ABSTRACT
Agricultural land in England is not usually cultivated by the owner, but is let by him to a tenant farmei. The owner of land is known as the freeholder, and his title usually rests in the possession of certain documents known as title deeds. This system is not very satisfactory, for the loss of one document or its ambiguous wording may mean a doubtful title and consequent law suit. Every purchaser, therefore, must pay a lawyer to carefully examine the title, and also the purchase must itself be recorded in a new deed. This makes the transfer of land a costly and troublesome business. In some countries, notably France, the Government keeps an exact entry of all the owners of land, with plans of their holdings, and a transfer simply entails an alteration in the Government books, for wdiich, of course, a fee is charged.
