1844.] 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



845 



regard either to the landlord'* interest! or|ithe public tenancy before the expiration of the term by a two years' 



interests has suggested the (reasonableness and the pro- 

 priety of his being removed. I have lately availed myself 

 of an opportunity of witnessing the effect of leases for 21 

 years,|granted in a somewhatindiscriminate manner about 

 14 years ago to a tenantry occupying an estate of some 

 extent in Cheshire. The Beeston Castle and Peckforton 

 estates, of about 4000 acres, at the period referred to, 

 belonged to the lare Sir Thomas Mostyn, as tenant for 

 life, with remainder to a party whose pecuniary embar- 

 rassments gave grounds for apprehension that he would, 

 if he came into possession, bear hard upon his tenantry. 

 Sir Thomas — than whom a better landlord, or kinder 

 hearted man never lived — offered, under the powers he 

 \ possessed, leases for twenty-one years to such of his 

 I tenants on those Cheshire estates as might choose to ap- 

 ply for them, and his agent might deem tit to be intrusted 

 with them. Thirteen of the principal tenants on those 

 estates asked for, and obtained, leases — the only test of 

 fitness applied to the applicants being their having paid 

 up their rents. The leases have been granted about 

 14 years. I went over the estate in September lost with 

 my relative and namesake, who has been familiar with 

 every corner of the property for 30 years, and who set- 

 tled the terms of the leases 14 years ago, which were 

 very well and equitably arranged. The farms in question 

 being dairy farms, the rents were mode to fluctuate with 

 the price of cheese. From the testimony of my relative, 

 and that of some intelligent parties who accompanied 

 us, and from my own recollections of the property, I 

 can state, that only two individuals out of the whole 

 number of 13 have made the least use of the security 

 and advantages afforded them by their leases. As to 11 

 out of the 13, they and their land have remained alike, as 

 it were, in statu quo ; the idea of improvement never for 

 one moment appears to have entered into their minds. 

 Some of those men— the greatest part of them — had not 

 the necessary means of effecting material improvements : 

 they were needy men ; some few were in better circum- 

 stances, and better results might have been expected. 

 There were, however, two individuals, whom I may hope 

 without offence to name, who had the good sense to set 

 to work at once to put their land into condition. The 

 name of those tenants are Mr. Bird, of Beeston Hall, 

 and Mr. Jones, of Park Gate, a farm near Beeston Castle, 

 both near Tarporley. Their process of improvement 

 consisted in draining and in dressing heavily with bones. 

 They drained extensively, a:;d they manured with bones 

 at an expense altogether of from 10/. to 12/. per acre. 

 Mr. Bird's leasehold consists of two farms, one of about 

 330 acres, the other of about 84 acres. I heard Mr. 

 Bird affirm that such was the change produced by ma- 

 nagement upon the farm of 84 acres (where he, when he 

 was first married, whs by his late father placed to live) 

 on nearly the whole of which he expended 10/. per acre 

 at the commencement of his term, that where his pre- 

 decessor made about 25 or 30 cwt. of cheese per annum, 

 he (Mr. Bird) made upwards of four tons, and main- 

 tained besides as much stock in horses and young cattle, 

 unproductive of milk, as had been before maintained. 

 Other portions of Mr. Bird's land, besides the 84 acres 

 farm, have been much improved, and he has been repaid, 

 and is being repaid, in a degree that is satisfactory to 

 him, and to which his good management and industry 

 entitle him. The case of Mr. Jones is scarcely less 

 striking. His farm is abcut 200 acres. He adopted a 

 course of treatment similar to that of Mr. Bird. It is 

 known to all his neighbours, and I heard him admit it, 

 that before lie drained and boned, he kept only 23 cows. 

 His land now maintains 46, and such of his lands as 

 were in tillage before are in tillage still, and partake 

 of the good management bestowed upon his Grass lands. 

 I consider the case of those Cheshire estates very in- 

 teresting, in connection with the subject of leases, and 

 I give the names and addresses of Mr. Bird and Mr. 

 Jones, that those who take any interest in the matter may, 

 ii they please, take occasion to see them and their farms. 

