The Country Gentlcmaiis Magazine 



BOARDS OF AGRICULTURE. 



AT a meeting of the Darlington Chamber 

 of Agriculture lately — Mr S. Rowland- 

 son in the chair, the practicability of form- 

 ing Boards of Agriculture, to watch the agri- 

 cultural interest in the country, was discussed. 

 Mr W. W. Good introduced the subject with 

 the following remarks : — 



There was no doubt that many serious 

 difficulties were arising in connexion with 

 agriculture in this country. The subject of 

 the diseases of stock was becoming daily a 

 grave matter for the consideration of con- 

 sumers as well as farmers. Cattle diseases 

 were increasing, and this would not be stopped 

 by proper Governmental regulations, unless 

 farmers organized themselves in some way in 

 order to bring pressure to bear upon the 

 Government. Then there was the agricul- 

 tural labour question. No one would deny 

 that it was desirable that the position of a 

 large number of farm labourers should be 

 improved. But it was unfair that the tenant- 

 farmer should have to bear the whole burden 

 of the increased wages demand, while they 

 themselves remained with their hands tied as 

 regards the investment of more capital and 

 its safety when spent on the land they hire. 

 This movement on the part of the labourer, 

 however, would not prove to be so great an 

 evil as many farmers anticipated, for it would 

 certainly create much discussion and some 

 excitement among the leaders of the "country 

 party;" and if it led to that reform in land 

 tenancies which was so much desired, the 

 farmer himself would be well repaid for the 

 fair increase of wages which it was possible 

 for his servants to obtain. 



THE SETTLEMENT OF THE LAND QUESTION. 



Mr Good then dwelt at some length on 

 the subject of compensation for such un- 

 exhausted investments, as the appHcation of 

 extraneous manures, the feeding of stock 

 with cake and corn, drainage, and so on — 



when these costs have necessarily to be in- 

 curred by tenants. He had given, he con- 

 tinued, considerable attention to the subject 

 of boards of agriculture, and he was quite 

 satisfied that nothing could be done until 

 they had some organized system to embrace 

 the whole of the farmers in the country. He 

 had brought this subject forward at the 

 Newcastle Farmers' Club, but they did not 

 take the question up cordially ; but he 

 believed this was attributable to the influence 

 of the landlords and their agents. In fact 

 the agents and landlords of Northumberland 

 and Durham seemed to set themselves dead 

 against what might be termed the great land 

 question; and that movement was of a 

 political character of the narrowest order; or 

 in other words, the farmers of the north of 

 England were looked upon as the instruments 

 for the return of certain people, Whig or 

 Tory, as the case may be, to the House of 

 Commons. It was said that the tenant- 

 farmers wished to dictate to the landlords. 

 He did not see there was any dictation when it 

 was merely suggested that the tenant's 

 capital should be secured to him when he 

 had sunk it in land belonging to some one 

 else ; and that this should be done by mutual 

 agreement. He was sorry that the landlords 

 and agents did not see that it was to their 

 advantage to have the matter settled amicably, 

 for it would be done against their wish by 

 agitation if they did not change their policy. 

 He quoted from the speech of the Marquis 

 of Dansdowne, in which he stated, with re- 

 gard to the compensation to tenants, if it 

 was right for Ireland it was also right for 

 England and Scotland, and it would inevit- 

 ably become the law of the land. He then 

 read extracts from letters he had received. 

 One from Tamworth, Staffordshire, said that 

 they had at Stafford a committee of six land- 

 lords, two agents, and seven tenants for de- 

 ciding such questions, and if tenant-right was 



