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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



cumbered Estates Court have cleared away many 

 difficulties which formerly stood in the way of sell- 

 ing or acquiring land. The institution of the pro- 

 posed L^.nd Court, by which proprietors whose 

 estates are free from debt may have their titles in- 

 investigated, and indisputable titles given to them- 

 selves or to purchasers, will be one of the greatest 

 benefits ever conferred on any country. The only 

 local taxes which a tenant farmer pays in Ireland 

 are — the whole county rates, and one-half of the 

 poor-rate. Ireland is, happily, exempt from many 

 crown taxes, which are levied in England and Scot- 

 land. Here, there are no taxes on houses, horses, 

 dogs, male servants, carriages, &c. The public 

 roads in Ireland are fully equal to the best roads 

 in England or Scotland, and they are kept in 

 most excellent repair. 



Toll-gates are almost unknovvn, and we may 

 drive from one end of the kingdom to the other 

 without being called on to pay a single penny. 

 The county cess is applied in making and macad- 

 amising the roads. The peasantry, the farmer, 

 and the gentry, have not only been civil and 

 obliging, but kind and hospitable to the Scotch and 

 English settlers, all of whom are highly satisfied 

 with the change they have made, and few, in- 

 deed, of their number would return back to their 

 native countries. They like the country, the cli- 

 mate, and the people ; and the general feeling 

 among them is, that Ireland is a real home to them, 

 and a garden for the agriculturists. Mr. Miller 

 then read extracts from 'some of the many letters 

 which he had received from Scotch and English 

 farmers. He could not with propriety give the 

 names or addi'esses of the parties, which he felt 

 he was not at libery to do, as it might involve them 

 in correspondence with strangers asking questions. 

 The first was from a farmer in the province of 

 Leinster, and stated " that the people were gene- 

 rally obliging, civil, and quiet when encouraged ; 

 they are good workmen, but require a little train- 

 ing. The women work well, quite equal to the 

 Scotch. His turnip thinning costs him, on an 

 average of the last four years. Is. 9d. a statute 

 acre: for the second hoeing. Is. 2d., and this 

 where sixty-five acres are annually grown ; his 

 heaviest bill, 3s. Id. per acre, including mowing, 

 gathering, binding, stooking, and raking. Great 

 advantages offer to the ca])italist and enterprising 

 farmers. Great perseverance is required to clear 

 the land, square the fields, and plough deep, and 

 the lightest dressing of manure or guano had a 

 surprising effect. No one who saw the late Dublin 

 shows can deny that we are making great progress 

 in the diffusion of short-horned blood, and that 

 we are little behind the sister-countries. In the 

 feeding of stock we have an advantage, as our cli- 



mate is i)articularly favourable to the growth of 

 grass and green crops. With 3 cwt. of Peruvian 

 guano to the statute acre, we grow from 27 to 30 

 tons of swedes, and on heavy lands as much as 35 

 to 40 tons. Has been seven years in Ireland, and 

 farms .500 acres. Is from Scotland. The land in 

 his neighbourhood is capable of great improve- 

 ments, but is occupied mainly by small farmers, 

 whose implements are of the most primitive de- 

 scription, and of course the land badly tilled. The 

 country, as far as the eye can reach, seems a net- 

 work of fences and small fields and roads. Con- 

 siders one-twentieth of the land to be taken up 

 by fences and roads. The average rate of labour- 

 ers' wages is 6s. a week for men, women 2s. 6d., 

 boys and girls 'is. to Is. 6d. a week. If the men 

 are fed in the kitchen, £8 to £8 10s, a year for the 

 best hands; servant girls from £2 10s. to £3 a 

 year. There is an improvement going on in the 

 country. A great increase in green crops, and a 

 great desire among farmers to improve their breeds 

 of cattle and sheep ; also the levelling of old 

 crooked fences, and better draining and manaoing 

 the land. The peasantry are better off now than 

 they were some time ago. Every one is in full em- 

 ployment, but they are far from being comfortable, 

 as their wages are low and provisions dear. Pauper- 

 ism is much decreased. The people are not only 

 civil and obliging, but kind and hospitable, and 

 hail the appearance of a landlord among them as a 

 boon. No matter what country he is from, if he 

 is civil and treat thefti properly, he never met with 

 greater kindness at home. All we want to bring 

 us up to our proper standard are men with money, 

 enterprise, and skill. We have the climate, tVie 

 labour cheap, and the raiv material, which only 

 wants to be worked to yield a good per-centage on 

 the capital expended." The next letter was from a 

 Scotch farmer resident in the province of Munster* 

 who has been seven years in Ireland, and farms 

 about three hundred statute acres: — "The lands 

 in his neighbourhood have been much improved* 

 but are capable of a great deal more by a judicious 

 outlay of capital, especially in draining. The ave- 

 rage rate of wages are — men 6s., women 3s., child- 

 ren Is. 6d. to 2s. per week. Has witnessed a 

 marked improvement in the prosperity of the coun- 

 try people ; their clothing is now comfortable, and 

 they have every appearance of social and domestic 

 prosperity. Pauperism much decreased ; poor rate 

 fifty per cent, lower than it was. His neighbours 

 are most civil and obliging, and always found them 

 so. The climate is mild and genial, being earlier 

 by three weeks for all kinds of crops, than any 

 part of Scotland. This part of Ireland can pro- 

 duce better stock than Limerick and Tipperary. 

 Green crops are largely grown, and yield ample re- 



