l8o3' Survey of the County of Kilkenny, 9;^ 



nion farmer, becomes in a year little bctt^er than a pig-fi jc. The 

 houies of rich farmers are generally far inferior to their means, 

 and are fuch as exempt thc-m from window-tax, and often from 

 hearth-money ; but the greateil failing is in the offices : the barn 

 is generally a fhed to threlli on, with no floor but the natural foil; 

 the liable a hovel ; a cow-houfe is often not to be found ; no yard 

 is appropriated to pigs; the corn ftands alone to itiark the farm: a 

 Ihed to protect the implements of tillage was never thought of; the 

 richeft larmers always leave the plough and harrov/ in the corner 

 of the lad field they tilled ; fuch part of the harnefs as may 

 not confiil of gads, or fugans, is fecured in the houfe ; and with 

 the fmaller farmers, if the car does not Hop fome gap, called a 

 gateway, it may lie againft the ditch, or on the dunghill. The 

 offices are fometimes covered with potatoe-ilalks, which form a 

 very bad thatch; 



* The bad ftate and deficiency of agricultural buildino-s, and the 

 unimproved condition of many farms, may arife from various cau- 

 fes ; firft, nothing is ever built or repaired by landlords ; thefc 

 expences, as well as every other improvement, is left to the tenant, 

 who generally comes into a delapidated holding, without capital 

 enough to ilock it, fiill lefs to build, to fence, or to drain. Secondly, 

 there is often a want of confidence between the proprietor and the 

 occupier. Thirdly, there is generaliy in the tenant a difpofitiou* 

 to make that anfwer again, which anfvvercd in fome degree before ; 

 and, if it fails, to look for a temporary fliift, which he thinks will 

 •* do well enough." To attempt difcuffing the primary caufes of 

 thefe tw^o latter impediments to improvement, would be to enter 

 into political not flatiflical obfervation : if the landlord appears 

 fometmes not to give prudent attention, or an intelligent and li- 

 beral fuperintendence, the tenant appears to want fettled views and 

 a contented difpofition. To defpife the goods in' his power may 

 be philofophic ; but it is the philofophy of a cynic. True philofo- 

 phy aims at progreffive improvement ; without that delirc, man be- 

 comes brutal, and lofes the only good quality of a rational beino-.' 



The moll prevalent tenure on which land is occupied by tenants is 

 31 years, or three lives, which our author confiders not to be bene- 

 ficial ; and in this idea we concur with him. Life-renters of land, 

 like proprietors who poffefs under ftrift entails, feldom make anj 

 improvements, confequently fuch tenures are hoilile to the public 

 good. 



Our author is unfriendly to the tithe fyflem, and, like every 

 other man who has examined the bufinefs with attention, and is 

 not interefted in continuing the abule, thinks a collection of tithes 

 in kind, or an annual valuation, injurious to agriculture. 



We 



