FARM NOTES FROM ENGLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8584, 4 June 1891, Page 6

FARM NOTES FROM ENGLAND.

[BY OUR ENGLISH AGRICULTURAL CORRESPONDENT.] London, March 21. THE PRICE OF WHEAT. Quite an unusual spurt in the wheat trade has taken place, in consequence of the great destruction of the growing crop in France during the winter, together with the knowledge that prospective supplies up to harvest are comparatively small. It is estimated that the area of land sown with winter wheat in Franco was 2$ million acres less than usual, while 5 million acres of the crop were spoilt by frost after having been sown. Oho effect is to create a heavy demand for wheat to sow this spring, and another is to induce buyers ,to increase their stocks in view of a certain and great deficiency in the'next French crop. ; Prices in this country have advanced 3s a quarter during the last three . weeks, but now show a tendency to follow a reaction which has taken place in the United States. . I fail to Bee any reason for reaction, as the statement of American farmers' stocks and the visible supply on the first of March, issued by the Department of Agriculture, indicates that only about 17,000,000 bushels will be available for export during the four months ending with June—the last four months, of the American cereal year and the latest' hews from India leads to the impression that drought has injured the wheat crop of that' country, while the Australasian surplus |is not a great one, and stocks in Europe are low. , THE CROPS OF 1890. . Estimates of the crops of last harvest given in this journal early in the cereal year have been on. almost all points confirmed by the complete Agricultural Pro duce Statistics now issued by the Board of Agriculture. I pub tho wheat crop in harvest time' at a full average or a little over, and later at about 30 bushels an acre, while barley, oats, beans, and peas were all represented as over-average crops, hay as an average in quantity, though badly injured by wet weather-, potatoes and hops as deficient, and root crops as somewhat short in weight. The comparisons derived from the tables of tho Board of Agriculture, to be 'sbowh; presently, bear out these estimates very .clearly,' except that wheat is j represented: as , a better crop than it was believed to bo early in. the season, and roots j as worso crops. First, however, it is desirable to (show the acreage and produce I of the United Kingdom, excepting the Isle ! of Man and the Channel Islands, which are not embraced in the Agricultural Produce ' Statistics, in ' consequence' of which tho acreage is riot in exact correspondence with the Agricultural"Returns, which deal with area only s— -

