•i26 Anniversary Address. 



farms are usually of a proper size — the farmers, in 

 general, have capital adequate to their cultivation, they 

 are bound to pay the landlord such a proportion of the 

 value of the produce, as renders it necessary for them to 

 be industrious and economical, and to acquire all the 

 skill in the art of husbandry to which they can have 

 access : — their leases are commonly of such a duration, 

 as to encourage judicious improvement of their land, with 

 the prospect of an adequate return : — the covenants in 

 their leases are fair, being well calculated to promote 

 and not to retard improvement : — a liberal system of 

 connection is established between the landlord and the 

 tenant : — and the characters of those by whom the 

 labours of agriculture are carried on — whether farmers, 

 apprentices, farm-servants, or common labourers — cannot 

 be surpassed by those of the same description of life in 

 any other nation." Again " the various points which 

 require to be attended to, previous to the actual 

 cultivation of an arable farm, are in general ascertained 

 by the practice of Scotland, with a degree of precision 

 hitherto unexampled." Further, he says "they are fully 

 aware of the importance of draining, and have practised 

 it with success." " Their implements of husbandry are 

 cheap and well constructed, their ploughs excellent, 

 worked by two horses, and peculiarly well calculated for 

 general use: their carts superior to any other: their live 

 stock are valuable and well calculated for their soil and 

 climate." Again, in regard to the actual cultivation of 

 an arable farm, Sir John says " the Scotch farmers have 

 ascertained the proper length,' breadth, and shape of 

 ridges : in the use of putrescent and still more of 

 calcareous manures, they have made great improvements ; 

 they have proved beyond the possibility of doubt, the 

 advantages of deep ploughing ; they have completely 

 ascertained the advantages of summer-fallowing where 

 soils are either of a clayey nature, or are incumbent on 

 wet subsoils ; they have carried on with success, some 

 essential improvements in the cultivation of various 



