FARM NOTES FROM ENGLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9403, 9 January 1894, Page 3

FARM NOTES FROM ENGLAND.

[by our English agricultural corres- ! PONDKNT.] London, November 17. APPROACHING WINTER. During the last week we have had some reminders of the approach of winter, the nights having been frosty and the winds extremely cold. At present, however, we have had no hard frost to last through the day, and there has been every opportunity for making good any arrears of farm work. As a rule, work is very forward this year, the wheat being all sown in most districts, and a large proportion of the land for spring cropy ploughed .up for the' winter. A great deal of the wheat is up, thick'in plant and sturdy, and in some cases it is almost too forward for this period of the year, but has been checked in growth by the frost. Tares, winter beans, and rye are - all . looking well, and the land is .ploughed up in splendid order. In fact, the start for foe next harvest is exceptionally hopeful. We never had a better season for cultivating the stubble, for laying up the land for the winter, or for sowing crops that are planted in the autumn. There is every reason to believe, too, that the land gained greatly in fertility during the extraordinary period of fine and sunny weather. Nitrification must have been exceptionally active for nearly double the usual time, and if we have a fair season next year there will be reason to expect a very good harvest. Owners of live stock are congratulating themselves upon having been able to keep their animals to a great extent on the pastures up to the present time without making any considerable inroads upon their winter stores of food. It is impossible to estimate the value of this piece of good fortune. The winter has thus been foreshortened, and, if we have a fairly early spring, the stocks of roots, hay, and straw will hold out until the feed grows next year. MARKETS.

In consequence of the continued open character of the weather and the abundance of feed, the prices of live stock have continued to advance. Store cattle are from 30s to 40a a head dearer than they were a month ago, and sheep from 5s to 10s a head dearer. There is a general impression that sheep and lambs will sell remarkably well next year if we have a good season for feed, because the number has been diminished in the country, and sheep, as a rule, pay better than anything else that the farmer produces. Dairy-farmers also have every reason to be satisfied, as these of them who had not contracted for the wholo year have been able to make Is a gallon of their milk delivered in London, and cheese is selling well at the present time, while butter, of course, has gone up to its usual winter prices. But when we come to the corn markets, everything is unsatisfactory. The average price of wheat in London last week was only 27s 4d per quarter, and the trade of late has been very dull. This is not surprising, because the stocks of wheat in hand are declared to have been larger on the Ist of November than they ever were before at that date. According to Bradetreeb's, of New York, stocks in America and Canada at the date named amounted to 91,025,000 bushels, as compared with 87,339,000 bushels at the corresponding date of 1892, with 63,277,000 in 1891, and with 45,510,000 in 1890. Adding the estimated stocks in Europe and the quantities afloat for Europe, the totals on November 1 come out at 172,825,000 bushels for 1893, 154,272,000 for 1892, 133,,641,000 for 1891, and 92,151,000 for 1890; and thus the surplus of stocks in sight in 1893 is 18,553,000 bushels more than in 1892, 39,184,000 more than in 1891, and 81,674,000 more than ■in 1890. Of course this glut in the supplies is a survival of last year's great surplus, and it is quite impossible that it can last much longer. Every week after the end of November it is likely that there will be a reduction, and there must be one after the end of December. As wheat is extremely cheap, other kinds of corn are cheap also. NEW ZEALAND BUTTER. The first shipment of butter for the season arrived this week in the Kaikoura, about 1500 packages. On inquiry on Wednesday, I found it was in the docks, and not (ledveied, so that no report as to quality could be obtained. If it proves good, the best prices realised recently for Australian butter—l2ls to 126s per cwt — are expected. A good deal of New Zealand butter has been received lately; but it was what was made in March or April, and stored with the idea of selling it locally. Owing to the favourable weather of the winter in the colonies there was no demand for it, and consequently ib was shipped to this country. Mr. Henry Reynolds informs me that his plan for a committee to regulate prices of colonial butter after the Danish fashion, has been carried out with complete success. The "committee represents three-fourths of the colonial butter trade. No cheese is expected from New Zealand for two or three months. CROPS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. The second instalment of the Agricutural Returns for 1893 gives complete details of the crops. I have compiled from the statistics the following table:— 1892 1893 In.or De. Acres. Acres. Acres. Wheat... ~ 2,293,007 1,955,213 — 343,894 Barley .. .. 2,220,243 2,251,293 + 31,050 Oats _ .. .. 4,238,030 4,435,944 + 197,903 Rye „ ... 61,392 69,526 + 8,134 Beans.. .. .. 315,413 248,304 07,109 Peas 195,010 210,900 + , 15,890 Potatoes .. .. 1,270,835 1,202,074 - 1 14,161 Turnips .. .. 2,215,998 2,230,473 + 40,475 Mangolds .. .. 413,334 394,543 — 18,791 Cabbage, etc. .. 193,895 203,270 + 4,375 Vetches .. ... 204,3, 181,152 — 23,247 Other green crops .. 137,654 134,643 + 6,989 Clorers, and rotation grasses, Ac. .. 5,973,450 C,916, — 57,107 Permanent pasture 27,633,320 27,700,381 + 21,795 Flax 72,005 08,715 — 3,350 Hops .. .. 50,259 57,505 + 1,300 Small fruit ... .. 02,547 05,845 + 3,298 Bare fallow.. .. 484,424 538,908 + 62,474 Total cultivated area 47,977,903 47,979,69S + 1,795 The great decrease in wheat was partly owing to the unfavourable character of the last sowing season. Permanent pasture continues to encroach upon arable land. LIVE STOCK IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. The figures for live stock are shown below:—

• 1892. 1893. Inc. or Dec. Horses _ 2,007,040 2,079,587 + 12,038 Cattle .. 11,519,417 11,207,554 — 311,803 Sheep.. .. 33,042,808 31,774,824 — 1,867,984 Pigs _ ... 3,205,898 3,278,030 + 12,132