NON-AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS 325 



small holdings might detract (in the opinion of 

 the owner) from the beauty of the landscape. 

 In this way non-agricultural interests often come 

 in conflict with agricultural, while in other cases 

 the paramount reason may be simply a lack of 

 knowledge on the part of a landlord who leaves 

 the entire management of his estate to an agent 

 — a person generally disposed to favour large 

 holdings in preference to small ones. Whatever 

 the immediate cause, the effect is that much of 

 the land which in Continental countries would 

 be utilized for market -garden or kindred pur- 

 poses fails to yield those substantial quantities 

 of produce with which alone the British culti- 

 vator could hope to offer a supply equal to the 

 demand. 



I conclude this digest of Dr. Levy's paper 

 with the following extract, in which he sums up 

 his general argument : — 



We see now the causes which operated to make foreign 

 competition felt by the English farmer even in what lie 

 ought to have regarded as profitable forms of production, 

 so that he was not in a position to derive full advantage 

 from the increased requirements of his home markets. 

 The reason is not to he sought in the impossibility of 

 securing the remunerative development of these particular 

 branches of agricultural activity. It is admitted that 

 such development was quite possible. Neither can it be 

 said that the conditions of cultivation were worse in 



