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    Richard Perren

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    9 views43 pages

    Agriculture in Depression 1870-1940

    Uploaded by

    Xarenis
    Richard Perren

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 43
    78 Bibliography Personal accounts Gavin, ie W. (1967) Ninery Years of Family Faring: The Sry of Lod “Rayligh’ and Sinaz and Parker Fanns (London). An account of ‘one family’s suecesfal farming in Esex from the depression ofthe 1870 onwards, Haggard H. R (1902) Rural England, 2 vols (London) This author ends 10 ses the depressed sate of English farming. Heal, A.D. (1913) A Plirinag of rssh Forming 1910-1912 (London). A record of journeys ove the whole of the Bish Isles by a corre pondent of The Fins ‘Keith, J. (1958) Fy Year: of Faming (London). The author ran a large cle (and profabe) farming enterprise in Aberdeenshire and [Norfolk from 1903 unl his death in 1953, Mackie, Sir M. (1992) A Lucky Chap: Ora Loon wo Lord Liwonont (Buchan), Reminiscences ofa succesful dairy farmer in north-east Scotiend, Pratt, EA. (1906) The Tramston in Agicutnoe (London). A survey of ‘comercial options available to and adopted by farmers following the decline in cereals stongly in favour of smallboldings and cooperation. Suet, A. G, (1932) Farmers Glory. Vivid port of farming in Wiltshire just before dhe Fist Woeld War, during the warsme and post-war boom, and in the depresion ater the 1921 repeat of the Com Prodietion Act ‘Addendum ‘Barnes, Pamela (1993) Noth Landonnas snc 1880 (Norwich Univer- ‘ay of East Angi) Index ‘Ace of Psiament: Abnormal Imporation At 1931, 35; Agiulual Holdings Ac 1875 and 188,245 gnc Marketing Ac 1931 3nd 1932, 37; Agrcaturl Rates Ac 1901, 25; Aguculural Rates Acs 1923 fn 192, 52: Agnlrl ‘Woges Regulason) Act 1924, ‘HAgrlre Act 1920, 3895 ‘rks Sugat) Subsidy Ace 1025, 83; Cor Production Act 1917, 32-4, 38-9, Com Prodcton Repeal Act 1921, 43,53; Development Fund Ace 1060, 28; Ferns and Feeding Sts Act 1893, 255 Gangs Act 1867, 3 Horteultural Produce (Emergency Dues) Act 1931, Ssrlmport Dots Ace 1952, 55; Improvement of Land Act 1899, 25; Land Semement (Facies) ‘het 6; Market Gardens Compensation Act 1893, 25; Sete Land Act 1882 and 1884, 24 Smalnaldings and Alloment Ac 1892, 96; Small Hlolcngs Ac 1882, 66, ‘Teche Instruction Aes 1860, 28; Wheat Act 1032, 28 Agnew of Loca 18 ‘Agricaltral Wages Board 33-428, 2 Aiesbur, Marques of 19 Seale fring 121,54, 49 ‘Arch, J-22 ‘Argentina 8, 38,84, 56 fra etn 1-2 Aosta 2, 7,28, 37, 38,36 bacon factories 59 Tumieupees 19-20, 42 barley 8-10, 26,32, 34,38, 46,57, Bertie 6 9. Beveridge, Si W. 53, 55 Board of Aprculre 25, 28, 31,32 Brith Farman che Gra Degrsion Younes home: peesiced, 3,4, 49, “57, 0,63 65,7 ps7 13, 27,42,65,70 cir, 6414 (Canada 8, 2°3, 28, 38,5456 ‘pitas ivesment crcl se fans ports, prices, compet cheese factories, 59,63; farmbouse, 52, 4,59, 63, 65, Tos port, 23, 27,42, 60, T0;pries 3 3, {Cheshire 19-20, 63 onsumpeion: beat, 10,27, 4,58: reat 27,47 co-opeaives, irmess Comtaws? os 10, 12-13, 23,27, 33-4, 40,48 68 ‘Coun War Agricultural Eaceuve ‘Commies 37 34, sry companies 13,58 ‘iy fring 13, 15, 18,21, 29-30, “4649-50, 60 demand for cere, 233,37, 545, ‘65,6; about, 3, 23; land, 40-1; 7” tudes in Economic and Social History for he Ezoomic HiarySecey by ‘Michael Sanderson Univer of Bast Anglia, Norich "This series, specially commissioned by the Ezonomic History Society, provides a'guide 10 the curent interpretations of the key themes of economic and social history in which advances hve recently been made ot in which there hasbeen sigaiicant debate In recent times economic and social history has been one ofthe most flourishing areas of historical study. This has mirored the increasing relevance ofthe economic and socialsciences both in a student's choice of career and in forming « society at large more aware ofthe importance of these srues in their eveqay lives. Moreover specialist interests in bosiness, agricultural and welfire history, for example, have themselves ‘burgeoned and there has been an increased interest in the economic evelopment ofthe wider world. Simulating a these scholarly develop- ‘mens hve been fr the specialist, he rapid advance ofthe subject and the ‘quantity of new publications make i dificult for the reader to grin an ‘overview of pascular topics, le alone the whole ‘Naw Stu in Feonomic ae Soil Minor it intended for sudents and ‘eit teaches. Tt is designed ro introduce them 10 fresh topics and © tenable them to keep abress of