xl INTRODUCTION 



dwelling and ramshackle outbuildings, 5 per cent, was assured 

 on the outlay. 



The small holdings and small farms were slowly but surely 

 depleted all over the country, either by the old landowners in 

 the manner before mentioned, or by rich commercial persons 

 purchasing estates and erecting thereon new or enlarging existing 

 mansions, with gardens, stables, and home farms, farmsteads, 

 cottages, everything brought up to date, even to the planting 

 of new plantations as compensation for stubbing up old hedges 

 and the encumbering scrubby trees ; while in not rare instances 

 much land was planted with the object of sheltering and beauti- 

 fying, also rearing and harbouring game with a secondary con- 

 sideration as regarded the trees growing into timber. 



The Agricultural Gang Act was passed in 1867 prohibiting the 

 employment of children of less than eight years old in agricul- 

 tural labour, and in 1871 the country generally was in the heigh- 

 day of prosperity, the industrial classes w r ere able to bear a general 

 rise in prices, and a large increase in wages was a prominent sub- 

 ject throughout the year 1872. The agricultural labourers formed 

 the Agricultural Labourers' Union, and though this was followed 

 by a small rise in wages, it was soon clear that the real remedy 

 for the great poverty and distress of the agricultural labourers 

 was to be found in some change in the land laws which would 

 enable the toilers of the fields to acquire small freeholds which 

 they might cultivate in their own interests. 



In 1873 the Select Committee to inquire into the Game Laws 

 elicited evidence of the destructive nature of hares and rabbits 

 to agricultural crops. The improvements effected by landowners 

 in the way of beautifying their properties by planting forest trees, 

 mostly quick growing, such as larch, Scots, Corsican and Austrian 

 pines, Norway spruce, and silver fir, to form plantations, clumps 

 and belts, or adding to existing woods so as to render them more 

 game-holding, the old woods being too open at bottom, resulted 

 in great contention between landlord and tenant as to who 

 had first claim to the game. The Ground Game Act was passed 

 in 1880, and was, no doubt, the outcome of the Select Committee 

 on the Game Laws in 1873, accelerated by landowners having 

 much land tenantless. 



The Agricultural Holdings Bill, providing for transactions 

 between tenant and landlord with respect to compensations for 

 improvements, was passed in 1875, but was rendered practically use- 

 less by landlords being allowed to contract out of its provisions. 

 This, especially on estates over which the shooting was let by 

 landlords over the heads of tenant-farmers, together with the 

 hand-rearing of winged game, became a serious impediment to 

 agricultural progress. Inclement weather and a disappointing har- 

 vest in 1879 was seized upon as timely for a reduction of rents, 



