The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-01
RURAL LIFE IN ENGLAND.
The Farm and Farming Methods of
the British Agriculturist.
High Prices for Horses and Cattle and Low
Wages for the Laborer-Country
Schools and Charities.
Special Correspondence to the Journal.


Special Correspondence to the Journal.
LONDON, May 19-The Whitsuutide holi-
days, just past afforded your correspondent
an opportunity to refresh his memory in re-
gard to English country life and to gather
few facts in relation thereto, which will not
only be interesting to your readers, but will
be directly in the line of the special subjects
marked out for investigation. With Parlia-
ment safely adjourned, the fisheries exhibit
ton properly opened, the dynamite conspi-
rators in the tight clutches of the law, and
the executions warranted to proceed with
due regularity in Ireland, il was felt that we
could safely leave the center OF the worlds
intelligence for little while, and, indeed,
had we not done so we should have been
guilty of the objectionable sin of being I'M
fashionable for everybody goes out of town
at Whitsuntide, with the exception of the
few prosaic millions who may chance to lack
the necessary funds, or may De compelled tc
remain to look after business. To be sure of
getting beyond reach of the great city's din
and hustle, we bought ticket that carried
us fifty miles away, and then took Fly" to
a genuine, old-fashioned English village,
about seven miles distant from the railway
station. And what change from the busy
streets of London to the green meadows and
fresh springing harvest-felds of Cambridge
shire, from crowded sidewalks 20 quiet coun-
try lanes; from the rattle of the ubiquitous
cab over hard thoroughfares to the MARBLE of
the lark; the lambs soft bleating and the
song of the nightingale! And what added
n fba nle nf
the delightful transformation that took place
all at once in the weather. Three days OF
bright skies and gorgeous sunshine, with a
temperature that enabled us to dispense with
fires and overcoats, after as many weeks of
clouds and cold, and almost daily rains, was
an experience no less grateful to the jewellers
on the sylvan banks of the Cam than to those
who had braved the storm in the bustling
metropolis on the Thames This change
gave a new face to nature and afforded the
farmers around some hope of fair crop.
That the tillers of the soil here should be
much inclined to gloomy forebodings is
scarcely a matter for surprise, considering
that their harvests have been partial failures
for seven successive seasons, barring alone
that which was gathered year ago Nor is
it surprising that they complain of tine bad
effect on prices of the large imports of
grain from the United States. Wheat now,
they tell me, is selling at about dollar and
thirty cents bushel, and just as soon as
any upward tendency is marked there is an
extra influx from our side which knocks the
prospect all to pieces again. And as though
the farmer had not troubles enough from
md bod hanu
kindly, though unintentional, cut was re-
Gently given him by the Queen in banishing
lamb from the royal table as mark of her
displeasure at the diminished size of the
flocks of sheep throughout the coun-
try; for, OF course, if her Majesty was
going to abstain from Juvenile mutton her
dutiful subjects would do so likewise, and
thus a sudden calamity was threatened, the
price of this article of food going down sew
eral pence in few days. with scarcely any
demand and those who had depended on the
sale of their spring lambs for the money nee
essary to gather their harvests, being left, as
1t appeared for time, to suffer great incon-
venience and loss. But the Queen seeing the
injustice it would work to an already much
afflicted class of her subjects, has kindly
lifted this embargo, and what with this con-
cession of his most gracious sovereign and
the smiles which a favoring providence had
bestowed upon him for few days, the aver
age British farmer was found this week in
tolerably happy frame of mInd with the
latch-string out. and not averse to giving an
inquisitjve American few points of infor-
nation in regard to his
STOCK, LANDS AND LABoRERs.
The horses used on the farms here are OF
the massive English type so suggestive of
those qualities of strength and solidity which
are the national characteristics of the En-
glish people. Those OF good working age and
capacity range in price from 5000 to $40O
each. A good-sized driving horse is worth
from $3.50 to $3.50, but there are great many
understood animals in use and
these of course, are cheaper. two
year-Old colt that will be broken ut once
to light work and which will be about four
teen hands when it has its full growth had
just been bought at Cambridge market for
S75, and was considered fair bargain. A
good milk cow, with calf, is worth about
$780,. Land is cheap, considering the high
state of cultivation to which it is brought.
1t seldom, of course, changes owners and
nearly all the farmers in this country are
renters, but the current value at the dis
lance OF few miles from large railroad
center is from $3.50 to 1925 an acre. Farm
laborers are paid from twelve to fifteen shl-
lings week, that is from about SO to So, IS.
OK of this wretched pittance they mist bay
house rent aud must feed and clothe both
themselves and their families, the latter OF
which are by no means patterned after the
teachings of Bradlaugh's Fruits of Philoso.
ply" The wages of aborers in the southern
part of the country are slightly better than
this, and there are more perquisites. Here
the only relief to the monotony OF this pal
try stipend is during the harvest, when the
farmer bargains with his hel p for $50 or $25
a month with S. for beer the return he re