

r* 



252 



THE AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE. 



[April 



Mr. Brandreth 



contracted in its dimensions, to the size actually re- 

 quired, at the time of the meeting, for the accommodation 

 of such a number of animals as may be entered for 

 competition by the 17th of May, the latest day tor 

 receiving certificates. The Committee are of opinion 

 that it will be desirable to have the show-yard so con- 

 structed that its intersecting lines may be either para J el 

 with, or at right angles to the north front oi the 

 castle, all the exhibition-sheds being placed at right 

 angles to it, and their middle avenue mji direct line 

 with its centre : an arrangement by which both the 

 symmetry and perspective of the whole will be pre- 

 served ; and they recommend that 

 Gibbs should be requested, to favour the Society With 



his plan of the yard, as usual. 



"III. That the pavilion for the great dinner of the 

 Society should be erected in the Home-park, on a site 

 further removed to the north, between the show-yard 

 and the line of railway ; and that Mr. Manning be 

 desired to prepare the requisite plan for it, embodying 

 the suggestions of Mr. Shaw, one of the stewards oi 

 that department, as well as the suggestions of other 

 members of the Committee, in reference to the convenient 

 adaptation of the building to the special purposes of the 



meeting. 



"IV. That the Guildhall and other official rooms 



kindly placed at the disposal of the Society by the 



authorities of Windsor, appear to the Committee to be 



well adapted to the purposes for which they have been 



severally offered." 



The Council then rescinded their resolution of the 

 20th of February last, by which they had arranged 

 with the Commissioners of Woods and Forests to hold 

 the Country Meeting of this year in Bushy Park, and 

 substituted the Windsor Home Park in its place, the 

 Secretary being authorised to communicate this decision 

 to the Mayor of Windsor, and to inform him that it 

 -was made under the usual condition, that by that day 

 week the requisite memorandum of agreement should 

 be entered into by him, on the part of the authorities 

 of Windsor, with the Secretary, on the part of the 

 Society, under the seals of their respective corporate 



"bodies. 



The meetings of the Council stand adjourned over 



Easter- week, to Wednesday the 30th of April. 



Farmers' Clubs. 



T re- 



Pro bus, Jan. 17 : Farm Leases.— Mr. H 

 SAwna, the secretary of the club, read the report of the 

 xjommittee. This document gave a satisfactory account 

 of the progress and present position of the club. It 

 stated that the present was the 1 3th anniversary of the 

 club, which, it was believed, was the second Farmers' 

 club established in England (the Harleston being the 

 first). Other farmers' clubs had been established in 

 -Cornwall and other counties, the mode of conducting 

 which was so much akin to that of the Probus Club that 



this might, without impropriety, be regarded as the 

 parent club of the West of England. The report re- 

 ferred with pride to the prize essays which had been 

 written by the members of the club, and stated that since 

 the anniversary meeting in January, 1849, the following 

 lectures had been delivered at the monthly meetings : 



fts^condition would have been worse, had not some 

 farmers had moral courage enough to let their leases 

 remain unheeded on the "shelf." Instead of leases 

 encouraging good farming, they compel persons to farm 

 badly. But when we consider by whom they are made, 

 this is no wonder. Leases generally are made ^ by per- 

 sons quite ignorant of the principles of agriculture. 

 Can there be anything more ridiculous than a landlord, 

 probably his steward, and a solicitor (neither of them 

 knowing how to raise the rent of a farrfi one year), 

 sitting in an office and drawing a plan how a tenant is to 

 manage a farm to enable him to pay his rent for 

 14 years? Surely practical agriculturists would be 

 the fit persons to be consulted in making leases. 