 This case proves how important, in a national as well as 

 individual point of view, would be the effect of granting 

 leases to well-selected tenants, and how absolutely ne- 

 cessary it would be, under a system of leasing, to constrain 

 the drones and the incapables to move on or out of the 

 way. If individuals who advocate leases imagine that 

 material advantage would ensue from the granting of 

 leases to tenants indiscriminately, those individuals 

 labour under great mistake. There must be a great dis- 

 turbance of the present occupiers — a great severing of old 

 connections, and a great uprooting of old attachments, if 

 the system of leasing is to be suddenly attempted with a 

 view to national and to individual benefit. Landlords 

 cannot, with common prudence, demise their estates for 

 a long term of years, and accept the covenants of parties 

 who have nothing to lose, and who, if they had leases to- 

 morrow, would not be able to turn them to the least ad- 

 vantage. In reference to the length of leases, I think 

 ivhere much improvement is to be made, our English 

 term of 21 years, or the Scotch term of 19 years, very 

 (air. If a farm, when leased, be in good condition, there 

 is less necessity for extraordinary outlay, and conse- 

 quently less necessity for the security of a lease which 

 extraordinary outlay requires. In many cases, however, 

 ■where outlay is to be made by the tenant, a lease for 7 

 years certain, and afterwards from year to year, and 

 until a two years' notice to quit be given, would afford per- 

 fect security to the tenant, and would be conceded by 

 the generality of landlords with less hesitation than a 

 te rm of 19 or 21 years. I think, whatever the term 



notice to quit. This period would aiord time and op- 

 portunity to test the qualifications of the party intro- 

 duced into the tenancy. If his management were good, 

 public opinion, if the right feeling of an English gentle- 

 man were wanting in the landlord, would generally 

 secure the tenant against unfair disturbance or molesta- 

 tion. I think such a power to determine farming leases 

 as the one I have suggested ought to be reserved to les- 

 sors, and I think it is one with which English landlords 

 may safely be entrusted. At all events, such aj-eserva- 

 tion of power to the landlord might be made perfectly 

 unobjectionable, by a stipulation that, in the event of its 

 being exercised, the tenant should be paid for all perma- 

 nent improvements made with the acquiescence of the 

 landlord or a^ent, of which he had not had time to reap 

 the full benelit. As far as my experience of estate ma- 

 nagement and of farming leases goes, I should say that 

 there is hardly any system of letting worse than that of 

 leasing upon lives. I have had an intimate acquaintance 

 with some extensive estates (particularly in South Wales) 

 which had been demised for three lives at low rents, a 

 consideration in money having been paid for the leases 

 when granted. I first knew them at the period when the 

 leases were beginning to drop in. The farming was in 

 almost every case the very worst in the country, and 

 although the rents were only one-fourth or one-third of 

 the rack-rent value, most of the tenants had been re- 

 duced to beggary by their indolence and bad manage- 

 ment. It seemed as if towards the expiration of their 

 leases, when their leases hung upon one or two old lives, 

 for instance — it seemed as if the uncertainty of their 

 tenures had paralysed all their exertions. They would 

 not improve, considering the time was near at hand 

 when the lease must expire, and an advance in rent 

 ensue. Another topic to which I will briefly advert, is 

 that of the rate of interest to be charged on money in- 

 vested by landlords In improvements on farms already 

 let at fair and equitable rents. How often do we 

 see gentlemen, in their desire for extended landed 

 possessions, who, whilst they already have lands 

 almost totally unimproved, imperfectly drained, imper- 

 fectly fenced, with bad roads and worse buildings — 

 lands on which capital may be made sufficiently remu- 

 nerative — how often do we see them borrowing money at 

 four or five per cent, to pay for estates bought to pay 

 two or three per cent. I submit, it is very obvious that, 

 instead of indulging the passion referred to, it would be 

 better for the interests of agriculture, and certainly, in a 

 pecuniary point of view, much better for such purchasers 

 and their families, were they to expend capital on such 

 of their lands as allowed of permanent improvement, 

 although that improvement might not be calculated to 

 admit of the tenant bearing an increase of rent to a 

 greater extent than five per cent, on the outlay. The 

 tenant farmer, however, must obviously lay his account 

 for a better rate of interest ; for, in addition to the inte- 

 rest of his money expended in permanent improvements, 

 he has his capital to redeem. If holding under a lease, 

 it will depend upon the term remaining in such lease; 

