4:U=168 
Farm Capital. 
Labourers' cot- Lolouvers' Cottages. — Cottages for the residence of the laboure 
tages. and artisans engaged in various agricultural operations are inv 
riably provided by the landlord. They are usually erected 
points convenient to the homesteads, so that a supervision of t 
cattle and premises can be secured. The cottages are ordinari 
built of brick or stone, and occasionally of loam, or other suital 
material for the purpose, and are covered with tile, slate, or thatc 
according to circumstances and locality. They usually conta 
a living-room and scullery or washing-place, with a small pant 
for food on the ground-floor, and three bedrooms over. T 
cubical contents of a cottage containing two rooms on the grou 
floor and three bedrooms, vary usually from 7500 to 9000 f 
Where a large number of cottages are erected on an estate, ap 
portion- — say 2 in 7 — contains only two bedrooms. The pre 
cost of building cottages with five rooms in pairs or blocks 
three, with the necessary offices and water-supply, varies fn 
140/. to 210/. per cottage, dependent, of course, upon the size, 
character of materials, and the greater or less perfection of wo 
manship. The gardens are generally laid out with an area 
15 to 20 poles to each cottage. The rent paid by a labou 
working on the farm to which these cottages are attached vau 
from Is. to Is. 6rf. per week, in the southern counties, to 2s. . 
or 3s. 6rf. in the midland or northern districts of Engla . 
Do not pay as The income in the shape of rent which is obtainable from J 
an investment, farm-labourer bears no reasonable proportion to the interest, s 
an investment, of the money spent on the erection of cottaj . 
They clearly must be regarded as much a part of the worki - 
arrangements of the farm as the barn, stables, &c., and the ) s 
of income between the rent receivable and the reasonable intei t 
of money on their cost is balanced by their value to the ten t 
as part of his holding. As a rule, one cottage per 75 acre >f 
mixed arable and pasture land may be considered to afford are e 
labour for the cultivation of the land. The result of the • 
productive character of investments in the erection of cotta s 
has been that on estates of the largest and wealthiest ] i- 
prietors they are almost invariably of a sufficient and most cii- 
fortable character, whilst on the smaller properties this requ 
ment has been less perfectly met. It may, however, be remar d 
that the erection of superior cottages, with good gardens, ;t 
at moderate rentals, from philanthropic rather than commci il 
motives, if carried beyond the reasonable agricultural requ 
ments of the district, has had the tendency, under certain ( i- 
ditions, to reduce the wages of the agricultural labourers. T'y 
have been unwilling to leave these pleasant homes, their numlrs 
have increased beyond the existing market for their labour, id 
their wages have consequently been depreciated. 
