Ijt) Thoughts on certain Ohjlacles to Ifiiprovenient. May 



TiOt injurious in the cafe of good tenants, and that in feme cafes 

 it may be mutually p.dvantageous to tht^ landlord and occupitrr, 

 h does not appear to be fubje6l to_ thofe c^jeci:ions which have 

 been urged dgainil it. It (liould, however,' be drawn > by maf- 

 ters in the art ; eiribrace the mofl approved modes b. manage- 

 ment ; allow the tenant fuOicient latitude to a£l under extraordi- 

 nary and unforefcen circuinitances, and to adopt fuch improve- 

 ments as may from tin^e to time be introduced into the art of 

 hufbandry, &c. But, inftead of fuch men being employed, what 

 is the fa£l ? Why, that a great proportion of our land agents 

 r.re lawyers, totally ignorant of agriculture and rural affairs ; — 

 men who polTefs none of the renuifite qualifications of fuch ftew- 

 urds, except thofe of being able to draw the Icg'^l parts of a leafe, 

 (which moll men of common underftanding may learn to do in 

 an hour) ; to receive and remit rents, and proceed againft the te- 

 nants for deviating from the agreements, which thefe gentlemen 

 draw by an old form that virtually interdicts moft of the valuable 

 improvem.ents in agriculture. The confequent mifcrable occupa- 

 tion of a great part of our lands, cannot but raife indignation 

 againft its authors, whofe ignorance hath bound up the energies, 

 of the farmer, and condemned our foils to comparative fteriiity. 

 Befides lavv'yers, there are, in many parts of the country, land- 

 ilewards, totally unfit to determine the moil advantageous modes 

 of management, and in alnioft every refpett unqualified for fuch 

 important employment, unlefs it be deemed a part of their duty 

 to tyrannize, like a Turkifli bafhaw, over all the people upon the 

 lands to which their authority extends. 



it may be necelTary to prevent the manure from being taken 

 off the premifes \ to bind the tenant to the application of lime, 

 or other calcareous fubftance ; to have at leaft a certain pro- 

 portion of the land in grafs (properly laid down with a fujQi- 

 cient quantity of good feeds) near the expiry of the term ; to 

 leave a certain proportion of the tillage land for fallow, or a fal- 

 low crop, for the next tenant *, to allow the latter to fow grafs 

 feeds among a part of the way-going tenant's crop of corn, and 

 plough the land intended for fallow ; not to ule any of the dung 

 raifed from the crop immediately preceding the expiration of the 

 term (provided the way-^oing tenant reaped a fimilar advantage at 

 the commencement of his leafe) ; not to convert certain very pro- 

 dudfive grazing pailures into tillage, without a licence, &c. &c. ; 

 • — but to bind the tenant to keep land in tillage which has been 

 in a ftate of conftant aration for 50 to loo years, (or at leaft to 

 prevent hi:, ploughing it after being fown with artihcial grafs 

 feeds) \ and to continue any but very productive grazing paftures 

 ■*.: old ^raf?.— is h'^hly injurious to tlie occupier, the public, and 



