THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



439 



riot, but to read as attentively as it deserves what was 

 said on the award of the prizes at Iho Royal Dublin 

 Society's Show. 



There was, we arc told, a crowded attendance, and 

 as is usuftlly the case in the sister kingdom, many 

 amongst the gentlemen called up quite equal to ad- 

 dressing a public body. But we find nothing of a fatal 

 fluency. It is remarkable, on the other hand, 

 how well every speaker kept himself to the subject- 

 matter of the evening's meeting, and how carefully each 

 one avoided anything like a mere party cry, however 

 popular he might have known it to be. The English- 

 man who returned thanks on behalf of the judges, did 

 not speak more practically or seriously to what agri- 

 culture had done than did those who preceded or fol- 

 lowed him. It is, indeed, an encouraging and me- 

 morable sign to see the Irish themselves dwelling with 

 honest pride on such a pursuit, and gladly testifying to 

 what it had done for their country. The Lord Chan- 

 cellor must have known the people fiir better than 

 many of their professed friends, when, just that time 

 since, all he asked was that they should be left to them- 

 selves for ten years. More or less, they have been. It 

 has unquestionably been a period remarkable for the 

 little public agitation carried on, and with this result, 

 that "never was Ireland in a more prospei'ous and 

 healthy state than at this moment." 



The general development of the agi'iculture of the 

 sister-kingdom is almost altogether attributable to the 

 influence of the Dublin, the Irish Improvement, and 

 other similar associations. These have especially tended 

 to raising the position and character of the Irish land- 

 lord. They have imbued him with that greatest of all 

 incentives — an actual pleasure in the pursuit. He 

 appears now continually in entries and lists of prizes as 

 a breeder and an exhibitor. In fact, for some time past 

 ho has been rather too strong here for the farmer him- 

 self. It was a move, however, in the right direction : 

 impossible as it must be for " My Lord" or " the Mar- 

 quis" to have a herd of Durhams or a flock of Leicesters 

 without the tenantry eventually benefiting by the use of 

 them. The country is now coming surely to reap the 

 fruits of all this. Year after year, as wo have to report 

 ou our annual visits, some new district is invaded. 

 Another great man learns to take a pride in the culti- 

 vation of his property, and the consequence is already 

 apparent. Never, we are assured on the authoiity of the 

 Irish Lord Chancolloi-, was the kingdom doing so well, 

 while we leave it to his Lordship to trace back how 

 much of this is associated with the advance of agriculture. 

 Thus comparatively early, too, in its history, an ob- 

 servant Englishman, referring to the best kiuds of 

 stock, declares it " an extraordinary thing that while in 

 England the breed of shorthorns was almost restricted 

 to certain districts — at any rate was not spread over the 

 country, as it appeared to be in Ireland — he thought 

 he was justified in saying that Ireland appeared to be a 

 nursery of shorthorns ; for whether it were in the 

 beautiful and romantic Kerry, or in the mountains of 

 Wicklow, or the plains of Meath, shorthorns appeared 

 to thrive and flourish everywhere, He presumed it was 



because this was really and truly the ' green isle,' and 

 it seemed that where a shorthorn got good grass there 

 it would thrive well. Ho did not know whether it would 

 be correct to say that this was a country of milk and 

 honey, but he was quite certain that it was a land of 

 milk and beef." More than this, the Irish have not 

 only the shorthorn distributed all over the island, but 

 there are those who maintain that they have also some 

 of the best of the breed. 



And this brings us to another branch of the subject. 

 We will not be content with only what the Lord Chan- 

 cellor, Lord Clancarty, Sir Edward M'Donnel, or the 

 Honourable Mr. Hancock could say in Dublin. The Irish 

 tenant-farmer, too, will learn to speak for himself about 

 his own business. There has been recently published a 

 letter addressed to Captain Croker, the late Secretary 

 of the Irish Agricultural Improvement Society, and 

 written by Mr. Luke Christy, an Irish tenant- 

 farmer. We do not hesitate to rank this as one 

 of the most able and useful communications on 

 the breeding and showing of stock that we have 

 ever met with. For years past, as our readers are 

 aware, have we been denouncing the injurious and 

 absurd condition to which breeding stock are brought^ 

 But it has been hard work to get breeders to go with 

 us. As a rule, they have rather upheld the practice ; 

 taking care, of course, to keep very quiet on the losses 

 they themselves have sustained by the system. But it 

 is refreshing to hear a man speak out like Mr. Christy, 

 and to see him parade such beautiful victims as 

 Bridesmaids, May Queens, and Kilbogget Lasses, 

 before the blushing offenders that have gained such 

 costly victories. We repeat that so far the pros- 

 perity of agriculture in Ireland has been mainly attri- 

 butable to the agricultural societies. But it will never 

 do for our friends across the Channel to follow our ex- 

 ample, and obstinately shut their eyes to the abuses of 

 those associations. It is weakness to say they cannot be 

 put a stop to ; and even if some influential culprit does 

 retire in dudgeon, perhaps so much the better. The 

 Council of the Irish Society must encourage such men 

 as Mr. Christy to speak out, and must act on what 

 they say. It is but arguing a truism, after all, to show 

 the fallacy of breeding from over-pampered animals ; 

 but not a tithe of these evil consequences is ever 

 known, and he does good service who exi)Oses them. 

 It is, in fact, simply a plan of obtaining prices aud 

 prizes on false pretences ; and we arc by no means sure 

 but the judges should be included in the indictment. 



It speaks well for the progress of the sister-kingdom 

 when she can enforce such a lesson as this upon us. 

 Let it not, however, be lost upon herself, and we shall 

 have Ireland, by one of the most tangible of tests, 

 taking high rank in the pursuits of agriculture. There 

 is certainly every hope of her doing so. At the 

 last Council Meeting of the Improvement Society 

 Mr. Douglas' famous two-year-old heifers were dis- 

 qualified as not having bred. The white heifer, bought 

 of Mr. Booth, was never in calf; while the poor Queen 

 of Trumps died on her voyage out with a calf in her. 

 It appears rather hard to withhold the prize in tbis in- 



