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ferior parts in a five, six or seven years' course, as appears most advisable to the farmers-say, then, as a general rule on fair land-1st, turnips; 2nd, barley; 3rd, clover; 4th, wheat; 5th, oats; 6th or 7th, saintfoin. In seven years, then, the land gives three corn crops and four green or cattle crops. The fiveyears' course is simply an extension of the four course, by permitting the seeds to continue two years before being ploughed in; and the six or seven embraces the same crops as the preceding, with the addition of a crop of oats after the wheat.

In Oxfordshire the management of the sheep seems very superior to any other county, and, although out of doors, seems to pay better than Mr. Huxstable's new-fangled doctrine of cooked food and box feeding; the whole of the south-western and western districts are badly supplied with farm buildings, hovels for cattle, &c., and compensation for unexhausted improvements is little known, the adjustment of rent and security of tenures little understood, and very little improvement has taken place compared with the more favoured counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, Bedfordshire, Norfolk and Essex.

On this power of leasing, Mr. Calvert, in his second letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, says, "I recur to the subject of the power of leasing at rack-rent, that I may suggest the propriety of conferring a further power on the tenant for life. The disadvantages of a common lease is, that it is in practice a one-sided agreement, unless ample securities are taken for the payment of rent. It binds the landlord, but not the tenant,, because the land is sure to remain in statu quo; but if the tenant, from any cause whatever, ceases to pay his rent, it is rarely worth the landlord's while to support his different claims by litigation. The course most advantageous to him is to put an end to the lease; but if the tenant were, during the first year of the tenancy, to lay out capital in improving the premises, the outlay would be a motive to him for fulfilling all his obligations, and continuing tenant during the entire term. The lease would then be a contract, of which the complete performance would equally be for the interest of both parties; I therefore propose that a tenant for life should have power to make a lease for twenty-one years, at an uniform rent, the tenant consenting to lay out a certain sum in improvements, with the landlord's approbation, during the first three years of the term. The security of the remainder-man is the only point to be considered. I would allow him to set aside the lease, if he could show that the tenant for life had received any fine, or consideration in the nature of a fine, for the lease, or if he could show that the lease was in anywise fraudulent to himself. The evidence upon such a question would

be easily obtained; but I would further add that there ought to be a power in the first instance of placing the lease beyond dispute, by referring it to the Inclosure Commissioners, or to some authority named by them."

Mr. Davis, in his Land Steward, says," A power to compensate a tenant for improvements effected on estates should be given where the landlord has not the power to grant leases, or where his interest is so limited that he should not be required to grant them." In this case power should be given to the tenant to effect such improvements, either by building or otherwise; and should he at any time quit his holdings, he should have a claim on the incoming tenant, or against the estate.

The power to charge the estate with compensation to a tenant for improvements, or to devolve such a charge upon the next owner, is one of the highest order, which no owner of less than a fee-simple can exercise; whilst the power to grant leases, even of twenty-one years, is commonly possessed by life-owners. The alternative therefore suggested by Mr. Davis broaches unconsciously the grand besetting difficulty of the compensation clause, a far greater than exists in the general extension of the power of leasing, and the conferring of which on life-owners, (viz.) a general power to charge future interests, would amount to a virtual abrogation of settlements, and of the law of entail altogether. As to a running charge on the land, or the next occupant of the farm, by an outgoing tenant (between whom and a new comer no possible contract of any amount can exist or be raised in law), the proposal, easy-sounding as it is, treads upon a hot bed of difficulties far worse and more impracticable than it seeks to cure.

Writers upon agriculture have scarcely as yet a conception of the enormous under-current and conflict between our whole system of real property law with the present demands of our advancing agriculture; but current events are making them feel their way to the subject.

Mr. Mechi said, at his Tiptree gathering last year," Agricultural improvement is no joke; it can only be carried on by the general and hearty co-operation of landlords and tenants. I feel it as an utter disgrace to all England that, while we can envelope the world in calico,-while by steam and other appliances of our manufactories we have an abundance of cloth for our people, and plenty to exchange for luxuries of other countries,--it is a disgrace, I say, that we do not produce our own quartern loaves in superabundance. I maintain that if every poor person in this kingdom had the same amount of capital and labour employed on it that they have, you would be obliged to

exchange bread and beef for port wine, champagne and everything of luxuries; and I say, taking the acreage and average of this kingdom, which are well understood,-taking the acreage and produce of this farm, which are well ascertained,-I repeat that if the boundaries of England produced the average of this farm, as they might do, by throwing down these broad and cumbrous fences, such as we lately saw in the county of Devon, and carrying on other works of improvement, you would be in a condition to supply the world, and to bring back luxuries in exchange."

Mr. Mechi's present crop on 170 acres of land is as follows, said a writer in the "New Monthly Magazine" last year :— 78 acres of Wheat 25 acres of Clover

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Gardens, Plantations, Roads and Buildings, &c.

