WHAT MIGHT BE AND WHAT IS 269 



tempted to wonder what good results the constant 

 accretion of real property brings to its purchasers. It 

 is easy to understand the action of any man who buys 

 agricultural land, even in large quantities, for the pur- 

 pose of farming the same. But what proportion of 

 landowners actually farm their acres, or even a part 

 of them ? Unless they are driven to it by one cir- 

 cumstance or another, I imagine but a small one. 

 With exceptions, some of them notable, however well 

 they may be able to afford the experiment, this is a 

 responsibility and a labour which they do not face. 

 The gentleman who farms for the love of farming or 

 to try to live out of it is a comparative rarity, and the 

 gentleman who hires land to farm is often looked upon 

 as "a little odd." Some other farmers in their hearts 

 think that it is not quite the thing for him to do. It 

 does not seem to occur to them that of all secular pro- 

 fessions, with the single exception perhaps of that of 

 medicine, farming is really the cleanest and the highest. 



As an example of what I mean I will take the case 

 of many gentlemen's sons. Perhaps these have failed 

 to pass competitive examinations, or perhaps, revert- 

 ing to an earlier type when men lived in more 

 primitive conditions, they have announced that in this 

 way or in that they wish to earn their bread on the 

 land and not in an office. Then what happens? 

 In many cases they are sent off " to the Colonies to 

 farm." Generally this means to work as agricultural 

 labourers, only much harder than labourers work at 

 home. There some of them succeed and some fail. 

 I have known a good number to fail even when they 

 had capital at their backs, for capital can be lost by 

 the inexperienced in colonies. 



A very considerable agricultural authority both in 



