James Anderson of Hermiston

Anderson was born at Hermiston, Midlothian the son of a farmer[2] and while still young attended lectures on chemistry by William Cullen, at the University of Edinburgh.

[4] In 1777 Anderson published An Enquiry into the Nature of the Corn Laws, in which he anticipated David Ricardo's theory of rent.

It is this premium which constitutes what we now call rent; a medium by means of which the expence ( [sic]) of cultivating soils of very different degrees of fertility may be reduced to a perfect quality."

He argued also that since where farm land in England was held by capitalists, the farmer would tend to avoid improvements the full return for which would not be received during the lease.

In 1797 he began to reside at Isleworth, and from 1799 to 1802 he produced a monthly publication, Recreations in Agriculture, Natural History, Arts and Miscellaneous Literature.

He was also the author of many pamphlets on agricultural and economical topics,[8] under numerous aliases, including Agricola, Germanicus, and Timothy Hairbrain.