52 My Little Farm 



a tillage crop, such as oats or turnips. How can 

 he know the final value of reclamation by top- 

 dressing, which may take five years to reach its 

 maximum result and fifty to exhaust itself ? 



When the farm as a whole is transformed, and 

 half a rood kept as before, the peasant has the sense 

 to see that this cannot be merely for show. He 

 knows that no sane man would willingly extend 

 the experiment to the whole area without econo- 

 mic results. In short, the large scale implies an 

 investment, not a mere experiment, and the 

 uninstructed peasant can perceive the difference, 

 if he cannot explain it scientifically. The trans- 

 formation of half a rood is only a matter of a few 

 shillings, and it might be worth attempting, even 

 at a loss, especially when the official expert is 

 expected to have so many " demonstrations " at 

 the end of the year. The expenditure on the 

 whole, omitting a plot, is another matter, simply 

 foolish if not reproductive. 



It is obvious, then, how much more valuable 

 and instructive my scheme is than the Depart- 

 ment's, and it explains why the more intelligent 

 of the peasants pass by the Department's 

 " demonstrations " and travel long distances to 

 see my plot. I do not invite them to see a trans- 

 formation from heather to clover without regard 

 to cost. I invite them to see the difference 

 between the product and the cost of production. 

 Instead of costing a penny to anybody, my 

 " demonstration " makes money. It pays for 

 itself and leaves much over. The practically 



