Letter: Rural bliss

Sir: True country dwellers may well say good riddance to Henry and Dinah (leading article; "An everyday tale of non-country folk", 29 January), but I cannot agree that the fewer people there are in the countryside the better.

Larger farms and increasingly mechanised agriculture have given us the empty countryside of today. They have also led to impoverishment of the environment and loss of wildlife.

Encouraging the development of smaller mixed farms could help to revitalise the countryside, providing much-needed employment, and ultimately making it a more attractive place for visiting town-dwellers.

Yours faithfully,

Rosemary Lincoln

Great Glemham, Suffolk