THE OUTLOOK. 365 



holdings, journals that are strongly in favour of 

 small holders purchasing their land. A timely 

 warning might here be given to those inclined 

 to be lured into buying shces of land on 

 derelict farms in the hope of winning large 

 profits. 



In spite of the richness of our land, England 

 in its yield per acre stands nearly the lowest 

 of continental countries. We can boast of 

 only £4 per acre to our credit, whereas 

 Belgium, with a much poorer soil, produces 

 £20 to the acre. It is probable that the size 

 of our English farms compared to those of 

 Belgium, Denmark, Prussia, and France has 

 something to do with this low yield. The 

 average size of a holding in England is 70 

 acres, whilst in Denmark it is 49 acres, in 

 Prussia 33^, in France 24, and in Belgium 14|^. 



JNIr. Christopher Turnor, in his interesting 

 book Land Problems, states that no farmer 

 can farm individually more tlian 1000 acres 

 with efficiency, and that from the national 

 standpoint the man with 25 acres is the citizen 

 to be ])rized. The latest returns show, 

 fortunately, I think, for the nation, that the 

 farms are becoming smaller in size. However, 

 I would by no means say that there is no 



