Farming of Devonshire. 
487 
to his better knowledge. These inight have been adapted for the 
times when first introduced; but the improvements which have 
taken phice in ao:riculture render them useless, if not mischievous, 
and modifications of these restrictive clauses are much needed. 
They have been adopted to protect property from injudicious 
management; but, stringent as they are, in this they have failed. 
On the other hand, without the protection of a lease, an equally 
powerful obstacle to good cultivation presents itself. 7'he tenant 
does not improve his farm, because he is fearful of an increase of 
rent or the loss of occupancy — he neglects to improve the value 
of his farm by good husbandry and an outlay of capital — he 
thei-efore satisfies himself with such a cultivation as will yield a 
return for his own maintenance. It is unreasonable to expect a 
tenant to improve the property of another person unless he has 
some security for the outlay of his capital. Give him this secu- 
rity, and free him from the shackles of such leases, and he will 
occupy a position in which he can exercise his knowledge, skill, 
and capital to his own and to his landlord's advantage. 
A still greater evil remains to be noticed in the practice of 
letting land to the highest bidder, who is commonly the one who 
has least to lose. A man with good capital is cautious how he 
bids beyond the real value of the land ; but he who has little at 
his command will generally be the most forward in his oflfers ; 
and too frequently the landlord, induced by the high rent, accepts 
his proposals. As a result, the land is very imperfectly culti- 
vated, from a deficiency of capital and judgment — it is over- 
cropped to raise money to pay rent and other expenses ; and, to 
say the least, all improvement is hopeless. Another disadvant.ige 
of this system of letting land exists in the case of the honest 
farmer who, having no other means of gaining a living or of em- 
ploying his small capital, is compelled in self-defence to take a 
farm above its value. After struggling for many years to meet 
his payments, he finds his capital fast sinking — he becomes dis- 
pirited — and in the end his rent is lowered, or he quits the estate. 
The high rent is not maintained, and the land, so far from being 
improved, rapidly diminishes in value. These cases are not of 
rare occurrence — hundreds of farmers in this countv are at the 
present time in such a position — it is therefore important to bring 
these evils under public notice. Under the same circumstances 
another class are satisfied if, at the end of the year, they are not 
v:orse off than at its commencement. But why should not the 
farmer obtain interest and profit on his capital as well as the 
trader or manufacturer? Many do not even realize the usual 
interest of money, although they continually bestow time and at- 
tention to their calling. 
Hov/ different is the case where the landlord, selecting his 
tenant for his judgment and capital, gives him pj-oper freedom and 
