Fortunes for Farmers 



more labour, horseflesh, and manure. The old 

 style of drilling corn and then reaping it will 

 not do, yet the old farmer objects that he has not 

 the money to do more. The same man will stock his 

 grass land with perhaps .£20 worth of beef to the 

 acre, and get a very poor return! But he is more 

 than conservative, he is stubborn. For every one 

 that is persuaded to grow such things as potatoes 

 or peas or mustard, a hundred have said, " my 

 land is not suitable," and refuse to discuss it 

 further. The only thing that will move them is 

 a neighbour's example. 



We are only just beginning. England is one 

 enormous mouth, a huge market, and the amount 

 of eggs, butter, fruit, vegetables, beet-sugar, 

 poultry, and bacon imported, paying freight 

 from the other side of the world, should make us 

 blush. We ought to be supplying our own market, 

 not crying for Protection. The only protection 

 of any use is the armour of our wits and the shield 

 of our enterprise. 



Wherever land is fit for agriculture (some is 

 not) if the farmer cannot succeed it is his own 

 fault, and he must alter or disappear. This 

 summer I made a partial survey of mid-Lincoln- 

 shire, and saw remarkable sights. A farmer near 

 Horncastle showed me his books. He had recently 

 purchased some land, esteemed poor and worth- 



4 



