160 CAPITAL THE MOTHER OF LABOUR iv 



The result is the same as before the pre-existence 

 of vital capital is the necessary antecedent of 

 labour. Moreover, the amount of labour which 

 contributes, as an accessory condition, to the pro- 

 duction of the crop varies as widely in the case of 

 plant-raising as in that of cattle-raising. With 

 favourable soil, climate and other conditions, it 

 may be very small, with unfavourable, very great, 

 for the same revenue or yield of food-stuffs. 



Thus, I do not think it is possible to dispute the 

 following proposition : the existence of any man, 

 or of any number of men, whether organised into a 

 polity or not, depends on the production of food- 

 stuffs (that is, vital capital) readily accessible to 

 man, either directly or indirectly, by plants. But 

 it follows that the number of men who can exist, 

 say for one year, on any given area of land, taken 

 by itself, depends upon the quantity of food-stuffs 

 produced by such plants growing on the area in 

 one year. If a is that quantity, and b the minimum 



of food-stuffs required for each man, T = ft-, the 



maximum number of men who can exist on the 

 area. Now the amount of production (a) is limited 

 by the extent of area occupied ; by the quantity of 

 sunshine which falls upon the area ; by the range 

 and distribution of temperature ; by the force of 

 the winds ; by the supply of water ; by the com- 

 position and the physical characters of the soil ; 

 by animal and vegetable competitors and de- 