 But there is no class of persons capable of laying 

 down rules how a farm can be managed for 1 4 years, 

 so that the landlord and tenant may each derive 

 the greatest amount of profit. And it must be 

 remembered that their interests are identified. This 

 brings me to the first remarks I would make on the ill 

 effects of our existing leases. Leases are invariably 

 made to extend over a certain period, generally from 

 7 to 14 years. Now any fixed period is a bane to the 

 progress of agriculture, because it takes the first half of 

 the tenant's term to get his land in order. During that 

 time he rarely ever derives any profit from its cultiva- 

 tion ; for, in addition to the extra expense he is at in 

 cultivating and manuring the land, his crops are fre- 

 quently very deficient, in consequence of the land being 

 too much worked for the purpose of cleaning it, so that 

 there becomes a want of solidity so essential to the 

 growth and perfecting of most of our cultivated crops ; 

 and particularly in light soils, which are most adapted 

 to the growth of weeds. The latter part of the term is 

 a period when the tenant's efforts begin to slacken. ^ In 

 order to reimburse himself in the short remaining time, 

 he finds it necessary to discharge some of his labourers, 

 and to employ a less number of working cattle ; hence 

 the farm soon falls back to its original state of foulness. 

 But the tenant has another object in letting the farm 

 return again to its former state : viz., that of taking 

 it for another term for some 20 or 30 per cent, less than 

 he would probably have to pay for it had he kept up its 

 fertility — so the land does not increase in its intrinsic 

 value. Neither has the owner any right to expect it 

 would — and the tenant is labouring one half his time in 

 vain. Under our existing leases there should be an 

 understanding between landlord and tenant for a fresh 

 term, at least three years prior to the expiration of the 

 first. Then, if the tenant were certain of leaving, he 

 would not have that inducement for racking the land 

 which I have before stated. 



Payment of Bent. — Leases invariably give landlords 

 the power to distrain for rent, and to pay themselves 

 before all other creditors. This clause is not only unjust, 

 but is prejudicial to the agricultural interest. In the 

 first place it is unjust, because, in consequence of that 

 clause, landlords are often induced to take tenants who 

 offer the highest rent, without inquiring into their 



circumstances. 



various other causes ; andiFVton^ b r e ,» 

 favourable seasons to clean land. Yet the t ^ 

 to let it remain a certain time out nf t\\u - nt * 



*M 



l " Z " 1C "T a «™ "me out of tillage i«*2!* 

 of its condition, and during that time tSL' i?"* 

 quently unprofitable in every sense of the " ' 



land is not left out clean with a ' eooia^t* ** * 

 it is sure to become full of weeds, which?m °J> 

 rially injure the succeeding corn crop. Beside ^ 

 not produce much pasture, or keep much cSJlfc! 

 whence profit should arise ; and the decomZ^!* 

 plants with the excrements of cattle are the lifr*2* * 

 of corn crops. Hence the absurditv of thu 

 Tenants should be at liberty to till their farm.* 

 think proper ; then, under such unfavourable ri 

 stances, they would immediately break up their fo 1 

 productive land ; and let that which is clean r^T" 



Innn-or tiniP in Ovasa I t i s a mistake to fen™*.* 





longer time in Grass. 



sand. 



~1849 



ft 



ff 



March. — Mr. Bassett, on waste lands and the best 



method of cultivating them. 

 April.— Mr. Brewer, on the cultivation of the Carrot. 

 May.— Mr. James Davis, on the cultivation of Mangold 



Wurzel. 



Jane.— Mr. Peter Davis, on the cultivation of Clover, 

 .,, July.— Mr. R. Doble, on the harvesting of corn. 

 ^ f Sept.— Mr. Downing, on the Fecretions and excretions of 

 plants, in connection with the proper rotation of crops. 



In November and December some miscellaneous sub- 

 jects were discussed, having reference to experiments 

 conducted by several of the members with various 

 manures on different crops. During the past year, other 

 useful subjects had been brought forward ; amongst 

 which might be mentioned, with approval, Mr. James's 

 lecture on the growth and consumption of Turnips, Mr. 

 .Kendall's on the rotation of crops, and Mr. Charles 

 Whitford's on the history of agriculture. The report 

 concluded as follows : — * We trust we shall continue to 

 prosper as we have hitherto done. We have endea- 

 voured to exclude everything like party politics from 

 our meetings ; and, whilst deeply sensible of the great 

 wrong that has been committed on the agricultural com- 

 munity, we can discuss with coolness and impartiality 

 every social question with which our well-being is mixed 

 up, and hope to dispassionately weigh every remedial 

 measure which now or hereafter may be brought 

 forward for our supposed benefit. 



