19 



Let us seize upon the land, as people often say. After seizing upon 

 it, the thing is to keep it. The 8ucc«^88ful general, after the victory, 

 leaves a good ^arrison in the captured towns. 



Wo have already a great deal too much land under the plough. If 

 we ploughed less and farmed better, the profits would be larger. I 

 saw the other day a capital book, by an American author. Its title 

 was, " We farm too much land." In it he preaches the concentration 

 of cultivation, and brings plenty of evidence in support of his doc- 

 trine. (1) 



There is also a fact that we see proved every day ; as soon as dairy- 

 ing becomes thoroughly established in a parish, the demand for labor 

 becomes greater than the supply. Laborers have to be imported. 

 Dairying paying the farmer, he at once increases his herd, and he has 

 the means of paying the help he needs. 



Our rural population is by no means too thick ; every place will 

 soon have its creamery or cheesery. In spite of this, there will 

 always be need cf colonisation ; it must be led, aided, in such a way 

 that the settler, that hardy skirmisher of our exploitation, does not 

 despair and abandon, he as well as the man of the old parishes, his 

 task when half finished. 



There will always be settlers to look after, to protect on the flanks 

 of the forest. These are led thither by divers motives ; many of them 

 cannot be induced to take hold of one of the cleared and abandoned 

 farms of our old parishes. No, it is the father of a large family who 

 sells his little farm near the village for the purpose of settling his 

 sons around him and giving to each a large property, the fruit of his 

 toil and foresight ; it is the farmer who met with misfortunes at the 

 old village ; he leaves it for the forest, to hide his trouble, and to re- 

 new his stock of energy and courage ; prosperity may await him 

 there ; it is the son who sees no prospect of inheriting further wealth, 

 who only expects it from the employment of his vigorous arm ; when 

 he has cleared his land, built his house and barn, he will return to 



(1) The other day, at the agricultural congress at Huntingdon, that skilled agronome 

 Mr. Macpherson, of Lancaster, brought forward a farmer who testified to the excellent re- 

 sults of the concentration. This man had failed in exploiting a farm of 150 acres under 

 the plough, and was now doing well on a lot of 50 acres ; he kept more stock and gold 

 more. And he stated this as a fact before the large meeting above mentioned. 



