Denbighshire Free Press

AG RICULTURIF, IN 1898. BY CfIARESEWELL READ. I. As agriculture depend-ae much upon the weather, a farming review of any year must natuiaUy commence with a record of the weather. But agricultural seasons and the yearly calendar do not begin, nor end, at the samo time, and it has been said that the "circlmjgyeat" of the farm is a circle without a break But as we must begin somewhere, so, instead of com- mencing in January, we must go back to the autumn of 1897 m order to give a full record of the present yes^ There could hardly b £ two autumns f,ollowin h,other,- which were so dis- tinctly different as those of 1897 and 1898. Last year's September was very wet, which resulted in a great root crop and an abun- dance of grass; and at the same time permitted .all the leyground to be ploughed early for: wheat. Then followed a mild and pleasant winter, so there wn.3 almost a superabundance of winter provender. Turnips ware so plentiful in the spring that they were given away to any stock- owner- who could feed them off with his sheep, and mangold hales were common long after midsummer. A somewhat early aad chequered spring, accompanied by an abundance of rain, found all crops wsfl up to date at May Day. And then came the most glorious summer we have had for many a day. Now and then a thunder- storm would be followed by a few chilly days, and, frosts were recorded even in June. But, upon the whole, the tenipera- tIw-e ruled very- high all throughout. the year, and even in September the ther- moraeter .roooodW lwdeg. October was a beautifully mild and very dry month. The autumn arougbt» which lasted nearly nine weeks, was hap$*fy btoken by heavy rains just before November. With the exception of a few wintery days, that month con- tinued to partake of the mildness of the year, and the: Indian, St. Luke's, and Martinmas Summers have been all rolled together and formed a long spell of •pfendid autumn weather. WbITHEB Forecasts. Many years ago farmers were assured that when the system of submarine tele- graphy was completed weather forecasts would be more reliable, storm-warnings more precise, and longer notice would bp given of the coming changes in the weather, We regret to say that with regard to the daily forecasts we cannot record much, if any, improvement. During- the glorious weather of this summer and autumn they were singularly inaccurate. All through the long drought storms were predicted which never came, and showers ( rain foretold which never fell. We fear that meteorological signs may mislead acSentinc prophets as well as "the oldest inhabitant of the parish." The ancient East Anglian couplet, that Sigaa are nowt In times of drought, held good this year, and, notwithstanding the appearance of deluges of rain, the heavy clouds rolled by without a drop of rain falling, or a clap of thunder being heard. If the weather could be foretcki I with real certainty for even Lwenty-four hours it would indeed be a great and valuable help to agriculture. Until this cau be assured, we fear little good would result from the daily forecasts being sent to all the post-oflices in our rural districts. TUB YBAU'S WHEAT CROP. There can he no doubt that wheat in 1898 is a heavy, if not a bumping, crop. It was sown in a fine early seed-bod, was a full, strong, and even plant, without being winter-proud, and never received any material check Jto its .growth until the brilliant sunshine of July ripened it for harvest early, in August Soma sanguine tnal the yield will equal the bulk of straw, but that would mean a doefele crop, for there is certainly twice as much stiaw as we have had in some hot and dry summers. Upon all save the lightest lands, and in the Fens, where the wheat was almost all laid by heavy rains, it may be safe to estimate the crop at something like four bushels per acre above the average yield of 29f bushels; and as all upland wheats are haavy, bright, and well harvested, they must prove exceptionally good millers'$paan. The great drawback to the farmer-is the very low price which this prime crop of wheat commands in the market. The Spanish-American war, and the huge specu- lations in foreign wheat, raised the price in May to nearly 50s. per quarter, but before the termination of the war the American wheat corner collapsed, and prices fell to just half that sum soon after harvest. The recent unsettled state of foreign affairs, and the shortened visible wheat supply of the world, raised values to nearly 30s. per quarter, but now a slight decline has again overtaken the markets,which