Credit 



tinously, is that he may suddenly die and leave 

 his affairs in chaos. Neighbours are neighbourly, 

 and trustees may do their best, but too often a 

 man who seems flourishing, and who would 

 flourish whilst he kept the helm, leaves a deficit 

 simply because though sailing near the wind he 

 was trustworthy enough in the eyes of others 

 to obtain sufficient credit to keep himself afloat. 

 The farmer, therefore, who seeks credit should 

 insure his life for a sum commensurate with his 

 financial operations, and if this policy were 

 deposited with his land bank or credit club, 

 or co-operative society, it would go a long way 

 towards solidifying their position. 



Interwoven with this is the matter of agri- 

 cultural book-keeping. I have dealt with it in a 

 separate chapter, and can only say here that if 

 farmers kept their accounts, took stock and 

 balanced their books once a year, they would 

 find the obtaining of credit much easier, for 

 they would at any moment be able to offer their 

 prospective creditors figures that would bear 

 some reasonable relation to the facls — a relation 

 that at present is too often absent. 



The surest sign of agricultural prosperity is a 

 thriving population of small-holders like that 

 around Boston, Spalding, Wisbech, March, Ely 

 and other centres. Where these exist the com- 



*3S 



