288 A LIFE'S WORK IN IRELAND. 



by tenants without reference to the question of 

 whether they will pay or not. Let the relation be 

 one of fair contract, in which each side shall do its 

 part, and there will be much fewer cases of improve- 

 ments that do not pay. 



But in truth recognising landowning as a busi- 

 ness to be managed honestly and fairly like any 

 other business, but still as a business and resting on 

 business principles, will do more to promote all sound 

 land improvements, and will also be a greater money 

 gain to landlords and tenants alike, than most mea- 

 sures that can be devised. 



As a class neither landlords nor tenants are 

 usually good men of business, and the world has ad- 

 vanced to that point when, whether they like it or 

 not, and whatever kindly and pleasant connections 

 may thereby be broken, the relations between land- 

 lord and tenant must be more and more those of 

 business. It will remove many difficulties. Take, 

 for instance, the game question, in many places so 

 fruitful of ill-will. Looked at as a question of busi- 

 ness, who will let the produce of his estate be de- 

 voured by such profitless vermin as a multitude of 

 rabbits and hares ? 



So .with this question of improvements. It is 

 quite right to give tenants for life every additional 

 facility for charging the estate with the value of real 

 improvements. There may be hindrance to a few 

 for want of such power. If the improvement is duly 



