236 SWAFFHAM 



light land on a chalk subsoil, but it is in fairly good 

 condition taken as a whole, and will probably be 

 capable of great improvement by good cultivation. 

 The farm is in an excellent position, but the lack of 

 grass land is a great disadvantage. 



There are 131 acres, a house, and two cottages 

 on the farm. Two barns have been built by the 

 Association for the common use of the tenants, who 

 pay for them at the rate of Is. an acre. The total 

 cost came to 3,407. 



The land is divided up into thirty-three lots, of 

 which twenty-four are of 1 to 4 acres, and nine from 

 4 to 14 acres. The rent charged is from l 2s. 6d. 

 to l 7s. 6d. an acre. The total rent received, after 

 deducting tithe and land tax, is 170. 



The plots are almost entirely taken up by men 

 having other occupations in Swaffham. Several 

 agricultural labourers have 1-acre lots. There seems 

 to be an opinion that a larger area is not beneficial 

 to a labourer in regular work, as he has to pay for 

 ploughing and to buy manure ; but the more striving 

 ones take these allotments with a hope of adding 

 more land in time, when they can rely on catch-work 

 for a living with a sufficient acreage to fill up their 

 spare time. 



There seemed to be already a tendency for the 

 holdings to fall into bigger lots. Two or three of 

 the smaller lots had been given up by roadmen 

 working for the Urban District Council. When 

 these lots were let by ballot they fell to tenants 

 occupying larger holdings. One tenant, an in- 



