HUNTING IN GRASS COUNTRIES 309 



of the farmer, and, if he or his sons are horsemen, 

 can be made to lit into the work of the farm without 

 much expense. Many farmers do hunt even now in 

 grass countries, and when better times come to the 

 land, as come they certainly must, most of them 

 will doubtless find their recreation as of old in the 

 hunting field. 



But there are other reasons why the farmers as a 

 class support hunting. The farmer is by his business 

 an observant man, though not as a rule free with his 

 tongue, so he cannot fail to note that hunting gives 

 to farmers a very different and much more powerful 

 weight in the social scale than they would have with- 

 out it. It is possible, though not likely, that in some 

 countries the farmers might make a little more indi- 

 vidually out of their farms if there was no hunting. 

 But I think that, though for obvious reasons farmers 

 — who as a class have the wisdom of silence — do not 

 say much they see clearly enough how in many ways 

 their position is strengthened socially and politically 

 by the popularity of hunting. First of all, as long as 

 hunting lasts the farmer has something to give which 

 his fellow-men desire to have — the privilege of riding 

 over his land. He has, in fact, under his absolute 

 power and control a valuable piece of patronage. 

 Whatever may have been the case once, we all recognise 

 this now, and a man who offends the farmers in his 

 neighbourhood is regarded rather as a nuisance to the 

 hunt. Every one who is interested in the hunt is 

 grateful for the privilege generously extended ; and if 

 we can do anything for those who grant it we are glad 

 to be able to do it. Each man who hunts is the 

 farmer's friend, and I think every one will agree with 

 me that the goodwill often takes a practical form. 

 But it is its existence which is the point. While 



