268 
The Survival in Farming. 
Occupiers of small and medium farms — tlie latter not over 200 
acres, he says, have best withstood depression, and he ranks the 
two divisions equally in this respect. The reason he gives for 
their having held up better than large farmers is that the diffi- 
culty of managing labourers and leading them on in their work 
is increased when farms exceed 200 acres. On farms of the 
size named or less, it is remarked, " the farmer is foreman him- 
self at all work." Besides bad seasons and the lack of timely 
reductions of rent, the principal causes of failure are declared 
to have been the farmers' " lack of economy in management and 
inability to suit their habits of living to altered circumstances." 
The causes assigned of success in withstanding depression are 
reasonable rents or timely reductions, with good management 
and economical habits of living. For the consideration of the 
ladies this correspondent adds : — " I attach to the wife of the 
medium and small farmer more than half the credit or blame of 
success or non-success in the business.'" 
So far the evidence, as selected from pastoral districts 
mainly, is not overwhelmingly in favour of the views expressed 
in the preceding portion of this article, as the two last witnesses 
and one Cumberland correspondent are clearly not impressed 
with the virtues of high farming in periods of depression, and 
both favour small or medium farms rather than large ones. On 
the other hand, it will be noticed that the other correspondents 
quoted, so far, are more or less distinctly in favour of high 
farming, and dwell upon the importance of sufficiency of capital. 
On the whole, it appears that in some of the grazing and dairy- 
ing districts referred to, large farmers have done best, while in 
others small or medium occui^iers have had the advantage. 
Turning to evidence from districts in which arable or mixed 
farming prevails generally, I find no distinct answer to my 
questions in a reply from a Lancashire correspondent, who is of 
opinion, however, that small farmers lose a great deal by absent- 
ing themselves from their business to attend two markets in a 
week, not, as a rule, to buy or sell, but, as they explain — "just 
com' to see hoo things was goen." Apparently, the farmers in the 
Lonsdale South-of-the-Sands district, to which the writer 
mainly refers, as a rule, have passed well through the depres- 
sion, whether they are large or small occupiers. 
Writing on North Yorkshire and Durham, Mr, Samuel 
Rowlandscn says that the farming on the east side of these 
counties is generally mixed arable and grass, and on the west 
side chiefly moorland, devoted to dairying and grazing. The 
moorland farmers have stood the depression best, as their young 
cattle and lambs have made fairly good prices, while cheese has 
