Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1882-06-17
EEGLESEE FARMS.

outline portrait in the New York Tribune
of Jhe typical figure of the English rural
life, the farmer: Not as on your side, the
English farmer is rarely freebooter, that
is, owning the land he cultivates II such,
he would be called a "yeoman farmer"
but these are few, indeed, in many neigh-
borbOods non-eXistent. Even the desig-
"ycoman," once in common use, is nos
seldom heard, and then more as a shad
owy recalling Of the past than any pres
ent reality. When bestowed, as it occa-
sionally is, it does not sensibly elevate the
bearer above that general, may say uni
versal, class known as tenant iarmers,"
who hold their farms by tenancy and pay
rent for them. Any social distinction be-
tween the two kinds will depend OH
wealth and other accidents of life, rather
than difference in the mode of tenure of
their lands.
may here mention another class Of
agriculturists, distinguished as gentle
IMAM anu
many Englishmen too, will very naturally
imagine that gentleman farmer" is one
rich enough to lead the lite of gentle
man. Yet such Interpretation of the title
would be altogether erroneous. Riches
have naught to do with it, neither has
the cultivation of an extensive acreage.
know some men farming between 1000
and 1000 acres, wealthy men too, who are
not gentlemen farmers. They may like
the ZANE, court it, and occasionly have it
given them in complementary way, as it
is at times loosely bestowed. Still it is
not theirs, in the sense usually unders God
throughout England, where the gentle
man farmer" is simply a gentleman by
birth, who has made choice of and fol-
lows farming by occupation. He may not
even own the land he tils--0ften does not,
but rents it like others-nor is the
amount OF acres any factor as regards his
getting the distinctive appellatioi.
Leaving the exceptional and somewhat
visionary titles to one side, Ireturn to the
real subject OF this letter the "tenant
! farmer" He holds under landowner,
his landlord, who may be anybody or
anything; squire, rich clergyman, noble
man, wealthy merchant who has pur-
| chased an estate, or, as in many cases,
corporation either iemparal OF ccclesiasti>
cal. The great landed proprietors, how
| ever, are mostly graudees of the titled
class, a very limited number OF whom
own three-fourths of all the land in
England, and / may add also Scotland
| and Ireland. The farmer has sometimes
lease of his holding; but generally, and
more of late, his tenancy is from year to
year, with, on either side, six-months'
notice to terminate it. The amount of
rent, payable in half.yearly installments,
depends upon the quality OF the land,
with its convenience to market town
and other like circumstances. Some farms
arc rented at e3 the English statute acre;
few even higher; while Others. in differ
emit districts of the country, will be only
81. The average for fairly productive
land may be put at 60 to the acre. These
were the prices some time ago; but now
all is changed. and through the present
| agricultural depression hundreds, thou>
sands OF farms are unoccupled, their own
ers seeking tenants tor them on almost
any terms--c,rtainy with rentals much
reduced.
THE SIZE OF FARMS.
English farms are generally of large
acreage; if mistake not, larger than
Americans suppose them tobe. Holdings
of 1000 acres are not uncommon, and
there are some of 1000 or even more.
This depends good deal on tho county;
farms IN the strictly agricultural shircs
being the largest, and on some of these
the live and dead stock will be valued at
10000 or $4,000. On the other hand.
there are farms of City acres, or even
twenty five, though they are not numer-
Gus enough. For small farm holdings
and peasant proprietorship" have been
unpopular in England, the powers that
be rot liking them. Yet they are just
the thing England wants, though her
people, strange to say, ale little aware of