138 AGRlCULTtRi: AND TARIFF REFORM. 



but to get even liis shoulders above too, and tbat 

 the class of dairy farmers has increased ; but, 

 looking at this matter from the national point 

 of view, we are bound to say that dairy farming 

 employs much less labour than arable farming, 

 or than farms composed of a large proportion of 

 arable and the rest of grass land. It is not the 

 production of milk alone in this country that vrc 

 desire ; but also the production of meat and other 

 food for the people. AVith this object in view it is 

 with alarm rather than otlierv»"ise that we are 

 vritnesses of the constant increase in permanent 

 pasture and daivj farming — a system of farming 

 which, whilst of benefit to both the tenant and 

 landowner, is the very opposite as compared 

 v.ith arable farming judging it from the national 

 point of view. It may be urged that even dairy 

 farmers require a proportion of arable land to 

 grow roots for their cows. "We admit it. 

 ^Vevertheless, the fact remains that with 

 the growth of dairying the acreage devoted 

 to fattening cattle and to corn land dimi- 

 nishes, and we want meat and corn rather 

 than milk; or, preferably, both. We should 

 have both if we were but the sensible and prac- 

 tical people we are generally supposed to be. We 

 may take it that for every 2U0 acres of arable land 

 converted into pasture, there are four labourers 

 displaced ; in fact, it has been placed at a higher 

 figure.* Moreover, the manure from dairy cows 



* Five. See Duke of Bedford's remarkable book, The 

 Story of a Great Estate, published by Mr. John Murray. 



