RURAL ENGLAND OF TO-DAY 43 



conducted with the primary object of 

 " paying." There are certain obvious 

 advantages in this from the point of view of 

 the farming tenant in a bad season. But the 

 absence of economy and the absence of 

 business ideas mean that the land is not used 

 in the most profitable way. Any question of 

 improvement, whether in respect to housing, 

 farm buildings, waste ground or woodland, is 

 frequently regarded from other points of 

 view than those of economic management. 

 Much expense is incurred for which the land 

 itself, and the character of the farming, afford 

 no warrant. Complaints are often heard of 

 the impossibility of obtaining a commercial 

 return for capital spent in cottage building 

 and the like. The answer is supplied by what 

 has been said above. The money is seldom 

 spent on the same principles as those by which 

 ordinary business men guide their conduct. 

 In many instances the real return which is 

 aimed at, consciously or unconsciously, is 

 social standing, the dignity attaching to a 

 large estate, good shooting and fishing, the 

 absence of unsightliness, the amenities of 

 country-house life. It is precisely these 

 considerations which sometimes render large 

 estates an attractive investment in the eyes 

 of wealthy men, who regard the land not as 



