Page:Blackwood's Magazine volume 137.djvu/437

1885.] come outnumbered by the consumers, and that, in the supposed interest of the latter, cheapness must be the one thing aimed at in our future legislation. But it meant at the same time, and as a certain consequence of this new policy, that the poorer and smaller producer must be gradually crushed out of existence, and that, as far as the production of food was concerned, labour must be economised by the employment of machinery; the expense of buildings must be reduced by the merging of small into large farms; hedges must be grubbed, modern improvements everywhere introduced, and additional skill and capital imported into the cultivation of the land. All this tended, of course, to the same result. The number of small owners and of small farmers decreased; and if Mr Chamberlain could ascertain the present condition of the whole class of freeholders owning less than one hundred acres of land, he would probably find that a very large proportion of them have mortgaged their property to the extent of at least two-thirds of its value – that they are paying interest higher than the amount of an ordinary rent, and are in most cases worse off than a day-labourer in regular employment. Perhaps, however, Mr Chamberlain would tell us that he is referring to a smaller class still – that by "peasants and yeomen" he intends to signify persons with one, two, or three acres of land. Be it so. Does any one who possesses practical knowledge upon the subject suppose for a moment that, except in the case of garden ground in the immediate vicinity of a town, a man can at the present time support himself upon such a quantity of land? There is but one answer to the question. The day of such small proprietors in England is past and gone. Do not let us be mistaken upon this point. Reference has recently been made to the small holdings encouraged and created by Lord Tollemache upon his estate. There is one feature, however, in this case, which renders it entirely different from anything suggested by Mr Chamberlain. It is stated that each of these small holders is expected to have some trade or occupation – that is, something to rely upon beyond that which he can make out of the produce of his land. Now, as each village can only support a limited number of tradesmen of every description, it is evident that the limit must soon be reached at which such holdings can be available for the inhabitants. We would, however, go as far as to say that small holdings may be beneficial even under a wider application of the principle. It is desirable that every labourer should have a fair-sized garden to his cottage, which undoubtedly adds both to his comfort and his content. It is also extremely useful, where practicable, that holdings should exist of a sufficient size to enable the holder to keep a cow, and to grow vegetables and roots, although he may not be possessed of capital sufficient to farm upon a large scale. This, however, can seldom be arranged unless in close proximity to a town or village, wherein the occupier of such a holding resides. The moment it is attempted, under the existing circumstances of farming, to carry out such a project to a large extent, the necessity of erecting dwellings and the necessary buildings even for a very small holding, will require so much capital as to render it impossible that the experiment should be fairly remunerative. It may be safely assumed that where small holdings can be