Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1894-09-27
POOR WHEAT OUTLOOK.
Richard Sykes, of Manchester,
England, Talks Of Wheat
Prospects.
How the "COld Standard" Hurts
tho NJ. .. Farmer-lnter-
esting Interview.

esting Interview.
Richard Sykes, Eeq.. Of Manchester
England, who is we'll known to many OF
our readers through his important inter-
ests at hardwood, Iowa, at Warren,
MIMI, and at Edgeley and Sykeston in
our own state, arrived here from St. Paul
the morning OF the Goth inst. In an
interview he sald
sailed from Liverpool on the after
noon of the 5th of Sept, on the "Teu-
tonic" of the White Star line and landed
in New York at a. m. on the 18th of
September. About midnight of the 9Th,
We encountered the strongest gale
experienced on the Atlantic, but on the
whole our voyage was unusually pleas
ant. There vera several distinguished
Americans among my fellow passengers.
We have had an unusually wet sum-
mer in England, but on the whole our
crops are good. Hay, which is our most
important crop, is unusually good, the
second crop of clover and rye.grass being
this year almost as heavy asthe first.
The root crops we're very promising when
I left home. Oats were very heavy
crop and wheat also. However, the
price of new wheat was tie lowest on
record. q shillings per quarter of 4SO
pounds 60 cents per bushel. The
English wheat is plump, large berry,
but soft, and, owing to the humidity of
the climate, contains more moisture than
the hard whoat OF North Dakota, which
is much appreciated by the mlllers on
our side
I wish you could visit some OF the
farms near my home in Cheshire. l
have especial reference to the farms own.
ned by Lord Egerton of Tatton, which
are beautifully kept and on which the
crops are invariably equal to the best in
the neighborhood. As you know, most
Of the land in England belongs to large
land owners, who, as a rule, treat their
tenants fairly and literally. Lord Eyer
tons farms pass from father to son and.
though the tenants may not have leases,
they are never disturbed, provided they
farm the land properly. During the
profitable farming period, about 20 or
30 years ago, the father OF the present
nobleman had an offer for one OF his best
farms of $1,000 TO $1,000 per annum
advance, over what the tenant was pay
ing. As, however, the tenant and family
had occupied the farm for a long time
they we're not disturbed. The same
nobleman purchased about Is years ago
an estate adjoining his own, the rentals
Of which yielded only one aud a half per
cent interest on the investment. This is
about the usual rate Of interest which
farms in England yield to the landlord.
You may, perhaps, be interested to
learn what kind OF farming is carried on
in Cheshire, which Is one OF the few
English counties in which rents have
not fallen. Cheshire ls essentially a
grazing country and famous for it's
cheeses. It produces fine crops OF hay,
grass and clover. Its root crops are first
class. Moreover, Cheshire supplies milk
and butter to the large cities of Liver
pool and Manchester. 1t grows very lit
tie wheat, though the yield ls frequently
40 bushels to the acre. Such yield, at
GO to 80 cents per bushel, would not pay
but for the fact that the surplus straw,
which the farm sells, realizes about $25
per ton. Al this price of straw 1t might,
perhaps, pay to ship in bales from North
Dakota to Liverpool or Manchester.
The enclosures, or fields. in Cheshire
average probably Is acres each, and the
fences are kept in excellent order. The
cattle are a large breed OF Short Horns,
selected for their milking properties.
Very few sheep are raised in the county,
but some excellent "Shire' horses are
bred there.
Every year in the month Of September
local agricultural show, or fair, is held
in Bowdon, where reside. Several
thousand dollars are distributed to the
prize winners. 1t ie, perhaps, the most
successful lone day" show in England.
The exhibits belong for the most part to
farmers who reside within few miles of
the show grounds.
To turn from England to America. My
experience conviuces me that it 10 q
hopeless task for the farmers in North
America or other countries, on "gold''
basis, to grow wheat for export. Owing
to the premium on gold in the Argen-
tine Republic, and to the low rate Of
exchange prevailing in India and other
wheat exporting countries, using silver
currency, wheat cannot at present, or on
an average Of years, be supplied by the
United States and Canada to England
and other importing countries, except si
q loss.
The explanation Of this 10, that the