106 



Farming of Northamptonsldre. 



demands a faitlifal admission that there have been such cases ; 

 nevertheless, I firmly believe that the delicate and mutual rela- 

 tions of landlord and tenant are as honourably carried on in this 

 county as in any other part of the kingdom. The colleges of 

 Oxford, and the dean and chapter of Peterborough, have several 

 large estates in different localities. They are generally let on 

 long leases, renewable every seven years. From the interest in 

 the estate being often dependent upon the lives of the recipients 

 of the rental, very little improvement takes place on such property, 

 and even its cultivation does not always accord with the security 

 of tenure the lessee enjoys. The same principle affects materially 

 the glebe and rectorial farms ; they are often destitute of the 

 necessary buildings, and without a residence ; are sometimes 

 placed at a high rental, and both the owner and occupier endea- 

 vour to get as much off the land for the time being as possible. 

 There are great difficulties in the way of any improvement of the 

 tenure of this description of land, the present incumbent having 

 no inducement to improve an estate which he himself may be 

 called upon quickly to surrender into other hands. Greater 

 facilities have been offered by the Legislature during the last few 

 years to the owners of this kind of property, by the loan of money 

 -—to be expended in draining and other improvements — which 

 may become chargeable on the estate, and repaid by yearly in- 

 stalments. 



There exists a very strong feeling in the minds of the tenantry 

 of this county with regard to the present " custom of the country,'^ 

 and a great desire is expressed by them for a more liberal system 

 of "tenant-right," They feel that under a liberal landlord they 

 are as secure of their holdings as if they had a 21 years' lease, 

 but should death or any other circumstance compel a tenant to 

 relinquish his farm, he may be called upon to leave behind him 

 a considerable part of his capital in uncompensated improve- 

 ments, without any return for the same. A higher system of 

 farming requires that greater latitude should be given to the 

 tenant with regard to the mode of cultivation, leaving him at per^ 

 feet liberty to follow out the rotation of cropping he may find the 

 most profitable. I have seen many farms on which a great propor- 

 tion of wheat is annually grown, and yet the land kept in a higher 

 condition, and cleaner state of cultivation, than the adjoining farm, 

 on which the prescribed covenants have been duly kept and a 

 more regular system has been followed, viz. " poor crops and poor 

 farming." It is not by parchment covenants that the landlords 

 will ensure the highest culture of the soil ; let them grant security 

 of tenure and liberal covenants, and their tenantry will soon find 

 that good farming is the most profitable in the end. Every per- 

 son acquainted with agriculture knows full well that if land will 

 not yield a profit by good management it will do still worse by 



