36 THE GREAT WAR 



DILAPIDATED HUSBANDBY 



There is another, and a large, class of men 

 who scarcely till the land at all. Every agricul- 

 turist knows of their existence. They farm as 

 " lodgers " ; taking all they can out of the land 

 and putting little or nothing into it. The land- 

 lord is obliged to be content with small rent, 

 because to turn the tenant out would necessitate 

 a large sum to be expended in bringing the ex- 

 hausted farm into heart again ; and many land- 

 lords cannot afford to do this. 1 



The remedy in these cases is for the Govern- 

 ment to take over the farms at a price based 

 on their depreciated condition, to bring them 

 into good condition again, and to sell them on 



1 A few years ago the writer visited a farmer of the type 

 in question. He complained of the soil, the seasons, and 

 the crops. The writer pointed out that his fields were 

 matted with couch and other noxious weeds, that the 

 hedgerows extended for yards over the land, and that the 

 hedge troughs were never cleaned out, etc. He further 

 asked this man to look at a neighbouring farm of the same 

 soil, which was producing at least forty bushels of wheat 

 per acre. " Yes," he replied, " but that farm is owned and 

 tilled by a butcher, who can afford to manure and feed his 

 land ; I drop the seed into the soil and take what comes." 



