SMALL HOLDINGS 179 



small holdings in England would seriously 

 curtail the possibilities of sport on a large 

 scale. In the case of certain land required for 

 small holders at Piddington, in Oxfordshire, 

 one of the chief objections raised was that 

 sport would be interfered with by the creation 

 of the holdings. 



" Up to last year," says a villager in Shrop- 

 shire, " we have had very few foxes in this 



district, so few indeed that has given 



twelve acres of land to be planted with gorse 

 so we may expect plenty of foxes in the 

 future." Men wait in vain for land in Shrop- 

 shire, upon which they and their families 

 may live, but a breeding place for foxes is 

 willingly granted. 



On the other hand, some of our great 

 landowners, less selfish or more foreseeing, 

 sympathise with the reasonable ambitions 

 of their humbler neighbours, or believe in the 

 business value of small holdings. The present 

 Duke of Marlborough, e.g., has openly acknow- 

 ledged his convictions that there are few 

 inducements to accept the existing conditions 

 of the countryside, and that a greater sub- 

 division of the soil is necessary if the rural 

 exodus is to be checked. As to the practical 

 side of the question, there is ample evidence 

 to show that, from the point of view of rent, 



