the Royal Agricultural Society, 
37 
dispossessed of his holding, are all referable to the same cause", 
viz., want of sufficient security for the capital of an improving 
tenant. The ingenuity of practical men has long been concen- 
trated on this weak point in the present system, in the hope of 
devising such conditions as shall secure to an outgoing tenant 
repayment of the bulk of the capital laid out by him in recent 
improvements. An almost innumerable variety of covenants 
has thus been introduced into agreements in different parts ol 
the country. Some of these are of a very complicated kind, and 
require from an entering tenant a large advance of money which 
is said to have been disbursed by the previous occupier, but which 
his successor has little power of verifying. Many a first-rate tenant 
has been deterred from taking farms hampered by agreements of 
this kind, as, instead of leaving him the master of his own capital, 
they oblige him to pay the cost of operations which, if honestly 
carried out, he would probably only partially approve, and if 
" scamped " would amount to a direct robbery. •Doubtless the 
great majority of tenant-farmers would scorn to take advantage 
of the opportunity thus afforded for roguery, but out-going tenants 
are frequently needy men, and the temptation ought not to be 
thrown in their way. The principal object of these covenants is 
to* reimburse to the outgoing tenant as large a portion of his out- 
lay as is consistent with justice to his successor, which would 
probably be best attained by somewhat lengthening the requi- 
site notice to quit. If .18 instead of G months were required 
in order to terminate a tenancy, the occupier would have the 
opportunity before he left of taking one crop of corn from the 
whole of his arable land, which would much simplify the con- 
ditions required for the protection of the outgoing tenant, and 
much diminish the amount to be paid by the incoming one. 
Where land is in high condition, the power of taking one crop of 
corn all round is of such obvious justice that it is unnecessary to 
support it by argument ; and even where the land is poor and ill- 
farmed the tenure for one year longer would not enable the occu- 
pier unfairly to prejudice his successor, if his agreement restricted 
him (as all agreements should do) from taking two white crops 
in succession.* 
When the principles of cultivation, manuring, and the nutri- 
tion of plants were much less understood, both by landlords and 
tenants, than they are at present, the greatest care and considera- 
tion were bestowed upon agreements, with a view to enforcing a 
particular course of cropping, and even in some cases of fixing 
the quantity and quality of lime, manure, &c, to be applied. 
* This is quite compatible with special arrangements -whereby safe tenants may 
be permitted to crop as they please, except when under notice to quit. 
