Small Holdings and Agriculture 



creation of these societies, but apparently it 

 will be necessary first of all to persuade not 

 only agriculturists, but County Councillors also, 

 of the advantages of co-operation. 



It seems hardly possible that the essential 

 advantages of co-operation could be misunder- 

 stood by any County Councillors, but I have 

 actually heard it said in more than one County 

 Council — when the letting of land to a co- 

 operative society was before the committee — 

 that such a proceeding would be dangerous in 

 the extreme, as the men would combine to pay 

 no rent. This objection was in each case taken 

 quite seriously 



Co-operative societies for taking land will 

 probably be formed most easily in the neigh- 

 bourhood of towns ; for instance, one has been 

 doing very well at Leicester for some years. 



In the development of the movement a 

 certain amount of method should be observed 

 in the situation chosen for small holdings. 



Economy in transport is a very important 

 consideration, so that each large city ought 

 to be surrounded by an inner circle of very 

 small holdings, market gardens producing the 

 vegetables and small fruit ; and then an outer 

 circle of larger small holdings producing milk 

 and dairy produce, the farms getting larger as 

 the distance from the market increases. 



Naturally this cannot becom.e a hard and 



253 



