Cecil James Sharp 
English Folk Song, Some Conclusions [PDF ebook] 

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. The question, too, admits of no doubt. Folk-songs, genuinely and demonstrably English, have already been gathered in their hundreds, and of a quality at least as remarkable as their number. The work of collection, too, on any comprehensive scale, has only just begun. The larger part of rural England is still virgin soil; while of those districts that have already been visited, very few have, as yet, been explored-with any degree of thoroughness. The future, therefore, may hold still greater surprises in store for us.