32 Rents ^ Wages ^ and Profits in Agriculture 



country was practically dependent on its 

 own supplies, the rise in prices was much 

 greater than the loss in produce. The 

 population was growing in the towns ; the 

 war increased the expenses of freight and 

 insurance ; other countries also had defective 

 harvests, and often prohibited exports, so 

 that, altogether apart from the Corn Laws, 

 to which the high prices are often entirely 

 ascribed, prices must have been high, and 

 of course rents depend as much on the 

 prices as on the amount of the produce. 



The first half of the nineteenth century, 



say up to the repeal of the Corn Laws, 



/ was marked by very great improvements 



• in agriculture largely under the influence 



\ of the landlords ; but rents fell, somewhat 



owing to the fall in prices which took 



place after the conclusion of the great 



war. 



The repeal of the Corn Laws did not 