will probably continue until the end of the present year. A sudden rise of wheat in May invariably does the agri- cultural interest more harm than good. The small farmers have sold out all their wheat long ago, and only a few of the largest and most wealthy yeomen have much to dispose of. The price of labour is raised, and when once raised in these days it is most difficult to put down. The value of feeding-stuffs is sure to increase, and what else the farmer has to buy is certain to rise; while most probably the price of meat goes down. When, therefore, certain politicians congratulated the farmer upon the fortune he was making by secur- ing what they were pleased to call a famine price for his wheat, they were evidently somewhat ignorant of the real facts of the case. An advance in the value of wheat, to do the whole farming interest any real good, should set in directly after harvest. THE MARKET PRICE OF WHEAT. It is impossible to forecast the price of wheat, or to advise the farmer to sell or to keep his corn. The Option or Term market still holds the field, and the farrn-r. the miller, the corn merchant, and the legitimate speculator (who stores wheat, or desires to buy it forward) is nowhere. As the Term market buys and sells ten times more wheat than the world produces —no transaction can be less than 1,000 quarters-the apparent superabundance of wheat, and the utter impossibility of delivering it, would naturally tend to depress its future value. So it is no wonder that wheat is quoted at 6s. 3d. per cental (lOOlb.) for December, and 5s. 9d. for next June. It is a question if this whole- sale gambling in the "staff of life should not be prohibited. In Germany, the result of legislation in this direction has failed, for it evidently went too far; as it not only stops fictitious transactions in the Term market, but also prohibits the genuine speculator who, can command or hold the wheat, from selling forward. THB BAALBY CROP. The bulk of barley straw is almost as great as that of wheat, but the yield is certainly disappointing. Barley is a delicate grain, and could not withstand the sudden alteration of temperature in the early summer, which only produced a little rust in the wheat. We feel certain that the barley crop in East Anglia is undei rather than over an average yield; but the grain is exceptionally heavy, and the whole crop well harvested and, although somewhat high coloured, will all make excellent malt. Every barley kernel that is not broken or nibbed in threshing will grow, for, notwithstanding mach barley was laid flat from a too luxuries* growth and heavy storms, the ground was after- wards so dry. that it did not sprout, and as there was no undergrowth of clover or weeds, there was no danger of barley heating too much in the stack. On the contrary, most barleys did not sweat sufficiently to mellow them so a gentle warming in the kiln may be necessary to make them malt kindly. There are but few very prime samples, and they are-mora readily found on the heavy lands of the Midlands than on the lighter soils of the Southern and Eastern Counties, whera no doubt the intense heat and sharp drought ripened many barleys on the gravels, sands, and thin chalks somewhat prematurely. OATS THB BEST CROP OF THB YBAR, Oats are the best cereal crop of the year, and as their acreage almost doublfee that ot wiIea. a, "On. yield of oats mnst be a great boon to the araLlc farmer, especially in our Northern Counties and is Scotland. The straw also has been stacked in such good order that it should provide useful fodder for cattle this winter, bufc some farmers say it won't wear, as it breaks so readily in the threshing-machine?;: but this may result from excessive dryn which renders the straw tender and brittle^ Peas and beans have varying yields. Some' exceptionally heavy crops of peas am- repotted, while others turn out to be aU £ haulm and no pulse. Some winter bean* over six feet high have a light yields while spring beans of moderate length turai out a really wealthy crop. HAY AND CLOVER. There never was such a universally- heavy swathe of Jiay. Clovers, artificial j grasses, and paeturaw were alike frond '11 i >•».. | ,;yi ->s A.. w in prim* condition. Perhaps some of the, latter grasses were too ripe before they were cut, and afterwards were too much: made to thoroughly consolidate in the, stack. Notwithstanding the lack of sweet- ness and fragrance, such hay will be keenly. relished by cattle, sheep and horses during .sharp weather, and will prove a trusty eheet-anchor from the threatened, soarcity