540 



The Country Gcittlcmaiis Ma^a::inc 



of landholders in Ireland as these exist at 

 present. It may be correct to say that large 

 farms are more desirable, but when we take 

 into consideration that there are in Ireland 

 129,000 persons Avhose holdings do not 

 exceed 5 acres, and 175,000 persons whose 

 holdings are between 5 and 15 acres, it is 

 evident that any system of agricultural train- 

 ing which would ignore the existence of that 

 large class of Irish land-holders would be 

 quite imperfect. And, in connexion with this 

 point, it is worth noticing that in the accounts 

 of the Glasnevin farms the balance per acre 

 decreases as the size of the farm increases. 

 " This result," as Mr Baldwin remarks in his 

 report, " is curious and contrary to the cur- 

 rently received notions." There were cer- 

 tainly circumstances which affected the gross 

 returns from the large farm, during the finan- 

 cial year referred to, which are in course of 

 being removed, but notwithstanding this the 

 results as shewn in the accounts of the " small 

 farm," and the " intermediate " farm, are of 

 sufficient importance to deserve the considera- 

 tion of those who are totally opposed to 

 small holdings. 



Passing on to the next class of agricul- 

 tural schools, namely, those under the exclu- 

 sive management of the Commissioners, we 

 find nineteen on the list, having farms at- 

 tached, varying in extent from 8^ acres up 

 to 126^ acres. At some of the schools the 

 pupils pay ;^8 a-year for board and educa- 

 tion, while at others the charge is ^^6 a-year. 

 Each school has also a number of free places, 

 which are filled by candidates admitted under 

 certain regulations. Of first-class agricultural 



schools under the management of local patrons, 

 there are eighteen on the list, having farms 

 attached, varying from Zyi^ acres to 172 acres 

 in extent ; but Mr Baldwin states that Temple- 

 moyle, near Londonderry, the largest of these 

 schools, has been given up, not through any 

 fault of the Board, but from other causes quite 

 apart from the Board's management ; and the 

 landlords, who are the Grocers' Company of 

 London, who own about 12,000 acres in 

 the north of Ireland, refuse to allow it to be 

 re-established, except on such terms as the 

 Board could not agree with. It would, we 

 think, be little enough, if a wealthy company 

 which derives a large revenue from Irish 

 soil, were to be at the sole cost of the 

 maintenance of the Templemoyle school 

 and farm. The ordinary agricultural schools 

 are sixty-six in number, and the farms or plots 

 attached vary from i acre to 54 acres in ex- 

 tent ; but, as Mr Baldwin justly remarks, " if 

 instead of sixty there were six hundred centres 

 in which primary instruction would be afforded, 

 the agricultural intelligence of the small far- 

 mers of Ireland would rapidly improve." In 

 conclusion, we are satisfied from a careful 

 perusal of the report, as well as other circum- 

 stances, that the agricultural department of 

 the Irish National Board of Education is now 

 vastly improved from what it was at one time, 

 and in a fair way to benefit the country. 

 There are still some points which are sus- 

 ceptible of amendment, but from the earnest 

 spirit in which the superintendent has pur- 

 sued his duties we have no doubt that by- 

 and-bye any deficiencies which may still exist 

 will be remedied. 



PLEURO-PNEUMONIA IN CATTLE. 



IF the Scottish Chamber of Agriculture had richly merited the thanks and support of the 



never done anything since its formation community. Other questions to which the 



except to take up the subject of cattle disease attention of the Chamber has been directed 



and cattle traffic, and to concentrate within have been more or less of comparatively 



the pages of a single Report the opinions of local interest, but the " cattle inquiry" is one 



the leading veterinary surgeons in the United of imperial importance. The law of hypothec 



Kingdom on these matters, it would have was purely a Scottish question ; even game, 



