A 



PREFACE 



T the very beginning of this book I 

 must pay a humble tribute to Prince 

 Kropotkin, that great man who has 

 given so much thought to land and 

 land problems. It was his work, " Fields, 

 Factories, and Workshops," that first aroused 

 my interest in land, and in the study of the 

 productiveness of the soil and the possible yields 

 of foodstuff per acre. 



Scientific interest in the land is sadly lacking 

 in England, and a "land tradition" is practically 

 non-existent. Never in the history of our country 

 has there been such need as now for a land 

 tradition which would tend to make land 

 recognised as the greatest national asset, and 

 the land problem as the one problem that 

 lies at the root of all social reform. Not only 

 do we need a public opinion keenly interested in 

 land ; it is equally necessary that those depen- 

 dent, wholly or in part, on urban industries shall 

 be brought to realise, and to realise to the full, 

 that it is essential for their own benefit that they 

 spare no effort, however costly, to encourage agri- 

 culture. Then, and not till then, will our great 

 rural industry receive the consideration it deserves. 



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