TRIED TO SAVE THE SITUATION 27 



and situated on clay or red loam, of good 

 quality, underlying the chalk. For about twenty 

 years before the War it had been occupied by 

 successive owners, but previously its rental 

 value would probably have been 10s. or 12s. an 

 acre. In 19 16, when the farm was brought to 

 the notice of the Board, the owner and occupier 

 of the farm was a wealthy business man who 

 only occasionally visited his property, which was 

 managed by his bailiff. A Report made to the 

 Board in February 191 7, showed that the farm 

 was then in a deplorable condition, due to an 

 utter lack of business management. There 

 were 1 7 corn ricks on the farm of the harvests 

 of 1914, 19 1 5, 19 16, all infested with vermin 

 and rapidly wasting. The stock comprised 13 

 horses, 100 ill-conditioned sheep, and 16 young 

 cattle. There was an indifferent equipment of 

 implements, including two serviceable grass- 

 cutters and two binders, but much of the 

 machinery lying about was broken down or out 

 of order. The arable land had been allowed to 

 get extremely foul, and nearly 200 acres were 

 stated to be in such a condition that only a 

 summer fallow and a most thorough cleaning 

 could possibly restore it to a condition in which 

 it could grow crops. The labour on the farm, 

 though scanty, was sufficient, properly directed, 

 to have produced far better results." 



This last remark is interesting, because it 

 illustrates the point that, however efficient farm 



