The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-11-25
BRITISH AGRICJ LTTRE IN 1900.
Omcisl Figures Showing the Decline Of Farm
Ing In Great Britain.


Ing In Great Britain.
The recently published returns Of the Board
Of Agriculture in London. which give particu-
lars q the agricultural conditions IN ing
land. scotland and Wales, contain much that
is suggestive to the American reader. To nm
ders,and rightly the full importance Of thu
figures that will I've cited Il should be remem-
bered that the total area Of the isand Of Great
Britain, comprising the three countries named.
is 81. 1884 acres. OF these. only l2,lsl.@a
acres are reported as under regular %cultivs-
ton and Of the rest asa. go acres are under
permanent grass FOR hay and IL. 355, e3e acres
under permanent grass for pasture. The to-
tai area contributing directly TO the food of
the population il w. 10. o4+ acres or as nearly
"a possible. one-haIf tho total acreage Of tho
the island.
The analysis Of the area under cultivation
IN 1860 is instructive. on account ~ tte eH-
hibit it makes Of the decline Of British aSri-
culture under the existing system Of land ten
ure and in Consequence Of foreign competition.
The acreage under Wheat was only i,S45,c+2
acres. against 2,OOC.0sl in 1883. which again
was lesa by Iol, 2?j acres than in 1895. Tho
area given over to barley was l.so0, .e5 acres.
being an increase 81 s.I57 acre. over 1879. Oats
covered 3,o26.oss acres. an augmentation cf
90, 233 acres over the previous year. Pota-
toes also showed an increase. there havirg
been j6l. 36i acres. against 547.6s2 in 1891. The
area under cereals. ~ will be seen. amounted
20 only e,sol, a9j acres for all kinds grown in
the country. les than in the first half II ia
century was given over TO wheat alone in tho
whole United Kingdom.
Clover and rotation grass for hay occupied
2.?0l, Isl acres. which was Is. l02 acres less Than
ia 1899. and clover and rotation grass not for
hay took up 1885,. 81 acres, or IS, 6el less than IN
1904. Permanent grass land for hay covered
4.s73.0aa acres. being 3i,oi4 over last year
while permanent pasture increased. being
II. ass. a3s acres against u. ?sl .es2 IN the previ-
Gus year.
From tho British standpoint the returns
are exceedingly unsatisfactory. and they be-
come more 80 when the quantity Of live stock
in the country il considered. The number a.
cattle in 1890 i put down at Q sos, 10. showing
a trifinH increase over 1898 Of only a,4J0 head,
while the count Of sheep had fallen from AZ
2Ss.7j "a In 1899 to ~. 592. 20 this year. a loss OF
o4o. 5?s. Pigs numbered only ?,ssl ,oS2. sgains,
2,e23. sls last year. a diminution OF 2il,ssi. Ths
raising Of pork IL apparently mt very popn-
lar in Scotland. the total number OF pigs In tha'
country reported being only 1872, .ls, against
2?s. oa7 for Wales and ?.o?I. .?2 for England.
The whole falling of in sheep occurred In Eng
land and Scotland. being ile, 7o4 for the former
and 2I5,as3 for the latter. Wales showed an
increase OF 10, l5s.
DISCRIMINATING the three countries corpos-
ing Great Britain by areas. England contains g.
sos. 81? acres. Scotland. 10. 0s3. s59, andWales 4.72?..
573. The acreage contributing directly and indi-
rectly 20 the food Of the population j. in Eng
land 81. SOC, sj2 acres, Scotland. 1890. 900, and
Wales, ?.75?. IOi. The proportion in each -
area Is for England about eleven siXteenths.
Scot land. a bout one-fourth. and Wales. a lit
tie more than one-half. The area under cu'-
~tivation In Scotland has decreased since 1897.
the system Of turning the land into deer for
ests and grouse moo still being kept up
The area unaccounted for in the ~sgyiCuI-
tural returns In Great Br itain alone amounts.
therefore. TO e ,+a0. $40 acres. or this fully
one-hslf may be rcckoned a. occupied by build-
ing and as UNBELIEVABLE territory. OF the re-
mainder. however. much il susceptible Of cuI-
tivation. especially in Scotland, where lnrgs
areas Of country have been d"yopulated
by %evictions In order 10 turn them into hunt
ing grounds, IL England there are also con-
siderable areas which but for the system e
land tenure and eCcleslastiCal e~LCunbrancss
in the form of tIth.S. could lie prOfitaDlv cu.-
tivated, and 20 reduce the DEF endence of tho
country on foreign and colonial supplies very
mater ally. Wales Tor IL area makes IL Iuost
favorable showing Of tic thee dIri>ioh- 81
Great Britain, and would make al even more
favorable one WEI" not tie '"Liiy 81 Mon
mouth. which j. -IroI cIly y -Hklng a Welsh
county and one 81 the richest. Incitoed aIu"Ls
the Engil>h counties.
NTH tho addition II ireland. with its 90
~ ~, acrc-, tie Total extent OF tie | nit,d
| Kingdom j. 7a.727,75S aoc~. Leaving olt
the cultivated aud cultivabic land iyirg d'ie-
lict IN the United Kingdom, It i calculated
that thei. az al least l5,0".ooO acres that
| might he prOii,lhly given over to tree .antirE.
IN Scotland and li",and m1r. la,u,r,alh:
on forestry reported IN $50 IN favor 'i a large
scheme Of planting IN England a. well as IA
TINT the r.tart of tn. committee was
unanimous; nothing has come Of II, The
wood products. such a., pulp for raI er max
ING; into tho Tinted K!nsd2m is more Than
par could bc furnished from native material
under n pro- or system .of. H'orestntion n. to-
sides furni-hins. a h~ealthful ",crration ="
large numt ers Of people now forced tn crowd
into the cities for want Of occrpaticn on The
land. There are large areas Of urcultIvated
land in Ireland and Scotland. ~ Iersors 'rh'-
cling IN those countries can testify. vIf,n
are admirably adart"d for tro. cultivation.
such a one secs IN Germany aud ,rs' Ia. NJ.
Boppa, the great french authoriiy al arhoricrl-
d1cing properties" ui the Scottish Ill and
inc has yet te"n done to rlso" i'''s' . JlrE"-
Ineut Ia Scotland on n sound "cou,u .c i|-Is.
In the present condition Of thing ~ lrrlgrd.
however, there IL no rroi ability that tuN''Irg
can he done In the direction irdlr.t'd ~ NJ.
Bonpa and Prof. schlicl, a German authority
on the same subject.
one thing may force ~. whole Question
of lnnd tenure and Use on Iuhic aii'pttr IN
the ! nited Kingdom. that J., tie r"crrgriZa''l
Of the system ~ na'iorpl d"''r'e. which vii
soon core M for conSid"rH','N ~ Parlan en'
The uue~tipn ~ how and vtE ''" etnrdN r'}--
ant class. whose oT.rrir. 'ufuI~t 80 ~" 'owC-
% the Brush Arrrv ~ 10 end ~ no las, erd
the beg nnirg 81 tho Itossrt century, E~s Dis
aDpeared IN the soil Of tho kircdCrr viii iftn
have 10 he prohed TO the root The reCeS-
sitv for increasing tho home prodrctioI ~
food II another and vital branch Of tbs 49,
subjsot.