f the one or the other stirred in the breasts of farmers and
landlords as they gathered in groups in the yards of the Hull, or the
Red Lion, on Royston market days, let the following picture testify--

[Illustration: READING THE NEWS.]

Below are given a few years of average prices of farmers' produce in
grain:--

AVERAGE PRICES.

Wheat. Barley. Oats.
Year. s. d. s. d. s. d.
1785 43 1 24 9 17 8
1790 54 9 26 3 19 5
1795 75 2 37 5 24 5
1799 69 0 36 2 27 6
1800 113 10 59 10 39 4
1801 119 6 68 6 37 0
1802 69 10 33 4 20 4
1805 89 9 44 6 28 4
1809 97 4 47 0 31 5
1810 106 5 48 1 28 7
1812 126 6 66 9 44 6

{107}

The year 1812 was a famine year, but, after this time, prices never
rose so high, ranging for wheat from 75s. in 1814, and 96s. in 1817 to
44s. in 1822. Though the landlords took their share and nearly doubled
rents between 1790 and 1804, the farmer had reason to remember the good
old times if the following story of a Hertfordshire farmer in 1807 be
true:--

"A wealthy Hertfordshire farmer not long ago made application to one of
the clerks in the Bank of England for the loan of L800, and offered to
deposit with him, as a security, a bank note of L10,000, which he then
held in his hand! The clerk refused him, saying that such a thing was
unusual, at the same time told him he would change it for lesser notes.
This, however, did not satisfy the farmer, who still persevered. At
his own request he was waited upon by one of the directors, who readily
lent him the sum he required; and at the end of eight days he returned,
according to his promise, and repaid the money. When he was asked why
he had such an attachment to that particular note, he frankly replied,
'Because _I have the fellow of it at home_!'"

The old style of farmer had the laugh on his side in the matter of
balance sheets compared with the farmer of to-day. Here is one under
date 1770 for a farm of 300 acres at a rental of L240 (the average rent
in this district appears to have been about 12s. to 15s. an acre, but
was more than doubled by the end of the century