BACK TO THE LAND IN BRITAIN
(Page 5 of 9)
Certain items do cost more in the United Kingdom, due to an
especially high purchase tax. Liquor, cigarettes, vehicle
fuels and automobiles are among these exceptions but,
fortunately, farm fuels are untaxed and-therefore-very
inexpensive indeed. "Commercially applicable" vehicles such
as trucks, vans and pickups also escape purchase tax
which—in any case—is not applied to second-hand
vehicles of any description. For the record: cigarettes
start at around 40 cents a pack and go as high as 60 cents
for the longest and fattest. Whisky, gin and vodka sell at
$5.00 a bottle and around 30 cents a drink over the bar.
RELATED CONTENT
Still and al—even in town—two people can live
in the British Isles on $25 a week without being miserable
shut-ins. Many a working man with a large family manages
happily enough on only twice that amount. A farmer may
transcend all this, of course, and simply set his
production to the income he requires. Markets for produce
are close at hand, earnings spend more slowly and—as
elsewhere—a vegetable garden, dairy goats, hens,
rabbits and other produce can go a long way in making the
homesteader self sufficient and largely independent of the
need for a cash income.
For those who do want a moderate income from the land in
Britain, without getting into all-out farming, a simple
cattle rearing program based on grazing and winter hay
maintenance feeding might be the best bet.
Spring-purchased, 4-month-old dairy calves can be bought
for $60-$80 and are readily saleable for $120-$175 as
"bulling heifers" the following spring. A similar market
(at prices 10 to 20% higher) exists for beeftype bullocks
or steers. Such feeder operations require little more skill
than attention to summer fencing and winter stall cleaning
and bedding. All the hay-making machinery may be hired
(with operators) for a total final cost of 10 cents per
60—pound bale. Excess hay may be sold at 60 cents per
bale during an average summer and that price often doubles
towards the end of a long winter.
Using a stocking rate of one head of young stock per acre
for an average hill farm, it is possible to roughly
calculate the necessary investment you must make for a
particular future income. Using U.S. prices to cost other
needs will guarantee a wide-and advisablesafety margin.
For an idea of what Britain's press has to say about the
farming scene there, try:
FARMER'S WEEKLY, Agricultural Press Ltd., 161 Fleet Street,
London EC4, England. This magazine is full of farms,
livestock and sundry equipment for sale. It also contains
features and news stories that describe one innovative
technique or another that an individual (or, perhaps,
eccentric) is using which otherwise might never be heard of
outside his' own area. The publication also runs a free
information service in its 100 MOTHER-size weekly pages.
The price in Britain is 24 cents anti a dollar should bring
a single copy airmail or several (6 to 8) by sea
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