W//y Scotland took the Lead. ioi 



much more than half way in contributing to 

 the repayment ; and instead of lagging behind, 

 or waiting to be spurred on to further enterprise, 

 they compete even too much with each other 

 for the possession of farms on terms which have 

 now become more remunerative to the land- 

 owners than to themselves. There is not in 

 England, generally, a similar spirit of agricul- 

 tural enterprise. 



To what is this difference between the two The 



Scotch 



countries to be attributed ? Chiefly to three landowner 



better 



causes, in which the Scotch landowner has the trained 



to his 



advantage : earlier education in, and apprecia- business. 

 tion of, the benefits of land improvement; a 

 better knowledge of the business of landowning; 

 and the general system of leases. To the first, 

 reference has already been made. The better 

 knowledge of their business has naturally flowed 

 from it to the Scotch landowners. They are 

 trained to it by fathers who have been in their 

 day likewise taught to look into the manage- 

 ment of their property. Sir Walter Scott 

 mentions the discussions with which his youth 

 was familiar when visiting his country relations, 



