190 AGRICULTURAL DEPRESSION 



Mr Stratton dwells strongly on this defect of the Act. 

 " There is no encouragement for high farming. Rather 

 than lay land down, I should prefer to have it in my 

 own hands, and break it up, and have a couple of crops 

 before leaving." " It is very damaging for the farm if 

 the owner wishes to let it again." " I know many 

 farmers who are about to leave who do that. They feel : 

 ' If I leave this down in grass, there will be plenty of 

 competition for this farm : if I plough it up, I can take 

 it again on my own terms ; ' the Act should be amended 

 to enable the outgoing tenant to leave that grass land, 

 and so prevent this evil, and put a premium on the best 

 farming." 



Mr Olver says that " farmers who have laid down to 

 grass sooner than take the trouble to bargain as to 

 compensation with the threat to break up, say to them- 

 selves : ' I will plough it, and then I am safe.' They 

 take two crops of corn, and leave the land impoverished." 



This crucial instance of how the limitations of the 

 Act lead inevitably to bad farming, deterioration of the 

 land, and wholly unnecessary economic waste, is only 

 an exceptionally striking illustration of what applies 

 generally to the defects of the Act and of its working. 

 Many witnesses who have come before us have urged 

 that the more the principle of compensation is extended 

 to all acts which increase the value of the land, and the 

 more complete and adequate the compensation for re- 

 maining values, the more probable it is that the im- 

 proving and enterprising tenant will continue his good 

 farming up to the end of his tenancy. On the other hand, 

 the more restricted the improvements, and the scale of 

 payments for them, the more certain it is that many 

 tenants will be compelled to find their compensation by 

 robbing the soil. 



Strong evidence was given from Scotland as to this 

 result of insecurity. 



Mr Rutherford, who deals in manures, states that 

 tenants now often ask for " something that will reduce 

 the fertility of the soil, because if we leave it full of 

 condition we will be rented on our improvements." 



