Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-06-24
BRITISH AGRICULTURE.
Interesting Financial Statements FUR.
nished by English Tenant Farmers.

tnterestng FINANCIAL statements Eurs
nished by English Tenant-FHrmsrs.
The proposition that Great Britain
shall buy out the Irish landlords has
again directed attention to the condl.
ton of agricultural industries in En-
gland. Facts are brought forward in
support Of the assertion that neither in
England nor in Ireland can tenant.
farmers make enough money to pay
rent for their farms, and that they
would lose money even II no rent
should be collected.
Carefully-preparcd and very intor-
esting statements OF receipts and ex-
penses are furnished for publication by
English farmers. A tenant-farmcr In
North Lincolnshire, who "has the cred
II of being an excellent manager. n
good man of business. and one of the
best practical authorities on farming
in his neighborhood." submits his bal
ance sheets for the last ten years. Hc
holds 4S0 acres, including 60 acres OF
poor pasture. All his livestock Is bred
on the farm. He keeps IA cows. and
has n flock of POO breeding ewes. For
ten years ne has spent an annual aver
age Of S5.S3 per acre in buying food
for cattle and artificial manurcs and
$3.50 per acre for manual la.
Dor. The rent, rates and taxes have
averaged 1897 per acre. 1t is not al
expensive farm. as such farms 60, and
it has been well managed. Ncvcrthc-
less. the farmer has not farthing I.
show for his ten years work,
and for the year 1885 he is out
of pocket more than $1,000. Fol-
the ten years ending with 1884 his Nv.
erago annual expenses, including in
terest at per cent. on u capital u
$4,000, were about Sl2,3S5. and il
1885 his expenses were Sll,33j. Oh
the other hand, his average annua
receipts for the ten years were Sl2,36c
and for 1885 his receipts were onl,
$1,000. showing an average annua
loss of S2j for the ten years, and To-.
of II. 3l5 for 1885. The average annu
al expense for rent. rates and taxes fur
the ten years was S2,9t5, and for lSS
the expense on this account was =,
$50. II he had had no rent TO pa
there would have been profits, but the,
would have been small. As compare
with the ten years average the pric
of wheat sold by this farmer in lSS
was lower by 81 per cent, the price u
barley lower by II per cent and tn
price Of wool lower by " per cent
Here we see the effect of competitio
from America. India and Australia
The effect of foreign competition al
appears in the receipts for liye-stoc
sold. which in 1885 were lower by
per cent. than the annual average 70
the preceding ten years.
\ statement submitted by farmo
who holds 600 acres in BerkS
lightly rented and well cultivated
shows that the excess of expenditure
over receipts was Si.3iJ in 1888. S2,Sl
in 1885, and SJ.SSj in 1885. The
ccip,S in 1885 were Si4,3.ij and the 90
pcndimrcS were $50. go. about S:u,Ov
being set aside on both sides Of tire u
count for valuation of live and de-
stock. seeds. tillagc. &c. The rent "
S2.O95 q year, So that the farmer won
have been out OF pocket il he had pa
nothing to his landlord. These far
arr said to be- fair examples and
exceptions to the general rule.
The cheap grain of America. Az
tralia and India, and the cheap meat
Chicago have made farming almost
a luxury in England and driven ma
farmers from their holdings in Sco'lau
So far rs wheat is concerned, the
price in England is due TO the dcvcl
ment of the wheat nclds Of India
British capital rather than to compc
ton from America. II was cheap
dian wheat that made the price of En-
liSh wheat in February lower than
had been for one hundred and twcnt
five years. The continued devolo
ment Of India, together with comp
ton from this side Of the Atlant
must work great revolution in az
culture OH the British Islands.