INTRODUCTION 



The Author's earliest connection with the 

 Small Holdings movement dates from 1880, 

 when making an agricultural tour in Cheshire, 

 details of which were published in the Man- 

 chester Guardian. On this journey he was 

 enabled to see something of the work con- 

 ducted by the tenants on the estate of Lord 

 Tollemache, an ardent and devoted helper 

 of small occuj)iers of land. It was owing to 

 this visit and to subsequent correspondence 

 with Lord Tollemache that he was induced 

 to pay close attention to the subject; to see 

 something of the practice in various countries 

 on the Continent; and later to make a more 

 extended inspection of the colonies of small 

 holders established in England. This event- 

 ually led to the direction of attention to 

 the lack of allotments, a matter in which 

 Lord Onflow — one of the ablest and most 