— Mr. Olver, of 

 Trescow, in St Mabyn, then proceeded to the read- 

 ing of his paper on the subject of leases. He said : 

 Leases are of great antiquity; they were granted by 

 ancient Britons (who possessed more land then they 

 could cultivate or manage profitably) to their slaves, and 

 subsequently to free British subjects. And I believe 

 4hat many in the nineteenth century contain them entire 

 as transmitted from their earliest history, and fresh 

 -clauses have, from time to time, been added, which are 

 very prejudicial to the prosperity and progress of 

 agriculture. Leases are made for the purpose of pro- 

 tecting landlords ; but the protection they afford them 

 is such as that afforded by an aged Oak to shrubs be- 

 neath its branches— while it shelters them from an 

 occasional storm, its baneful effects are very perceptible • 

 •every plant within its pernicious influence dwindles! 

 And I would ask, what is the state of agriculture in this 

 county, when compared with that of the merchant, the 

 danufacturer, or the mariner ? Why, dwindling ; and 



When a stranger comes into a neigh- 

 bourhood, it is reasonable that tradesmen should solicit 

 his favours ; and since he is a chosen tenant before 

 others whom they know to be responsible men, they feel 

 themselves justified in supplying him with goods. In 

 case this tenant should become insolvent, in consequence 

 of paying too high a rent for his farm, or for want of 

 sufficient capital to manage it, certainly it would be but 

 just that the landlord should participate in the loss, at 

 least in common with his other creditors. Further, this 

 clause is prejudicial to the agricultural interest by 

 depriving it of more capital. "Men of straw," by 

 offering exorbitant rents for farms, and by complying 

 with absurd leases, have been the means ofdriving capi- 

 talists out of agriculture. And why ? because they 

 cannot realize nearly the amount of interest there that 

 they can in any other business ; and their energies and 

 independence are fettered. — I am acquainted with but 

 few farmers who commenced business with competency 

 to manage a good farm and educate their family, 

 who are bringing their sons up as farmers ; and for this 

 reason— they find that other men who set out in life 

 about the same time, with the same amount of capital, 

 either professionally or in business of any other kind, 

 have done much better than themselves ; and at the 

 same time have enjoyed more of the good things of this 

 life. Surely, then, it may be said this clause is preju- 

 dicial to the agricultural interest, since it deprives it of 

 two things so essential to its prosperity— intelligence and 

 capital ; and, by the joint application of these, land 

 would rapidly increase in value— that which is now dear 

 would become cheap, a greater number of labourers 

 would be employed, and this country would feed its 

 inhabitants. 



Grass land not to be broken. — Much land that is laid 

 down for permanent pasture becomes quite unprofitable, 

 which, if cultivated, would produce more beef and mut- 

 ton than it does at present, and in addition good crops of 

 corn ; besides, it would afford employment for the hus- 

 bandman in his native country, instead of being com- 

 pelled, as he now is, to seek employment in a foreign 

 clime. Land, cultivated to produce good crops of corn, 



tenants would take advantage of this and rack the Wj 

 Look to Norfolk and other districts where the arable kJ 

 is always kept in tillage, for example, and I am perJH 

 that the principal part of the arable land in thiseoZZ 

 ought always to be kept in tillage, because itwiiuS 

 produce Grass ; yet, by the application of artifeS 

 manure, it would yield abundant crops of TunS? 

 Rape, &c. ^^ 



Manure, when land is broken up from ^t?i Lomi 

 generally in this county bind tenants to lay on evervicn 

 of land indiscriminately a certain quantity of Hie <r 



It matters not what are the principal constitaad 

 of the soil, or in what condition it is found. Lias » 

 undoubtedly of great service to some land; nav tod* 

 pensable to its profitable cultivation ; but vast quantity 

 are annually wasted by applying it to land where i* 

 stead of increasing its fertility, it has a contrary effect, 

 It is a mistake to fancy lime is a landlords 1 manure -tbl 

 it enriches the* soil, or that tenants can enrich them- 

 selves, without well manuring the land. Since temit, 

 generally are not capable of analysing the soil, they 

 should be at liberty to use what manure they that 

 proper ; if that was the case, we should not hear than 

 saying (as we now frequently do), that they have nera 

 applied any foreign manure but lime or sand ; and thit 

 they have never proved whether they are of any ser- 

 vice or not, because they are bound by their lease to 

 apply that, therefore they cannot afford to purchase anj 

 more ; but every one would prove what manure was 

 best adapted to his respective soil. Then he would soon 

 discover that the more he applied of it, the greater 

 profit he would derive from its cultivation. 



