247 



XX.— LAND HOLDING. 



ON all the large estates in the East and West Wards, that is the 

 Eden Valley district, belonging to Lord Lonsdale, Lord Hoth- 

 field, and M. Crackanthorpe, and that district generally, with the 

 exception of the estates belonging to M. Gibson of Ravenstonedale and 

 J. Wakefield of Sedgwick, the incoming tenant takes possession on 

 Candlemas day, the 2nd of February— all manure left on the farm 

 being claimed by the owner. 



In the southern portion of the county land is taken over on the 

 5th of April and buildings on the i2th of May, but where there is 

 ploughing the arable portion is taken over on the 14th of February ; 

 pastures on the 5th of April and buildings on the 12th of May, a 

 provision being that horses and man of the incoming tenant have 

 to be housed after the 14th of February, but now this is not uncom- 

 monly arranged by an allowance being made for man and horses. 



In the arable portions of the county the farms are worked on 

 a four or five course system : a provision which is very often made 

 in the agreements or leases is that not more than a certain number 

 of acres have to be broken up each year. Generally, the system is : 

 first, oats or other white crop ; second, turnips, with a limited quantity 

 of potatoes ; third, barley or wheat, sown with a sufficient quantity 

 of seeds, to be pastured not later than the nth of November, or if 

 they are pastured after that date and the farm is changing hands 

 the sitting tenant forfeits his seed bill to the incoming tenant ; fourth, 

 seeds mown or pastured ; and fifth, pastured. A rule which is 

 generally followed is to always have a green crop or fallow between 

 two white crops — a penalty attaching to taking two successive grain 

 crops. 



Yearly agreements are the most common tenure at the present 

 time, though in the early nineties, when agricultural depression was 

 most severe, leases were very much more common than they arc to-day, 



