RURAL ENGLAND.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1833, 20 August 1913, Page 10

RURAL ENGLAND.

A COLONIAL'S IMPRESSIONS.' Writing to a member of Tiie Dominion staff, a. young Halcoinbe farmer, now on a visit to England, conveys a few oil tho impressions he has gained during a short tour through rural England. .At tho timo of writing the farmers in Ojford- • shh'e wero busy sowing their root crops, after having disposed of tho work of planting grain, which was very late;, owing to the wot season. Speaking of to agricultural implements, tho visitor noted that none '■but ' single-furrow ploughs wero being used, thesc£d drills were narrow, only containing six or oighit coulters each, and were devoid of manuredistributing attachments. The 'haymaking appliances, lie considers ahead of thosem U£o in New Zealand, but inothor respec-ts ho could not imagine a colonial using tho farm implements that find favour with English farmers. As regards wages/ a ' first-class ploughman with a fiamily gets from 15s. to 18s. a week, and s'heplhercte about the same. The colonial had his eyes opened by the thrifty methods that he saw in operation oil English farms, where. nothing of any coniimercial value is allowed to go to waste.

The stock markets, which are held in pens temporarily erected, in the street, afforded another cause fcr surprise. The "yarding" consisted of about 400 sheep and 30 head of cattle, which was considered a big offering. The sheet; (all fats) ware accommodated in.. pens of five each, and wexo disposed of at tho following rates:—Shorn, two-tooth togs, good, 60s. to GSs. 6d.; smaller sorts, from 455. to 555, j "small lambs, off tho mothers, 31s. to 335. 6d.; ewes and lambs (woolly), 6-ls. (poor line); small on.t> and a half-year steers, in ■ low condition, were. passed at 17s. 6d.; fat heifers, good line„ .£l7 7s. Gd. to .£22; small Jersey heifws, fat, .ifill.

An opportunity offering, a visit was made to the Bister show. Shows in Oxfordshire are held alternately at ten different- centres, makinjr a ten years' interval between the events in eneh town. The stock seen at Bixter was of a very hifth order—rather overdone in preparation, especially the sheep—but a very good stamp Loth in) cattle and slieep. Tl;a horses were-also very fine and well •presented. On the showgrounds, a shearing. macliino plant. ,was being nsed for demonstration purposes, but it was gathered from conversations tile onlookers that mechanical shearing is far from popular among the Old , Country shepherds and workmen in thoso parts.