BRITISH AGRICULTURE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2086, 15 February 1894, Page 8

BRITISH AGRICULTURE.

(FBOM OUB ENGLISH AGBICULTOBAL COBBEBPONDENT.) London, December 30. The feelings with which farmers in different parts of the United Kingdom will look back to the year which is now ending will be materially affected by geographical situation. Those who are fortunate enough to have been farming in the northern counties of England, in Scotland, or in Ireland will remember 1893 as one of the most prosperous seasons that they have recently enjoyed as far as cropa are concerned, while the agriculturists of twothirds of England will characterise the past year as even worse than the black year 1879. Yet the only difference was the occurrence of a few rain storms at seasonable timeß in the fortunate districts of the country, while almost unbroken drought prevailed in others. There was no great amount of rain, but there was just «nough to keep the grass growing and the crops nourishing, Except in Ireland, indeed, there was not enough to produce a good hay crop, but there was no shortness of feed in the greater part of Scotland or in the north of England, and the corn cropa have seldom been better than they were last harvest. But in the rest of the English counties, where there was a partial drought lasting from the first of March to the end of June, there was hardly any hay crop worth gathering, and none at all on thousands of acres, while the corn crops were of the most miserable description, and roots were very small until they improved in the autumn. There was a lit le rain in June in most parts of England, and there had b?en a few showers in the preceding months, but this is involved in what is described by meteorologists as a " partial drought." Records taken in London by one of the chief authorities showed the rainfall for the four months referred to to have been as follows :— March 0 32in, April 0 24in, May 0 80in, and June 0 73in. These are the lowest records for four successive months ever known. July gave 246 in, August 0 61in, and September l-07in. After September there was a moderate and sufficient rainfall. Indeed the weather of the autumn was all that farmers could- desire. They had first a splendid time for fallowing their stubble fields, and afterwards the best of seasons for sowing and for ploughing np their land for the winter. Where the drought prevailed it was as disastrous to owners of live stock as to growers of corn, forced gales being made necessary by the dearth of feed. Consequently, until the autumn the prices of live stock, excepting pigs, were exceptionally low. They recovered in the late autumn in consequence of the rapid growth of the large acreage of white turnips which had bßen sown to make good the deficiency in the mangel crop. The price of wheat in 1893 has been the lowest on record, and other grain cold badly, although oats have been cheaper in some years.

The preliminary agricultural produce statistics for 1893 have just been issued by Agricultural the Board of Agriculture. They Produce relate to only the three princiStatistlcs. pal cereals and the hop crop in Great Britain alone. The estimated acreage and yield in 1893 for Great Britain and Ireland as compared with those of 1892 are as follows:— Wheat.

In the next table the yield of each crop is compared with the estimated " ordinary average," in order to show the deficiency of the last harvest :—: —

* Decrease, t Increase. This table shows in a striking manner the deficiencies of English and the good fortune of Scottish. Official produce statistics have cow been collected for 10 years, and it is time to supersede the estimated "ordinary average" standard, based as it must have been on vague recollections, and to substitute for it the 10 years' average. When the first of the 10 returns was made England and Wales were not separately distinguished ; but for Great Britain as a whole the 10 years' average can be compared with the yield in 1893, as follows : — 1593. TenY'ra' Deficiency Average. in 1893. Bush. Bush. Bush. Wheat 25-95 2925 330 Barley 2869 32*8 429 Oats 3559 37-80 2 21 Thus, in spite of good crops in the north of England and Scotland, there is a serious deficiency for 1893 with respect to each of the three principal cereals in Great Britain as a whole.

Christmas Markets.

Feeders of live stock who prepared cattle at great expense for the Christmas markets were generally disappointed with the returns they received. This was maiuly owing to the extreme mildness of the weatfcer, although it is probable that the impoverishing effects of the recent strike ia the mining district had something to do with the slackness in the demind. Although the number of cattle at the great market ia London was nearly §00 less than that of last year, and imports were much smaller than they h&ve been in recent years^ the top prica for the besfc Scots was only 5s 2d per 81b, or 2<l less than that of last year, which was considered low, and this top price was realised for only a small number of animals, 5s being more common for most of the first-rate beaaU. Sheep sold comparatively better, the top price being s<jlod per Sib, as compared with 5s 6d for 1892, and in 1891 the top price wap 6s, and going back to 1889 we find it as high as 6i lOd. Pigs met with a dull trade because of tbe bad keeping character of the weather for meat, 4s lOd per 81b being the top price. This

A Brief Retrospect.

was not bad ; but pigs throughout the year have been selling remarkably well.

Xew Year'H Hopes.

As far as prospects on the farm are concerned, farmers will enter upon the new year under exceptionally hopeful conditions. There was never a better show for wheat at the end of December than there is to-day, and all the other autumn-sown crops are equally flourishing in condition.- All the land, too, which has been prepared for spring corn and roots was thoroughly cleaned, sunned, and aerated, and then ploughed up in capital order for the winter. It was so dry and friable when it was ploughed that it will work well even without frost, though for that matter we are certain to have enough freezing to make it crumble to pieces. Nothing but a very wet spring can prevent a most satisfactory seed time. It is pretty certain, too, that there is an exceptional amount of Btored-up fertility in the soil. The pastures have produced very little this year, and therefore they should grow all the more next year, and the arable land was subjected to the fertilising influence of heat and sunshine for an exceptionally long period during the spring, summer, and early autumn. As tj prices, they are as usual altogether uncertain. Wheat can hardly be as low in price as it has been this year. At one time, in consequenca o£ the extreme shortness of the American crop, a substantial advance was expected ; but the announcement of bountiful crops in Russia and the Argentine Republic have somewhat damped the hopeful prospect. la all probability, meat will sell well during the coming year if the decrease in imports of live stock and beef from the United States continues, as there is every reason to believe that it will, unless it is stimulated by a considerable advance in prices here. Dairy produce is more likely to go down in value than to advance, as our imports keep on increasing.

