Our Common Lands 193 



uppermost, and only let it amalgamate pudding, " few and far between." It is best, 



gradually with the broken up subsoil. in a great question affecting the national 



A Norfolk friend (whose letter was pub- welfare, to tell the truth, however unpleasant, 



iished) found fault with my recommendation Of 550,000 holdings in England, Scotland, 



to keep the top soil uppermost, and en- and Wales, we have as holders of less than 



•deavoured to prove I was wrong by bringing 20 acres : — 



his under soil to the top and then turning it Entriand... 211,46" 



back again, so that the top soil was really Wales 26.534 



only buried for a short time and then brought Scotland 43.929 



to the surface again. No doubt that was a Total under 20 acres... 28^;^^ 



commendable proceeding on light land, for 



the subsoil was aerated and broken, and then and still these only occupy 6 per cent, of 



returned to its original situation. the whole area. 



The late Rev. Mr Smith's plan of exposing How many well-cultivated holdings are 

 the subsoil was an admirable one. He there out of these 550,000 returns? Again, 

 ploughed the top soil together, and fallowed in Ireland, there are between 500,000 and 

 and manured the exposed subsoil. The 600,000 holders of land. How many of 

 curse of British agriculture is shallow cultiva- these are perfect farmers? V/e may safely 

 tion— on an average barely the depth of a assume that there is room and profitable oc- 

 wine-glass. How often we find a farmer cupation for many hundreds of millions 

 ploughing his upper soil of 5 or 6 inches sterling to be invested in British agriculture ; 

 iive or six times, and j-et never disturbing his but before this can take place what a thick 

 ■subsoil. The fear of the subsoil arose from crust of old customs, beliefs, and prejudices 

 want of under-drainage, and even now, ac- m^ist be broken through, and what a long 

 cording to Mr Bailey Denton, 9 acres out and hard job it will be; but we must keep 

 of 10 that require drainage are still un- " pegging away " with right good will, and in 

 drained. i°o or 200 years British agriculture will be 

 Drainage is as important to animals as to changed, and Mr Mechi ^will then be looked 

 •human beings, and I know that to both non- upon as one of the old school of farmers, 

 drainage is the cause of ill-health or disease. I shall, therefore, with these convictions 

 I have plenty of practical proof of this. on my mind, continue to " peg away," re- 

 in fact our country is not half farmed, gardless of envy, hatred, malice, and all un- 

 either by landowner or tenant, and it cannot charitableness. 



be until there is a much greater investment My present estimate of British agriculture 



of both capital and intelligence on the part is— Tenant's capital, ;^5 per acre; gross sale- 



of both landlord and tenant, and an encourge- able produce under £^ per acre. In my case, 



ment to investment by improved Land-laws they are three times these amounts. One- 



and Tenant-right. The latter would not affect third of our population depend upon foreign 



certain parts of Wales, for a Welsh M.P., an supphes for their daily bread, and meat is 



■extensive landowner, said to me the other becoming a scarcity. Is this creditable to 



day, " Tenant-right would make no difference the richest country on the globle? Its land 



in Wales, for Welsh tenants make no improve- half-farmed, and its untold millions lent to 



ments, and therefore could have no claim, foreign nations (witness the present French 



The landlord has to do everything in that Loan), rather than more profitably invested in 



way." food production at home. 



It must not be supposed that, in finding Land will never be extensively improved 



fault with British agriculture as a whole, I am until its transfer is made quick and cheap — by 



censuring the many good farmers who are identity and possession. We can transfer 



doing the right thing ; but they are, as com- p£"ioo or ;2^ioo,ooo in the Funds in half-an- 



pared with the mass, like plums in a school hour by a payment of 2s. 6d. per cent. Mr 

 voT,. xr. :■.' 



