26 Agriculture and the Community. 



modern lines and from their own personal point of view 

 are taking the safest line in working- their land as they 

 do. If they attempted to strike out in a more enterprising 

 way, they would probably lose the insufficient capital they 

 have and make shipwreck. In any other industry the 

 ordinary economic forces would come into play and the 

 ineflficients would be crushed out by their more successful 

 competitors capturing the markets from them. But in 

 agriculture the ordinary play of economic forces does not 

 act so freely. Land is limited, and so long as a farmer 

 is able to scrape such a return as satisfies him, he may 

 remain in possession of his farm. We have seen that the 

 landowners do not handle their estates as agricultural 

 businesses and are content to leave inefficient farmers in 

 possession so long as the rents are paid. That these two 

 tendencies are potent factors in the maintenance of a large 

 number of inefficient farmers in control of large areas of 

 land in this country, is widely accepted. In the Corn 

 Production Act and in the Agriculture Act passed last 

 year the existence of these farmers is recognised, and the 

 failure of the owners of land to deal with them is implicit 

 in the powers given to statutory bodies to enforce a 

 standard of good husbandry, although it may be doubted 

 whether the powers are likely to be used, or found 

 effective in use. 



Such was the position of farming up to the outbreak 

 of war. Under the stimulus of high profits, and the 

 pressure of the authorities exercising the powers under the 

 Defence of the Realm Acts, the industry improved its 

 output in spite of difficulties due to shortage of labour, of 

 implements, and of fertilisers. The worst of the farmers 



