340 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



Royston. John Beresford, Cloucurry, St. Lawrence, Monck, 

 aad Doneraile ; Sir Nugeut Humble, Sir Beujamia 

 Morris, Sir John Keaae, Sir Robert Paul, Sir E. M'Donnel, 

 the Hon, R. Talbot, the Hon. St. John Butler, General 

 Roberts, Colonel Palliser, &c. 



After the customary loyal toasts, the Chairman gave " The 

 health of his Excellency the Lord Lieutenaut," who, in re- 

 sponding, said — I rejoice that the annual cycle of this Royal 

 Irish Agricultural Society has brought us on this occasion to 

 the prosperous county and pleasant city of Waterford. We 

 are here assembled at the very portals of our land. Time was, 

 indeed, when it was more peculiarly their character, and when 

 Waterford was more commonly near the j'lace of arrival from 

 the sister country than the metropolis itself; for it was in 

 Waterford, as many of us well remember, that King Henry 

 IL, John, and Richard IL first planted their mailed feet upon 

 the strand of Ireland ; and I make no doubt that if in those 

 days they could have been sure of finding here collected as 

 goodly a muster of beeves and sheep as have this day greeted 

 and gladdened our eyes, the visits of the Norman and Plan- 

 tagenet kings would have been still more frequent, and their 

 armies still more thronging thru they were. However, in 

 these times of peace and settlement, so far, indeed, as relates 

 to the European world, I think it will be admitted that a 

 better locality could hardly have been selected for the exhibi- 

 tion of this society than your city, with all our green island as 

 a back country to furnish its evidence of agricultural advance- 

 ment, and inviting the whole outside world to send its pro- 

 ducts in through your port and noble river. Owing to the 

 time at which these annual exhibitions are held, I am era- 

 powered to gain the earliest insight into the abstracts of the 

 agricultural statistics for the year just closed, which are always 

 furnisheJ by the industry and enlightened superiutendance of 

 the Registrar-General. This is a branch of knowledge in 

 which our opposite neighbours in old, big England are still 

 content to lay far behind you in Ireland. I will only present 

 you with a very short summary of the leading results of what 

 has been ascertained respecting the growth of the cereal crops 

 and green crops, and the quantity of live stock in the year 

 that has just closed, as compared with the year imme- 

 diately preceding. In the growth of wheat crops in the year 

 ending 1857, as compared with the year ending 1856, there 

 has been an increase in acres under cultivation of 34,000 

 (hear, hear) ; and in the barley and rye crops of 27,000 acres. 

 This is met by a decrease in the quantity of acres under 

 cultivation of oats 55,000 ; but the whole increase in the 

 cereal crops ia the year 1857, as compared with 1856, may 

 be reckoned as 3,000 acres. With respect to the green 

 crops, there is an increase of 41,000 acres under cultivation 

 of potatoes. In other green crops — except turnips, in which 

 there has been a small decrease — there is an increase of about 

 8,000 acres ; and on the whole the total increase of green 

 crops under cultivation is 49,000 acres (Hear). The increase 

 of acres in meadow and clover amounts to 65,000 acres ; and 

 the total inorease in the extent of land under crops in Ireland 

 this year, as compared with last year, amounts to 105,000 

 acres. With respect to the quality of live stock in Ireland, 

 there is an increase in the number of horses of 27,000, an in- 

 crease in the number of cattle of 30,000, an increase in the 

 number of pigs of 332,000 (cries of oh, and applause); which 

 is met by a decrease in the number of sheep of 241,000. This 

 decrease in the number of sheep seems to me to be worthy of 

 your consideration. I don't know to what causes it will be 

 exactly attributed ; perhaps the most pleasant cause to which 

 to attribute it would be to a greater demand for mutton 

 (laughter and applause) ; and cousequeatly there has been. 



perhaps, a premature demand for lean sheep. Well now, these 

 results seem to me to be, on the whole, of a satisfactory and 

 encouraging character : not to be such as should make you 

 content with the state of advancement to which you have 

 already attained, but such as ought to stimulate you to con- 

 tinued and increased exertions in those pursuits which are 

 healthful for the body, good for the mind, which we may be 

 sure are public-spirited and patriotic, and which we may ven- 

 ture also to hope, though perhaps in a less exalted strain, will 

 be found to be self-rewarding and remunerative. I do not 

 know whether it will be reckoned one of the proper functions 

 of a viceroy to use the office of admonition, as well as the 

 more grateful and more royal office of approval. Perhaps this 

 may be one of the uses of a viceroy which we have heard 

 called into question — that a viceroy may admonish where a 

 sovereign could only only approve. When I heard it insinu- 

 ated, gentlemen, that even in this favoured county of Water- 

 ford, which I dare say may afford the same condition of things 

 as many of the other counties of Ireland — that while there has 

 been a very marked improvement within the two or three last 

 years, both in tillage and in stock, in drainage and in the rais- 

 ing offences, yet still landlords and tenants are to be found 

 who allow themselves to be negligent about the state of the 

 open main drains. It is a subject, I take it, of very intimate 

 concern to the well-being of their estates ; and I also think 

 there may be reason to fear that, notwithstanding the active 

 and enthusiastic exertions of my friend Mr. Donnelly, whose 

 many public services 1 am to say her Majesty has lately been 

 pleased to recognize, though some think not quite so appro- 

 priately as they might have been, inasmuch as she has made 

 him a Companion of the Bath, and not of the Thistle (laugh- 

 ter) ; still it is to be feared that, notwithstanding those exer- 

 tions, the general surface of Ireland does still continue to ex- 

 hibit more than at least its proper proportion of weeds. I 

 know that the total extinction of weeds must be a work of 

 time — of gradual and continued effort, like all other great 

 works ; but, gentlemen, Delhi has not fallen yet, as far as we 

 know, and Irish weeds are not yet extirpated ; and I believe 

 the one to be as essential to the real regeneration of Irish 

 agriculture as the other is to the martial glory and stabdity 

 of the empire. With respect to the exhibition of this day, I 

 believe we shall all be justified in regarding it with unmixed 

 feelings of approval and complacency; and I am sure there 

 can be but one opinion as to the admirable character of the 

 arrangements and the accommodation which was supplied 

 (applause). However, gentlemen, on these points you will 

 hear more precise observations, and more discriminating 

 praise from those who are far more competent to speak upon 

 such a subject than I could be. Indeed, I found in the course 

 of the session, the labours of which are not yet brought to a 

 close, I was something very like denounced, because it was 

 presumed that I could distinguish a cow from a sheep, I do 

 not know what will be said of ray viceregal degeneracy to-day, 

 when it becomes bruited that I have had — what I consider it 

 a great honour to have had — a prize assigned to me for a 

 breeding sow. However, gentlemen, I consider that a very 

 shallow criticism which would represent an interest in Irish 

 agriculture, aud a pride in its advancement as qualities not 

 desirable for an Irish ruler. For you cannot take into con- 

 sideration the whole condition and circumstances of Ireland— 

 her fertile but varied soil — her wealth of rivers and harbours 

 — the habits and character of the population, and even her 

 changeful climate and her weeping skies — which, however 

 have been in such happy suspension this day — you cannot 

 take all these features and characteristics of Ireland into con- 

 sideration without coming to the conviction that agriculture is 