of roots., Old-fashioned haymakers nosu- times forget how much more quickly hay makes itself after the machine than it did when cut with the scythe, and in a dry year like this grams-was fit to cart before it. would be ready to cock in some seasons. THB ROOT CROPS. There was an extraordinary growth of grass in the spring and early summer, bat during the autumn there was not a blade of anything green to be seen in the South and East of England. This drought was ths ruin of the root crop, and blasted the fair prospects that the mangolds, swedes, and turnips presented early in August. Potatoes were a good crop, of excel- lent quality, being entirely free from disease.. Mangolds withstood the drought best, but even they were stunted in growth,, and are hardly up to their average weight. TP j early swedes suffered. most. They turne from a luxuriant green to a dull blue, then to a yellow, and finally became a dusky white—the combined effect of mildew, lice, and finger-and-toe. It Since the rain, some swedea have put forth a fresh top, but others have rotted at the crown, and should be eaten at once. The late white turnips may yet make a decent crop, but the early SOWil woukl nearly all have decayed had they not beer consumed, « With This sad disaster to tile root crops, we cannot be .too thankful for the splendid haysel and harvest, which have, ,enabled the bulky crops of hay and straw to be arnerod in such prime condition. Had those seasons proved wet it is impossible to imagine the sad plight British agri- culture would have presented. The enor- mous weight of grass must have rotted on -lie ground, and the vast bulk of straw, especially in low-lying districts, would have been spoilt for fodder, and the aorn would not have been harvested by Michaelmas. II. With regard to the year's pastoral farm- ing dairying went merrily from Christmas .in to August. Then the grass failed all at once, and from that date to the end of October there was nothing in the fields for the cows to eat but burnt up bents and dry stalky grass. No wonder, then, that the value of butter rose and milk became scarce; but the price of cheese remained low. Store cattle and sheep were very dear in the spring, and instead of the value of meat rising in ,.Ie summer it fall con- siderably, until the baneful effects of the autumn drought shortened the supply of prime meat; and now prices have slightly recovered. It is a very depressing farming fact that the abundant pasturage of '98 and the marvellous root crop of '97 have left actually no profit to the summer or the winter grazier, nor does there appear any immediate prospect of better times for either of them. The Nor- folk farmers who waited upon the Minister of Agriculture two years ago, when the exclusion of Canadian store cattle was made permanent, foretold that the price of lean stock would go up, while meat I would go down-a benefit no doubt to the consumer and the breeder of cattle here, but the ultimate ruin of both summer and winter grazing. FOREIGN COMPETITION. Looking ahead, it would appear that in the near future foreign competition is more likely to affect dairy produce and moat than the cereal produce of Great Britain. Arable farmers need not expect any de- I crease in the imports of foreign grain, or suppose that the virgin soils of the bound- less American prairies will soon be ex- hausted, or that new cornfields wiil not be developed in other lands. The fears of the world's wheat famine, which haunt the scientific mind of the President of the Royal Society, are not likely to be realised in our days, although a war with a great naval Power might possibly bring starvation to many a workman's home in six months. But no grain can be grown without manual labour, which seems becoming more scarce and costly in the Western Hemisphere every year. Cattle ranching and sheep farming employ comparatively little labour, and the land and sea transit of live and dead meat seems to be cheapening and extending every year. Moreover, r'e i111 troduction of lucerne and other artificial grasses will enable the stock owners of the River Plate and other countries to largely increase the number of their cattle and sheep, and Canada and our colonies will probably double their experts of meat, I butter, and cheese. The Jong-continued depression in the wool trade—it is cheaper now than it has been for one hundred yearm--has turned the attention of New Zealand and Australian farmers to the production of mutton, and to those breeds 01 sheep which favour flesh rather than wool. So the pastoral farmer may