THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



533 



IRISH AND SCOTCH AGRICULTURE. 



The statistics of Irish agriculture have been for several 

 years before the country ; and lately thoae of Scotland have 

 been supplied ; and they aiTord us the means of comparing 

 the relative condition of the twd countries, and enable us 

 to arrive at an opinion as to whether the boast that has been 

 applied to Scotch farming is deserved, and whether the 

 opprobrium which has been heaped on Ireland and the 

 Irish from a long time before that in which Byron says— 



" The Eye becomes more Irish, and less nice," 



and which has as yet hardly passed away. The statistics 

 that are before usadord us some insight into the wealth em- 

 ployed in agriculture in each of the countries ; and though 

 this article may appear rather statistical, j'et as the subject 

 is of some interest and importance, we cannot avoid being 

 figure-atWe. We may premise that the areas of Scotland and 

 Ireland do not differ materially : the area of Scotland is about 

 30,000 square miles; that of Ireland is 31,374 square miles. 

 About two-thirds of the area of Ireland is considered arable, 

 but less than one-fourth of the entire area is regularly 

 farmed or brought under a rotation of crops ; the quantity 

 returned by Mr. Donelly as being under tillage in Ireland 

 in 1()57 was 5,160,089 acres. In Scotland, the quantity 

 under tillage in 1857 is even a smaller proportion, as we find, 

 by Mr. Maxwell's return, that the total quantity under 

 crops was 3,536,512 acres, which would be about one-sixth 

 of the entire area. The principal crops were apportioned 

 as under — 



Ireland. Scotland. 



Acres. Acres. 



Wheat 562,581 223,152 



Oats 1,978,878 938.613 



Barley,&c 246,257 277,274 



Total cereal crops ... 2,787,716 1,439,039 



Potatoes 1,146,920 139,819 



Turuips 319,984 476,691 



Other green crops 107,994 11.093 



Flax 98,074 1,534 



Meadow and clover ... 1,369,421 1,459,805 



Bare fallow 18,582 



Total under crops ... 5,860,089 3,556,572 



It will be seen by the abave that the grain crops of Ireland 

 are equal to about oae-half the entire extent under tillage ; in 

 Seotland they are about one-third : thus showing that in Ire- 

 land the farmers adopt a four-course system, while in Scotland 

 they seem to have a five-course shi.''t. The potatoes planted 

 in Ireland are nine times as much as in ScotlanJ, but the 

 Scotch grow more turnips than we do. la the other green 

 crops Irelaud is far beyoud Scotland. We have had nearly 

 ten times as much as in Scotland, adding the green crops to- 

 gether ; that is, potatoes, turnips, and other green crops. We 

 have for Ireland 1,614,888, and for Scotland 627,503. In 

 meadow and clover the Scotch exceed us, and they have 18,582 

 acres of bare fallow, of which we seem to have none. If we 

 Value the crops, after allowing for see J, at the following rates — 

 wheat £8 per acre, oats £5, barley £6, potatoes and green 

 crops £10 per acre, and meadow at £8, the total value of the 

 crops of both countries would be for Irelaud £33,456,568, and 

 for Scotland £26,110,735, thus showing that the tillage crops 



of Ireland are worth about 17 millioas sterliug per annum 

 more than thos3 of Scotland. 



We should have expected, from the greater quantity of 

 land in Scotland not brought into tillage, and also from 

 the increase in turnips and clover and grass land, that the 

 Scotch had a larger quantity of live stock ; but, except in 

 sheep, which ai"e principally put on the grass land which 

 is not under tillage, we do not find this result. The live 

 stock is thus classified : 



Total 



8,920,065 



6,989,368 



The Census Commissioners of Ireland adopted, in 1841, 

 the following scale of prices; and at these rates the 

 animals of Ireland have been since valued, viz. : For 

 horses, 8Z. each ; cattle, 61. 10s.; sheep, 22s. ; and swine, 

 25s. each. The Commissioners make the total value of 

 Irish live stock, in 1857, 33,G84,813Z. ; and, at the same 

 rates, those of Scotland would be 13,851, G39Z. The items 

 arc as under : 



IRELAND. SCOTLAND. 



Horses £ 4,805,544 .... £ 1,483,272 



Cattle 23,520,536 .... 5,933,840 



Sheep 3,793,543 .... 6,251 ,485 



Pigs 1,565,190 .... 182,942 



£33,684,813 £13,851,539 



It strikes us, with reference to the live stock, that the 

 Scotch farm with fewer horses than we do in Ireland, and 

 this leaves them a larger supply of food for their other 

 stock ; and when we see they have larger quantities of 

 turnips and clover, we are rather surprised at the great 

 disproportion in cattle, as they have only one-fourth of 

 what we have in Ireland. The value of the live stock of 

 Ireland appears to be more than double that of Scotland. 



The increased quantity of potatoes in Ireland may be 

 attributed to the much greater population which we have 

 to support; but we think the contrast of the agricultural 

 returns of the two countries is in favour of our own, for 

 with nearly equal areas we have a larger extent of crops, 

 and we have greatly enhanced value in live stock, and if 

 the annual profit from stock be ecjual to their value, it would 

 appear that the returns from that branch in this country 

 far surpass those of our northern neighbours. We do not 

 consider it needful to enter into much detail as to the 

 profits from farming, but we find on minute calculation and 

 comparison of the annual profits on cattle, sheep, and pigs, 

 that Ireland ought on this branch of agriculture to realize 

 nearly £20,000,000 per annum more than Scotland ; and 

 although we may not possess the manufacturing advantages 

 of the Scotch, yet, in the greater fertility of the soil of 

 Ireland, wo are capable of maintaining a population nearly 

 three times as great as hers, and gradually increasing in 

 wealth, in a class of property that is less liable to financial 

 embarrassment than any other. 



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