Area, and Total Produce.— UnitedJCingdom. I - " 188?. ; 1890.' ' 1889. 1 1800. i Crops. • Acres. : Acres. Bush. 'Bush. Wheat .. 2,530,009 2,478,077 75,853,01 l ' 75,993,881 Barley .. 2,307,73-1 2,293,615 74,703,755 80,79.1,525 Oats .-.'4,127,058 4,124,011 104,078,736 171,295,404 .Beans'-'.;. 324,780 301,935 (1,374,942 11,859,833 I'eas:' .. 225,432 219,903 5,021,107 (5,312,910 ■1 Tons. Tons. Potat6es.. 1,306.450 1,310,462 0,435,337 4,622,214 Turnips . . 2,218,554 2.242.954 32,007,085 32,002,201 Mangolds 370,149 377,745 0,740,278 0,708,880 Hay- from• ; -v '■■ •- ■■ ; v - -.v.: v clover, Ac. 3,140,976 2,024,012 5,025,343 4,852,287; Hay' from : , . ; ■■' p'nnan'nt - pasture.. 6,501,760 6,240,455 ' 10,059,536 . 9,013,780 . ■ . Cwt. . Cwt. Hops . V;;.;, 57,784 * 53,001 497,811; 283,629 '■I, These figures show, that, in spite of a reduction in the i area of every corn crop exceptbeansin 1890, as compared with 1889, there was an increase .in the, produce in every instance, and a large increase,, except in the case of wheat. The potato crop reduced in area, and still more in produce, while ; root , crops covered rather more ground., but gave less produce, and hay and : hops felt off .in both respects. The next table relates to the yield of crops in Great Britain only, because it is only for that portion of the kingdom that the ordinary average is officially given for each crop : — _ ■ ■ < - , < • Yield per Acre.— Britain. i>, , .'f • • Inc. on Dec. in 1890. 1 - j-*' - ■ • •■» -• • ~ . N " v Orel.: Compared Com pared Crops. ISS9. 1890. Aver. with with /-: 1880. oril. aver. Bash. Bush. Bush. Bush. Bush. ■ Wheat .. 20' SO 30*74 28'80 . +0-85 ; +1*94 : Barley .. 31*78 35*02 34*02 + 3*24 +I*oo , Oats" .. 39-27 41-40 39*04 +213 +2-35 Beans ... 28*81 32*65 30*36 , +3*Bl' , +2"29 Peas .... 26-28 ~28-71. 23*48. -+2*43 +0*23 Tons'. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Potatoes 0-19 5*31 6-11 —o*BB -0-80 Turnips 14*03 14-25 15*27 —l)-3S •• —I*o2 •• .Mangolds 18-70 18*25 .10 81 -o*sl C -1-58 - Hay from . cl'ver.&c. 1-07 1*52 1*47 -o*ls +o*os Hay from ; "v, i p'rman'nt . • pasture.. 1*46 1*33 I*2B —0-13 +0-05 ; Cwt. Cwt. Cwt. Cwt. Cwt. Hops '.. 8-62 5-26 7-S4 —3-30 —2*58 Here we see the yield per acre of all the corn crops in 1890 in excess of that of 1889 and,of the ordinary average yields also. Such a result is very . seldom , realised. Moreover, if. tho. corn crops of last harvest are compared with the average ; of the returns made up to this time, they come out even better than when compared with tho estimated ordinary average—a fixed standard based on the' results ■of. an inquiry instituted when the official statistics .".were first collected.,, I give below the whole of the : returns - of corn ' crop yield in Great Brtiian*'from!the"'first"year of collection : — • YiEt.n'oF Corn Crops.—Skvf.n Harvests. Crops'." 1884. 1635. ISS6.' ISS7.' 1888. 1889. 1890. Wheat 29 98 31*31 28*89 '07 28*05 29*89 30-74 Barley 34-08 35*11 32*17 31*32 32 84 31 "78 35*02 Oats.. 37*62 30*85" 37' St 34*74 ; 37*24 39*27 ' 41*40 Beans 25*78 20*49 . 27*04 ,22*49 ,23*08 28*81 32*05 Peas.. 24*04 18-7<i ' 27-31 24-43 , 24*21 20*28 28*71 per ' -!" ' ' ~ 'i. ■ ; aero each - . .• - crop ... 15 I*OS 142*52 151*25 155*05 151*02 150*03 IGS*S2

I have added up the quantities to show the aggregate produce of one acre of each kind in each year. It will be seen (that tho total for 1890 exceeds that of any other year by' 12£ bus'ielsj while it is 18*8$ bushels in excess of tne average of the previous six aggregates, representing the produce of fivo acresone acre of each kind of corn. This comparison shows very clearly what a productive corn year 1890 proved to bo. But, this is not all that it is intended to show, as it has been suggested above that the standard of nary averago yield is for most crops higher than the average of the yield of past years since tho official statistics were first, collected. To prove this I compare the ordinary average with the seven years' average for all the crops, and both with the yield of IS9O : — Inc. on Deo. in ISOO. , Compared Compared Old. Seven with with 7 Crops. aver." yrs'. ISOO. ord. aver. yrs'. aver. Bush. Bush. Bush. Bush. Bush, Wheat .1 28*30 23-34 30-74 '+I*o4 * +0 00 • BiU'loy .. 34*02 3:5*10 35*02 H-I'oo +1-33 Oats .. SO 04 37-81 41*40 +2*30 +3*50 Beans .. 30*30 20*56 32*05 +2*29. +o*oo Peas .. 2S-1S 24-01 2S-7.1 -MJ*93" +3*SO Tons. • Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Potatoes B*ll 5*30 f>*3l —O'.SO —0 - 58 Turnips.. 15*27 12*37 14 25 —o*o2 —I*3B Mangolds 10*S1 17*51 18*25 -I*so +0*74 llay from cl'ver,.tc. • 1*47 «I*4B 1*52 -1-o*oo . +"004 Hay from .' ■ p'rinan'nt ' mature.. 1*23 *I*3l 1-33 +0-05 +"o*o2 Cwt. Gwt. Cwfc. Cwfc. Cwfc. Hops .. 7*Bl »7*35 6-20 —2*58 '• .'2*oo * Five years' average and comparison therewith, t Six years' average and comparison therewith. A soven years' average is at least ft better average than a merely estimated one, and it will bo noticed that all the crops of IS9O, except potatoes and hops, were in excess of the seven years' averages, or of tho averages for tlio shorter periods available in certain, cases. Tho yield of hay is given for only the last five years in tho official statistic?, and that of hops for only six : years. All the averages of past crop returns are lower than the ordinary averages, except thoso of wheat and hay. It would be a good plan in future to drop tho ordinary average out of the statistics, and to compare the yield of each year with that of tho average of previous yields. Probably this will bo done when there are ten roturnn to base averages upon, bub it might be done with tho seven returns 'now available. Tho statistics of last harvest are based on 13,544 separate reports for parishes or. groups of parishes in Great Britain,