possibly experiesee the same pressure of foreign competition which has so cruelly afflicted the tiller of the soil for the but twenty years. WHY ARABLE FARMIKG Dogs NOT ISCRRASB. One of the chief drawbacks to tie revival or extension of arable farming in this country wSI be the ever-increasing cost of labour. Irk spite of the development of farm machinery, and most of the- hard work being dona by steam and bosses, the labour bill rtoadily advances. Th& days of aeac tamil areguae long ago wbero the tenant has t43, get a living off the land; I and if the cultivation of poor light land is not to be further diminished, a rougher and more labour-saving style of husbandry must be tried. Even on better soils; fewer- roots must be gJanted, less cattle fattened, and more barley grown after a praavious corn crop. But upon poor light lands the grass seeds must remain down as long as they will grow decent sheep feed, and5 then, after a small round of tillage, it should be sown again wit&t mixed grass seeds. Whfcie lucerne, sainfoin^, and other deep-rooted plants will grow they should be added. The most successful instance of this cheap cultivation is to be seen at Helkham. When the old grass seeds show signs of dying out-whIch may be when they have Loon down from, three to six years—the turf b ploughed over in the winter and so cultivated during the spring and summer that the roots of oxeepixu; couch-grass and. weeds are killed. This mass of nbroac dead wegetahle matter is then ploughed in. is sown and fed off by s'heer, mustard (which, is grown in preference to turnips, as it better withstands the attacks of wire warm) is followed by oats; possibly, on better soils, by wheat then turnips, barley, and seeded down to grass i again. Lord Lowest--? grew* wlai* tforaip* :v;t my *>ml after well- hc?J»- hoeing between the drills, puts in smaller hoes, and sends, the horse-ho* across the drills, so that the majority of the turnips I drills, so that the majority of the turnips are left in bunches of two or three, which stand the winter better than forger roots, i and make capital feed in the spring for the ewes and lambs. No hantfc-hoe is used, and beyond a stray thistle or two the land is as clean as a garden, and not a raot of couch-grass is to be seen. This system will not answer for swedes,. but where white turnips are grown entirely for sheep, and there is a scarcity of laibour, the plan is worthy of adoption, and it is particularly suitable for the growth of thousand-headed kale. DISSASH IN SWEDES* I This autumn must have convinced the English farmer that the swede is the most uncertain root to cultivate, and that it has of late beeeme more delicate and more liable to disease than any other kind of turnip. Not only is it affected with all kinds of blight and mildew, and attacks of every species of aphis, but "finger-and-toe I and rotting at the crown are common I every year. The former disease may be cured by substantial dressings of calcareous clay, raarl, chalk, or lime, and tha latter may be due to the too frequent repetition of swedes upon the same field. Both may possiblj be avoided by the increased growth of mangolds, white turnips, kohl rabi, rape, or kale. The last named affords capital sheep feed from early autumn to late in the spring, and is decidedly the most easily cultivated of all the cabbage tribe, SWINB FBVEK. One of the most unfortunate incidents of this year has been the increase of swine

CYCLING NOTES. • — Miller again won the an days race, at New York, with 207 miles to his- credit. It seems that though the y«biic hold forth iti holy resentment at six days racing, they are to be found at the fixture all the same. The world's mile professional champion, George Banker, does not believe in racing men going completely out of training in the winter months. The home trainer i» Jais mount in tbt I oft sea.aon. If farther proof were needed as to the popu- larity of the Dunlop tyre ovsr all others, tht following figures should suffice. At the NatJOnu! and Stanley Cycle Shows, no less than 2,12ii machines were fitted with Dunlop tyres., AK againat 470 of any tthr make of tyre. Some little while ago a test case wag decided at the Melbourne police conrt, as to whether or no a cyclist may ride with his hands off tk handles. The rider contended that without handles he could ride as well as with, at KU times having the machine under perfect control. But the magistrates failed to see that it was. tus safe, and fined the cyclist a nominal amount. It is distinctly annoying to hove a eyciist hanging on to your back