THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



457 



which was kiiOivn only by its fjui(;t murmuriags aud gectle 

 3imm(Tiag3 to soothe the cartii of ouc gramimothera whilst 

 sitting at their tea, would soon become the mighty agency we 

 now behold it, carrying ou the trade of the world, and con- 

 necting the most distant climea iu intimate and friendly rela- 

 tions ? Who, he repeated, could have anticipated such mighty 

 results from so trifling a cause ? and though he was not so 

 sanguine as to expect the South Tyne Agricultural Association 

 to take such rapid strides as the giant Steam, yet he thought 

 it, too, contained the elements of expansion, whicTi would in a 

 short time extend its power and influence over the county — 

 in a word, that it would grow with their growth, and gain 

 vigour as it grew. Man was not allowed to control the 

 seasons ; he could not guide the cloud, uor stay the storm ; 

 aud thus was the farmer sorely tried by the fickleness of the 

 climate. But though he had not the power to influence the 

 seasons, yet under the auspices of agricultural societies, such 

 as had just been established iu that neighbourhood, and with 

 their assistance, many of thoae evils which were incideatal to 

 the climate and the soil farmers were enabled to avert. Such 

 societies as these were calculated to stimulate exertion, excite 

 competition, diffuse agricultural knuwledge, and by placing 

 the wonderful and almost all-|iowt;rful resources of mechanics 

 and science within the reach of the farmer, to enable him to 

 overcome almost every dirticulty which had hitherto existed. 

 iBy the mechanical contrivances which they were the means of 

 nlrodiicing into the country, agriculturists were enabled to 

 shorten labour, anJ to take advantage of those brief periods of 

 suusliine which even in tliis climate we were sometimes 

 favoured with. The harvest had commenced with fine wea- 

 ther ; but 800U the cold winds came, and the rain descended, 

 disappointing aud almost ciepiriting the farmer at a time when 

 he most needed an uneloudy .-iky ; again, however, they had 

 sunshine, aud it would be their own faidts if they did not 

 take advantage of it. It was by thft application of mechanical 

 contrivances that they were enabled to get throug'ii the busi- 

 ness of the farm with e.vpeditiou ; those contrivances it was the 

 eapeci'.l duty of these societies to encourage, but abore all 

 t'oiugs he hoped they would be instrumental in overcoming 

 that propensity for p^-ocrastiuation whicli too much prevailed 

 amongst agriculturists, and induce them to seize upon the 

 favourable moment to turn everything to the best advantage, 

 not only for their own sakes, but also for the benefit of the 

 country. 



A LANDLORD'S ADVICE.— The Earl of Lonsdale, 

 in returning thanks for his health being enthusiastically 

 drunk at the West Cumberland Agricultural Society, said : 

 — " I am glad to observe that iu this county, aud, indeed, I 

 may say all over the kingdom, people's minds have been 

 awakened, and they have been led to appreciate the value 

 of their native soil. Great improvements have been made 

 of late years, due principally to the energy of individuals ; 

