FARM NOTES FROM ENGLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11537, 23 November 1900, Page 7

FARM NOTES FROM ENGLAND.

[BT OTJB ENGLISH AGBICTTLTITBAX COKBXSPON- ■-,-, . DENT.] ■ " ■''." " Hailsham, October 5. ' A NEW FARMER'S YEAR. The farmer's year in this country may be said to end at Michaelmas, not only because the hiring of farms in most par'ts of England is from Michaelmas, but also because the crops of the past season are mostly all gathered in by that time and operations for a new season become common. We had one of the driest of Septembers, only 0.63 in of rain having been measured in London, or less than one-third of the average, which is 2.17 in. Consequently, before the end of tho month the stubble land had become too hard to be ploughed, and the usual autumn cultivation for the destruction,, of weeds was unseasonably postponed. When such a postponement happens, as it has for two seasons in succession, most of the usual work of tho kind is not done at all, as October brings other work forward. Similarly the sowing of such crops as rye, tares, winter beans, and winter oats and barley, which should be put in early, are made undesirably late. Whore they were sown previous to last week the seed did not germinate, the soil being too dry. During tho last ten days, however, we have had occasional falls of rain, not great in quantity, but sufficient to soften the soil for tho plough, to cause seed to germinato, and to freshen the languishing root crops and the broWn and bare pastures. Land can now be ploughed for wheat, which should be sown during the present month or early in November, and mangolds can bo pulled without the breaking of roots, so that they may be stored out of tho way of possible frosts. The main crop of potatoes is being got off the land, and thero are complaints of diseased tubers in large proportion. Still, I believe the yield of sound potatoes is a fair one, though not heavy. As wheat has been advancing in price to a small extent, and is expected to be dearer, it is probable that an extended area- of it will bo sown, if the weather proves suitable, but not if October should be a very wet month. CHAMBER OF AGRICULTURE AND THE GENERAL ELECTION. Somewhat tardily a statement of the legislation deemed desirable in the interest of agriculture has been prepared by tho Parliamentary and Business Committee of the Central Chamber of Agriculture and sent to the provincial chambers, with the suggestion that they should place it before the notice of the candidates in their respective districts. The list is limited to subjects on which the chambers have passed definite resolutions, : but it is sufficiently comprehensive. It is stated that the order in which the subjects are printed does not necessarily involve _an expression of opinion as to their relative importance, but the readjustment of local taxation naturally appears first, as that is a subject which the chambers have made prominent since they were first organised. Tho Agricultural Rates Act, which was passed as a temporary measure to give relief to agriculturists, will expire eighteen months hence, unless it is renewed, and the comitteos ask for a permanent and comprehensive measure of adjustment to take its place. It was avowedly passed as a makeshift, and although it reduces the farmer's rates on his land to one-half what other ratepayers are charged upon their assessments it does injustice to owners of their real property. It is satisfactory to sea the question of railway rates revived, after a period of rest, due to despair of getting any approach to justice. The committees ask that preferential rates on foreign produce should be absolutely prohibited, and that a more ready means of obtaining the reduction of unreasonable rates on English goods should be provided. Tho interests of homo producers and traders in homo produce were sacrificed when the Railway and Canal Traffic Act was passed, Parliament having truckled to the vast interest of the great railway corporations. In some respects tho state of affairs has been made worse instead of better by the Act, and the preferential rating of foreign goods is us bad as ever. Live stock owners are not generally desirous of legislation in reference to tuberculosis, and all that the committees ask is that if any legislation of the kind takes place owners of live stook or carcases killed or seized as tuberculous in the interest of the public shall be compensated. lam very glad to see a demand for the compulsory dipping of sheep, to prevent and cure scab, in the list. A requirement that is not likely to be met is the diminution on the duty on beer brewed from malt and hops only, with a corresponding increase in duty on beer for which any other materials are used. It is further urged that brewers and publicans should be required to declare the ingredients of their beer. The sale of corn by uniform weight is a change as to which there is some difference of opinion among farmers; but the greatly diversified weights and measures under which grain is sold in different markets are confusing and not at all creditable to a great commercial nation. Farmers who grow barley of good quality are afraid that they would lose some of the advantages which fine colour and delicacy of skin give them; but sellers and buyers would soon be able to allow for quality and weight just as easily as they allow for it by measure. With respect to the fraudulent sale of imported meat as British, all that is asked is that its vendors should be compelled to register and to display their registration prominently in their places of business. Measures making railway companies liable for damage arising from fires caused by sparks from their engines, increasing the stringency of the law of trespass, so as to protect the wild products of unocupied farms {such as mushrooms), and rendering owners of dogs liable for injury done to live stock by their animals mako up the programme. CROPS AND STOCK IN GREAT BRITAIN. The second instalment of the agricultural returns of great Britain refers only to the same crops and animals noticed in the first report, a summary of which was sent a month ago; but it gives details of the several main divisions and the counties. It shows that the decrease of 155,939 acres in the wheat area of Great Britain since last year was the balance of decreases of 155,271 acres in England and 2244 in Wales, and an increase of 1576 in Scotland. England had 9283 acres more barley in 1900 than m 1899. while Wales had 930 acres and Scotland 301 acres less. Of oats tho English increase was 78 864 acres, against which there were decreases of 3786 acres in Wales and 8746 in Scotland. Clover and grasses grown in rotation showed an extension in Wales alone, and permanent pasture in all three divisions. For cattle, Wales showed up best, with an increase of 21,695, to which England added 6846, while Scotland has fallen off to the extent of 19,091. Similarly, with sheep, Wales mado an increase of 16,159, while England lost 416,704 and Scotland 245,983. It is a curious fact that tho greatest decreases of cattle and sheep are those of the northern English counties and Scotland, although they have had plenty of feed during the last two summers, while southern counties were short.