THE PRICE OF LAND 247 



reason of the fact that every Englishman, more or less, 

 who has prospered, thinks it is incumbent on him 

 to set up his ' place ' in the country, if he should not 

 have one already. In either case a higher price would 

 often be forthcoming than could be afforded by a 

 cultivator who desired the land as a means of obtaining 

 a living thereon. 



Still more do these considerations apply in the 

 neighbourhood of a town, or of a village not too far 

 from a railway-station that is to say, in precisely those 

 localities which the small holder who wanted to start 

 market-gardening, or some other such business, would 

 find the most desirable for his purpose. Here he might 

 have to compete with the retired professional man, 

 merchant, or tradesman, who, though unable to buy 

 a large estate, wished for ' a bit of land,' which he 

 could either build on or, at least, feel a pride in owning, 

 and for which he is not disposed to look too closely at the 

 price, assuming he finds what suits his fancy. Alterna- 

 tively, the local publican or blacksmith may be on the 

 look-out for a garden, or a local tradesman may require 

 some accommodation land for his horse. These indi- 

 viduals, again, would be prepared to give for a piece of 

 suitable land of which the quantity within a convenient 

 area will be limited a higher price than should be paid 

 by a cultivator who wanted the land only for the 

 purposes of profitable cultivation. 



So, to begin with, the would-be small owner, standing 

 as a solitary unit, might agree to buy land at a higher 

 price than he ought to pay from a commercial stand- 

 point even if he had the money. But he has not got 

 the money. He possesses a certain sum, and this 

 the seller of the land agrees to accept, the remainder 

 being left on mortgage. Should he be a promising 

 man, and have a few sturdy sons, the lawyers may 



