346 HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL 



a very great success. The acquisition of the land 

 appears to be of benefit to those using it as an 

 adjunct to their professions, and the plots at the 

 time of my visit seemed in good condition with 

 fair crops. 



On attempting to discover the reason of half the 

 original number of holdings being given up, I met 

 with various differing opinions on the subject. The 

 shopkeepers seem to have retired because they 

 were tired of it ; one man, who was doing very 

 well with a retail market-gardening trade, had to 

 leave on account of his health ; and I was told 

 that one or two who had gone in for market- 

 gardening gave up because they could not make 

 it pay. I gathered, however, on further inquiries, 

 that in the latter cases it was due to personal 

 incompetence or want of knowledge in proper 

 methods of cultivation. 



There seemed to be a decided opinion that the 

 apparent lack of desire for the holdings, as exhibited 

 by the diminution of the number of tenants, and 

 the absorption of the land by the remaining ones, 

 was not existent in effect ; and that there were 

 many people desirous of acquiring plots of land of 

 2 or 3 acres in extent to use as market-gardens. 



I gathered that more discrimination in the choice 

 of suitable tenants, and a greater personal interest 

 in the scheme by some members of the Council, 

 with a practical knowledge of the people's require- 

 ments, would lead to greater success in the develop- 

 ments of this undertaking. 