Game. — Leases generally reserve for landlords a right 

 to stock their land with game to any extent, and liberty 

 to destroy it in any way they think proper, withon. 

 making the tenant any compensation for the damage ; 

 while, at the same time, they bind the tenant to pay tto 

 rent, tithe, rates, and taxes. Though the landlord btf 

 the power to destroy all his crops with game, the tenurt 

 dares not touch one of them. I have often thoogfc 

 farmers are the only class of persons that could be 

 induced to submit to such absurdities. If landlord. 

 wish to preserve game, there is nothing to prevent thei% 

 but certainly they should be answerable to tenants for 

 the damage done to their crops ; and if they were to 

 pay only a reasonable amount of damages, they wodi 

 soon discover game was too costly to preserve to uj 

 extent. It is repugnant to common sense for tenants «l 

 lay out their money to improve land under such circa* 

 stances ; and in this country there are thousands * 



of good land left uncultivated for the sake <* 

 game, and as much more that is not half ^J™* 

 because they would destroy its crop ; and landlords w 

 many spirited, enterprising farmers (for such persw 

 will not take farms near game preserves at ™1F*P 

 feeling satisfied that disputes would arise between W 

 landlords and themselves, when they must bidadi** 

 prosperity. The neighbourhood is thereby depnvw« 





acres 



good examples, and labourers of good employ^ JJJ 

 and taxes are considerably increased by the Game - jj 



and thTmcMis of defraying them curtailed ; for be 

 remembered that while the burdens on an t^ 



improving 





farm become light, on one that remains um^ 

 they become more burthensome, and that u^ 

 proved farms increase the general i amoun t oi rf 

 because they do not employ a sufficient ™T^. 

 labourers. I have explained a few of the e> n ^ 

 from the preservation of game ; but what a ^ 

 logue remains untold of the innocent blood it* rf 

 the murders committed, of the distress and I an^ 

 the fatherless and widows, which is im u f »"> j, #0 

 by being sent from their once happy *o» » j^ 

 union house, of the separation of those ^ho ^ ^ 

 long united in the bonds of affection, of tiwj ^ 

 with innocent victims (and notice that in -P ^ 

 at this time nearly half the prisoners itoje rf ^ 

 mitted for offences against the l>*me-» ' ^rf 

 thousands of felons and paupers V™ u *fJ eeS p0* 

 contamination ; and last, though not least, 





of maintaining' them in 'idleness an d "jrtj £*• 

 ployment, which is a very great hardsh.p on 

 trious classes. ■ - . • — A* mitf** 



I will now submit for 

 of a lease of my own constructs 



your consideration te^ 

 fraction, 'J"**** to • 



should not be laid down for permanent pasture, except calculated to promote agricultural mil concept i n * 



under peculiar circumstances, such as pleasure-grounds very great extent, far beyond ^ ° *L ^dopfe* *J 

 overshadowed bv timber, or in th*. n^ioViK™^™^ ^f *«J. «:„v.* if «=«nii Wsps were generany ^loof 



overshadowed by timber, or in the neighbourhood of 

 large towns. Most leases that have come under my notice 

 bind tenants to let their arable land remain a certain 

 number of years in Grass after taking a corn crop, and 

 this clause has also a very prejudicial effect. The best 

 farmers may sometimes fail in producing good crops of 

 Grass, especially Clover,in consequence of dry seasons and 





first sight. If such Jeases were er" wh ' ich bas s°"JY 

 would decide that important q» e f tl0 . n * „ t right ; ^ 

 engaged the public mind, namely, ^ <£a hf* J 

 cannot conceive what objection .toj^ ^ *£* 

 the granting of leases, since their nteres , } ^ 

 their tenantry in that respect, are .den^ . & 

 it is impossible for the legislature to 





