CHAPTER XV 



THE PROSPECTS OF HUNTING IN GRASS COUNTRIES 



Farmers and Hunting — Masters and the Crowd — Grass Countries 

 — Hunting Strengthens the Farmer's Position — Its growing 

 Importance to him — Hunting a Sport without Vested Rights 

 —"Borderers" and Capping — Dangers to the Popularity of 

 Hunting — Wire — Poultry Funds. 



Hunting rests ultimately on the public opinion of a 

 district in its favour. No one can deny that in the 

 Shires this opinion is on the whole strongly in favour 

 of hunting. So much is this the case that the dis- 

 affected are often silenced and sometimes obliged to 

 give a reluctant consent and support to hunting. But 

 this secret dislike to hunting, which I shall have to 

 write of later, is not as a rule to be found among the 

 farmers. On the whole, hunting is undoubtedly a 

 benefit to farmers as a class. I say as a class, because 

 I do not think that in grass countries farmers as 

 individuals make much, if any, direct profit out of 

 hunting. I was once trying to point out the benefits 

 of hunting to a farmer who would not take down his 

 wire. " I don't see where I come in," he said. " I 

 grow no corn ; I cut no hay ; and you surely won't 

 tell me that the hunt coming over my land makes 

 much difference in the price of beasts." I endeavoured 

 nevertheless to point out to him that this was the 



case ; that the class of people who made up the hunt 



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