops at less than $l2 q
quarter, it is, Of course, 90 absolute
certainty that wheat raising vii
cease to be an English industry.
In this connection the enormous
progress made by the United States
In this branch of agriculture Is an in.
teres ting and important study. II
1868 the country planted 1S,460, l3:
acres in wheat, and produced 224, ,036,.
600 bushels. In 1877 the acreage
was 26, 277 ,54S. aud the production
364, 1884, 146 bushels. The increase il
the value OF our exports OF wheat anC
-four in 1878 over those in 1877,
amounted to the enormous sum o.
s53. .lG4 900. and the exports OF bread
stuffs last year. aggregated $lS1.777,
841. These figures are now astound
ing, but the probabilities are tha
they will seem as nothing to those
that will be presented ten year!
hence. The United States will
eventually be the food-producinl
country OF the world. = Balfimor