582 
Farm-Prize Competition, 1880. 
vicinity of Morecambe Bay, he asserted that much of the land 
in these counties was naturalhj free from twitch, and that its 
introduction was only attributable generally to the use of foreign 
grasses. For his part, he never used anything but the grass 
seeds grown on his own farm, suffering a piece of grass each 
year to get into the ripening stage before cutting, and saving 
the seeds ; and he never suffered from twitch. 
These, then, are some of the natural causes at work in favour 
of the Northern farmer: and now let us look at the artificial ones. 
(2) First among these in rank comes the question of labour — 
in which, I conceive, he possesses other decided advantages. For 
generations has the Cumberland and Westmoreland labourer been 
as superior in morale to his fellows of the South as he has in 
physiffie. He is therefore accustomed to the every-day perform- 
ance of tasks from which the latter would revolt, even were 
he as equal to them as the other. Add to this, the constant 
supervision from dwelling in the same house as his employer, 
and the superiority of fare from living at the same table, and we 
have some explanation of his greater capability. His greater 
willingness probably springs from an ambition to rise, which is 
easier of fulfilment with him than with the Southern labourer. 
Where master and man are so much more nearly equal socially, 
there is more chance for a superior servant to push his way. 
Two, if not more, of the candidates in Class II. in this competi- 
tion were the architects of their own position, and had raised 
themselves from this very class of which I speak. 
Lastly, I shall briefly mention one other circumstance, which, 
although a minor one, is not without its influence in giving an 
advantage to Northern agriculture. The smallness of the bur- 
dens on land in the North was a matter of frequent remark by 
the Judges when making the necessary inquiries about the out- 
goings of the farm. Tithe seems almost unknown, or, if paid, 
is generally a most insignificant item. Poor-rates, also, are 
often barely half what they are in the South ; whilst the road- 
rates, from the abundance of local material, form scarcely ever 
more than a nominal charge. 
These remarks may be taken for what they are worth. Certain 
it is that whilst in the South ruin has been gradually creej)ing 
upon the farming interest, in Cumberland and Westmoreland 
small traces can be found of any such calamity ; and although I 
do not here pretend to probe the question to the root, I could 
not conclude this Report without some attempt, however leeble, 
to point out and classify some of the causes which have led to 
this significant and painful contrast. 
