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Farmers and Farming

pleasure, and amongst the number was some of the most intelligent and cultivated; and some of the pleasantest gentleman to be met with in this country. Then there was a large class of men-unhappily a class fast diminishing the yeomanry, or men who farmed their own little plots of land. It was a matter of deep regret to see that class diminishing as it was, for there was no more independent position amongst men than to farm one's own land. The time was when men of that class were the great stay of the country, and in some of the critical periods of our history they had taken a most distinguished part. It seemed to him (Mr Everett) that legislation could prevent this state of things, and it was one of the results of the enormous wealth amongst us that we saw the possession of the land coming into fewer hands; and, in consequence, the class to which he was now referring was rapidly diminishing. Again, there was also a large class of men who were called apron-string farmers, who were to be found in the strongest numbers around the large towns, men engaged in trades of various kinds, but who, from a love of agriculture, tried their hands at farming. Some of these gentlemen often made ridiculous mistakes in the first instance, and if no injury was done to those who committed them, a good deal of pleasantry was caused amongst those who witnessed them. Amongst this class of men, however, after a certain amount of experience, were to be found some of the best and sharpest farmers; men of education; men who turned things to the best account; and men who often got ahead of their slow-paced neighbours. Next came the scientific farmers, not a numerous class, but an important and noisy class, represented in the first rank by Mr Mechi. These gentlemen benefited agriculture, but he (Mr Everett) did not think that they benefited agriculturists. They introduced new methods, and went ahead in many ways, not profitable, perhaps, to follow, but which had in them the germs which, in time, developed into something profitable. At the same time, one often read with regret the statistics such gentlemen issued, being

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assured that they were not corroborated by fact, and they had a misleading and injurious influence on the minds of those who read them. He now came to the largest class of all, viz., those who followed farming as a business to live by; and here there was an infinite variety, men of considerable intelligence and information, if not of the most polished manners, men who were of the old-fashioned sort, who possessed no particular knowledge of anything beyond the land on which they lived, and on which their thoughts were bound up, men whose reading was confined to their Bible and newspaper, a most worthy class of men as a whole; but there were amongst the class of business farmers, sharp practical men, acute well-read men, and who had been left somewhat behind in the progress of modern society. Last of all, there was the working farmer, an individual certainly devoutedly to be pitied; men who in reality earned less than the men they employed; men who were employed more hours than the labourer, whose earnings were not, as in the case of the working farmer, affected by the seasons, and, altogether, the position of this class of farmer was not to be envied.

THE FARMER AS AN EMPLOYER.

Leaving this branch of the subject, let them look at farmers as employers. This was a subject on which we had heard a great deal. It was often supposed that farmers were bad masters, and they had a bad name in the labour market. The position of the agricultural labourer, and the treatment meted out to him, was a very favourite subject for many to discant upon. Any one looking considerately and practically at this matter, would see that, after all, the condition of the labouring man in the villages and working on farms would contrast favourably with the unskilled labourer working in towns. two, the balance of comfort, if he was a prudent man, rested with the agricultural labourer, his employment being regular, and he had advantages and privileges which his brother in the town did not possess. He (Mr Everett) was persuaded, notwithstanding all that their town friends might say, that the

unskilled labourer in the town was not so well off as the unskilled labourer working on the land. Labouring men might be much better off than they were, but through faults of their own management. The waste of that class of men-though their wages would not allow of much waste-was very noticeable; those who employed their daughters knew the tendency there was to extravagance in their habits. And then there was the reckless way in which the labouring class began in their married life; so much so that if those of the middleclass followed their example, they would be reduced to their level. He contended that it was in the power of an agricultural labourer, if he gave his attention to it, to lay by a good sum by the time he was twenty-three or twenty-four years of age to enable him to furnish a cottage, take a wife, and begin life with a few pounds in hand, with the prospect, with care and frugality, of a tolerably comfortable life. An important point in the subject under discussion was that of wages. How much were the farmers to blame for not paying more? If we looked at the position of the farmer, we could see that he had no power in this matter. Comparing the earnings of the farmer himself (apart from the money he put into the business) with the earnings of the men, the men received more money out of the business than did the master. He had thought, when he had read the observations made by Canon Girdlestone, and other high personages who had spoken upon this subject, that it was all very well for those who were not farmers, and had no interest in it, to speak of practical agriculture; but if Canon Girdlestone, the numerous writers in the public papers, and those who said such hard things themselves, would take farms, and carry out in practice the payment of the higher scale of wages and continue it, the farmers would be inclined to listen to what they had to say. There was not a more thoughtful and considerate employer of labour than the farmer; and though the wages might seem small as compared with the wages paid by the commercial community, yet, on comparing what the labourer received with what the master received, it would be found that the former paid their

men much nearer what he actually received than did other employers.

FARMERS AS PUBLIC MEN.