wheel* and it is not snrprismg that some resent the practice so keenly as to slow up suddenly in the hope of upsetting the intruder. Should tlaia not come about, the action has generally the effect of making the hanger-on drop behind or speed ahead. It is distinctly bad form) to hang on to a lady eyolist" If yott want' to know a good road, ask a eyciist; not a racing man, but a steady going tourist, one who rides for exercise and finds pleasure in viewing nature from, all aspects. If road is badly made, a cyclist will soon .discover the faults, and it is interesting to note in this connection that perfect roads 11 ai-e generally to be found in those districts where the local surveyors are mountecten bicycles. "He is one of the many irresponsible oyclists riding about unable to pay for what damage they do, and therefore not caring." Snoh were the words of Mr. Justice Emdea, who "having ordered a lad to pay 70s. compensation* was appealed to by the boy's mother seeking a reduction of the fine on the plea of poverty. On the assumption that he who- rides can pay, the judge made an order for the amount to be paid in monthly instalments of 88. The season of 1898 has been extremely adverse to race meeting promoters in Paris. compared with the harvest they reaped in previolll; years. The eipensesbave been heavier, the meetings, held, fewer, and the spectators less, hence the cause of the figures in the balance-sheet of the. Grand Priji Cy<iote de £ ■».iz, showing such a large in profit. In the year 1205 the profits: amounted to F14.227, in 1896 to F^.338, iii 1897 to F23.U77, and in 1898, the year. at question, to r7,663. One of the best testimonies for the good wearing qualites of Dunlop tyres, comes to hand !)7r 'i- ,4!?,tf -l'Y{: ;-t '1"'1rc, This gentleman rode his. cycle to Buluwayo, Gwelo, and Selnkwe, and back, a distance of 1,200 miles, without a single puncture, which is all the more remarkable, because the course ran through some of the thorniest and heaviest roads of South Afrim- Some little while ago the Duke of Marlborough I speaking at a Primrose League Meeting, at Glasgow, referred to the bicycle, though on y in connection with the members of the s~>e!lb • He said he was in. favour of the mem forming cycling elnbs, as they wero o greatest value, especially during electio for canvassing the voters a»d bringing P to the poll. We are not in one mind with the j y, eat at a recent inquest on a eyciist kill colliding in the dark with a ve*Hc § only one light.. They added a nder that one light was worse than none. placed on left hand side of the eart, this would be so, but lights are &I vrsye, or should be alwavs, placed on the right hand side, so that the cyclist approaching, by keeping on his proper side of the road would pass by unharmed. As may be imagined, the universal demand for cyclea hae car Bed a similar demana on rubber in its raw state, with the result that the export of this material from the Gold Coatt has become so valuable to the country that the Government is paying special attention to its growth and cultivation. Hitherto the natives, in their eagerness to collect as much rubber mi] k as possible, havo been in the habit of cutting down the trees instead of only gashing them, so in order to prevent this 'WRste, only those natives holding licenses from the Government will in future be allowed to work. 1 1 1

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ENGE.AVTNGS after Sir F-Iwin lentueer, Riohard ^^uaddt, R.A., J. R. Herbert, R.A., and others, for Ona '■ guinea, eecnreiv packed and carriage pml A RGENTIN'l A171 TRTTQTOT&H REVTJBIiICE.—MES8R8. LXTCKE & <X)., 75, XjtM Street, London, E.O and Buenosf yit», tTSTDKBirAKJB^ALL CIiAS^ES OF FINAVCtA L, LEG AX and COMMERCIAL QUESTIONS connected th« liiyer Plat. Trade Maljl* yrotected und I'atenta applied fa^. ConfidcntlsU »• unit Lt, 9 I ciJ TITE F-O'FTIff ArtVA 18^1 g*a*vU, VlLLAOfcJt 17 perfonuiWSM.Osn Guides, 17 references. 200 Newspaper# MK-ak la tinqnalifleo.