§ MR. MARK STEWART (Kirkcudbright), who had given Notice to move—
That, in the present depressed state of the Agricultural interest, it is expedient to secure further Government support in aid of higher Agricultural -Education by carrying out successive experiments in different parts of the Country in cereals, grasses, dairying, contagious diseases of animals, and the production of meat, in order to ascertain on what points the British Agriculturist can most successfully compete with the Foreign producer,said, if they left London and went North, South, East, or West, they would find the same story—landlords not getting their rents, and having to shut up their houses and lease them in order to economize; tenants, if not bankrupt, on the verge of bankruptcy, quite unable to meet the demands made upon them, and living, as it were, from hand to mouth; agricultural labourers, who, no longer able to get an honest day's pay for an honest day's work, were leaving their country homes and flocking into the largo towns; and tradesmen and shopkeepers, especially the small shopkeepers, were in worse straits than they had ever Previously been in. All that pointed to the fact that there was very serious depression, and that, if possible, some remedy ought to be found for it. Although he did not profess to give a conclusive remedy, yet he thought he should be able to suggest, before he sat down, several points which, he hoped, the Government would consider and act upon. It had become practically impossible to cultivate cereals at a remunerative price; and they found, from the Returns presented to the House, that the average price of wheat for the last year was 31s. a-quarter, the average price of barley was 26s. 7d., and the average price of oats 19s. Under such circumstances, it was absolutely impossible, rent or no rent, to cultivate cereals; and, unless a remedy were provided, the cultivation of cereals must go out altogether. That alone was a matter calling for very grave consideration. The land, in many places, had been stimulated by artificial manures, and was now suffering from the results of 1299 that enervating process. The cultivation of grasses was now attracting more attention than it had formerly done; but education was slow, because the experiments were few. What was wanted, and what he would like to see, were experiments conducted on a larger scale, with perhaps more scientific knowledge, in order that the country might see how to bring good for the future of agriculture out of the present evil. In the matter of dairying, we got our best instruction from America and Denmark, and anyone desiring to learn the best manner of following out that business must go to those countries. There was something wrong in that. Up to the present time, owing to the enterprise and vigilance of the British tenant farmer, we had been able to cope with our foreign competitors; but, now that those countries bad the assistance of technical schools, there was danger of their outstripping us in the race, and the present seemed a fitting opportunity to lay down some definite basis on which they could give great assistance to those who were being instructed and those who were anxious to impart instruction to others. In that business the breed of cattle had to be very carefully considered.
§ Notice taken, that 40 Members were not present; House counted, and 40 Members not being present.
§ House adjourned at twenty minutes before Eleven o'clock.