274 RURAL DENMARK 



Moreover, long-continued custom, reliance on im- 

 ported food-stuffs and other sources of wealth, have 

 brought it about that our people as a whole seem 

 to wish no change. Now and again the existing state 

 of affairs excites some spasmodic interest in the breast 

 of politicians, but that interest is apt to pass when the 

 difficulties in the way of far-reaching alterations are 

 appreciated. It is quite a question also whether the 

 tenant-farmers themselves as a body do in fact desire 

 any change, even if such a change should result in 

 converting them into freeholders at the cost of a not 

 much greater annual expenditure than they incur at 

 their present rents. Certainly most of them would 

 not favour the creation of large numbers of small- 

 holders, since this is a class which they dislike. 



In conclusion, what are the principal lessons to be 

 learned in Denmark? As I see them, briefly and 

 broadly these : 



(i) That in a free-trade country of limited area 

 and lacking virgin soil, co-operation is necessary to 

 a full measure of agricultural success. (2) That only 

 freeholders, or farmers holding" under some form of 

 perpetual lease such as that suggested by Mr. Waage, 

 which in practice amounts to much the same thing 

 as freehold, will co-operate to any wide extent. 

 (3) That the accumulation of estates which for the 

 most part descend intact from one owner to another, 

 and are hired out piecemeal to tenants, is not con- 

 ducive to the multiplication of freeholders, nor there- 

 fore to the establishment of general co-operation. 



These are the main lessons, but there does not 

 seem to be much prospect that they will be applied 

 in Great Britain. Of course the thing might be done. 



