82 THE LAND AND ITS PROBLEMS 



It is not implied uiat ownership in itself is the only cause 

 of a high state of agriculture, but it is seen to be a 

 constant and important factor. 



Considering the problem solely as it affects the United 

 Kingdom the questions of interest are : — 



(i) Why did tenancy become practically the universal 

 form of tenure ? 



(2) Has this form of tenure been satisfactory from the 

 economic point of view ? 



(3) Are changes necessary to meet the needs of the 

 present and, as far as can be foreseen, future condi- 

 tions ? 



In regard to the first point, causes other than 

 economic come in and play their part. 



As already stated, one effect of the Napoleonic wars 

 was to reduce the number of small owners and to 

 increase the number of tenants. The large landowners 

 and rich townsmen were buying out the small owners, 

 and if a man wanted a farm he had to rent one. 



If during the last forty or fifty years we have neglected 

 cereal growing, in the early decades of the nineteenth 

 century we overdid it ; everything was sacrificed to 

 growing wheat. Little wheat could be imported and the 

 required amount had to be grown at home ; prices rose 

 till few farmers could resist the temptation of going in 

 for wheat growing, and much land that was not suitable 

 for wheat was nevertheless planted with it. Farmers 

 gambled in wheat, with the result that many of the 

 smaller owners went under and were obliged to sell 

 their land. Where the tenant failed, he simply went 

 out and another took his place. 



Another cause was the enclosure of common fields ; 

 this process crowded out the small owner, his land 



