Agricultural Wages 127 



reverse. On the other hand, under normal 

 conditions the supply of labour in the 

 country districts increases, even when it is 

 not unduly stimulated by the lax adminis- 

 tration of an injudicious poor-law. 



We find even at the present time in 

 some parts of Ireland and of the High- 

 lands of Scotland, examples of congested 

 areas. In the past the natural tendency of 

 the supply of agricultural labour to outstrip 

 the demand was intensified by the action 

 both of accumulated custom and direct 

 legislation. 



It is only quite recently in England 

 that the natural over-supply of labour has 

 been checked, and that we find complaints 

 of the scarcity of labour in some agri- 

 cultural districts. As already shown, 

 till well on in the nineteenth century, 

 there was always a glut of agricultural 

 labour. 



