ESSAY-REVIEWS 149 



Relatively very few of these holdings exceed 147 acres, and under such 

 circumstances the wonderful co-operation which is such a feature of Danish 

 agriculture was almost certainly necessary for success. The story of this 

 co-operation is admirably told by Mr. Faber from the formation of the first 

 co-operative dairies in 1875 an & J 882, in which the principles of co-operation 

 introduced by the Rochdale weavers were developed with such success that larger 

 farmers and estate owners have now mostly joined in the co-operative systems 

 initiated by the small proprietors. From dairies co-operation has spread to 

 egg export and butter export, cattle-breeding, banking, and other activities. 

 Mr. Faber's account shows clearly how this high development of co-operation 

 has played a vital part in the attainment by agriculture in Denmark of its 

 present degree of prosperity. 



Whether co-operation can play so leading a part in improving English 

 agriculture is a question which neither of our authors attempts to answer. 



The review of agriculture in Oxfordshire given by Mr. Orr is distinctly hopeful, 

 though nothing to excite national pride. Mr. Orr concludes that inferior farm 

 management is largely due to insufficient capital on the part of the farmer, lack of 

 co-operation, inadequate education, neglect of economics. However this may be, 

 it is certain that much more can be done in English agriculture. For instance, 

 the two books before us give some interesting statistics in regard to yield of 

 different crops. Thus, in Denmark in the decade 1875-84, the average annual 

 yield of wheat was 30'a. bushels per acre ; in 1909-13 it had risen to 43T bushels 

 per acre. In Oxfordshire for the decade 1904-13 the annual yield was 31 '15 

 bushels per acre, and for the whole of England and Wales 31*54. Such figures 

 speak for themselves. 



, It is impossible to speak too highly of the production of Agriculture in 

 Oxfordshire, with its maps and excellent illustrations. By way of criticism, one 

 cannot help feeling, rightly or wrongly, that the author is too cautious in ex- 

 pressing opinions which he must have formed on many matters in the course 

 of his survey. The index might be considerably improved. Perhaps more 

 statistical matter could have been introduced with advantage. In Co-operation 

 in Danish Agriculture the misspelling in nearly every case of all words con- 

 taining the Danish letter "ae" for which the diphthong "ce" is substituted, is 

 irritating, as is also the misspelling of both " by-law " and its Danish equiva- 

 lent " Bylov." In the opinion of the reviewer the citations used as mottoes on 

 pages ii, 1, and 23 are decidedly commonplace for the purpose for which they 

 are used, and the book would be better without them. 