recent writing and debates, All he book in the series are written by «recognised authority in the subjec, and the frguments nd issues are act out in sce but unparsn fashion, The sim ofthe series is to survey the curren stat of scholarship, rather than provide a vet of prepaclaged conclusions “The series has been edited since it inception in 1968 by Professors M, W. Finn, T. C. Smout and L.A. Clarkson, and is currently edited by Dr Michael Sanderson. From 1968 i was published by Macmillan ‘Shute in Beonomic History nd after 1974 as Stud in Economie and Socal “Hisory. From 1995 New Std in Economie and Socal History is being published on behalf of the Economic History Society by Cambridge Univesity Press. This new series includes some of the tiles previously ppblished by Macmillan as well at new ves, and selects the ongoing ‘evelopment doughout the world of his rich seam of itor. Fora fl is of ies in pring, pleas seth end of the ooh. Agriculture in depression, 1870-1940 Prepared forthe Economie Histor Soci by Richard Perren Universi of Aeon CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS ‘Publishes y he Pres Sync of th Unveiy of Cambie ‘Thee Bung, Trampingon Sire, Camby CB2 1RP {to Wess 20m Seay New Yoo, NY 100114211, 08A. To Satie! Road, One Metooure 3166, Ausra (© The Benomic Hier Socey 1995 Fie posed 1995, Prine in Great stains University Pres, Cambie A catgut ak iam heh Lary irr f Gomes alone in pinion tapi 1984052139285 0bardback ISBN 0 32153768 2 pupertnck cust. pp 1925 / Py - HH seo. No.de Marin: OPA 258 roves lee a No deFast. O37 O6 Y-A Festus Go 06 -03 Proyecto Lskdins Dndeardiscrgl wanes. nin Ada Pro UNAM BIBLIOTECA coxa ne esta docks Y MOE Contents List of tables ae Prosperity before 1873 ‘The great agricultural depression of 1879-1896 Gainers and losers before 1914 ‘Temporary evival, 1914-1921 ‘Depression ofthe 1920s and 19308 ‘Tariff protection and other assistance ‘The structure of rural society Conclusion Bibliography Indes vi 1 a ” a1 7 52 a 68 a ” Table 1 ‘Table 2 Table3 Tabled Table 5 ‘Tables Tables United Kingdom home production and imports of wheat, 1872-1913 United Kingdom home production and imports of meat, 1872-1912 ‘Wholesale prices of various agricultural products, 1873-1913, Agricultural output and shares of frm income, 1870-1913, ‘England and Wales: value of ourput sold off farms, 1914-18 Agricultural output and shares of farm {income, 1920-39 u 35 1 Prosperity before 1873 1870 British agriculture was near the end of about wo decades, f general prosperity. At that time the predominant system was farming, founded on the technical advances in crop and sock husbandry dating back to the seventeenth century and lier It was a combined system where grain crops and livestock ucts were produced for sale but fodder crops like roots, hay, rotation grasies had to be consumed by the livestock on the ‘They could not be sold for cash as their function was to ish langer supplies of manure to support greater yields of land also provide more fodder on which the cattle and well as the large amounts of horse-power required to jvate the farm, depended. Within this closed system the farm hed ro do the following: produce all that was quired to rctum a profit to the cultivator, yield a reat to the downer, maintain and even increase the fetlty of the soil (Chambers and Mingay, 1966, 107, 133-4). There was always @ ‘imposed by climate, terrain, and managerial skills, to the jut and productivity of the entirely self-sufficient farming unit. this was reached larget yields could only be obtained. by’ in extra fertilizers and feedstufis from outside, More ensive methods were only justified if the extra expense iny ‘compensated for by the increased output. To make it ile, purchased inputs needed to be avilable relatively ‘as happening inthe frst haf of the nineteenth eentury, the ats on more intensive production were progressively 2 Aprculturein depression, 1870-1940 ‘The modified version of mixed farming that had evolved by 1850, variously referred to as ‘high farming’ and ‘high feeding’ ‘aimed at high output by feeding purchased oil-cake on a avis scale, to produce increased quantities of meat and large amounts of dung. The dung, along with purchased artificial ferilizers, was lavished on the land to promote high yields of grain and fodder for the stock (Grigg, 1989, 178-9; Jones, 1962, 104-5; Chambers and Mingny, 1966, ch, 7). In the nineteenth century significant quan tities of ol-cake —the crushed residue left behind after the ols used in industry were pressed from linseed, rapeseed, and