30 AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION 



of population and the concurrent increase of 

 production, he says : — 



" The extent to which our progress has 

 been carried is strikingly seen in continually 

 increasing harvests, raised for 45rovisioning 

 the people, and which are the result of pro- 

 gressive applications of capital to the land. 

 Great as has been the effect thus produced, 

 there is reason for believing that we shall see 

 far greater results from the same cause in 

 future years. When our agriculturists shall 

 have been made to feel that their chief 

 dependence for prosperity must be upon their 

 own skill and industry they will find that, 

 like their fellow-subjects employed in trading 

 and manufacturing pursuits, they too are 

 able successfully to compete with those 

 engaged in the same pursuit with themselves 

 in other lands." 



Here speaks the enthusiastic Free-trader. 

 But, while the words were yet in his mouth, 

 already the turn was being taken which was 

 to falsify his optimistic forecast. It is neces- 

 sary to recall all this because it shows that 

 agriculture did not, as is commonly supposed, 

 succumb suddenly or rapidly under the march 

 of industrialism, which was proceeding at the 

 maximum of intensity during the period 

 under review. For many decades it advanced 

 in productivity sufficiently to fulfil in a fair 

 measure the function of feeding the popula- 



