of theory, but cannot always be maintained in practice; because many tenants, in adverse times, do not possess the means of liquidating every instant demand upon them, including rent, though their stocking may be of far greater value than the whole amount of those demands, yet, to touch upon that for the purpose of rent, would not only derange the economy of the farm, but ultimately injure the landlord's own interest, by neglecting the culture of the land, and depreciating its value.

To avert so great an evil, the effects of which may be felt over the whole succeeding lease, landlords should grant such a reduction of rent at once, as will enable industrious tenants to carry on their farms to the best advantage in the altered circumstances of the times. Nor is a large reduction of rent devoid of justice; for, in prosperous times, most tenants are not in the habit of hoarding money on ordinary leases, and therefore cannot long endure adversity; and if, after bringing up their families, and providing for them, they should have earned a little spare capital, it is usually expended in prosecuting farther improvements, if required, or in extending their operations by taking other farms.

Whilst such negociations are carrying on, the factor is placed in a delicate situation. Let him be ever so well disposed towards the tenantry, he cannot convince an inexperienced landlord of the advantage of submitting to a large reduction of rent at once, rather than undergo the disagreeable task of arguing upon and yielding a petty reduction every year. Let him plead for the tenants with all the earnestness of a sympathising heart, and the force of indisputable facts, it will prove unavailing on a mind inexperienced of those facts; and in urging their case farther than the humour of the landlord will bear, he may jeopardise his own livelihood, and the case being so, his interest would rather prompt him to flatter the landlord's cupidity, than alleviate the tenant's hardships. Could the landlord be shewn that his own interest is involved in that of his tenants, there might be some hope of an equitable negociation, but to the inexperienced in country matters, how hard would be the conviction that decrease of income may promote increase of safety. Were the factor really ill-disposed to the tenants, what a glorious opportunity would such a time afford him of avenging himself upon them, by hardening the heart of the landlord against any concession, on the bare plea of inexpediency.

No doubt, landlords, though unacquainted with farming, may have their properties well managed by judicious factors, and were implicit

reliance always placed in them, by landlords and tenants, those properties would thrive apace. But, tenants, as I have before said, always feel greater confidence under the immediate cognizance of a practical landlord, than under any factor; for, besides the question of rent, which may have to be discussed oftener than once in the currency of a lease, there are many links of attachment which bind a landlord with his tenants, that cannot subsist betwixt them and the factor. The position of tenants on very large estates, it is true, is somewhat different. Great landowners cannot be expected to become personally known to every one of their numerous tenants, even though they may be thoroughly versed in practical agriculture; and this being necessarily the case, their factors, in every portion of their estates, are endued with almost as large discretionary powers as proprietors themselves, in so far, at least, as the tenants are concerned. Still it is desirable for the most satisfactory management of even the largest estates, that landowners of the largest extent, and highest titles, should be acquainted with practical farming. Bacon says, "It is no baseness for the greatest to descend and look into their own estate." For this purpose, they should themselves be able to examine the qualifications of factors, however highly recommended they may be by testimonials. A few questions, put with the discernment which practice never fails to confer on the practical man, give a clearer insight into the actual qualifications of a factor than volumes of testimonials. The choosing of good factors is an important matter in the welfare of every estate, and much more so on one of such an extent as to preclude the possibility of the personal superintendence of the landlord himself. Practical knowledge also enables landlords at once to direct their observation to those minute circumstances which are infallible indications of land being well or ill farmed. This faculty of minute observation is invaluable to landlords and factors, in enabling them to judge of the condition of land without much trouble, and it may be easily acquired with a previous knowledge of the minutiae of farming. The accomplishment of matured observation is well worth the landlord's while bestowing some pains to acquire.

There is also no doubt, that tenants in similar circumstances with respect to their farms, may cultivate them as well under a landlord unacquainted, as acquainted with farming. Any difficulty the tenants may have to contend with, consists not so much in the cultivation of their farms, as in obtaining similar advantages of lease from the inexperienced, as from the experienced landlord; and although as great advantages were obtained at the commencement of the lease, yet occurrences happening during it, to alter the relative position of landlord and tenant,

are viewed in very different lights by the two classes of landlords, and always to the prejudice of the tenant, by the inexperienced class. There are farmers whose capital and force of character enable them to pursue an independent and successful course of farming, in spite of every obstacle that would effectually impede the career of others; but such characters, though good farmers, and therefore valuable tenants on any estate, are few in number; and when seen to make a little money, seldom fail to excite the jealousy of landlords unacquainted with farming, who, to account for their success, imagine that the land has been made to do more than it should. On the other hand, such tenants are just the men whom landlords acquainted with farming would desire to occupy their farms.

It is undeniable, that every advantage which tenants on estates belonging to landlords unacquainted with farming do possess, may also be possessed by those under practical landlords, besides many minor circumstances which the former class of landlords cannot appreciate as being at all conducive to the welfare and comfort of tenants.

