T II.-IRISIi AGRARIAN TENURE, 



CHAPTER I. 



LEGISLATION FOR THE REFORM OF LANDLORDS 

 THE LAND ACTS. 



THERE are two principal forms of Irish land 

 tenure in the nineteenth century, (i) Lea 

 running for a fixed term of years ; and (2) the 

 more usual ' yearly tenancy/ terminable on 

 six months 7 notice. In the year 1870 it v 

 reckoned that out of 682,237 farms, 526,628 

 belonged to the class of yearly tenancies, while 

 135,392 were leaseholds. 1 The distinction does 

 not arise, as one might have imagined, from a 

 difference in the sizes of the holdings. Of the 

 155,609 leaseholds and fee farms, 82,145 were 

 holdings of between one and fifteen acres ; 

 63,154 were holdings between fifteen and thirty 

 acres; and 9,310 were over thirty acres. 2 



As we have already mentioned, the capital of 

 the farm is, speaking broadly, supplied by the 

 tenant. Yet, as the Devon Commission had 

 already pointed out, there are important excep- 



1 [There were 20,217 farms held in fee - Tm 



2 "The Irish Landlord and his Accusers," p. 525. 



