Farm-Prize Competition, 1880. 
497 
one does here, the daughters of well-to-do, nay, of affluent 
parents, milking cows, and feeding calves, besides undertaking the 
full course of household labour, which, under the circumstances 
I have detailed, is by no means light nor easy. If, then, the 
aspiring young farmer of more southern climes, doubtful if in 
Great Britain any reward can be found for his labours, chooses 
to turn his steps to Cumberland, and is willing to follow and 
emulate the indefatigable diligence which he will here find 
practised, perhaps he may discover in these qualities, even in 
the present times, the highway to success. 
A question arose in the minds of the Judges in considering 
these prodigious and sustained exertions, as to the classes most 
benefited by such self-denying toil. It would be unnatural that 
the farmer himself should not be the chief gainer by self-imposed 
labours which would not willingly be borne by any hired man : 
and we saw enough to satisfy ourselves that, as far as the occupier 
was concerned, scarcely a shadow of the cloud which has fallen 
on Central and on Southern England had been experienced ; but 
we could not avoid the conclusion that, to say the least, the 
cultivator did not absorb more than his fair share of the profits 
created, so to speak, by his own industry. 
On the one hand, the rents paid for most of these farms 
seemed to uphold the conclusion that the landlord got his fair 
share of this increment ; and, on the other, the labourer, with 
his 10s., 125., or even 15s. a week, besides board at his master's 
table, did not present himself to our eyes as the pitiable serf 
which modern writers have loved to depict him. 
An enviable state of things may therefore be said to exist : 
the landlord, the farmer, and the labourer are tiding over 
the misfortunes of the times (which perhaps might be more 
serious if they were met with less courage and resolution), 
with no very great calls one upon the other, though perhaps 
the middle man of the three is squeezed a little harder than 
he likes ; but still no greater strain has yet been put upon him 
even, than he is willing to bear by increased toil and more 
unwearied diligence. 
Of course the principal reason of the comparative immunity 
from severe loss in these counties is to be found in the pastoral 
character of the agriculture ; but even with this feature very 
prominently developed in some other parts of Great Britain the 
suffering has been severe. I cannot, therefore, forbear quoting a 
conversation I had with a farmer who shall be nameless, and 
which may exemplify the financial condition of a northern farm. 
After going round the whole farm the following dialogue 
ensued : — 
" I think you told me last tima I was here that you never 
VOL. XVI. — S. S. 2 K 