« «- cloth, fl/- Of *11 Hookst-ller^ jv FIAMM()ND^. Pubi. li^OR SALE, Silk Dress yard £ JL Rich black Lyons Grosgrrain. Wear for6SJz.sent, HTLSSAt,Dmtedin.Ba»s«JlBligHTOh. L K Worth of Goods tor ShilKiig aent to aagr. J part of Gt. Britain. No oanraxRin?." Yogatoytf diPDA<,e of Ten Courons to you- friwids. Write for Qtrcakur to MF'Kc;A.vrri.K Sni-i'iA- < ij'eattwrtoneBd?».LpndoatV.G. A T LAST. Smoky Chimaeyb Abaomtely A- CtTRED by the newpa^ is but one reliable smoke core. Che^p.. PERRY S COVVL. w., Jl^loKug* TXINDON. fT -Ui for OOD JffOUSZWrVM-Rii"i-i pwjfttmoumtlemna requires! no wood or coal teitmtly. PwtiuJBtfcs#. Sample to last 6 inoath* Free O V/OOD! WOOO'! WOOD! COBBETTS, i Virginia Hoad, Tendon, E. j ■n- £ rA1 £ 0GANY> W.VLNDT, PINE. &C-, &c. T PRICE LISTS FREE OK APPLICATION. f^J ALVANIZED Sheets and Wire Netting. Stock of slightly defe^trra Shseta.pr&e- nmrrrn » nm-rv Koo& as new, 8ft by 2ft. at C 0RRIJ6AT £ Pls- T^cwrrf^rjg^ro^ GALVANIZED WIRK NETTOKJ. T> fif)VTN(l „ And all jralv-nized froodB. It; WALKER BROS (LTD.), 8tftfl«t «hireGajv."jiliing W ork», WA T A4LT. TVRINK GOOD WINE OR NO WINE! -A' Gennine M<5doc and St. En.Jion fl doz. aud ninracda all paid) on exceptionally advantaB»<n» terms.- Write tor iafoe aaation to IS. H. BARKER, Ghuanct, gegsac, BomKJUra^ .———" 111 I II I Ml mm IIaIIf TgoR POO I spi I 0 FANCY MEE NO u I Abundance ot I II I H II Fortifies the Constitution, Produces 8 H ■ ■ B I ll |fl Abundance of Eggrs, Enables the Birds to I B \m I I I If I withstand Sudden Changes of Weath«g» jg I V I and assists the Birds through ft* SOLD BY AGENTS IN ALL PARTS. CASE, CONTAINING 72 PAUmM^> Seven Ponnd Bag by Paroela Post on receipt of Three Shillings by JOSEPH THORLEY. Ltd., King's Oposs., I.ø. A GREAT MEDICAL TBUJMfH. MY7 KIRN S PHOSSO-Lidiine. aTTPSBSSPga OOP IJ7BR OIL. i 1 It i« <•» a^Taeabls pleaaani powder. &I nnrTGOBJLTnrcR RECUPBRATIYH DEPOT f/,7 tile LOU8 OOKPL\INT8, BYSFHSMA.. I'&. ) "toM cgMns" AM axoai « aMBWW. 9 BOX V xes procurable tend rsmkvswo to ■ JGTRCYS PILOSPRO. CT A 1ST, FUBET STAFET, LOROCHLA BOKWICK'S BAKIN POWDER. • •' er. ■ 209^ A Pure Manufactaae well knoT^n for years. 'ii rf!f>riiig Ba\i i'^wder insist on Laving Borwicks. °

r- -= P4 )) j) j! RINGS, BROOCHES, BRACELETS, PINS, PENDANTS, NECK^CES, HEAD ORNAMENTS, STARS, STUDS AND LINKS, At Ha* 0F SELECTED GEMS. Steam Factory; 62&84, jJOfUTE HILL, LC,; 25, Q £ p BOND ST., W.; 28, ROYAL EIGHANGK, E.C., LONBL. favctr* levari fha pinrnrAiiB rofiftn/it.lnna nv\n !•«—wwww..

the movement of pigs, and their whole- sale slaughter, have failed to combat this most troublesome disease. Few ratepayers are aware how much of the Government grant in aid of local taxation is used for this purpose. Not only is the annual pleuro-pnoumonia vote of £40,000 all swallowed up, but quite three times that sum is taken from the general subven- tion. So farmers are doubly victimised; they have to submit to the slaughter of their pigs, and to rigorous and ruinous restrictions, and also pay for their administration out of the county rate; and. further, they are also deprived of their full share of the local taxation grants from the Imperial Exchequer. It is no wonder, therefore, that any farmers consider the timci has come when the Board of Agriculture should give up their long and fruitless contest, and allow swine fever to come under the general provisions of the Cattle Diseases Acts. TUBERCULOSIS IN CATTLE. It is a national misfortune that the recommendations of the Royal Com- mission on Tuberculosis were not grounded upon the fundamental principle of com- pensation for the compulsory slaughter of diseased animals, which has success- fully stamped out all the foreign diseases among our stock. Until this is made. plain every farmer's hand will be held up against compulsory inspection and slaughter. This disease is the mere difficult to deal with as it may exist far years without any signs being manifested, and the tuberculin test is by no means the accurate detector that is claimed ler it. There is doubtless much risk to infanta and children from drinking unboiled tuber- culous milk, but it is idle to suppose that any danger can arise from the like cause in the beef, for in this country we are net yet given to eat raw flesh. It is no wonder that the Veterinary Department of the Board of Agriculture fight shy of embarking upon the extermination of another disease after their failure to rid us of swine fsver, especially when they know that every farmer and butcher would be dead against them, should they hint at slaughter and confiscation without fair compensation. The agricultural interest protested from the first against the exclusion of all English farmers from the Commission; bad any been appointed, the chairman's (-air- Herbert Maxwell) minority report in favour of compensation would have been adopted. FARMERS' GRIEVANCES. What with Acts of Parliament, and! the restrictions of the local and central authorities, the farmer's life is not alto- gether a happy one. Half the time of some Petty Sessions is taken up in en- forciag new regulations, by inflicting fines- and costs upon the farmer. He has to light up