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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



where he can indulge his own peculiar taste. No won- 

 der, then, that the labourer, whose very existence is 

 identified with vegetable life, should purticipate in this 

 feeling. No wonder that while the greatest portion o( 

 his time is devoted to the cultivation of the crops 

 of his employer, he should aspire to the occupation 

 of a small area for himself, independently of its value 

 and convenience to him. And when we consider how 

 influential this feeling often is, in diverting his attention 

 from places and objects having a tendency to demorali- 

 zation, surely it is the duty of every one interested in 

 his well-being, so far as is consistent, to promote his 

 wishes. How many hours, which might otherwise be 

 passed in the alehouse, may thus be spent in profitable 

 occupation ! But here it is possible I may be met by 

 an objection, which I have sometimes heard made, that, 

 if the labourer does his duty to his employer duiing the 

 day, he can have little desire to work afterwards. In 

 other words, that he employs that strength and exertion 

 on his own land which of right belong to the farmer 

 who pays him for his day's work. To this I would 

 reply, that if the day's work is done (and I apprehend 

 no employer would keep on a man who habitually failed 

 in doing it), to restrain him from devoting bis leisure 

 hours to his own pursuits, would be to reduce a la- 

 bourer to the lowest degree of serfdom. Upon this 

 principle the cottage garden must go uncultivated, and 

 all recreation would have to be given up. I do not, how- 

 ever, for one moment, anticipate such an objection at 

 the Central Farmers' Club in the nineteenth century ; 

 and it is, therefore, scarcely necessary to advert to it. 

 To trace the history of the system, as it is now de- 

 veloped, is not my intention, but rather I would seek to 

 offer a few practical remarks upon its working, that 

 those who are favourable to a trial may benefit by the 

 experience of tho^e who have already introduced it. I 

 rnay, however, remark that so long ago as 1795, the 

 state of the labourer attracted the attention of several 

 influential persons, by whom a society was formed for 

 " bettering the condition and increasinj^ the comforts of 

 the poor," of which King George III. was patron. 

 This society published reports from time to time till 

 1814, from which it appears that one of the principal 

 elements of success they considered the " allotments of 

 land to the labouring population." Other attempts, 

 having the same object in view, were shortly afterwards 

 made ; but about the year 1830, a number of noblemen 

 and gentlemen, " to meet the pressing exigencies of the 

 times," farmed a society called the " Labourers' Friend 

 Society," having more especially for its object the ob- 

 taining a small portion of land for the labourer, " at a 

 moderate rent in addition to the fair price of his labour." 

 They published a very interesting report in the year 

 1835, which I should be glad to extract largely from, 

 would time and space permit. One cannot but feel 

 thankful, after perusing some of their reports, and 

 comparing the state of the labouring population of 

 those days with that of the present generation of 

 labourers, for the great improvements which have 

 taken place, both in a social and moral point of view. 

 But it would be attributing too much to the system 

 they advocated to give it credit for all this improve- 



ment. Various causes have operated to accomplish 

 this end : educslion, improved dwellings, and, although 

 last, not least, an alteration in the poor laws. In Bed- 

 fordshire allotments were laid out on the estates of the 

 Duke of Bedford and Earl de Grey, in the year 1829. 

 In that year it appears that on the former estate, in the 

 parish of Maulden, 18 acres were divided into parcels of 

 from 20 to 40 poles each ; while on the latter estate, in 

 the same year 30 acres were set out in parcels of from 1 

 rood to 2 roods each. Other proprietors soon after- 

 wards followed these examples, until garden allotments 

 became very general. I would, however, here observe, 

 and I beg particular attention to the remark, that it is 

 not my opinion that allotments are suited to all districts ; 

 and that it does not follow that, because they answer 

 well in one locality, that they will succeed in another. 

 It would be a task far beyond my power to point out 

 and describe such districts, residents being by far the 

 best judges in the matter. I would merely observe that 

 where labourers live in villages, as in the midland coun- 

 ties, the system would be more practicable than in those 

 districts where they more generally reside on the farms 

 tlu^y work upon. In selecting ground for allotments, 

 the principal points to be attended to are situation and 

 soil. It is of the utmost importance that they should 

 be within an easy distance of the dwellings of the poor ; 

 and should the village be a long and straggling one, a 

 central position would be the best, unless it were expe- 

 dient to have ground at each extremity. The nature 

 more than the quality oi the soil has to be considered ; 

 for it is astonishing how much poor thin land is im- 

 proved by spade husbandry, while strong heavy clays are 

 wholly unfit for the purpose of allotments, no matter 

 how well they may be drained. Of course, the rent 

 would be in proportion to the quality. As in every 

 other instance, good land would be preferable to bad ; 

 still, its adaptation to the purpose, as being easily 

 worked, is the main point. And now as regards the 

 quantity for each occupier. My experience convinces 

 me that a rood is sufficient under almost any circum- 

 stances ; and the greatest error that has been committed, 

 has been the allotting of too much land to one individual. 

 To dwell upon the evils arising from such a proceeding 

 is scarcely necessary, as it must be obvious that without 

 sufficient capital the occupation of land cannot be at- 

 tended with profitable results. Some instances in con- 

 firmation of this view have come under ray own observa- 

 tion, and I can confidently assert that instead of the 

 position of such men having improved, it has retrograded. 

 Occupied nearly the whole of their time upon their own 

 land, they can no longer be classed under the head of 

 labourers, and they actually injure regular workmen by 

 throwing their labour into the market at seasons of the 

 year when the demand for it is unusually depressed. 

 If it be argued that the restriction of the system 

 would have the effect of preventing a labourer 

 from improving his condition, and effectually debar 

 him from rising in the world by his own industry, 

 I would answer that I am not now discussing the 

 relative advantages of large and small farms, but am 

 confining myself to the agricultural labourer in the 

 broad acceptation of the term. Every employer knows, 



