FERTILITY MUST BE MAINTAINED 1 79 



they replaced the fertility in manure." This should be 

 matter of agreement. 



Mr Davidson takes a similar view, and wishes freedom 

 of sale, coupled with the obligation to bring back the 

 manurial equivalent to be made a statutory right, but 

 holds that freedom to crop would be injurious. 



This is also the recommendation of the Scottish 

 Chamber of Agriculture.^ 



Mr Flockhart thinks freedom of cropping would 

 encourage the men who come in for five-year terms to 

 " run out the farm." 



Mr Riddell is against freedom of cropping, and would 

 make selling off subject to landlord's consent. 



Other Scotch witnesses would sweep away all " rota- 

 tion " clauses, and merely stipulate for good husbandry. 



" In the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, there are 

 practically no restrictions on cropping or sale, and the 

 land is in the very highest state of cultivation. It is 

 sufficient for the farm to be left in a certain rotation at 

 the end of the lease. If a man technically miscrops, 

 but makes an adequate return to cover the results of 

 any change of cultivation, he should be held free from 

 liability." 



Mr M'Connell points out that high manuring, e.g., 

 with bone meal, will so increase crops that the stipula- 

 tion to consume the produce becomes unreasonable and 

 wasteful. 



In the report of the Committee of the Central Chamber 

 of Agriculture, freedom to sell off produce was recom- 

 mended in this way, viz., that except in the last year of 

 the tenancy, the landlord's consent is not necessary, if 

 the tenant gives security that the manurial equivalent 

 will be returned. 



At a -subsequent meeting of the Central Chamber a 

 resolution was passed in favour also of freedom of crop- 

 ping and sale of produce with similar return of what is 

 necessary to maintain fertility.^ 



It appears to be not unusual to stipulate in agreements 



1 Vol. IV, App. VII. 



* Proceedings of the Central Chamber, Feb. 1895. 



