136 EVILS OF THE PRESENT 



can scarcely be estimated at less than quadruple 

 that which has to be borne by the large farmers. 

 There is a limit to agricultural buildings, which 

 if either landlord or tenant shall exceed, they 

 entail upon the soil, not only the original un- 

 necessary cost, but also the annual expense of 

 keeping the same in repair : 1000/. will erect 

 sufficient household accommodation to A. and C., 

 but 257. will not provide the same for E. If 

 1000Z. is the limit on 200 acres, then 251 is 

 the limit on 5 acres. Granting that with 

 spade husbandry A. and C. should require 500/. 

 in addition for labourers' cottages, it still leaves E. 

 more than the one half behind. The consequence 

 is, that as a labourer depending upon labour 

 extraneous of his small holding, he must supply 

 the balance. Hence the curse of the small 

 farms of Ireland. They have to support house- 

 hold accommodation for the labourers of the 

 large farms, whether their occupants as labourers 

 receive employment or no. In other words, 

 they have been instrumental in doubling the 

 number of labourers, which the present system 

 of husbandry requires. The industry of both 

 landlord and tenant has here been turned into 

 a fruitless field. Neither can regain what they 