Agricultural Botany.

A very useful text book of agricultural botany has just been issued by Mr M. C. Potter, M.A., F.L.S., professor of botany in the Durham College of Science, through Methuen and Co., Bury street, London. Mr Potter, after a few introductory remarks upon the likenesses and differences of animals and vegetables and the main divisions of plant life, describes the cells of plants and their functions, and proceeds to deal with the root, the leaf, the stem, the flower, the frufts, and the seed. He next treats of food produced by plants, and afterwards of reproduction, hybridisation, budding, grafting, plant diseases, and other subjects. The book concludes with a valuable classification of agricultural plants and weeds. In case any New Zealand reader should desire to procure the book, I may mention that it is published at 3s 6d, and that the postage to New Zealand would be lOd.

A New Handbook on Sheep.

The first of a series of live stock handbooks, to be edited by Mr James Sinclair, of the Live Stock Journal, has just been published by Vinton and Co., of New Bridge street, London. Ib was written by Professor Wrightson, president of the College of Agriculture, Downton, near Salisbury, who is himself a somewhat extensive sheepbreeder, and who has had to do with the management of sheep in Scotland as well as in the south of England. The writer gives a brief history and description of each of the English breeds, with illustrations, and he deals very carefully and at considerable length with the management of sheep, but treats of their diseases only to a slight extent. He does not profess to make his book a veterinary handbook lor the sheep, and this is the weakest point in it. It is published at 3s 6d, and the postage to New Zealand would be Is.

The ' Agricultural AlmanncH.

[ Two of the beat agricultural almanacs for 1894 have been issued. The first, which is by far the best of all, is the Live Stock Journal almanac, published by Vinton and Co., of New Bridge street, London. It contains articles on all classes of live stock by some of the best authorities. Mr G. M. Sexton says that, although the record for shire horses has not been as brilliant for 1893 as it was for some preceding years, the trade for the best animals has been good. Clydesdale breeding, according to " Brandane," has entered upon a new phase through the almost total collapse of the export trade, so that usefulness for the IJome market must take the place of *'the fancy element." With respect to shorthorns, Mr John Thornton says that, "although the foreign trade has been slack, Home breeding has been on the increase, and the average price realised for 1619 head of cattle at 34 sales this year was £15 Is 8d a head,~as compared with £23 14s 2d for 1892, when 1832 animals were sold from the principal herds." Mr C. Macpherson Grant thinks that the past season for Aberdeen-Angus cattle, in spite of the depression and drought, may be regarded as a successful one , ]VJr H. H. Rew, MrG. T. Turner, and others dwell upon the depressing character of the main portion of jbhe season for sheep, with a recovery in th? autumn ; but there is no corresponding financial record of the pig, which for two or three years has proved the most remunerative animal on the farm. The other almanac referred to, issued by the same publishers, is "Vinton's Almanac." One of the beet articles in it is on the manager ment of farmyard manure, by Mr R. Warrington. In order to prevent the waste of nitrogen and organic matter in manure heaps be recommends that kainit should be sprinkled over the heap at various times in the proportion of 21b per beast per day. Of course where the manure can be carted direct from the yard to the fields there is no necessity for this precaution ; but, as farming is carried on in this country, it is impossible altogether to avoid the storing of manure in heaps until a convenient season occurs for carting it on to the land.

Tlie Apple Sucker.

A leaflet has just been issued by the Board of Agriculture on the apple sucker Fyslla mali, the larvio of which do a great deal of harm to the apple crop by sucking up the juices of tha buds and thus preventing the development of leaves and blossoms. It is said that this pest has greatly increased in prevalence during the last four years. It is difficult to destroy it, as the eggs, which are laid on the twigs of the trees, cannot be killed by any known insecticidfi, - ft is recommended to spray infested trees, just after the apples are picked, with a solution composed of 61b of soft soap, 81b of the extract of quassia chips and lOOgal of water, or 4-gal of paraffin may be ugeid instead of the quassia, with the same proportions t>£ soft soap and water. The idea ia that this wash will prevent the insects from laying their eggs on the trees. It is also suggested that it may be used with eff ect just aftor the buds are open and the larvie are exposed ; but if by this is meaut after the fruit .buds are opened, it is a .question whether damage would not be done to the blossom.

The Hessian 8y and the small birds have caused the Wairarapa farmers almost to despair of grain growing,

Wheat. Surplus or 1893. Ordinary Deficiency .Average. in 1893. Bush. Bush. Bush. Snglißh 25-81 28-94 *3"07 Vales 22 09 21 53 f056 Icottish ... 36-58 3285 t373 Ireat ßritain... 25 95 2880 *285 Barley. Snglish 27-99 3435 *6'3G Vales 25-06 2778 *272 (cottißh ... 3638 3477 tl 61 Ireat Britain... 28 69 34-02 *5 33 Oats. Sngliah .• 35 08 4210 *702 Vales 30 94 32 48 *154 Jcottish ... 37*65 3575 tl9o Ireat Britain... 3559 3904 *345

Bus. 49,247,297 Estimati Prod 1893. ... sd Total Luce. I 1892. ■* Bus. 58,560,932 Acre 1893. Acres. 1,897,524 sage. I 1892! Acres. 2,219,838 Estimated average yield per acre. 1893.; 1892. Bus. 'Bus. 25-95, 2638 28-69J 34 61 35-59J 38-80 69,535.377 70,484,597 Barley. 2,075.097 Oats. 3,171,756 2,036,810 L12,887,375»J 1,116,294,989 [2,997,545|