494 



The Evesham Custom. 



[SEPT., 



elusion was arrived at that nitrate of lime and calcium cyana- 

 mide are nitrogenous manures well deserving the attention 

 of the whole agricultural world, though more experiments 

 with these manures must be undertaken in order to ascertain 

 exactly how they should be used. 



The other conclusions relate to comparisons between the 

 action of these two manures. The section concluded that 

 nitrate of lime acts similarly to nitrate of soda, while calcium 

 cyanamide appears to behave like sulphate of ammonia. 



The occupation of land for market gardening purposes in 



the neighbourhood of Evesham is subject, as regards tenant 



rigdit, to what is known as the " Evesham 

 The Evesham ^ „ , . . . . , 



Custom Custom, and just as in agricultural 



districts the incoming tenant pays the 



outgoing tenant for the crops, so the incoming tenant in the 



Evesham district pays the outgoing tenant for the fruit. 



There are often apparently no clauses in the tenant's agree- 

 ment with the landlord enabling the former to claim com- 

 pensation for improvements, although a witness before the 

 Committee on Fruit Culture stated that the custom had been 

 sufficiently long in force to come under the rules of custom of 

 the country. In fact, so strong is the custom that in many 

 places 'farms and holdings are let without any lease or agree- 

 ment of any sort whatever, and landlords feel perfectly secure 

 under the custom. 



The following note as to the working of the custom at the 

 present time has been supplied to the Board by Mr. J. Henry 

 Sabin : — 



"The ' Evesham' custom with regard to compensation for 

 market gardening is based on a system of practically ' fixed ' 

 rents and 1 free sale.' Under this custom notice to quit is 

 seldom, if ever, given by a landlord, but a tenant leaving 

 finds a purchaser for his ' improvements,' and arranges the 

 price to be paid, including the value of items that he would 

 not be entitled to claim under any statute, such, for instance, 

 as buildings put up without the consent of the landlord. 



"This custom has worked well. During more than twenty- 

 rive years, during which I have had the management of a 



