INTRODUCTION,

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methods of augmenting the produce of their farms, left the advantages fhould be.reaped by others. Even a leafe of twenty-one years, in many fituations and underdifferent circumfiances, is not fufficient to allow the farmer to undertake improve-ments of confiderable magnitude, as he can neither condudl them in the mofteconomical way, nor reap the full advantage of them. Bcfides, where money toany great amount is expended in the beginning of fuch a term, the farmer ia often,in order to indemnity himfclf, where he has not a prolpetft of remaining, inducedto run out and exhauft the land at the latter end of his leafe ; which is a practice ofthe mod prejudicial tendency to the proprietors of fuch farms, and the communityas well as the interefisof agriculture.

It is evident, therefore, that the farmers of land fhould in all cafes have fuch a fe-curity for the pofleflion of it as will enable them to introduce the moft improvedmodes of management, and excite them to adopt the beft means of improvement.The length of leafe that may be moft fuitable and beft adapted for thefe importantpurpofes is not eatily alcertained ; it ought probably to vary according to the par-ticular circumftances and the nature of the improvements that are to be carried intoexecution*. In fuch leafes many clauies muft of courfe be requifite : but theyfhould be fuch as are plain and fimple, and fuch as may not too greatly deftroy theindependence of the farmer, but leave him much at liberty to follow his own piansof cultivation ; while they afford effectual fecurity to the proprietors, by cauliouflyguarding againft the introduction of fuch iyftems of hufbandry as would be injuri-ous or improper-}-.

There are many other caufes of this kind that operate unfavourably for the ex-tenfion of agricultural improvements; but as they are either confined to particularcircumftances, or only poflefs a local influence, it is not neceflary to confider themwith a view to the prefent objeCt.

From what has been observed, it is evident that different circumftances muft beattended to, in order to bring the ftate of agriculture to that degree of perfection whichits utility demands. It will not only be neceflary that the principles of the art be ren-dered more clear and eafily acceflible to the cultivator, but that the various proceffes

* Mr. Donaldfon, after making a variety of ufeful obfervations on the advantage of leafes, and thelength of time that may have the moft beneficial effeSs in promoting improvements, concludes, that“ that duration of leafe which entitles the tenant to commence his improvements with fpirit, and is notof fuch a length as to induce him, from any fortuitous circumftances that may take place, as a rife in thenominal price of produce, or a fail in the value of money, to flacken his attention, may be confideredupon the whole as beft; and probably twenty years is as equitable a term as in the prefent ftate of Britifliagriculture can well be fixed upon.”

f See Seftion on Leafes, in Appendix.

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