THE GLOBE. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1880. ENGLISH AND AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2073, 15 October 1880, Page 2

THE GLOBE. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1880. ENGLISH AND AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS.

The intimate connection that exists between agricultural interests all over the *orld will be our excuse for bringing before the notice of our readers a very interesting report furnished to the Royal Agricultural Commission in England, by Mr. Clare S. Reade and Mr. Albert Pell, M.P. These gentlemen visited the United States with the determination of gathering all the information on the subject that could be obtained. The scare which has run its course in the Old Country respecting the agricultural interest there, led to the appointment of the Royal Commission, and the facts elucidated by the communication of Messrs. Reade and Pell will be of the utmost value, seeing that these gentlemen are well qualified for the task they have undertaken. The colonies in particular must always be greatly influenced by the relations existing between the English and American wheat markets, depending as the colonial wheat market does on the Home consumption. With regard to the present prospects of the English wheat grower, it must be confessed that the report is not very encouraging. We say *' present prospects" because the present conditions under which wheat is raised so cheaply in the Western States is amply recognised. Even in America soil is not infinite. The plan of " moving on" when a locality is exhausted cannot last for over, and when the virgin soil has all been exhausted the conditions under which grain is raised in the two countries will be brought to some degree of equality. It will then be necessary for the fields in America to be recouped the chemical richness which has been drawn out of them without any return. Tho expense attendant on such a process will level the conditions under which the two races of farmers work. But this consideration is of but little practical value just at tho present juncture. The existing state of affairs, according to Messrs. Read and Pell, is much as follows. The price of English and American wheat is very much the same in England, but there is a threatened reduction in freight charges which, if it eventuates, will enable tho American to reduce the price to such a point that it is difficult to see how the English farmer could compete and make any profit. The present cost to the American is much as follows:—

Cost of growing a quarter of wheat and delivering it at the nearest depot ..£IBO Conveyance from the depot to Liverpool 17 0 Fort charges at Liverpool 2 0

Total £2 7 0 But in the freightage from the Western States to Liverpool, there is the threatened reduction of between three and four shillings above alluded to. If this be made an accomplished fact, the momentous question will arise for the English wheat grower as to whether he can any longer afford to send his produce to such a market. If he cannot, he will presumably, for a time at least, have to turn his attention to the raising of other crops and await the happy time when the zone of virgin soil will have been exhausted, and his American brother farmer bo reduced to somewhat fairer terms of competition. But there is another question which the report treats of more hopefully, and that is the stock producing question. The comforting conclusion is arrived at that the English grazier has not much to fear from the graziers on the other side of the Atlantic. As the import trade from America is developed, Messrs Reed and Pell are of opinion that store beasts will, to a great extent, take the place of fat ones, for they are both more portable, and a greater number of them can bo packed into the same space. Moreover, they do not suffer so much in the voyage, and can be sold at a price remunerative to their breeders. The position would then be this, that American beasts would be imported and fattened on the rich pasture grounds of the English Midland Counties, much in the same way as Scotch and Irish cattle are now fattened there. The market from which the store cattle would be obtained would be enlarged, but the profit to the English farmer would not be materially altered, for the value of his grass would remain relatively the same. And luckily the imported beasts are just of the quality to be desired. The report says:—"The constitution, flesh and hardiness of these Anglo-American shorthorns are so wonderfully developed and strengthened by the unpampered and natural condition under which they are reared that a few cargoes of their best pedigree stock would certainly greatly improve the common run of shorthorns in the British Islands." The general run of these American beasts lay on flesh in a remarkable manner, and are excellently suited to pay the grazier. That the Irish and Scotch breeder would suffer to a certain extent is evident, but the question under consideration being the position of the English farmer, this point is not fully worked out in the report. Taken as a whole, the report cannot be pleasant reading to the English farmer. The milleninm when the American virgin soil will be worked out is yet far off, but wo may safely rely on the fact that English energy will not be frightened by the present state of affairs, but will make the best of the position.