New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-04-16
THERURAL LIFE OF ENGLAND
BY CAPTAIN MAYNE REID.
THE FARMER.

parson. | now offer a like outline portrait of him
who NAV be regarded as the typical figure of Eng
lish rural life the Farmer Not as on your slde
The Epchsh farmer is rarely freebooter, that is
owning the land he cultivates. If such, he would
be called yeoman farmer" but these are few, IN
deed in many neighborhOods nOn-eXistent Even
the designation "yeoman" once in common use, Is
now seldom heard, and then more as shadowy
recalling of the past than any present reality
When bestowed, rs it occasionally Is, 1t does not
sensibly elevate The bearer above that general
NAV say universal class known as " tenant
tarmers" who hold their farms by tenancy and pay
rent Tor them Any social distinction between the
two kinds will depend on wealth and other acci-
dents of life rather than difference IN the mode o.
tenure of their lands I'LL.
ISnav here mention another class of agrlcuitu-
rists. distinguished as gentlemen farmers" MoSt
Americans and many Englishmen too, Will very
naturally imagine that a gentleman FARMER Is
one rich enough 70 lead the life OF gentleman
Yet such Interpretation of the title womb DC aito-
cether erroneous. Riches have naught to do with
it, neither has the cultivation OF an extensive
acreage know some men farming between l,oOo
and o 900 acres wealthy men, too who are mol gem
tlemen farmers They may like the name, court H.
and occasionally have it given them In compI-
mentary way as ii is at times loosely DeSto"eu
Still it is not theirs III the sense usually unuerstoou
throughout England, where the gentleman
farmer" is simply gentleman by Dlrth, VINO mas
made choice of and follows flaming for an occupa-
ton He may not even own the land he 'ilis-OIteh
does not but rents it like Others,-nor is the amount
of acres any factor regards his getting the dis
tinctive appelation.
Leaving these exceptional and somewhat vision
orv titles at one side return to the real subject OF
this letter-the tenant farmer" lie holds under
landowner. his landlord, who may be anybody OF
ANYTHING: Squire, rich clergyman, noDlenlah'
wealthy merchant who has purchased an estate Or
rs In many cases. corporation either temporal Va
ecclesiastical The great landed pro9rletorS' now
ever are OStly grandees OF the titled class very
limited number of whom own three-iouIthS ol dii
the land in England. and may add also Scotahu
ond holland The farmer has sometimes lease OF
his holding: but generally, and more OF Iate' MS
tenancy is from year to year. with. on either SIDE
six months notice to terminate it The amount OF
rent navable in hali-yeaIly instruments, depends
on the quality of the land. with its conN enience to
market town and other like circumstances
Some farms are rented at f3 the English statute
acre: n few even higher while Others, III diner
ent district of the country, will be only FL. Inc
average for fairly productive land may be put at -
the acre These Ucre the prices some time ago puV
now all is changed, and through the present aslcu
tural depression hundreds. thousands OF farms are
on almost any terms-certainly with rentals much
reduced .
fEnglish farms are generally of large acreage; II
I mistake not larger than Americans suppose them
10 be- Holdings of 900 acres are not uncommon,
and there are some OF 1000 or even more. This
depends a good deal On the county; farms III the
strictly agricultural snres being the largest ana on
some of these the live and dead stock VIII be
valued at 10000 or $4,000. On the other
hand there are farms of fifty acres, or even twenty
five though they are not numerous enough
For small farm holdings and peasant proprietor
ship" have ever been unpopular in England the
powers that be not liking them. Yet are they just
the thing England wants. though her people,
arrange TO say are little aware of It, The landowners
do all they can to discourage the practice prefer
ring to let their land in large tracts and get their
rents IN a lump sum, with certain other con'eh-
fences accruing. Up TO the present time they nave
had their own way about this the farmers playing
into their hands For if one OF these came 10 grle
and had to turn out there was no fear OF his farm
living unoccuped The farmer bordering upon it
was only too ready to take it in, as an addendum to
that he already held, at the same OF even an in
creased rental In the way of land, the English
farmer is as Oliver, 50 ever asking for more" Never
kn.w one who in his,own estimation, had enough,
and scarce know one who has not nearly double
the quantity he is capable of cultivatlng as IL
should be cultivated l could point to many who,
year after year, have large fields lying faiiow and
unproductivo, simply because they lack The
strength hands and horses to crop them at the re-
ouired time. Encland's weather IS proyeTblally
tickle and he who has not the means to take adj
vantage OF its favoring spells may lose largely by
the want of them. Money will nearly always &C
complisn this-the ready cash to pay laborers
wages and call them up as by drum-beat. But II
fhe money be not there, and a week of fine weather
be missed or sometimes only single day, there
may ne no other chance Cor seed to be got INTO the
ground - it should be, or crop taken OK II. FROM
lust such cause l have seen G1OO worth OF nay
living rotten on the meadows of single 1arin' anu
IN a season Nv no means exceptionally lniavCrable
for hay-making. In point of fact the holders o.
small farms not thus handicapped, are they who
succeed best though it be only in small way.
And better is it for them in the end than for those
with large ones without the capital to work them.
This truth almost selfeyident. is at length begin
ming TO dawn on tine perception OF the English
faIner-not very acute one. But his present
difficulties and necessities have summoned 40 the
strength of his intellect and should he succeed IN
mastering the probem-and find out the mistake
under which he has been long laborng-then new
state of things will arise; and large farms VIII be
undivided into small ones, with a separate home
stead erected on each When this comes to pass-if
it ever dO-yOur Emigration Commissioners OF
Castle Garden will have less work on their hands
Mt least as regards looking after emigrants from
England Taking English farms as they are now
one of 800 acres would not be considered an extra
ordinarily large one, though above the average
The orthodox average size will be nearer half this,
or say 200 acIes and SUCH be it understood, are
the remarks that follow chiefly confined
Approaching the homestead of an English farmer
the traveller if a stranger to tho country, VIII be
surprised TO SEQ it placed in seemingly the very
worst spot on the farm the most involvement for
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