 at the same time I may say with truth that at present there 

 is more enterprise, more skill and activit}', and, above all, 

 more capital applied to the cultivation of the soil than has 

 been known at any former period. Gentlemen, were I to 

 give a word of advice to landed proprietors, I should re- 

 commend them to hold and keep what they have, for there 

 seems to be every prospect of land increasing in value. Po- 

 pulation is augmenting, whilst consumption is increasing in 

 proportion ; aud, in addition to that, there is that great in- 

 flux of gold from California and Australia— an influx which 

 in former times has always occasioned a rise in the value of 

 land. As to my own fancies iji agriculture, were I again to 

 venture upon offering j-ou good advice, it would be that you 

 should hold a good deal to the dairy farm. Such produce 

 as butter and mutton is increasing in price, and is likely to 

 increase still more, and upon these commodities you have 

 the draw back of foreign competition. In making the 

 remark I know that I am expressing a sentiment contrary 

 to the now generally received opinion, but I still believe 

 that there is a great advantage in having no competition be- 

 yond ourselves. Speaking of dairy farms as a question of 

 profit, I should say that it is upon grass lands this country 

 should chiefly rely. This country, I say, is particularly 

 rich in grass and green crops, at the same time it appears to 

 me that there is some deficiency iu the proper attention 

 which ought to be paid to them. It you would allow me to 



make a suggestion in reference to this subject, I would do 

 so iu the presence of the managers of the Whitehaven Agri- 

 cultural Society, and it is that they should give a prize to 

 the best-managed farm. If they will give a prize for the 

 best-managed farm, I will gladly follow it up by offering a 

 premium for the best forty acres of good grass land, free from 

 weeds and thistles and dockius ; for of all the beautiful 

 things in nature, to my perceptions, a tine clean grass field 

 is amongst the first. And what is perhaps more to the pur- 

 pose in these times— I believe it to be quite as profitable as 

 any other species of fanning. This country is well adapted 

 to the cultivation of green crops, and Cumberland is espe- 

 cially favoured. We know that good crops of turnips and 

 mangel wurzel are not to be raised by half measures. They 

 must be well cleaned and well manured ; you must even be 

 prodigal in manure if you wish to excel, and in that respect 

 it is well-known we have immense facilities beyond all other 

 counties." 



AN IRISH LANDLORD ON THE PAST AND 

 PRESENT OF IRELAND— TENANTS' DUTIES 

 AND LANDLORDS' DUTIES.— At the County Carlow 

 Agricultural Show, Henry Bruen, Esq., M.P., said: — 

 " When they considered the improvement that had been 

 going on in Ireland for some years past — of the gi-eat strides 

 made in the improvement of agriculture ; when they consi- 

 dered the short time in which thej' had accomplished that 

 happy change — must it not be gratifying to all fiirmers ? 

 England had betn, for the last two hundred years, greatly 

 progressing in this work of improvement. What was the 

 state of Ireland two hundred years ago ? Why, except the 

 castles at Leighlin-bridge, Shrule, and other places, there 

 was no protection for the people ; so that the poor man who 

 had a cow or a sheep was liable to be pounced upon, and 

 his little stock carried off by the O'Rourke's, or some of 

 those marauding gangs that then infested the country. 

 Even sixty years ago they were busj' cutting one another's 

 throats ; indeed, he was correct in stating that the first 

 traceable advance made by the people of this country in 

 agriculture was dated so late as twenty-five years back. In 

 that short time they could almost compete with their 

 English neighbours, although they were two hundred years 

 a-head of them. He was at a sale in the county Meath 

 some time ago, when an EngUsh gentleman, who was pre- 

 sent, declared that the sheep exhibited there for sale were 

 such as would have fetched fabulous prices if they were 

 in England. All this was most satisfactory, and they had 

 reason to hope for further improvement. J f they did this 

 in twenty years, how soon might the}' not easily surpass 

 England ? Their tillage was not what it ou^ht to be. 

 They had got small fields, crooked fences, and naif of the 

 land was deprived of its fertility for want of manure. It 

 was true that in England the farmers had a decided advan- 

 tage over their brethren in Ireland, in having plenty of 

 capital. There was also a great deficiency in the actual 

 working of the ground. It was more of scratching than 

 ploughing they had in this country — a great deal of plough- 

 ing and too much scratching. They could mend that. He did 

 not think they could make the tenant do everything. The 

 landlord must do his share" (tremendous cheering). — A 

 Voice : "That is putting the saddle ou the right horse." — 

 Mr. Bruen observed that " they must all do their own part. 

 The draining of land and building of out-offices should be 

 done by the landlord. They should have a better and 

 greater variety of crops, and though, unfortunately, they 

 had not the same abundance of capital that their "English 

 neighbours had, to enable them to effect all those things at 

 once — though they could not hope that this could be done 

 in one or two years, yet, he trusted, by the blessing of 

 Providence, there would be plenty of capital in the country 

 to improve and cultivate the land. He had one more cause 

 of congratulation, and that was : if this society had done 

 no other good than that of bringing together the diflferent 

 gentlemen he saw around him that night, to exchange 

 their opinions and ideas in a friendly manner, and becoming 

 better known to each other than they ever had been, it 

 would have effected much good to the landlord and the 

 tenant-farmer classes." 



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