FEEDING FOR , BUTTER AND FOR • ' CHEESE. - t Under this title, Mr. F. J. Lloyd, F.C.S., contributes ' an ' instructive '.article' to * the ' Bath and West of England Society's journal, just issued—a very good number, full | of . interesting papers. , Mr. : Lloyd shows the need of a sufficient supply of&; nitrotenous food to milch cows, to increase the off ot milk. . A cow yielding :10 quarts of milk per day gives away 6*Golb of albumi? noids {nitrogenous compounds); and 6'331b of fat, whereas the albuminoids in 151b of increase in a fattening beast amount to only 1 "131b, and. the fat t0.9"531b. But farmers make a mistake, when. they _ attribute the beneficial effect of oil-cake given to cows to the oil it contains. The common impression is that the oil increases the production of butter, instead of which it makes fat in i the cow, some of which, by being deposited in the tissues of the udder, diminishes the power of that organ to produce milk. Oil-cake, however, is an excellent food for I cows, because it contains six times as much nitrogenous, food (albuminoids) as oil. Mr. Lloyd next goes on to show that it is not enough to balance well the different constituents of food given to cows, for it is also important to consider what proportions are digestible.. In 1001b of good pasture grass there are capable of digestion 2*251b of albuminoids,' 0'521b of fat,' and 10*401b of carbo hydrates, such as starch, .sugar, "etc. Now, lib of fat is equivalent to 2Jlb of carbo-hydrates, and if we multiply the fat in 1001b of good grass by 2J, we make the total carbo-hydrates in the grass 11:701b. Thus, the proportion of these constituents of 1001b of good pasture grass.is 2*25 to 11*70, or I*o to 5*2, and this is approximately the nutritive ratio.. of food suitable for , milch cows. It is a pity that Mr.- Lloyd does nob go more into detail, and "give the digestible constituents of some of ' the common -feeding , materials, showing tjopd rations for cows. This lias been done before, would have made his complete than' it .is if it had been repeated. With respect to' feeding: for cheese, the only thing to do is to feed for milk, because the proportion of caseine in milk cannot be appreciably •increased by feeding. " That proportion is approximately constant, and therefore more milk makes more cheese. But the cheese- may be made richer in fat by feeding the cows as if they were being fed for butter.y:Mr. Lloyd lays stress upon the necessity of seeing that cows supplying milk for cheesemaking are well supplied with the mineral constituents of milk, the most important of which are phosphoric acid, lime, and potash. The benefit of applying bones to pastures where cheese-making' cows feed was long ago proved in Cheshire. ■ Bones supply phosphoric acid and lime; but on land, say, deficient in lime it is necessary to supply some of that mineral in ' addition to bones. On light soils, too, the application of potash is highly beneficial. Heavy sorts usually contain a practically inexhaustible supply of potash. Again, the value of salt for milch cows is unquestionable, and Mr. Lloyd advises dairy farmers to let their animals have access to salt when out at grass, as well as when stall-fed. Blocks of rock-salt to lick, he means, no doubt. :