cottonseed ~ became available, They were supplemented by imports of maize and maize-meal, clover seeds (which were planted to produce livestock feed) as well a spent grains from British town breweries. ‘Anifical ferlizers increased in quantity and fell in price. These included bone meal, superphosphate, and nitrates, both from domestic and, more importantly, imported sources, as well as ‘imported guano from 1835 onwards. In the early 1850s Brits farmers were using approximately £10 milion worth of purchased {inputs per annum and this had risen to £17 million by the early 1870s (Thompson, 1968, 71, 73-7). On the demand side the rising, national income and the growth of population fed the domestic rarket for agricultural products (Feinstein, 1972, Table 1, 42, 55. ‘The growth of towns, which could now be linked to their farming hinterlands with speed and economy by ral, reinforced the value of higher output. By the 1850s the railways were penetrating Scotland, and farmers in formerly distant English counties like Norfolk and Lincolnshire were offered easy access 10 London, ‘With rising living standards the urban demand for meat and dairy produce grew particularly fist and indicated to farmers what direction to follow (Chambers and Mingay, 1966, 171). ‘The general prosperity of British farming before 1870 depended ‘on the fact that the British market was stil relatively untouched by foreign competitors. The repeal of the Com Laws in 1846 had provoked fears that the country would be immediately inundated bby cheap foreign foodstufs, but this did not occur, For 30 years the repeal of the Com Laws and the tiumph of free trade ‘brought few problems to British agricultore, Thriving trade along ‘with gold discoveries in Australia and America helped to stimulate ‘industrial demand and raise prices. Grain prices fll sharply from Prosper before 18733. 1850 but recovered from 1853 onwards. The Crimean 854-6) and the Americen Civil War (1861-4) interrupted fom Rusia and the United Staves and the demand from France in the disturbances of the Franco-Prussian, ‘Communes (1870-1) all helped to maincain grain prices 1912, 374-5). British farmers also benefited from a series good harvests, although bad seasons were never entirely before the mid-1870s (Chambers and Mingay, 1966, ‘cultivated area expanded, land values rose and land- sed investment in drainage and buildings. By the end 1860s ‘high farming’ had reached its peak (Tracy, 1989, these years the only minor inconvenience from free trade 1865-7 when cate plague, introduced by infected animals from Europe, disrupted the livestock markets. This had ‘of rising rather than lowering prices (Perren, 1970, 84- 9). 1870 the country relied on imports for about a quarter ofits, ‘cereal requirements but for only 14 per cent of its meat 1970, 3). Only wheat entered the country in amounts enough to counteract the effect of growing demand on price. ‘ease of this cereal the country relied on imports for ately half its needs; there was a fallin price from the high ff the mid-1850s but even wheat did not dip very far below 1846 level (Chambers and Mingay, 1966, 177-8). The i level of prices was well maintained because those of beef, butter, cheese, eggs and bacon continued to rise. The of prices encouraged both farmers and landlords to investment. For farmers this included not only the feedstufls and fertilizers referred to above, but some of ‘on large farms made increasing use of machinery. Threshing hhad been available since the 1830s, after 1850 more ris and cultivators appeared, and by 1870 it was estimated, were 40,000 reapers in use. This affected the demand for especially during the peak summer period, but this was ‘more expensive anyway with migration tothe towns and jons on the employment of children by the Gangs Act of tnd the Education Acts after 1870 (Chambers and Mingay, 187-90), But not all investment was by farmers: tenants took ‘but landlords were also encouraged to undertake comple- 4 arcu in depesion, 1870-1940 mentary investments. If more stock wes kept and larger yields of crops obtained, then this was a reason to improve the land and celarge the farm buildings. These items of expital expenditure were the traditional responsibilty of the landlord, who took no direct part in the day-to-day business of farming. ‘The under- draining of soils with impeded drainage was a way of ensuring a better return from expenditure on manures and cultivation Between 1845 and 1899 about 4.5 million acres in England were

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