The Farmer 



I am well aware that from the tenant's point 

 of view his capital is better employed as work- 

 ing capital on a rented farm, than if sunk in 

 the actual purchase or part purchase of the 

 land itself. But the tenant would not be asked 

 to sink his capital in the purchase of land — he 

 would have it as at present for stocking his 

 farm ; and the land bank (or its equivalent) 

 would supply the purchase money on easy 

 terms. 



Even with the most perfect arrangement I 

 know that the idea of maintaining buildings in 

 repair fills the mind of many a tenant with 

 alarm ; — that many average men could hardly 

 find an extra ;/^20 a year to spend upon repairs. 

 But when our agriculture is organised there will 

 be credit banks to help in such matters — though 

 the man who is working on such a narrow 

 margin that he fears that he cannot pay for 

 necessary repairs is clearly under-capitalized for 

 the size of his holding, and cannot at the 

 present moment be doing his full duty by the 

 farm. 



Mr. Simmons, to support his contention that 

 the present system of land tenure was the most 

 satisfactory possible, cited tbe case of a man 

 who began life with two hundred acres and was 

 now farming twenty-two thousand acres. It is 

 some consolation to reflect that fortunately 

 there are not many such men in England, for 



lOI 



