THE MINIMUM WAGE IN AGRICULTURE. [To THE EDITOR or THE
"SPECTATOR."] am of your opinion that "A Moon-Raker " takes too sombre a view of the future of agriculture and of the probable results from the recent legislation with regard to the wages of the farm labourers. After a mercantile training, ill-health caused me to seek an outdoor life. Sixty years since I went on to a farm, where for a year I took my share of the farm work of all kinds. Then for another year I followed the same course on a farm in a distant county, when I felt competent to manage a farm; this I did during two years for a friend, when I hired a farm of four hundred and fifty acres. I have since farmed several farms, having for some years about two thousand acres in my occupation or charge. This for my expe- rience, which had led me to the following conclusions:
(1) Some of the land in England is thoroughly well farmed;
(2) a very large proportion of it does not produce anything approaching as much food as it is capable of producing; (8) the causes for this include (s) insecurity of tenure; (b) practical inexperience cif many of the land agents; (t) obsolete and impracticable agreements; (d) excessive acreage of holdings in proportion to capital employed; (e) want of personal super- vision on the part of farmers; (I) the general inferiority of farm labour due to low wages end the neglect of farmers to teach their labourers the more intricate and important work on the farm, such as drilling, fencing, thatching, draining, ditching, &o., a knowledge of which would render the men more intelligent, also more independent, and cause them to take a greater interest in the work of the farm; (2) neglect in the selection of breeding animals and in the judicious feeding and care of them; and (h) want of care of farm implements and in the housing of them. Until within recent years the supply of farm labour has been in excess of the demand; the wages paid have been only such as would enable the labourer to exist and perform the farm work. There was little for them to look forward to other than the workhouse. Of late years the more intelligent and vigorous young men have left the farm and have migrated to the factories and towns, where are many opportunities of advancement, or at least of higher wages and of a lees desolate and cheerless life. The result of this con- tinued migration of the best of the rising generation is now apparent in the general inferiority of the present-day farm labourers. I will not weary your readers with a recital of my views on the many ways or means to be taken to render our agriculture worthy of its high place in the industries of this country.but confine myself to expressing a belief that one of the most important steps to be taken Is to improve the labour on the farm, an improvement which will be mainly brought about by increasing its cost per hour, and the imperative necessity of the farmer to make that labour equal in value to Its cost.—I
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