It is therefore no wonder he should husband his resources as much as possible, by not feeding on his land, when it appears natural pasture is scarce and not easily obtained.

January, 1850.

The actual cost of producing thirty-two bushels of wheat on an acre of fair average land in Norfolk, by Mr. Franklyn.

Rent, tithe, poor, highway and church rates.

Seed at 2 bushels, ploughing, harrowing, drilling and roll

£ S. d.

1 10 0

0 15 0

[blocks in formation]

050 200

0 13 4

0 1 6

Harvesting...

Taking in rick, thrashing, and carrying out
Tradesmen's bills.

Interest on capital 10s. per acre at £5 per cent

Produce of thirty-two bushels at 5s. a bushel
Balance per acre in favour of farmer...

....

Estimate of cost of an acre of roots.

Rent, tithe and taxes

Interest on capital, 15s. per acre

Ploughing and husbandry in autumn.

0 13 0 0 12 0 050

0 10 0

7 14 10

8 0 0 05 2

200 0 15 0

1 5 0

Cultivation in spring

0 26

[blocks in formation]

Pulling, topping and storing in clumps..

£ s. d.

040

400

020

013

020

046

036

0 1 6

036

076

Four bushels of superphosphate of lime drilled with the seed 0 16 6

£10 8 3

Produce 20 tons. Land dug 10 inches deep at 4d. per rod, amounting to about 30s. an acre, and a good substitute for subsoiling. At the Protection Banquet held at Edinburgh, April, 1851, Mr. Sheriff Alison said: In the five years ending with 1835, the annual importation of wheat under protection was 398,000 quarters a year. This of course was comparatively trifling, and was not a hundreth part of the consumption of Great Britain, which was then to all intents and purposes a self-supporting country, and for several years previous to that period not a single quarter was imported; a change of policy was introduced in 1842, and the duties materially lowered, the result was that from 1842 to 1845 the average importation was about two millions and a half. Since the corn laws were repealed in 1846, the average of the importation has been for the last two years 10,796,000 quarters; and in the month of February, 1850, the importation of all kinds of grain was 342,000 quarters. In February, 1851, it was 694,000 quarters. Again in March, 1851, when the prices were 39s. a quarter for wheat, the importation was 928,000 quarters, being double what it was the year before. Thus we were importing at the rate of 11,000,000 of quarters a year, which was fully one-fourth of the annual subsistence, one-third of all the wheaten bread eaten by Englishmen. Cattle was on the same ratio; and whilst our importations generally are increasing, our exportations are far from increasing.

With respect then to the importation of corn, the Chancellor of the Exchequer admitted that he had been 120 per cent. wrong in his calculations in 1829, and seventy per cent. wrong as regards last year.

Earl Fitzwilliam's scale of reduction is twelve per cent. per annum; the basis upon which his previous rents were fixed was 6s. 8d. per bushel for wheat, but the basis on which the readjustment has been calculated is 5s. 10d. per bushel.

Mr. Baker, of Essex, stated at the Farmers' Club, in May last, the average amount of rental in this country in 1793, of the enclosed arable land, was 14s. 8d. per acre, and of meadow land 25s. per acre. The presumed rental, as paid at the present time, may be assumed at about one-third more; viz., arable land, 22s. 6d., and meadow land 32s. 6d., which pretty nearly accords with the increased quantities produced; but the incidental expenses are much higher now than at that period:

Bushel.

Average 1793.

Bushel.

Bushel.

Bushel.

Wheat..223s. Barley..343s. Oats..33s. Beans and Peas..20s.

Wheat..30s.

1850.

Barley..44s. Oats..52s. Peas and Beans..30s.
Clover..1 tons.

:

and the following resolutions were carried at the Club :"That as regards the investment of capital in the purchase of land, the simplification of titles, and the facilities of transfer by a well regulated system of registration, would materially induce the investment of capital.

"That with respect to the investment of capital in the cultivation of the soil, a reform in the construction of the clauses in ordinary leases or agreements, with permission to remove buildings erected by the tenants, and compensation for unexhausted improvements, would naturally conduce to the investment of capital by the tenant farmer: But

"That it appears from statements submitted to the meeting that the cost of raising agricultural produce preponderates so much over its present value, that either an increase of prices, or a reduction of expenses, must take place before capital will be freely invested in land."

Private Money Drainage Act (12 & 13 Vict. c. 100).—The working of this act is placed under the jurisdiction of the Inclosure Commissioners. By this act, after application made, notices given, inspection of the land by the officer of the commission, any person in the actual possession or receipt of the rents or profits of any lands (except any tenant for life or lives, or for years, holding under a term or agreement for a lease, on which a rent of not less than two-thirds of the clear yearly value of the premises comprised therein shall have been reserved, and except any tenant for years whatsoever holding under a lease or agreement for a lease, for a term which shall not have exceeded twentyone years from the commencement thereof,) may borrow or advance money for drainage, and charge the same on the inheritance. Upon the commissioners being satisfied of the due

VOL. XV. NO. XXIX.

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