sm=ioo 
English Land Law. 
Farmers. soil in England is tilled by farmers. These were men who (as the 
name imports) in the earlier history of agriculture were little 
more than the bailiffs or agents of the landowner, holding his 
land at will, and handing over to him its surplus produce in the 
form of a money rent, or in kind. Money rents have long since 
become in England the almost invariable return given to the 
landlord by the farmers, who, under lease or by agreement, 
become entitled to the usufruct. In a few districts there is a corn 
rent, or the rent is paid half in money, half in corn, but these 
are rare exceptions to the general rule. As was natural from 
the origin of the laws which governed the relations between 
landlord and tenant, the landlord's rights from the first were 
large, well-defined, and comparatively easy to enforce. On the 
other hand, the rights of the farmers whom he allowed at his 
mere will to cultivate the soil were indefinite and of slow 
growth. Following the harsh maxim of the Roman law, they 
could remove no buildings which they had once placed on the 
land they hired : and the very tree, the plant, and the seed 
which they placed in the soil became not theirs, but the property 
of the landlord, as soon as it had taken root. 
Legal doctrine The first relaxation of this rule in favour of English tenant; 
ment^"^'^ at will is found in the Common Law doctrine as to emblement; 
(Jructus industriales). The word emblements means, in strictness 
growing crops of corn, but was gradually enlarged so as t( 
include roots planted, and other annual products of agriculture 
The English Courts of Law founded their decisions not oi 
statute, but mainly on reasons of public policy, since it is fo 
the common benefit that reasonable encouragement should b 
given to agriculture. " If, therefore," says Sir W. Blackstom 
" the tenant-at-will sows his land, and the landlord, before tli 
corn is ripe or before it is reaped, puts him out, yet the tenar 
shall have the emblements, and free ingress, egress^ and regres 
to cut and carry away the profits. And this for the same reaso 
upon which all the cases of emblements turn, viz. the point < 
uncertainty ; since the tenant could not possibly know whr 
his landlord would determine his holding, and therefore cou' 
Founded upon make no provision against it ; and having sown the land, whi( 
public policy, is for the good of the pub) ic, upon a reasonable presumptio 
the law will not suffer him to be a loser by it." And agaii 
" Tfie tenant . . . shall have the emblements to compensate f 
the labour and expense of tilling, manuring, and sowing t; 
lands, and also for the encouragement of husbandry, whic 
being a public benefit, tending to the increase and plenty 
provisions, ought to have the utmost security and privilege tb 
the law can give it. Wherefore, by feudal law, if the tena: ' I 
life died between the beginning of September and the ci. l 
