The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1894-03-04
NOTES FOR FARMERS.
soptr Instructive ARrtcLrs oN
AGRICULTURE
Lat Year Mcmorabiy Disastrous TO the
tnisea ssn,es The ouuooN for
Northern FafminS-- How 20
Save sweet Potatoes.

The year lssS wis mcmorahly disastrous
IN tho Uuited states, Where IN naanciai
panic and general lack Of confidence
spflnging from the state Of uncertainty. a
state only temporarily admitted to sne
Union- produced an impression that can
not soon be Forgotten In ENGLAND the
year was almost equally memorable, ana
almost equally disAstrous. Your readers
have heard much ot tho eseat coal s,fke,
which largely helped 10 make the year the
worst Of The many bad ones whieh Eng
land has experienced IN recent isInes. The
other chief factor was the VICE thcf, which
WINS so unprecedcntcdly dry and sunny
that u naatiy c3inpletod the tiln OF British
farming, which DeSds with tlie repeal OF
the corn laws many years ugo. Apisi, May
ina June were almost II no, altogether
rasuicss. July had some showers, bun Au-
gust and September were almost without
any rainfall. They were Ms bright aud
pleasant as those months usually are IN
Pennsylvania, but England Is accustomed
70 and needs more rain. One result OF tais
was the general failure OK wells and
streams throughout the country Another
WAS the unexsmpled ehoftness OF the haS,
crop, Which Naturally reaeica npqf the
sheep aad cattle. Straw MAS hardly 70 be
had, ana the root crops we've totnl fail-
stricken. How were they 20 keep their
Hooks and ncrds with nay at $40 3 ten,
straw not 10 be had. roots Of oil kiads
fabniousiy dear and no water N the ac-
cutomed ulacesI
The graia grow efs have long been feeling
hopeic5s, ind 1888 brought them no relief
Nlleat which had been regarded rs Eng
ianh's staple, decreased enormously ~
acre1tsc az well as In amount per acre
Tie competition Of foreign farmers whosH
q a.. .N.aI q a 80. ~ -
duty, has practically Killed tanning hers.
IN 1899 there were 2a9S,eli acres painted IN
whoat In 1888 there wore l,a55.als acres,
showing n decrease IN oue year OF aiSsDt
acres il the gntted Kingdom. In England
clone the decrease vpE most marked, rs Il
amounted 10 3Qiieo acrts, a similar,
though much smaller decreasc has neon
going on steadily for many Years.
In 1854 the wheat acreage Ia Erglnnd--
not the United King1om--ws.s a.5so9li,
while In 1893 u Yves l,7gS,eG9. showing \ dee
crease o. gSiM2 acres IN ten Years. THIS
il rather startling, but IL IS no new thing,
as ii has been going on cver s.nce the con-
clus5on OF the American Aiid f'rancp-Gcr-
man wars when. as / contend they really
tirst began TO feel the disadvantages Of the
free trade With which they had hamperod
Themselves. lnl87S there wsre l,4s5.5S6 more
Scres OF wheat IN England alone than there
Here Ia 1881
Barley also shows a decrease though
moi nearly so great, ns il amounts In the
twenty years only 20 lgl,7s5 acres. while
oats in tho same ported show an Increase
Of 1875 565 acrcg owing no doubt 10 the feet
that horse raising is stlilia iTeat and IN
cleaslng industry among this me most
hoiSey Of peories
What aeeins 10 emphps2e the serious
ness OF this disaster Is the fact-at least
the London Times recentiy stated II rs .
fact---that most oil this lsld has gone out
OF cultivation altogether and Is merely
used as rough gnazing land for cattle
1,he figures about live stock are net much
less depressing. There ware ll,aSa, fss sheep
Ia England hi 1882 and only isSos,asi III
1896 The cattle in 1872 fumborsa 4.sS.Ssa.
while IN 1873 they were gss. b8 less n nap-
hels There were 1850 more horses Than In
1892. but .i.a29 less pigs.
In spite of this general reduction IN
wealth and shornesa ~ crops, the prices
Of almost everything but hay were low
For instance. the wheat crop waa the
smallest m Quantity ever RECORDED, while
the highest offieiai weakly average price
WAS lower than the lowest annual average
price ever Registered N England
Hay, as l have said. was very scarce and
very dear. Some English hay sold AZ blgh
rs ss5 0 ton. Good Canadian hay sold for
SIS ton ia L0alon. Alfalfa hay WAS
brought from South America ana even
5s.sa... Ns@s 4Zealand At the same time III
the West OF ireland. where the drpnth ~As
not severe. the best hay--litue Il any M
ferior TO The best English hay-sold far
$40 ton, but owing 10 the cost and ailfis
Guilty ot transportation. ghd probably g
local lack OF enterprise. little Of y found
Its way to English markets.
Dairy farmers owing 10 scarcity Of food
aud dirk, suffered severely 4et She writer
in the Times before referred to apd p
whom | am indebted for my figures finds
that the closing ny the board OF asFigultngs
OF the p0rtH OF Great Britain ~ live cattle