400 0)1 Agricultural Statistics 



enumerators ; iu fact, a degree of confidence lias grown up on tlie 

 subject wliicli is very creditable to the country at large ; so that as 

 regards both the acreage under crops, and tlie number of live stock, 

 the particiilars are readily given by the occupiers of land and owTiers 

 of stock. I believe the great secret of this success is that all parties 

 now feel entire confidence that there will not be any disclosure of 

 individual aifairs, the retui-ns being considered by me as strictly con- 

 fidential, and only published in General Abstracts. I recollect, ten 

 years ago, the same suspicion and reluctance existed in Ireland to give 

 the returns which prevail in some parts of England ; but I firmly 

 believe that when the farmers in England are made aware of the fact 

 that nothing is in reality disclosed with regard to individual farms, 

 but that the information they afford is merely used for the purpose of 

 being published in General Abstracts for a whole county, or portions 

 of a county, my conviction is that you will then attain the same degree 

 of satisfaction which I am happy to say we now experience in Ireland. 

 In order, however, to accomplish this, I ventm-e to suggest that it is 

 most important to use every possible means to obtain the concurrence 

 of the landed proprietors and the tenant farmers themselves, not, I 

 would say, by legislation, but by appealing to their good sense, and 

 their own self-interest, because I do, with very great respect, maintain 

 that theu" seK-interest is very much concerned in this matter ; how 

 important it must be for them to know, say in the month of September, 

 what is the acreage of the croi:)s in all England, because to a certain 

 extent that knowledge will afford them data from which they may 

 derive very valuable information. With reference to the complaint 

 as to the opposition of the public press, which has been alluded to by 

 a gentleman who addressed us, I must say, that, so far as my own 

 experience is concerned, I have found it to be a powerful and valuable 

 ally in removing prejudices against the collection of these returns ; 

 and I have, on all occasions, to express my gratefid. thanks not only 

 to the farmers, but also to the public jn-ess, for their generous assist- 

 ance. As soon as the returns are j^ublished, I send a coj)y of them to 

 every paper in Ireland, and also to some of the principal papers in 

 England and Scotland, and I have found the friendly co-oj)eration of 

 the press to be of the utmost value, as by it early publicity is given to 

 the returns, and the advantage of them pointed out to the community 

 at large. 



" On the point of the collection of the average yield, that is rather a 

 difficult thing to arrive at, because much reluctance will naturally 

 exist in the minds of many farmers to give the yield of their farms, 

 particularly if they have any apj)rehension that their average rates of 

 produce may become known to those who they think may make an 

 nnfi'iendly use of the information ; when, however, they are satisfied 

 that these average rates of produce are published only for large districts, 

 and are not given for individual farms, their objections will be 

 gradually overcome. There are 163 Poor Law Unions in Ireland, and 

 these are subdivided into ' Electoral Divisions,' which vary very much 

 in size, containing, perhaps, 4,000, 5,000, or 8,000 acres, or more ; the 

 yield of the crops in each electoral division is obtained by consulting 



