On  the  Farming  of  Somerset. 
763 
others,  or  be  content  with  less  outlay  on  his  buildings.  It  im- 
plies that  farmers  shall  have  learned  to  act  on  the  conviction  that 
the  occupation  of  more  land  demands  more  stock,  more  manure, 
more  labour  to  keep  down  weeds  ; and  that,  if  they  have  not 
these  at  command,  they  will  only  increase  their  outgoings  and. 
diminish  their  proportionate  receipts. 
It  may  excite  the  surprise  of  farmers  in  other  counties  that 
such  truisms  should  be  written,  but  what  would  they  say  to  the 
following  opinion  of  a Polden  Hill  farmer  occupying  500  acres 
of  land — half  of  it  in  grass,  as  to  the  capital  required  for  such 
a farm,  which  he  plainly  thought  he  was  stating  high? — “To 
be  sure,  a man  must  have  a good  bit  of  money  to  buy  in  bullocks 
for  the  grass,  but  not  much  for  the  plough- land:  we’ll  say  2000/. 
for  the  whole.”  I am  convinced  that  the  majority  of  men  enter 
on  farms,  having  just  enough  to  settle  with  the  outgoing  tenant 
and  buy  in  stock,  trusting  to  the  next  year’s  crop  for  the  rent,  and 
to  dairy  produce  and  small  sales  for  weekly  expenses.  The  oc- 
cupation of  land  by  tenants  so  situated  tells  heavily  on  the  wages 
of  labour  and  the  poor’s-rates,  and  men  of  capital  feel  keenly  its 
indirect  effect  upon  themselves.  How  much  better  would  it  be 
for  all  parties  if  a man  worth  1000/.  would  confine  himself  to 
an  occupation  of  100  acres;  and  if  the  larger  farms  were  let  to  men 
able  to  farm  them  well,  or  even  subdivided  rather  than  displace 
old  tenants ! 
The  obvious  retort,  “ Who  is  to  find  all  the  new  buildings?” 
only  reveals  another  tender  place,  which  I will  not  probe  far- 
ther, nor  will  I discuss  the  abstract  question  of  large  and  small 
farms.  The  farms  of  the  West  of  England  are  generally  of  a mo- 
derate size,  and  nothing  would  be  gained  by  a change  in  this  respect, 
provided  only,  the  tenants  were  generally  placed  in  such  circum- 
stances that  they  might  venture  to  make  a judicious  expenditure. 
The  first  thing  is  to  remove  obstacles  to  the  outlay  of  capital. 
A thorough  reform  in  the  covenants  inserted  in  leases  and  agree- 
ments is  required.  In  such  documents  the  advice  of  a practical 
agriculturist,  who  understands  the  climate  and  habits  of  the 
country,  but  whose  judgment  has  been  ripened  by  extended  ex- 
perience of  other  districts,  is  mere  needed  than  the  common 
forms  of  the  lawyer.  Covenants  founded  on  a dread  of  exhausting 
the  inherent  energies  of  the  soil  are  out  of  date.  The  less  a man 
of  capital  and  integrity  is  restricted  in  his  mode  of  cropping  the 
better.  Couch  soon  tells  tales. 
Enough  has  been  said  about  the  hindrances  to  farming  caused 
by  wet  land,  needless  hedges,  and  buildings  w'hich  starve  cattle 
and  waste  manure.  If  the  landlord  cannot  advance  the  money 
at  once  for  the  removal  of  these  hindrances,  many  tenants  would 
find  it  for  themselves,  if  they  could  be  secured  against  the  danger 
of  doing  injustice  to  their  own  families.  * 
