140 THE RURAL PROBLEM 



acres of poor land was let at 33s. per acre, whereas a large neigh- 

 bouring farm of between 300 acres and 400 acres realised but 12s. 

 or 13s. an acre. 



N.B. — There is so much demand for small holdings that the 

 rents of these are often put up much too high. Rider Haggard 

 suggests that County Councils should take large parcels of land 

 and let out in small holdings at proper rents. 



Gloucestershire . 



Freehold farm, cottages and land, 3G7 acres, rent 13s. per acre. 



Two freehold farms, with cottages, buildings and land, 980 

 acres, rent 5s. 6d. per acre. 



Freehold farm, with cottages and land, 219 acres, rent 10s. per 

 acre. 



A large area of the Cotswold land is let at rents varying from 

 5s. to 10s. the acre. 



Warwickshire. 



Near Nuneaton the average rent is 17s. 6d. per acre. 



Between Coventry and Birmingham, heavy arable land, rents 

 10s. to 15s. per acre. 



Kenilworth, 20s. to 29s. per acre. 



Near Redditch the average rent is 25s. Dairy land, 20s. to 

 60s. 



Near Alcester, rents 13s. down to 2s. 6d 



Between Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon, 15s. to 20s. 



Southern end of county, rents 17s. to 27s., and 35s. to 40s. 



The following are the rents of 5 farms on the Earl of Camper- 

 down's estate, their average size being just over 200 acres : 



s. d. 



Northern part. — Hill land rents, 15s. ; mixed farm rents, 20s. ; 

 rents (best farms), 26s. to 35s. ; average, 20s. to 30s. 



Southern part. — Mixed farm rents, 21s. to 26s. ; pasture farm 

 rents, 35s. 



The gross rental of a large and typical Shropshire estate of 

 7,000 acres was, in 1901, 18s. an acre. It is an instructive fact 

 that almost the entire loss (i.e., from the previous gross rental of 

 23s. per acre) is due to the reduced letting value of farms over 

 50 acres, those under 50 acres having practically held their own 

 as a source of income. This estate may be divided into three 



