British Agriculture. 
313 = 47 
arts of the country, rather than more of them. It has been 
ell ascertained that during the last thirty years the agricultural 
opulation has diminished. The circumstances which have 
ed to that continue in full strength. Increased facilities of 
ocomotion between different parts of the country, and for 
migration across the seas, tend more and more to carry off the 
nergetic portion of the agricultural population. This has raised 
he rate of farm wages and the cost of cultivating arable land, 
he prosperity of the w^age-earning class in other occupations 
as, at the same time, vastly increased the demand for butcher's 
eat and dairy produce, and so greatly increased the returns 
rom grass land. The natural result is a gradual conversion of 
uitable arable land to grass, and this diminution of extent is 
ccompanied also by the introduction of labour-saving machines, 
here is thus in both ways a tendency to a diminution of our 
icultural population, the one operating in carrying off the 
blest to more remunerative fields of industry, the other in 
ssening the home demand for agricultural labour. It is a fact of 
eat importance in the consideration of this question that, 
ithin the period between the census of 1861 and 1871, there 
as been a decrease of the country population in every county 
f England except five, and it is only in the suburban counties 
nd in the manufacturing and mining districts that an increase 
as taken place. Future provision for agricultural labourers' 
wellings ought therefore to be in the direction of improvement 
ther than increase. 
Abundant proof might easily be adduced from most parts of 
be country that on the main heads of agricultural improvement 
ere should be no lack of good return. The fact that the outlay 
oes on without diminution, notwithstanding the great increase 
the cost of labour and materials, would alone upset all 
sasoning, and isolated instances, to the contrary. A very Examples of 
istructive paper on this part of the subject was produced remunerative 
y the managing director of the Lands Improvement Company. ^^P*"'^'*"^*- 
t showed a return of forty cases of outlays, not picked cases, 
ut taken as they happened to come, with the increased 
mtals subsequent to the improvements. Upon an outlay in 
le aggregate of 195,00U/. there was an increased rental of 
1,000/. This increase had been obtained within seven to ten 
sars. In only five instances did the increase fall short of 
spaying the annual charge which redeems the principal as well 
5 the interest. In every other case it left a profit beyond this, 
many cases a large profit. On the whole, the increase is 
^ual to a return of 15 per cent, on the expenditure, and if this 
capitalised at the common estimate of thirty years' purchase 
land rent, the sum expended will be found to have been in- 