These maxims of Bacon seem not an inapt conclusion to our present remarks: "He that cannot look into his own estate at all, had need both choose well those whom he employeth, and change them often, for new are more timorous and less subtle. He that can look into his estate but seldom, it behoveth him to turn all to certainties." *

8. OF EXPERIMENTAL FARMS AS PLACES FOR INSTRUCTION IN

FARMING.

"Things done without example, in their issue

Are to be feared."

HENRY VIII.

It seems to be a favourite notion with some writers on agricultural subjects, that, of all places for learning farming, experimental farms are the best. They even recommend the formation of experimental farms, with the view of affording to young men the best system of agricultural education. They go the length of confidently asserting that all the field operations and experiments, on experimental farms, could be conducted by pupils. And they are nearly unanimous in conceiving that 200 acres would be a large enough extent for an experimental farm,

Essays, p. 106.

and that on such a farm 100 pupils could be trained to become farmers, stewards, and ploughmen.

A very slight consideration of the nature of an experimental farm, will serve to shew how unsuitable such a place is for learning farming. The sole object of an experimental farm is, to become acquainted with the best properties of plants and animals by experiment, and thereby to ascertain whether those properties are such as would recommend them for introduction to an ordinary farm. It is obvious, from this statement, that it is needless following, on an experimental farm, the usual modes of cultivating the ordinary plants and of rearing the ordinary animals of a farm. Either new plants, and other modes than the usual ones of cultivating and rearing the ordinary plants and animals, should be tried on an experimental farm, otherwise it would not be an experimental farm, or of more use than an ordinary farm. In witnessing new or unusual modes of culture, the pupil would thus learn nothing of the particulars of ordinary farming. Extraordinary modes of cultivating ordinary plants, by changes in the rotation or of manure, and the risk of failure in both-for failure is a necessary condition of experimentwould only serve to impress the minds of pupils with experimental schemes, instead of guiding them to the most approved plan of cultivating each sort of plant. To confound the mind of a beginner, by presenting before it various modes of doing the same thing, without the ability to inform it which is the best, is to do him a lasting injury. Were a pupil, who had been trained up on an ordinary farm, to have opportunities of witnessing varieties of experiments conducted on an experimental farm, he might then derive benefit from numerous hints which would be suggested in the course of making the experiments. But if pupils would be unfavourably placed on an experimental farm, by remaining constantly on it, much more would the farm itself be injured, by having its experiments performed by inexperienced pupils. So far from pupils being able to conduct experiments to a satisfactory issue, the most experienced cultivators are at times baffled by unforeseen difficulties; and so far would such experiments inspire confidence in farmers, that they would assuredly have quite an opposite tendency. So far, therefore, would the services of pupils in any degree compensate for the extraordinary outlay occasioned on experimental farms, by unsuccessful or unprofitable experiments, that even those of the most experienced cultivators would most probably produce no such desirable result; for no experimenter can command success, and failure necessarily implies extraordinary outlay. So far, therefore, could the services of pupils accomplish what those of experienced cultivators could not command, that

their very presence on an experimental farm, with the right of co-operating in the experiments, would be a constant source of inconvenience to the experienced experimenters.

But, besides these objections, the mode of conducting experiments on so small farms as those recommended by most writers, would be quite unsuitable to pupils desirous of learning farming. Where varieties of culture on various sorts of plants are prosecuted on a small extent of ground, only a very small space can be allotted to each experiment. It is true, that, should any of the varieties of plants be new to this country, the seed of which at first being of course only obtainable in small quantities, to procure such being a primary object with the promoters of experimental farms, the space required for them at first must be very small. But although each lot of ground should be small, the great varieties of seeds cultivated in so many different ways, will nevertheless require a great number of lots, which altogether will cover a considerable extent of ground. How all these lots are to be apportioned on 200 acres, together with ground for experimenting on different breeds of animals, and different kinds of forest trees, is more than I can imagine. It would require more than double that extent of ground to give mere standingroom to all the objects that should be cultivated on an experimental farm, and over and above which, 100 pupils on such a farm would form a perfect crowd. Besides, the lots being so small, would require to be worked with the spade instead of the plough; and this being the case, let the experiments on such a farm be ever so perfectly performed, they could give pupils no insight whatever into real farming, much less secure the confidence of farmers.

It is the pleasure of some writers on experimental farms, to institute a comparison, or even strict analogy, betwixt them and experimental gardens. As the latter have improved the art of gardening, they argue, so would the former improve agriculture. But the truth is, there can be no analogy betwixt the introduction into common gardens, of the results obtained in experimental gardens, and the results of experiments obtained in such small experimental farms as recommended by agricultural writers, introduced into the common field culture of a farm; because, the experiments in an experimental garden having been made by the spade, may be exactly transferred into almost any common garden, and, of course, succeed there satisfactorily; whereas the experiments made by the spade in a small experimental farm, cannot be performed with the spade on a common farm; they must there be executed by the plough, and, of course, in quite different circumstances. The rough culture of the plough, and most probably in different circumstances of soil, manure,