2i8 PLANT PRODUCTS 



the construction of roads must also be undertaken. Both 

 the quantity and quality of labour are intimately concerned 

 with the supply of proper accommodation. The lack of 

 cottages is undoubtedly very serious in England, but it is 

 not so serious in Ireland, where there are very large numbers 

 of cottages, uninhabitable at present but possible to repair. 



Undoubtedly the climate of Ireland is not that of a corn- 

 growing country, but the use of basic slag and lime would 

 produce more milk, butter, cheese, and calves, and thus 

 relieve the English farmer of part of this work. As regards 

 machinery, very great progress has already taken place 

 in machines for reaping grain and mowing hay, and it does 

 not seem likely that further progress can be of a very striking 

 character. Milking machines have now reached a thoroughly 

 practical condition, and economize labour in a very striking 

 manner. They are not suitable for very small holders, 

 although satisfactorily used on farms which have only 

 twenty cows. The motor tractor and plough are not so 

 advanced, but if men could be trained to understand both 

 the machinery and the land, the efficiency of these machines 

 could be enormously improved. These machines have, 

 however, undoubtedly come to stay, and every effort should 

 be made to overcome the difficulties in connection with 

 them. 



If we have to increase both quantity and quality of 

 labour, we must provide a proper step to enable the labourer 

 to rise in the world. Undoubtedly one of the great attractions 

 of town life lies in the fact that a man has a much better 

 chance of advancement. Whatever the merits or demerits 

 of smallholdings may be, they provide a very valuable step 

 between farm labourers and farmers, and even if small- 

 holdings were not in themselves very efficient food producers, 

 it would still be worth while pushing them, to encourage 

 labour. 



The only cure for the unsatisfactory conditions of buying 

 and selling among smallholders seems to be some system 

 of co-operation. It is difficult to see how any system of co- 

 operation among smallholders can be superior to that wliich 



