and the Cattle Census. 401 



the most intelligent landliolclers, and procuring their opinion on the 

 point as to what ' one acre with another ' will yield, of wheat, oats, 

 barley, rye, potatoes, and varioiis other crops ; these rates are then 

 submitted for revision to the Boards of Guardians, which, being 

 generally composed of landed proprietors and tenant fiirmers, are 

 particularly qualified to give an opinion as to the average yield in 

 the several Poor Law Unions, and the rates of produce so obtained 

 are finally jiublished by counties and provinces. The gi-eat point in 

 dealing with inquiries of this nature is to remove every possible 

 ground for supposing that the private circumstances of the farmers are 

 in any way disclosed, or that the information is to be used in the 

 slightest degree to their prejudice. It is by acting on this principle 

 that we have overcome the difficulty which did exist in Ireland, and 

 will, I believe, exist in every coi.mtry when an attempt is first made 

 to obtain such returns. I also hold that the publicity given to these 

 retm'ns has been productive of much benefit. The cost incurred has 

 been very trifling — about one penny for two of these [referring to 

 some printed retm-ns] — compared with the good effect that the extensive 

 circulation of the information has produced in the minds of the 

 public ; and I am happy to say that in this case the Government has 

 permitted me to circulate these returns very extensively, and for 347. 

 10s. I am enabled to distribute 10,000 copies of these abstracts; I 

 send one to every magistrate throughout the country, to each clergy- 

 man of every denomination, and to other influential parties ; and by 

 this means we have allies in every district. When a small farmer is 

 asked questions as to the acreage under his crops, their yield, or the 

 niunber of his cattle, not improbably the fii-st thing he would do would 

 be to go to his clergyman, or to some intelligent neighbour, and say, 

 ' I am asked certain questions ; shall I answer them ? ' The reply 

 would be, ' Well, I can see no objection ; they can do no harm ; there 

 will be no disclosm-e of yoiu* private affairs.' He then gives the 

 required information. By this means we remove the prejudices which 

 exist in the minds of the uneducated classes, and sometimes in those 

 of the educated also ; and I believe that for the general success of 

 these statistics we are mainly indebted to the friendly co-operation 

 of the gentry, clergy, and tenant farmers of Ireland, to which I have 

 already alluded."* 



The cost attending the collection and compilation of the Irish 

 Agricultural Statistics is about 3000/. a year; it must be remem- 

 bered, however, that the enumerators, who all l^elong to the 

 constabulary, receive no extra pay for their services. The time 

 occupied in the collection is from six to eight weeks, and the 

 enumerators A'isit each farm or holding to ascertain from the 

 occupier or some person connected with the farm the particulars 

 required for the returns. The results are published to show : — 



1. The acreage under the principal crops. 



2. The estimated produce of the principal crops. 



* Int. Stat. Congress Report, p. 315. 



2 r 2 



