THE ENGLISH LABOURER. 
427 
mistaken. Such a scene will never, I fear, 
be realized upon this earth. The allotment 
system itself will throw out thousands as un- 
worthy to touch the soil which it has appro- 
priated to its most useful purposes. Let us 
look at the chief agent which it embraces — 
Vegetation : it is stirring either in a right 
or wrong direction every hour of our life; of 
what use, therefore, would sluggards prove in 
directing such a power ? or stupiiied drunkards 
far away in the ale-house? or the various 
other inert classes who hate to work, and who 
would rather let their crops rot in the fields 
than answer the demands upon them for ex- 
ertion ? In truth, no system will save such 
men, and at last, if at all, they are fit only 
to be the servants of others — their best master 
being any one save themselves. It is to be 
understood, then, that to such classes, no hope 
whatever is held out in these remarks; and that 
the statements here made have a continual 
reference to men who, while disposed to be 
industrious, are yet debarred from exercising 
that industry to the best advantage. 
The desire evinced by agricultural labour- 
ers to become possessed of a patch of land to 
cultivate on their own account, is little short 
of a passion ; and hence it is, as shown under 
its proper head, that industry and morality 
have accompanied them wherever introduced 
in a proper way. Not only does an allotment 
afford the labourer a subject to talk about to 
his fellow-workmen during the day, but it is 
linked to him by the sweetest of associations 
as the scene where he spends with his wife 
and family some of the happiest of his hours, 
after his regular day's work is over. To foster 
and trace in him this contentment, produced 
by his renting a patch of land, may appear in 
the eyes of some to be but of trifling import ; 
but it is really not so. I believe it to be the 
groundwork of a great part of his happiness, 
convinced as I am that this adaptation to his 
tastes and wishes secures many advantages, 
even if it could be proved that his holding in 
any instance afforded him no pecuniary reward 
at all. In one word, then, take agricultural 
labourers in general, and it will be found that 
they are delighted with the idea of renting an 
allotment of land ; and this is sufficiently 
proved by the high price they offer for it, and 
which avaricious men too often exact from 
them. Though almost superfluous, it may be 
well to hear what they say themselves on this 
head : — 
" I have half an acre of allotment ground ; 
I am assisted in cultivating it by my son ; I 
won't give it up unless forced to do it." — 
James Hunt, Walsham, Suffolk, 
" I have half an acre of allotment land, and 
should like to have more. Allotments are the 
best thing that ever was done in Walsham : 
it is the last thing I will give up." — James 
Wales, Walsham, Suffolk. 
" The land does me good ; I could not pay 
my rent, nor yet keep house, if it were not for 
my land." — Widow Read, Wahham, Suffolk. 
" I formerly received parish relief, and was 
backward in my rent : now I receive none, 
and have always been able to pay my way, 
and I feel happy with my allotment."- — Robert 
Jackson, Skotesliam, Norfolli. 
When an agricultural labourer is found 
emphatically stating that his allotment " is 
the last thing he will give up," it is evident 
his affections, as well as his pecuniary wants, 
are interested. No one therefore, I trust, can 
say that in the suggestion there is anything 
disagreeable to the feelings of the labourer ; 
and in this will be found one of the chief main- 
springs to exertion. 
Of all practical measures introduced for the 
benefit of the labourers, perhaps none has been 
so vaguely defined, and so variously pursued, 
as that falling under the general title of the 
Allotment System. Most pernicious modes 
of letting land to the poor have been intro- 
duced in certain localities in England, and in 
many districts of Scotland, bearing the name 
of Allotments ; and their want of success has 
been invariably put to the account of a mea- 
sure which, under careful management, is 
generally attended with tlte most beneficial 
results. I am anxious, therefore, to point out 
clearly what I mean by the Allotment System, 
how it operates, and to detail some instances 
of the actual working of the plan in districts 
where I have watched its operation for a series 
of years. It is well known that labourers are 
most anxious to become possessors of land as 
sole occupations ; but this does not generally 
answer their purpose. The poor cottar 
tenantry in Scotland, without capital to stock 
and cultivate their land to the best advantage, 
and the pauper farmers in Ireland, are suf- 
ficient proofs that this plan does not afford 
solid advantages to the poor. As a general 
measure, therefore, I exclude it. What I 
recommend is, allotments under the joint 
form, or in connexion with ordinary employ- 
ment. This is by far the most general way 
in which the system has developed itself, and 
is unquestionably the most beneficial to the 
great bulk of our labourers. It would, indeed, 
be of little use to invest all the poor men in 
this country with a piece of land as their sole 
stay through all the vicissitudes of life; for 
many of them, either from want of education, 
or natural activity, or prudence, are not able 
to conduct their own affairs to advantage ; so 
that the scheme, if tried, would end in dis- 
appointment and ruin. There always have 
been, and always will be, a great proportion 
of mankind dependent so far upon the remain- 
