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PREFACE 



GO During the sixty-one years which have passed 

 ^ since the author first became practically interested 

 ^ in Agriculture as a farm pupil, great changes have 

 taken place m the craft to which Aristotle in his 

 ' day assigned the premier rank among callings. 

 In spite of the rare skill and remarkable command 

 of resource exhibited by our leading farmers, recent 

 inquiries prompted by war troubles have made it 

 clear that British Agriculture has lost something 

 of that " pride of place " which it held at the 

 beginning of the period spoken of, when it was 

 '^-. recognized as the teacher in Agriculture of all nations. 

 Apart from peculiar features in our land system, 

 which appear opposed to progress, the main reason 

 uj of this is seen to be that the bulk of our farming 

 community have failed to follow the good lead 

 given. 



However there has also been some progress 

 among our whilom pupils which has made them 

 eclipse their erewhile masters on some not unim- 

 portant points. Just as in matters of constitutional 

 government some of our daughter nations, accepting 

 §the principles of the British Constitution, have in 

 § their freer atmosphere learnt to graft improved new 

 ^practices upon the old stock, which we now gladly 



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