 if holding under a tenancy from year to year, it will 

 depend upon the confidence he may have in the honour 

 aud fairness of his landlord how he ought to lay his cal- 

 culations for redemption of outlay. In connection with 

 our present subject it may be remarked, that where a 

 tenant is highly rented, and somewhat crippled in his 

 circumstances by the drain thereby occasioned, a landlord, 

 instead of reducing the rent, may often, by a little judi- 

 cious expenditure in promoting, or altogether executing, 

 an improvement, sustain the rent, and confer a greater 

 boon on the tenant than a reduction of rent would have 

 conferred. It is always matter for the exercise of judg- 

 ment and discretion, whether the landlord should charge 

 any per centage at all upon an outlay made under such 

 circumstances. I shall now bring my observations to a 

 close, merely observing that it is impossible to travel 

 through England and Wales, in any direction, without 

 feeling a strong conviction that there must be some 

 serious obstacles to the investment of capital in agricul- 

 ture. The people at large are deeply affected by every 

 measure which has a tendency to fetter the productive 

 powers of the soil, and to depress one of the largest and 

 most valuable classes in the country. It is clearly their 

 interest that corn and other provisions shall be supplied 

 in abundance ; and, perhaps, the people of England and 

 Wales may justly complain of the want of leases as one 

 of the principal causes which check the improvement of 

 their own territory." — On the conclusion of the Essay, it 

 was proposed by Lord Lyttelton, and seconded by J." H. 

 H. Foley, Esq., "That the thanks of this meeting be 



produce rent*, to tenants carefully and judicunuuT 

 selected, would tend, in an eminent degree, to elevat e 

 the pursuit of agriculture, and would incite to the genera 1 

 adoption of the best systems of husbandry." 



lUbfrtos. 



The Industrial Resource* of Ireland. By Robert Kane, 

 M.D., &c. &c. Hodges and Smith, College Green, 

 Dublin. 



11 IN other countries it has been the most anxious 

 care of Government, and of those entrusted with the 

 superintendence of education, to ascertain the nature 

 and amount of their means of promoting industry, and 

 extending the employment of the people. It is thus that 

 every year sees t! continental nations making snch giant 

 strides in manufacturing activity. It is thus that the 

 physical disadvantages, which had so long kept them 

 back, are gradually being lessened in importance. If 

 similar zeal and intelligence were manifested in develop- 

 ing the resources of this country, there would be no fear 

 of the result. As circumstances, however, do not admit 

 of this being done, the publication of even the short and 

 imperfect sketch, which alone could be drawn up by an 

 unaided individual, may be useful in awakening the at- 

 tention of those practically engaged upon those subjects, 

 and may lead to more extensive observation, and more 

 detailed inquiry." 



This extract from the Preface of this work is an ex- 

 ceedingly modest announcement of the Author's motive 

 in its publication. This " short and imperfect sketch," 

 as he terms it, of Ireland's resources will, we doubt not, 

 be eminently useful in teaching her people how to exert 

 and direct their industry profitably ; and it will be the 

 means not only of thus creating capital, but of indica- 

 ting the many opportunities which exist in that country 

 lor its profitable %m «tment» 



Among the subjects of discussion in this volume are 

 the following:— the circumstances of Ireland with regard 

 to fuel— the water-power of Ireland — its manufacture of 

 iron— the geological character of the country— its mines 

 of copper, lead, &c. — its agricultural industry — its means 

 of internal communication — the cost of labour in Ireland 

 — its supposed want of capital — its want of industrial 

 knowledge. It is only to the chapters referring to the 

 Agriculture of this country that we shall direct the atten- 

 tion of our readers ; and we can truly say that they will 

 find in them much on the general bearings of the subject 

 — many instances of what is now acknowledged to be 

 the chief source of future improvements in practice, the 

 skilful application of scientilic truth — much informa- 

 tion on the cultivation of particular plants — in short, 

 much that will greatly interest those who may be neither 

 personally nor specially interested in the great object of 

 the Work. 



