RUINED TRADES.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR-°] SIR,—In commenting last week on Sir H. Maxwell's letter, you opine that " it is not Free-trade, but want of skill and energy, that has damaged farming." In support of this view allow me to quote you an instance where these qualities have grasped a very respectable living. A relative of mine, a young man who relies on himself and not on the gods, com- menced farming three years ago on a mixed farm of about two hundred and seventy-five acres. He has not specialised, but is a general agriculturist. HisInet income has averaged approximately £400 per annum (twice more, once less), after paying interest'on a certain proportion of borrowed capital. I believe the profit per acre, in comparison with most " tillers of the soil," is very creditable. It is a similar spirit, it seems to me, that, in the slow course of time, Britons will have to rely on to find their livings, and not look to fiscal wooden legs and crutches to keep them sprightly.—I am, Sir, &c.,
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE.
Previous page
