40 AGIUCULTirRl^ AND I'ARIFF REFOHM. 



or market gardening ground, Avliicli always 

 realises more rent than average-sized farms of, 

 say, 200 to 400 or 500 acres. 



Concerning the value, however, of agricultural 

 land, the following figures are even better than 

 those supplied by official Government publications, 

 and they have the merit of referring to a county 

 — Lincolnshire — which is pre-eminently agri- 

 cultural. They were published in the " Notting- 

 ham Daily Guardian," on June 25th, 1004:, in an 

 article headed " The Value of Land in Lincoln- 

 ghire." The writer says : — 



" A farm of ^15 acres was recently submitted to 

 auction, and although it cost the vendor not less 

 than <£15,000, the highest offer Avas i!4,000, a 

 decrease in value of nearly three-fourths. At 

 Aisthorpe, too, only a year or two ago, an estate 

 of 890 acres came into the market, and the 

 highest bid Avas £25,000. The owner (Mr. Ealand) 

 gave for it more than double the sum. Decreases 

 of 50 per cent, are common. A well-known 

 Lincoln gentleman has an estate at Caenby, for 

 which he gave over £50,000. He also spent about 

 £10,000 in improvements, but it is a v/ell-known 

 fact that he would accept £30,000 for it novr, if 

 anyone would but make an oifer. Aid. Bovding 

 25 years ago bought a farm in Dunston Fen at 

 £20 an acre, but the same land two years ago 

 passed to the posession of Mr. Webster, of Martin, 

 at £35 an acre — and this included the inventory ! 

 There was a striking case, too, only a few vrccks 

 ago at Northorpe, near Gainsborough. About 

 1820 Mr. Coupland purchased a farm there for 



