The dwelling house / by George Vivian Poore.

  • Poore G. V. (George Vivian), 1843-1904.
Date:
1897
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The dwelling house / by George Vivian Poore. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    would liave l)con proiwrtionately eountcractod. If on the farm at Cholderton which I have been describing; the well water had been used for washing; all the excrement of the animals into the nearest river there could have been no in- crease of fertility of the soil, and the animals must have l>e<‘n de|>endent uiK)n im|)ortcd cake and other food-stuffs to a decree which would never vary, instead of, as at present, tending steadily to get less. Among the nostrums which have been suggested for the relief of agricultural distress are ‘ light railways,’ but as im|)ort8 and ex|K>rts are apt to balance themselves, one would fear that the light railway, for every truss of hay or sack of corn which it conveys to the nearest junction, will bring back a frozen carcase^ of meat or its e(piivalent. If, however, thest» light railways (and the existing railways) can bring the refus** of the towns on to the land to increase the agricultural capital in the form of humus, the farmers will certainly have more to sell and our need of imported food (|^er head of |>opulation) will tend steadily to get less, rntil—if I may use the expression we make some serious effort to h ave our im|)orted ‘ cake ’ uiKUi the land in a form in which it can l>e a<lvantageously utilised, our needs for im|>ortation will never get less, and our state of scare as to the sufficiency of our Navy will get steadily worse as the jK)pulation increases. It is very ba<l policy for railways to charge exorbitant rates for the con- veyance of dung, because the less dung they im|>ort the less will be the exjwrt of ])roduce on the return journey. It is imi>o8sible to doubt that the man who increases the fertility of the soil of a countrv deserves well of that countrv and should Ih* encouraged by the State and his fellow-country- men. Professor Otis Mason of Washington has gone so far as to say: ‘ The form of law which does not decrease the amount of taxation projwrtionally to the yield j>er ac're is not in the line of progress.’ And again : ‘ Any law which