Thus  Mr  Scott,  while  thinking  the  Act  has  encouraged
farmers  to  try  to  keep  up  the  condition  of  their  land,  and
that  landlords  would  now  have  had  their  land  in  much
worse  condition  but  for  the  Act,  thinks  also  that  "  a  bad
tenant  may  get  too  much  from  the  Act,  and  a  good
tenant  is  not  likely  to  get  enough.  For  instance,  a  good
tenant  may  make  the  principal  part  of  his  expenditure
in  the  first  years  of  his  tenancy,  and  get  the  farm  into
such  good  condition  that  it  requires  less  during  the  last
three  or  four  years  ;  therefore  he  will  get  less  compensa-
tion. A  bad  tenant  might  put  on  very  little  the  first  few
years  of  his  tenancy,  and  might  throw  on  a  great  deal
of  manure  and  a  great  deal  of  food  the  last  three  or  four
years  of  his  tenancy,  and  possibly  get  more  compensa-
tion."

"  The  Act  does  not  give  compensation  for  condition  ;
it  would  be  a  great  advantage  if  condition  were  valued."

Mr  Forster  is  in  favour  of  compensation  for  general
improved  fertility,  and  thinks  it  can  be  tested  by  pro-
ductive power  of  the  farm.  He  holds  that  compensation
for  general  improvements  is  promised  in  "about  the
first  sentence  of  the  Act,  and  that  is  what  I  want
carried  out."

Mr  Wilkinson  says:  "  The  increased  fertility  of  the  soil,
due  to  continuous  good  farming,  should  be  the  property
of  the  tenant.  The  operation  of  the  law  by  which  an
outgoing  tenant  receives  compensation  based  on  the
quantities  of  fertilisers  and  feeding  stuffs  used  during
the  last  three  or  four  years,  is  not  a  sufficient  recognition
of  his  interests.  Indeed,  the  law  operates  in  a  way
detrimental  to  continuous  good  farming,  because  such  a
farmer  is  liable  to  a  demand  for  an  increase  of  rent,
owing  to  the  increased  fertility,  and  consequently  in-
creased letting  value,  without  getting  compensation  for
it."

Mr  Rowlandson  thinks  "  for  the  benefit  of  the  com-
munity there  should   be   an   allowance  for  continuous


CONTINUOUS    HIGH    AND    CLEANLY    FARMING   1 97

good  farming.  At  present  we  often  have  claims  for  the
deterioration  of  the  land,  and  if  the  tenant  has  improved
the  state  of  the  farm  in  its  cultivation  he  should  be
paid  for  it."  The  schedule  of  condition  at  entry  would
make  it  perfectly  feasible.