It is our wish to convey an accurate idea of this por- 

 tion of the volume — extending over about a hundred 

 octavo pages of small print— and, in order to this, we 

 cannot do better than transcribe the headings of the two- 

 chapters into which it is divided, and occasionally quote 

 an illustrative passage from the pages to which they 

 refer. 



The following, then, are the subjects which have engaged 

 the Author's attention :— " The agricultural industry 

 of Ireland— its importance as an occupation— relations 

 of agriculture to manufactures— natural fertility of the 

 soil of Ireland:' On this last we quote the opinion of 

 Arthur Young, who says of Limerick and Tipperary— 

 " It is the richest soil I ever saw, and such as is ap- 

 plicable to every wish. It will fatten the largest bul- 

 lock, and at the same time do equally well for sheep, for 

 tillage, for Turnips, for Wheat, for Beans, and, in a word, 

 for every crop and circumstance of profitable husbandry. 

 You must examine into the soil before you can believe 

 that a country, which has so beggarly an appearance, can 

 be so rich and fertile." 



We continue our Table of Contents. " Distribution 

 of the surf av: of the country— office of plants— corre- 

 lative functions of the mineral, getable, and ■ mal I 



kingdoms— composition of plants— origin of the soil 



connexion between the fertility of the soil and its com. 

 position— examples of fertile districts— nature of the 

 soils of various parts of Ireland— composition of sub- 

 soils— organic elements of the soil — mechanical and 

 physical office of the soil— of drainage ; its importance 

 to Irish agriculture— action of plants en the soil— of 



exhaustion— composition of the most important crops 



of manures— composition and properties of the most im- 

 portant native manures— of lime and limestone; marl; 

 sea sand; coral sand, its nature:' Again we transcribe 



, j. __ an interesting passage, descriptive of the extent and 



motion was, by acclamation, carried. Both Lord Lyttel- employment of these sources of manure, to which we 



ton and Mr. Foley, in speeches of considerable length, ex- have parallels in England in the extensive use made 



pressed their concurrence in the views on leasing embodied by farmers in Cornwall of the sea-sands accumulated 



in Mr. Maaghan's Lecture, and avowed their readiness on its northern coasts :— 



to act upon them. After an animated conversation on . ' •*" e shell banks of Lough FoyJe form, when the 



the subject, the following resolution was carried : " That 

 it is the opinion of this meeting that the present system 

 of letting farms — large farms especially — to tenants to 

 hold 



tion in the landlords in the selection of tenants as regard 

 their pecuniary resources and personal fitness; and on 

 the other hand, affords mischievous facilities to men 

 without calculation and competency for obtaining farms 

 exceeding their skill and capital to manage, and begets 

 in tenants generally holding from year to year an indis- 

 position to hazard any outlay not required by ordinary 

 and routine management: and that it is further the opi- 

 nion of this meeting that the granting of farming leases 

 for a term of 21 years, or tber boots, on corn or other 



tide is out, extensive flats, which are firm enough to be 

 walked on without any inconvenience, and they are re- 

 sorted to by numerous boats for loads of shells ; and 

 from year to year, begets, on the one hand, incau- 'hough this system has been pursued for more than a 

 in the landlords in the selection of tenants as regards century, they exhibit no appearance of a failure in the 



supply. The shells hitherto examined are all of recent 

 species ; and it becomes a question whence they came*. 

 There are engaged in raising the shells 



2*5 men for 26 weeks, at IQs £3&5- 



50 boys at 6s. 30 ^r 



The cost of the labour alone is thus . . . £ 5 

 There are annually employed about 91 boats, of to- 

 nage from below 8 to 60 tons. The aggregate ton- ** 

 of 41 of the largest boats is 1306 tons. The tota 1 u * ge 



* quan- 



