466 AGRICULTURAL GREDIT.—DAVIDSON. 
ducer. Like the manufacturer, the farmer benefits when he has 
to market his produce, but, unlike the manufacturer, he receives 
little or no assistance from the banks to assist him in production ; 
and it is precisely here that the pinch comes. Our banking 
system provides no credit facilities for the farmer as producer. 
Where, in other countries, farming is carried on on a large scale, 
and where the farmer is as well-known in the business world as 
the manufacturer using the same capital, the question of agri- 
cultural credit does not specifically arise ; and if all farmers were 
farmers on a large scale, like the typical tenant-farmer of Great 
Britain, who, beciuse he operates with a comparatively large 
capital and is well-known, can command eredit, like any other 
producer, on tolerably easy terms, we could trust the farmer to 
get what credit his standing warranted. But large tenant-farm- 
ing is not common with us, and the farmer who is in a moderate 
or small way of business is not known in the business world, and 
does not obtain the credit he requires from the banks on any- 
thing like as easy terms as the small manufacturer or tradesman, 
or retail shopkeeper. Wherever agriculture is followed as a 
business, pure and simple, little difficulty has been found in 
granting the farmer the necessary credit for his business; and as 
agriculture is coming to be pursued more and more as a busi- 
ness, with the market in constant view, it is possible that the 
farmer in the future may get more special benefit from our 
banking system. 
Even as it is, the Canadian banks do more for the farmer 
than any other banking system does. Some eulogists of our 
banking system have applied the term agricultural to it, and 
this, at least, is true, that if ever a commercial banking system 
was entitled to the term agricultural our national system is. It 
is significant that where it is proposed to amend the banking 
system of the United States so as to afford better credit facilities 
for the farmer, the proposal takes the form of a system of branch 
banks such as we have in Canada. The only system which can 
compare with our own in this respect is the Scottish, where the 
famous “ cash credits ” had an enormous influence in developing 
