LEASES AND YEARLY TENANCY. 79 



ings and grass-laud, and to the arable land at Michaelmas. These terms 

 are not favourable in a great many kinds of farming. On a dairy or 

 grazing farm it is convenient to enter at Whitsunday, as then the tenant 

 has the full summer's grass before him, and has also time to rear winter 

 food for his stock in the form of turnips, &c. To a farm of mixed hus- 

 bandry, it is most convenient to enter to it also at Whitsunday, as then he 

 also has time to rear green crops for the winter feed of his cattle, and to 

 prepare land for winter wheat. Where a tenant enters at Martinmas, he 

 would have to purchase all his winter feeding. The most convenient 

 time for farmers generally to enter is at Whitsunday in Scotland, or 

 Ladyday in England, as then they have possession of the houses and 

 grass-land, and also of all the arable ' land at the separation of the crop 

 from the ground at the end of harvest. 



In the example of the lease given, it is stated in rule 21 that " he shall 

 also be bound to sell to the proprietor or incoming tenant the whole of 

 the last crop of corn and straw." On many estates the straw belongs to 

 the proprietor, and the outgoing tenant is bound to hand it over to the 

 proprietor free of all charge, and the proprietor conveys his right to the 

 incoming tenant. This in Scotland is termed " Steelbow." It is a great 

 advantage to many farmers to have the straw handed over to them free 

 of charge, as it represents so much capital equal to the amount of its 

 value. It thus enables a farmer to take a farm with less capital than he 

 could if the straw had to be paid for ; or if he has sufficient capital to pay 

 for it, it leaves so much more at liberty for other uses. In many in- 

 stances the manure also is "steelbow," or is handed over from one 

 tenant to the other free of charge. This has the same advantage as the 

 other, in making it easier for a farmer to enter. There is, however, a dis- 

 advantage attached to the giving of manure and straw free of charge, 

 which is, that it makes the outgoing tenant careless as to whether a large 

 quantity of manure is made on the farm or not, and also as to whether the 

 straw is properly taken care of. Where the outgoing tenant has to be 

 paid for the manure and straw, he generally is careful to collect and make 

 as much manure as possible on the farm, and also to preserve the straw. 

 This is all in favour of the farm and the incoming tenant, although it 

 may cause him to lay out more money at the commencement. Again, we 

 often find that outgoing tenants are allowed to sell their standing crops 

 by auction. They divide it into lots of so many acres, as thought best, 

 and the incoming tenant has to take his chance of purchasing the crop 

 along with the general public. This, in my opinion, is not a good sys- 

 tem ; as, if the crop is sold to other parties to* go off the farm, then the 

 farm suffers in consequence. The incoming tenant can of course pur- 

 chase elsewhere ; but the distance may be great, and other circumstances 



