The Panola weekly star. (Sardis, Miss.) 1882-18??, 1883-10-20
The MelleNnl English Fnrmcr.

Both horses and oxen were used on
the land; wheat, barley, oats, rye and
beans and peas were grown. The me-
diryal farmer was entirely dependent
on his hay and straw for the winter
keep of his stock, for there were no
winter roots, and the hay Wa only the
produce of native grasses, artificial
grasses being unknown for three hun
drcd years longer. Cattle and sheep
were faticned in summer and killed NJ
IT, close and their flesh sailed foi
winter use; for few could be- kept IL
condition. save Mt great cxl cnsc,
through the winter months. The old
song Of Summer IL y-cumin i'm
meant much more In those days than Il
does In ours; the return Of spring aud
summer meant II return 10 fresh meat
aud fresh vegetable diet. Unions. gar
lie and mustard were grown. but the
profus'on Of garden produce OF the
present day was quite unknown, anil
food, though abundant, wa coarse aud
wanting in variety. Prof. Rogers has
noted only ono instance Of the purchase
Of n quarter Of u pound Of "cabecho'
seed in lijS, by Kings College, Cam
bridge, nj tho enormous rate ~ four
shill ngs per pound. aud this was prob
ably nm experiment. The cultivation
Of the hop was introduced from the low
countries early In the sixteenth century,
and somewhat later sheep-farming be-.
gan To take the place OF agriculture,
and was n subject Of complaint and Of
legislation. "The practice appears tc
have arisen from two cause.-the de.
iicicncy Of capital, owing TO the general
impovcrlshmcnt OF the country. and
the high prices of WOOL In 1882
some llockmastcrs had 10000, 5000 or
5000 sheep, and II was enacted that In
future M one should have more than
1000. Wheat and rye from the
Baltic were imported in quantity
sufficient 10 attract tho notice Of
the Legislature, 70 that the English
farmer was exposed TO competition IN
corn while he had the practical monop-
oily Of the wool market. As n consc.
quence land was laid down In grass.
and vast Enclosures were made from tho
common field; and Il was this practice,
and the injury done To the poor by do.
priyiug them Of their curtilagcs, that
were the chief cause Of Kct's rebellion
In 1919, which u remarkable Ms being
the last attempt which English labor.
ers have made to secure what thew he.
llovcd TO be justice by force Of arms
HunltFg unI sr.aan s.nrn a...
reared. mud must have been very wei.
come Injuries in winter. Tho price
was low. n capon or goose averaging
I'd. during the fifteenth century. Ii
should be noted, though the remark Is a
tritc one, that u low money value BY no
meara indicates oheapncss, which Is
relative TO prices then current, and can
hot be compared with the prices Of To-
day. The purchasing power Of money
St the fifteenth century was extremely
isSN The average price Of an OK was
wheat good saddlc.horsc 5ss. while
Id n nnlpged rs. I'D, and oats p.
ordinary Labor In, tho wages Of an
and the rent Of We're barely ID. a DAY,
coed Cd. an acrc. We land did not OK.
small not morc than yield was very
Of the present day-and firth Of that
uuwu That the average yicld~. la put
was not over Z bushels 10 the TSat
When. IN tsi,. M debasemcnt Of IN
coinage begun, q notable but variabl,
rise was effected in every commodit,
but one. the exception being glass. IN,
manufacture Of which had been great,
improved. Taking the average pricI
Of the first lao years as unity, the ris'
In the price Of pruvisiow was al. bu
, the price Of labor rose pnly Les, n dif
ference which sufficiently explains IN
. evil times that fell on tc peasant. Tn
golden ora was past.
, Prom the cpoeh o. Henry's Heath
! the degradation Of the English lahore
begins. for nearly three centuries tn
artisan suffered with he peasant. tina
| l.. as long as the combination laws In
peeled the creation Of hose labor pat
! nerships which We Oh trade unio,s
4 But the condition ofthc farm labdcl
= has gone on from bal TO worse. hasbc.
come more hopclet. The best ant
most capable Of th,m have fled fon
their traditional occupation, and al N,
n time al which I au;writing usSD. !
forcsaw when I wotc the last words o
my first volume. fStecn years agu. b
agricultural protsem In England Is b
n the adjustment Of local burdens. or I,
arbitration 81 rest. or the revival
" confidence In these who put capital ia
). land; but II Is ss-wrdly the recall !
the agricultural 1abosf to ,acctive Al
hopeful industry. his q striking mi
%tratiun Of the fact tnat cconomical u
q tory has no break u NJ chain Of cansS
q but that We ara ztl engaged with,
q problem which haduts rmole bui &C
3 tain beginning II the v~snionne.s
Henry VIII. and n The rspaeity Of n