TALPA LOQUITUR. 155 



" And the higher the price Wheat is kept at, the 

 Ixjtter it pays, the greater the premium, in fact, on 

 that kind of 'farming,' the higher the sham-rents 

 offered over the head of the fair tenant, the smaller 

 the inducement to steady and fair cultivation, the 

 greater the breadth of Wheat unfairly gro\vn, the 

 greater the consequent glut upon the corn-market, 

 and the injury done to the honest grower who has 

 earned one large grain crop by growing roots and 

 feeding plenty of stock, instead of raking the land by 

 frequent and diminishing crops with no stock at all. 

 Is that to your liking ? Will you pray that the in- 

 ducement may continue of that style of farming? of 

 that style of competition ? of that style of rent-raising, 

 that ends in ruin to the beggared land, the ignorant 

 landlord, the foolish tenant, and the defrauded la- 

 bourer?" 



Mr. Greening looked thoughtful, " Well there's 

 something in that, perhaps ; but how 's it to be 

 stopped ? How 's them sort o' farmers to be put an 

 end to?" 



Now it was the other's turn to be a lion. So the 

 savage beast sat right opposite to poor Greening, and 

 glaring fiercely in his face growled out " Now look 

 at me like a man don't faint and I'll tell you. 



