The Agriculture of Staffordshire. 
301 
labour only, if any, on the dung ; he is paid a consuming price 
for hay and straw ; he takes two-thirds of the corn of a crop of 
wheat after fallow, leaving the straw and one-half of the wheat if 
taken after a crop. Wheat after seeds ploughed before Midsummer 
is fallow-wheat. The crop is usually valued a fortnight before 
harvest, or the out-going tenant can elect to take his share after 
thrashing the crop ; in which case he must pay the cost of reap- 
ing ; this is seldom done. It will be observed that the out- 
going tenant sows the wheat, and the in-coming tenant pays the- 
year's rent. The sale takes place in February or March, and 
the in-coming tenant sows the spring crops. The in-coming 
tenant pays two-thirds the cost of the lime applied on the fallow 
for wheat, and one- third of the lime used on the farm the pre- 
vious year. The in-coming tenant pays for all necessary acts of 
husbandry done on the farm, for the young seeds, if not stocked 
after the 1st of November, for a proper proportion of the uncon- 
sumed hay and straw, the growth of the previous year, if properly 
ricked and thatched, two-thirds the market value of hay, and 
one-third the market value of straw. There is a probability of 
valuers agreeing by a general arrangement to allow in future a 
portion of the cost of purchased food used in the last year, viz. : 
in the case of grains, one-fourth ; of corn, one-third ; and of cake, 
one-half. This does not refer to corn eaten by horses. The 
custom of valuations is exceedingly vague ; there are no acknow- 
ledged rules to which valuers could appeal in cases of dispute, 
and men of experience are unable to agree as to the custom. It 
is obvious that the tenant has no security for the value of real 
improvements, and unless allowances are granted for purchased 
food, the manure left in the yards will be of poor quality. In 
fact, there have been instances of the tenant stripping the farm 
by selling off the stack-hay, straw, and root-crop, and leaving no 
manure. For some vears there has been a sfrowinsr desire on 
the part of both landlords and tenants to define customs, and to 
establish a better system. 
It may be said of the greater part of Staffordshire that there 
are no leases. This is remarkable in a county where some 
of the great proprietors had intimate relations with the Earl of 
Leicester, the father of the leasing system, whose visits and 
inspection of farms are well remembered. In 1819 Lord 
Leicester advised his son-in-law. Lord Anson, to offer leases, 
with liberal covenants, to his tenantry, who, however, refused 
them, on the ground that they were satisfied with their present 
position. Recent discussions induced the grandson of Lord 
Anson to offer a prize of 50/. for the best farm agreement for a 
yearly holding, which was awarded to Mr. May, of Elford, 
by a committee selected from the members of the Staffordshire 
