BRITISH AGRICULTURE IN 1877.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5070, 23 June 1877, Page 1 (Supplement)

BRITISH AGRICULTURE IN 1877.

A paper was read before the Midland Fanners’ Club lately, by Mr J. .1. Mochi, of Tiplree, Kelvedon. Mr Mechi said that during the last two or three seasons agricultural results had not only been unsatisfactory—they had been disastrous, for farmers had had bad crops, low prices for coni, and animal disease. The consequence was that farms were now “ goiu" a-begging” for want of tenants, aud there was a considerable reduction of rents on all farms of middling aud inferior qualities, and of even good farms where the expired or expiring leases dated from periods of high prices and advanced or rack routs. This might be summed up by the words, “ greatly increased tenants’ capital per acre, principally employed ill meat manufacture,” and also “greatly increased laud-owners' investments.” It was hardly credible that while our annual savings were estimated at £100,000,000, British agriculture should bo languishing for want of capital ; but so it would be uutil landlords saw that it was to their interest to invito aud attract outside capital by the most liberal and secure covenants drawn up on true commercial principles. No doubt the Agricultural Holdings Act would after a time become compulsory, when they would see a greatly increased flow of capital’ towards British agriculture. In ISOI our population was only 15,000,000 —it had now increased to 32,000,000. Iu fact, our population would be without bread if dependent on homo supply. As to the remedy ho had sii""ostud, Mr Mechi said ho could point to many farms, Irs own included, whore tile capital employed was from three to five times as great as the average, aud iwhere, if all wore equally well farmed, enough, and more than enough, food for our population could be produced without foreign imports. The average amount of tenants’ capital per acre was reckoned at about £G for England and from .£4 to £5 for Ireland, or about £5 10s for the whole of the United Kingdom, The landowners’ capital might be about £3O per acre. It would be to a large increase in meat-making that they should look for future and improved agricultural prosperity, for exactly in proportion to the increase of meat made, so was the increased crops. They should make meat with foreign corn and cake, and so got plenty of manure for their fields, instead of paying market price for foreign meat, and then losing tho manure. American dead-meat had alarmed tenants aud landlords too, for America had 25.000. luad of cattle, against our 9,000,000 but had only -10,000,000 sheep against our 30.000. and it was very probable that this supply would awaken English farmers to tho necessity for great and much-needed improvements in the management and feeding of live stock'. Mr Mcchi then described his system of feeding cattle in covered yards on sparred floors, and urged that, as a rule, except near a town, it was better to obtain manure by cattle-feed-ing than by the purchase of artificial manures. He also claimed for agriculture greater freedom and tho abandonment of old and unsuitable practices aud conditions. If £2O to £oo per acre was tho capital required for proper farming, It could only be got by- giving tenants greater freedom and sporting rights. A vote of than lea was passed to Mr Mechi for his paper.