The Farmer 



without some sacrifice ? The landowner must 

 be ready to give up some of his sporting 

 amenities ; the very large farmer, in some dis- 

 tricts, must resign a portion of his farm for 

 smaller holdings ; and the labourer will have 

 to take his share by paying the rates on his 

 cottage, and by making himself a more efficient 

 cultivator. 



Labourers cannot expect farmers to be willing 

 to give up land to men obviously incapable of 

 properly managing small holdings. There are 

 too many instances where the labourer has 

 proved himself to be anything but a competent 

 cultivator. 



I have studied the farmer in many different 

 countries, in the New as well as in the Old 

 World; and one of the features that impress me 

 most strongly in English agricultural condi- 

 tions is the difference that exists between the 

 exceptional men and the average run of farmers. 

 Each county has its quota of show men, the 

 stars of their industry — men who can make 

 money whether agriculture is depressed or 

 whether it is prosperous. 



In the past the English stage suffered much 

 from its star actors, brilliant exponents of their 

 art, made to appear still more brilliant by the 

 shortcomings of the rest of the cast, and the 

 whole play suffered; but this has been realised 

 and to a considerable extent remedied during the 



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