CHAPTER XXIII 

 ENGLAND AND WALES 



WHEN we inquire what England has been 

 doing in regard to the organization of 

 her agriculture, in order to meet all the activity 

 in the same direction that has been shown else- 

 where, the reply is far from satisfactory. 



There is no need to disparage the useful pur- 

 pose which, in its way, has been served by our 

 various agricultural associations, whether national 

 or county, especially in regard to the holding of 

 shows and the spread of agricultural knowledge. 

 But the series of sketches already given has 

 shown that most of the countries on the Conti- 

 nent of Europe realized any number of years 

 ago, up to a quarter of a century, that the 

 ordinary type of agricultural society, whether 

 controlled by the authorities or " free," was no 

 longer sufficient in itself to meet the exigencies 

 of a changing sit nut ion, and that improved 

 methods of production, together with organiza- 

 tions of a much more practical type (especially 



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