102 ENGLISH AGRICULTURAL LABOURER. 



of trade union organisation. The old " National " dis- 

 appeared along with the meteoric newer unions, which de- 

 pended largely for their existence on the oratory of Single 

 Taxers, or Land Nationalises. This is not to be wondered 

 at when one realises that in 1894 wheat had reached the 

 lowest price in the whole history of English agriculture. 

 Land was steadily going out of cultivation, and farmers 

 had either not the heart, or were too conservative to adapt 

 themselves readily to the production of milk, which became 

 the most profitable kind of farming. Besides, landowners 

 in many instances could not or would not make the neces- 

 sary alterations in buildings. Labourers had not the cour- 

 age to ask for a rise of wages on a rapidly declining market ; 

 though had they consistently done so and obtained higher 

 wages these might have become the best fertiliser our 

 derelict fields could have received. Scotland, which main- 

 tained a higher standard rate of wages, did not feel the 

 depression to anything like the same extent as England. 

 In fact, Scottish farmers, attracted by the low rents, came 

 south to seek their fortunes. They may not have succeeded 

 in making fortunes ; but they made a living where the less 

 efficient and more conservative English farmer failed to 

 carry on. 



It is said that high rents in Scotland make the farmers 

 cultivate their land thoroughly well. Possibly higher wages 

 would have made English farmers try newer methods 

 turn from corn to milk and stock raising with greater rapid- 

 ity. Denmark had to face the same avalanche of cheap 

 imported corn, and met it with resilient fortitude. Not 

 that I wish to imply that the blame of low wages and 

 bad conditions rests upon the shoulders of unprogressive 

 farmers. We had unprogressive landlords with tiresome 

 covenants on the land, whose one idea of easing the situa- 

 tion was that of reducing the rent. This no doubt was a 

 wise step, but in some districts it would have been better 

 if they had reduced the game as well. 



Whilst the changing world conditions in cereal farming 

 made the Dane alter his land system, educate its farmers 

 and farmers' sons in every phase of agricultural economy 