He desired next to speak of farmers as public men. There were no men in this country that were less public men than farmers, or that took less interest in public men than farmers, or that took less interest in public affairs. The gentlemen present this evening knew very well how difficult it was on any occasion, and with regard to any question, to convene a meeting of farmers in large numbers. There was a good deal of reason in it. It was, of course, very different to them to what it was with townspeople, who had lighted streets, and were accustomed to late hours, and who could meet without any inconvenience to themselves. The whole tenor of a farmer's life was to make him a quiet home-loving bird, whom it was difficult to drag out of his cage when once returned to it from his day's labour. He thought that in this matter the farmers had been much to blame. It became every man in a land like England to take some part in public affairs. Who was it that governed this country? It was the people, and no Englishman could shirk fairly and honourably the responsibility that belonged to him as a citizen and Englishman, to bear his part in public affairs. As to political questions which affected the interest of the farmers, how slow and inactive the farmers had been. of the malt-tax. Did any one imagine that if a tax like that were put upon coal or iron, or any of those productions which engaged the industry of their friends in the north of England, that they would for these seventy years or more have submitted to such a monstrous and shameful tax as that? Not only did the farmers submit to it, but actually many of the producers believed that the monstrous impost upon malt was a benefit rather than injury. Would it be possible to persuade the owner of a coal or iron mine that such a duty as that would be a benefit to him? And yet there were farmers so ignorant and inattentive to public

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Farmers and Farming

affairs that they could be crammed with such stuff as that. Considering the enor mity of that tax, and the length of time they had submitted to it, it shewed how little spirit there was amongst them, that they had not made a long and vigorous effort to remove the burden. Let them determine to persevere in this matter, and lose no opportunity of obtaining a remission of the tax. This want of public spirit, however, seemed to be, in some degree, diminishing; and the great progress that had been seen to take place in reference to the formation of Chambers of Agriculture, was, he took it, a good augury for the future. It might be owing to the spread of education or the increase in the number of newspapers, these things tending to bring farmers more on a level intellectually, and in activity, with those in towns, who enjoyed many privileges before they reached the farmer. He did not advise any man to go in for public life. There were two extremes to be avoided. That man was not wise who attended to the business of the public, and neglected his own. That man was also to blame who had a supine indifference to everything going on around him, and who refused to lend his influence to assist in the various movements in which agriculturists were deeply interested. In the present day, it was a very easy matter to lend a helping hand in the different public questions-viz., by means of a small subscription in support of those organizations representing the voice of the farmers, and in order to strengthen the hands of those who went to the front in these matters.

FARMERS AS POLITICIANS.

In approaching the last aspect of the subject, farmers as politicians, he felt that he was treading on delicate ground, but when the persons in town were asked their opinions as to farmers' politics, it was well known that that opinion was that they were a class distinguished by servility to the landlord-that if the politics of the owner of the soil were known, so were also the politics of the tenant. He was afraid that there was some truth in this, that many watched the way in which the

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landlords voted, and they followed in the same track. Unhappily, this political servility

this thinking one way and voting anotherwas not confined to farmers. He was glad that the ballot was about to be introduced, which would, he thought, enable a man to give his vote without running the risk of bringing injury upon his family, and to carry out those those opinions he honestly entertained. He submitted that the farmer was much to blame if he allowed himself to vote contrary to his opinions. If a man took a decided stand, he was respected; but if a man lent himself to the bidding of the men who would put the screw on the sharpest, that man was hunted up by men of both sides, and subjected to the greatest pressure. It was a most ungentlemanly and unhandsome thing for one man who held the prosperity of another man in his power, that he should use that power to make him vote contrary to his belief-it was as unworthy on his part as was the servility of the man on whom this influence was used. He did not know how it was in this part of the country, but in his part of the country the national colour of the farmer was blue, and it was a fact which sometimes caused a little cogitation in his mind. If you let him alone throughout England, he was blue without any coercion on the part of his landlord. He had lived to see Mr Disraeli Chancellor of the Exchequer two or three times since he had taken an interest in the malt-tax, and twice with a large surplus; and on one occasion, just before the Reform Bill, he could have brought in almost any budget he pleased-he was so hard up to know what to do with the money, that he began to propose paying off the National debt, and did not say a word about the malt-tax.

IMPROVEMENT IN AGRICULTURE.

Among the various occupations followed in this country, there was none that had attained a higher degree of development than that of agriculture, and he took it that they had not been behind-hand in the progress that they had made. If we compared the farmer of to-day with the farmer of a century

ago, we should find that the progress and improvement in agriculture was as patent as the progress in other comparatively more intellectual pursuits. He had been asking himself in what respect they had made improvements. He thought that where the land was well farmed there was nearly as much corn grown formerly as now. The great advance had been made in stock. While corn had got cheaper, stock had got dearer, and attention had in consequence been given to the latter, and nothing had so much altered the farmers of the present day as the introduction of various new plants, enabling them to produce more food upon their farms than did their forefathers. The question was whether their attention could not be profitably directed to the introduction of further new plants. The farmers of the present day, too, employed machinery of a superior class, there were greater facilities for feeding, by the discovery of the value of linseed and cotton-cake, and the productive powers of the land had been increased to a great extent by the introduction of chemical manures, the value of which had not yet been fully developed.

KIND OF SOIL REQUIRED.

