176 PROBLEMS OF VILLAGE LIFE 



steady man, and despite the handicap of a 

 heavy rent ! Other striking examples of 

 successful small-holders are given by the 

 Commissioners, whose enquiries have resulted 

 in highly satisfactory reports as to the high 

 class cultivation of the holdings. Conclusive 

 testimony is also borne to the sterling integrity 

 of the average small-holder as regards the 

 payment of his rent. " On the whole, it 

 may be said that the small-holders have come 

 through the ordeal very creditably, and that 

 their record will compare favourably with that 

 of the general body of farmers." 



Fresh implications for small holdings, which 

 in England average from thirteen to fourteen 

 acres, still continue, and, as we have seen, 

 thousands of applicants are still unsatisfied. 

 But as regards the land hunger for lesser plots 

 of ground, in the shape of allotments, the 

 demand has to a large extent been already 

 satisfied. That allotments may at times, 

 e.g., when pigs are kept, prove of real benefit 

 to the labourer, is unquestioned. On the 

 other hand, this means of adding to the 

 labourer's income is frequently precarious 

 and unsatisfactory. The care and cultiva- 

 tion of allotments at considerable distance 

 from a man's home is generally tedious and 

 difficult, while the rent charged for accommo- 



