1800.] The Culture of Hops. IZ

The- firſt may be ſupported, the ſecond cannot, and fhe third „fär: leſs ¡but firit, although likely, is uncertain, ſince we have no other documents reſpeé&ing the’ conſumption of London than thoſe Lhave given 5 and ſince; notwithſtanding the: calcula- tion öf Puiceand other eſtimable mén, the population of Lon= don f&ill remains a problem. Whatever it may be,“it 1s very certain that they can, without running any great riſk, ſuffer a deprivation of 10-7 ounces of ſubſiſtence daily; and that it is very bappy that government have never troubled itſelf with the ſubliſtence of Lyons, ſince the common increaſe in the price of cörn has been 0,566. Lt is certain, that when bread becomes ſeven-tenths of the nouriſhment, every increaſe in the price is

followed by a proportionable increaſe în the number of the ſick and dead. E

«

Laſtly, this increaſe in the price of grain muſt have an in- fluence on the number of ſick and deáâths in the tollowing years, which I have not calculated.

From theſe fas I ſhall not draw any-concluſions,„even the moſt natural, againſt cthe-old government, nor againſt thoſe who have approved, celebrated, and adopted their ſyſtem reſpe@ing proviſions; Tſhall only ſay; May the dreadful leſions which thoſe facts teach us, not be loft;-let ús carefully enquire into the en- couragements‘necefſlary- to be given to agriculture, and let us

attend‘to the moſt proper mealure to ſecure dberty to commerce.

.

To the Editor of the Commercial and Agricultural Magazine.

STR 5

7 OUR ftirical correſpondent, who,(in the laſt number) at Y the cloſe of much extraneous matttr, has addûced many very pertinent queſtions, among other things aſks,< Is the hop culture favourable to individual, or nâtional profit?” This re- calls to my mind a ſingular convi&Æion which I felt when ſo- Journing in a bop country, that this plant was too kindly treated. ‘The expence of culture is enormous*: for as ſoon as hop planting commences in any fituation, dung is trebled in price, and no= thing but conſiderable diſtance from the hop garden can induète any man to beſtow any on 2 leſs favourite crop. Your correſ- pondent proves himſelf 2 thinking man, by diftinguiſhing Care= fully betwixt mdividuai and national profit, In the preſent caſe, the individual probably fill gains(certainly bas gained), and the welfafe-of fhe nation has ſuffered" ſome diminution. The dun expended on an acie of hop ground precludés the exiſtence of more than an acre'of wheat; and as there are about 35,000 âcres of hops 1n England, we may calculate, that about 100,000 quar=-

#* About 321, per acíe.—-Sir C, Middleton,

R

IRES AE

LIE FEA