He would next touch upon the question of soil. In looking at heavy land and light land, and the systems pursued upon them, it had struck him that a man taking light land (and assuming that his object was to make money), if he meant to keep his money together he must be very careful to keep his pocket buttoned up. He could not help thinking that high farming on light land was like pouring water into a sieve. Men might spend their money upon manures, but they would never see it again. He would advise any young man who was foolish enough to place himself upon light land, to keep his pockets buttoned up, to take what his farm would grow, and not attempt high farming, or it would soon land him in the workhouse. With heavy land the case was very different; all the improvements of late years tended to bear fruit upon heavy land. Draining had done a great deal; and as to the chemical manures, this, as he had said,

was a question only in its infancy, and it struck him that in the course of a few years corn would follow corn. Putting money into heavy land, was like putting it into a good sound bank, and heavy land would bear cross-cropping for several years in succession.

PROFITABLENESS OF FARMING.

With reference to farming as an occupation, no doubt there was a great deal that was pleasant in farming. There was an amount of freedom and independence which could hardly be enjoyed in any other calling. There was a natural pleasure in cultivating a piece of land, which was felt by most men, especially any one connected with land in youth. We saw flowers in the windows of cottages in the darkest streets and lanes of our great cities. Farming was an occupation that was good and exceedingly pleasant for a man to follow who was independent of his farm, and one sometimes exceedingly unpleasant to the man who was dependent upon what he could get from it for his existence. He should not like to give an opinion as to what were the profits of a farm. The Chancellor of the Exchequer assumed that the farmer's income was half his rent and his tithe added together. He (Mr Everett) thought they might take that as a fair data as to what the profits of the farm ought to be, and as to whether the profits of the farmers were that, it seemed to be a question of rent. Mr Goschen thought the profits of the farmer under Schedule B had not declined, and that no one could say that farmers' incomes were less than formerly. If a farmer could get what the Chancellor of the Exchequer assumed to be his income, it would be found to be about ten per cent. on his capital; five per cent. for his money, and five per cent. for himself. If he had 250 acres, employing £2500, there would be £125 for interest of his money, and £125 for himself, and including the tithe he would have about £150 as the reward of his labour. Considering the intelligence and attention that were required to make use of that money, that was about as miserable an occupation as a man could. follow. He would say to the young man who

Farmers and Farming

was thinking about going into farming, that if he felt he had a capacity to grapple with other men, if he felt he was able to hold his own amongst his fellows in the struggle of life, by no means let him become a farmer. You never knew a farmer to become very rich out of his business; if he had money, it was because he began with money, or had money left to the farm. He was afraid it was not in the power of anybody to gain a large fortune in the business. There was one other matter he must not pass by, and that was the question of rent. He had said that there was a profit of 10 per cent. if a man paid a fair

rent.

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Some had said that rent had nothing to do with farming. He did not believe any such thing. In his eagerness to obtain a farm, a man was not so careful of his rent as he ought to be. The position of a landlord, and a man who had to set rent, was a very delicate one. When a man went to a landlord, or an agent, and said he was willing to give so-and-so for the farm, and it was more than had been given before, it was of course difficult to withstand the temptation. His advice was not to pay too much rent—it was much better not to have farms than to pay too much rent.

IRRIGATION.

HE insufficiency of water which has

so often been felt in this country, and about which for years we have had deplorations from farmers, and warnings and advices from engineers engaged in agricultural operations, is being experienced in the United States, or at least in the eastern portion of them.

That we

waste our water, is a well known fact. We say waste, and we believe the word is correct, in so far that we do not conserve it at such times as we have an overplus. The invigorating fluid is allowed to run away anywhere over places indeed, such as light lands on the hill-sides, where its operation, instead of being beneficial as it might be, is in the highest degree detrimental, because it washes out the young plants in its course, and buries the others on the level, under the debris of the uprooted ones, with the soil in which they were rooted. We have often seen, after a heavy fall of rain, the soil entirely carried from the summit of a slope and along with it the seeds therein sown, to the ruin of the land below, when an easy arrangement at the top would have secured a portion of water for necessitious times, and prevented immediate harm to land and crop.

It is to be hoped that the views which have been so ably propagated by Mr Bailey Denton, and others, with reference to the imperative neccessity of storing up water when it falls super-abundantly, will be adopted and acted upon; and it is likewise heartily to be wished that agriculturists by resorting to irrigation will further put themselves out of the way of ruination by drought. There are irrigation schemes now at their command which have been very well tested and not found wanting. By their aid, that capricious personage "the Clerk of the Weather," might be set at defiance so far as moisture is concerned. According to Hearth and Home, the want of rain has materially injured if not destroyed the hay crops in the Eastern States of America. "With no efficient system of using brook water to irrigate their land (continues our contemporary), the farmers are entirely dependent upon the skies for moisture for their crops. The Long Island farmers say that the warm sun, cold nights, and want of rain, have about completed the ruin of their crops of hay. It is estimated that the damage to the farming community of Long Island from the present drought, cannot fall short of one million dollars. The damage to the New

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