his cartis and waggons under the brightest full moon; bis weights and measures which he uses on his farm, but. never sells by, must all be stamped; he; must muzzle his stock dog, while neighbour's sporting dogs are free. If a pig is off his feed, to make himself oafo Be must report that fact to the police*, but he must not move his healthy swine from one part of his farm to another if they cross the road. (This last restriction was modified in the middle of September,. when the stubble shack was well nigh over, whereas if it had been granted 1ft August it might have been some real benefit.) All steam and horse chaff-cutters must be fenced in; each will cost £ 3? and some old ones can't be made to comply with the Act. The result will probably be aa useful as threshing-machine .guards, which never cover the drum when the machine is in motion. A railway -engine may burn up the farmer's crops, but he has no legal claim for compensation against the company. Every farmer is "bound to prevent his stock from tres- passing, hat he can't compel his neighbour 1 to keep his boundary fences in repair. A I farmer, when he hands a pistol to an old man to scare the crows, must take out a 10s. gun licence. He may sea acres of corn damaged by sparrows, but he most I not effectual re> Rabbits may destroy his crops, but ha must not get a trap above ground. He must not dock mic, licrbe he drives- in his square cart, nor must he dishorn his cattle, however much they may gore each TViY; with woman's suffrage 2ftlnJei.1 Ut'-su'-icn •<~o -r to ioroux the farmer to cut off his iambs' tails AGXJCUWUEAI LEGISLATION W e ie«*r that farmers, as a bod v. are> !ik» other aimcwHi mortals, wno are more grateful for favours to come, than- for benefits already received. Some are com- plaining that the agricultural interest has this year been hardly noticed by the Government, forgetting that if the other party were in power, they would never have bfin noticed at all. Tenant farmers should recollect that the greatest financial relief they have ever received from any Govern- ment was the saving of two-fifths of their rate* under the Agricultural Rating Act. It is all very well tor the other 8:1111k.t to say ) that it is a gift to landlords, but we tenants j know that we have pocketed the saving, and we mean to stick to it. What farmers j should do is to make plain the justice of this relief from unfair taxation,, and insist upon a man being rated according to his mbility, rather than upon the annual value I, of the land he occupies. Th(t great mass of personalty still contributes iese than its fair share to local burdens,, and when the present Rating Act expires it is hoped that | the Royal Commission will suggest some scheme for levying rates which shall be equally fair to tne agricultural interest, without casting any fresh burdens upon other rateable property Have farmers forgotten the conct-ssion made to them under Schedule B, and the liberal way in which they are now treated under the Income-tax Acts ? It is true that some surveyors are trying to make out that farmers who breed pedigree stock are not entitled to mako returns under Schedule B, but we are happy. W state that this contention is not'endorsed at Somerset House. The extension of telegraphs and the free delivery of letters to all houses ia the rural districts, is another social boon to farmers and their labourers; while even in the past session the help Government gave to the Voluntary schools will save a School Board in many country parishes, anc the most economical School Board is cer- tain to extract a double subscription from the farmers. It is hoped that Government will next year pass a really good measure for preventing the adulteration of dairy produce, especially forbidding colouring margarine to resemble butter, and to em- brace a clause preventing foreign meat being sold as the best English. An Agri- cultural Holdings Amendment Act should certainly be passed during the present Parliament; but it is not so pressing a matter as adulteration, for compensation for unexhausted improvements only comes into play at the termination of an agricul- tural tenancy, whereas the other may daily nrmudice the farmer and affect the fooo and drink of every workmg-man. ivamn- ting that the present Government have not done all that farmers reasonably de- manded, nor what they themselves promised, all must confess that they have securot for the agricultural interest greater benefits in their three years of office than the las Government even attempted to do during their long lease of power.