IN SCOTLAND.
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ration is more general in Scotland than that of any other termof years. The probable reason of this was, that as this is theperiod of the mctonic cycle, our ancestors supposed that it con-tained all the varieties of the good and bad seasons; and whenvery long leases were given, they were given for two, three,or more revolutions of nineteen years. It deserves, however,to be remarked, that, in the Highland districts, the tacks-men, who have long leases themselves, generally give shortleases, or no leases at all, to their subtenants; that in themidland districts, where long leases are given, two or threerises of rent are stipulated, and that in some of the more im-proved counties of Scotland , leases of only twelve or fifteenyears are granted by a few proprietors. On sheep farms, theleases are generally very short, varying from nine to thirteenyears.
In the improved districts of Scotland , where the land haslong been well cultivated, and, in general, is in good order,and where the object of the lease is, both to give the farmersecurity for a certain number of years, and at the same timeto prevent the landholder from suffering too much from thedepreciation of money, and from the greater demand for theproduce of the soil, a lease of nineteen, or at the mosttwenty-one years, is sufficient; and while a much higher rentis paid, fewer restrictions are necessary. Here the simplerule may be laid down, that no more than one white cropshall ever be taken in succession, without the intervention ofa green crop: this and a few general regulations towards theconclusion of a lease, with respect to the proportion of fallow,of grass, and other green crops, will amply protect the inte-rest of a landholder, and are all that can reasonably be im-posed on a farmer, who pays the full rent for his farm. Yeteven on improved farms, the lease should continue for nine-teen or twenty-one years, as it is an inducement to the farmerto devise every method to render it more productive.
The most intelligent landholders and judicious farmers