They needed animal dung as manure, and needed to grow grain to feed the animals. Up to the 1850s most farmers used mixed farming. Over £5 million worth of artificial feed was being sold per year by the 1870s. Firms such as Thornley’s of Hull and Paul’s of Ipswich specialised in this. There were many new ideas.Īnimal feedstuffs, made from linseed, rapeseed and cotton seed, were also being produced. Bakewell’s ideas on selective breeding, for example, became widespread. Some of these were ideas which had been first suggested in the 18th century, but could only now be taken up. Farmers who could supply the new towns and cities easily did very well.įarmers invested money in agricultural improvements in order to make their farms more productive. Some wage improvements in these years brought an increased demand for bread, meat, vegetables, milk and dairy products. In Britain, the huge home market in towns and cities continued to grow. For the time being, transport and shipping costs were too high for them to undercut British farmers. Corn growing was just beginning in Canada, the USA and Australia. Wars in many parts of Europe disrupted trade.
In Europe the population was rising and foreign farmers found ready markets at home. These were the golden years of ‘high farming’.įarmers did not find Britain swamped by cheap imported grain. However, the period 1850-1875 was one of prosperity and rich harvests. The Corn Laws had been passed in 1815 to protect British farmers from this threat. They were afraid that cheap foreign corn would flood into Britain and prices would collapse. When the Corn Laws were repealed in 1846 British farmers feared the worst.
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