system worked no worse in Ireland than in France, the state of agriculture in France, with so many
grant leases, it must be remembered that it has been found very difficult to check this disastrous practice when once a lease has been issued. This point is clearly set forth in the following extract from the Digest of the evidence given before the Devon Commission:—
"Though from the above-mentioned causes, the practice of subletting is now much less prevalent than it formerly was, it appears that the practice of subdividing farms as a provision for the children of tenants still continues to a very great extent, notwithstanding the most active exertions of proprietors and agents.
"The evil is one difficult, or almost impossible to prevent. The parent possessed of a farm looks upon it as a means of providing for his family after his decease, and, consequently, rarely induces them to adopt any other than agricultural pursuits, or makes any other provision for them than the miserable segment of a farm, which he can carve for each out of his holding, itself perhaps below the smallest size which can give profitable occupation to a family. Each son, as he is married, is installed in his portion of the ground, and in some cases, even the sons-in-law receive as the dowries of their brides some share of the farm. In vain does the landlord or agent threaten the tenant; in vain is the erection of new houses prohibited, or the supply of turf limited. The tenant relies on the sympathy of his class to prevent ejectment, and on his own ingenuity to defeat the other impediments to his favourite mode of providing for his family.
"The fear of this subdivision, and its ruinous consequences, appear, from the testimony of many, to be the principal causes preventing the grant of leases, as the power of the landlord to resist them, though always insufficient, is considered to be much diminished where the tenant holds by lease, no matter how stringent the covenants against subdivision may be, it being stated that the difficulty of enforcing the covenants in leases is in general very great.
"It appears that subdivision is occasionally caused by the
